With the nice weather lots of us are thinking about sprucing up the house which includes painting.  As for the paint trends for 2012, the Paint Quality Institute the say “Native plants and flowers, oceans and lakes, and rocks and minerals are the sources of inspiration for the paint colors that will be ‘in’ next year.”  “If you’re thinking about repainting your home interior, look to the great American outdoors.”  Whatever you do, don’t just paint your walls white!

If you have shutters or other exterior features, the trend is to almost make them blend in rather than stick out.  Pick a color that is a shade or two darker than your siding and if you have a stone exterior then a shade or two darker than the darker stones.

Black and white is back and not just for Colonial homes, this color combination makes for a clean crisp look.

Green is a great color for kitchens and dining rooms as well as bedrooms, many shades work from celery to fern.  Greens give you the feeling of being in a nice forest.

Blue is always a soothing color that reminds us all of being by the water, lighter tones, of course.

Violet is a great accent color or can be used as a dominant color in a bedroom.

Lastly, patterns are in.  Lacy designs, bold color blocking, backdrops and textures that create a pattern are a great way to go.