It happens every year at this time. Reminiscing of the past and looking forward to the future. The clock of Father Time has run out and Baby New Year is ready to step in.

It’s a bit sad to see what’s old take the back burner in time but we really shouldn’t be sad, it’s had 365 days to shine. Now it’s time to look forward to the new, the refreshed.

As I look at the picture of my cats, it really captures the essence of what’s old and what’s new and fresh. My poor Jimmy is 16 years old and aging rapidly as the days progress. He too had his day of piss and vinegar as they say and flaunted his shine for 16 years. That’s a good run.

Then there’s Annie who’s just a little over a year old. She boasts her shiny coat and strong stature although a little on the tubby side, she’s symbolizes what’s to come for 2015.

So let’s talk about what’s to come, as least for me in 2015. How will color change?

Youth. How does a chubby gray cat symbolize the new year? Easily. To start off with she has youth. The new year is time for new ideas, new adventures and to grow from our youth into adulthood. It’s a good time to try new things and lose our inhibitions and ideas about what we should or should not do in the home.

Gray. Boring color right? The most overused hue of 2014 right? Yes, yes and yes for sure! However, think of gray as a “basic” color to build a new one. Its’s a color that goes with just about every color in the wheel and is a good “Back-To-Basic” stepping block to assist the other colors to come. Am I promoting gray? No. I’m promoting the basics of a color – any color. Just build on what you already have in your home.

Naiveness. Yes – to show lack of experience. This will let us experiment with new colors and new color combinations that actually mean something to us. Keep in mind that just because the colors you choose are not the norm, doesn’t mean that it’s not right for your home. Let’s make 2105 about new ideas and new ways of thinking about color.

Emotion. Just like a child, kittens are all over the place in both their thoughts and actions. This is good! This is how we learn, when we release our inhibitions. Start bringing color into the home that feels good to you. Are you happy? Bring those colors in the home no matter what they are. If you like them and they feel good to you then they belong in the home. I will be talking a lot, a lot a lot about feelings and emotions this year. It’s important that we connect our home with how we feel.

Now let’s talk about something that Father Time has that Baby New Year lacks. What is that? Wisdom. With age comes wisdom, we all know that.

Having said that, let’s learn by our mistakes. Don’t choose a color for your home just because it’s flooded in the retail market or because every other Designer is talking about the same hue.

We’ve learned lessons about color in 2014 and now it’s time to move on. Forget what everyone else is doing. What do YOU want to do in your home? I once had a client that wanted purple in her kitchen and she was proud to show that color off. Why? Because her adopted daughter choose that color for the kitchen and it meant the world to the little girl that her Mom let her choose a color. Was it the best choice for that kitchen? Well, best choice for whom? You? Me? See my point?

It’s hard to reprogram what we know or think we know about Interior Design. I’ve been learning about it for 30 years now and right here right now, I finally get it.

Let me help you choose the right color for your home in 2015 because my friends, it’s not going to be in any magazine or written in any blog post. You’ll find it in your heart and I will see it for you.

Join me on an amazing and as always, a very colorful journey for 2015. I’m going to show you a twist and make you think in a new way about your home … and yourself. It’ll be fun and I look forward to it!!! Happy New Year.