Great Escapes

This, in a sense, is the second leg of last year's journey into Global Fusion. As a trend-in-transition, it retains a footing in Asia, Africa, India and Morocco, but adds to the itinerary early notes of Russia. The impulses motivating it, too, have progressed. There's now urgency behind the urge to get away from it all: Fantasizing about faraway places isn't enough; there's a commitment to actually taking the trip or giving décor a boldly escapist theme, plus the confidence to mix cultures in the process.

The colors are likewise committed and confident in shade as well as saturation. They're alive with the feel of equatorial places: a Tuscan hillside, the Serengeti Plain, a Moroccan bazaar. Some (River Rouge, Kendal Green, Quite Coral) are more like accessory cues, particularly when played against the dark wood finishes native to the look. The lighter hues have great backdrop potential: They recede just enough to let exotic ornamentation - mother-of-pearl or metal inlays on case goods, jeweled buttons on duvets, paisleys in soft goods - get due attention.

Trend-traveler Michelle Lamb, senior editor of "The Trend Curve," likes the view, especially the vivid coral and the greens moving into blue. "We've been very interested the last couple of years in the mix of blue and green," she says. "The new blues have more body to them than the old blues, and they work beautifully."

Due to individual computer monitor limitations, colors seen here may not accurately reflect Sherwin-Williams paint colors. To confirm your color choices, visit your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams store and refer to our in-store color cards.