How is that pearl grays and tomato reds are going to be dominant colors in 2009 home décor and furniture? It’s not some kind of weird serendipity in which Ethan Allen just happens to pick the same colors as Ralph Lauren (above). No, color forecasting is an art in itself. The big kahuna in issuing colorful edicts is the Color Association of the United States, a forecasting service that has been on the forefront of color since 1915.

How, you might wonder, does the association approach this multi-hued task? A panel of eight to 12 industry professionals (click here for the current lineup) put their collective heads together to make seasonal forecasts for interiors and fashion each March and September.

Designers and manufacturers subscribe to the CAUS forecasting service and receive large swatch charts, with yarn and fabric samples and incorporate those colors designing upcoming lines

Here’s the CAUS forecast for interiors/environments (a.k.a. home décor and furniture) for 2009:

The Rock Crystals Palette: 16 coolish colors in a mineral-inspired palette features like Tiger’s Eye, Blue Topaz, Limestone and Quartz. This set of  pearl grays, off-whites, slate blues, olives and bronzes will shine in finishes that are shimmery, high-gloss, translucent and metallic.

The rock crystals hues are in the bronze of Jenn-Air’s oiled bronze double wall oven ($3,399)

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Hannah Montana hangs out here, and Bob the Builder, too - both sharing space with brides and hippies, rock stars and tourists, doctors and nurses. They’re all a dime a dozen on the racks of Goodwill stores.

“October is our busiest month at Goodwill stores,” said Lauren Lawson, representative of Goodwill Industries International. Not only do the stores carry new, packaged costumes for around $13, the rows and rows of clothing, shoes and boots, hats, belts, bags, linens and kiddie stuff need nothing but a bit of creativity to turn them into the coolest costumes on the street.

“With the economy this year, the state it’s in, no one wants to go out and spend $40 or $50 on something they’re going to wear exactly once,” said Juli Lundberg, a regional Goodwill representative. Plus, you’ll give to Goodwill’s good cause: job training programs for those who need help.

Need ideas? Try a few of these:

• Old prom gown? Make a gold cardboard Oscar statuette, pile your hair on top of your head and go as a red carpet winner. Or cut the dress down for a little girl’s princess costume.
• Argyle vest? White button-down shirt? Go prep!

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Hey, things are looking up! The stock market rallied yesterday. Gosh darn it - maybe everything is going to be just fine.

So, go ahead, throw down $60,000 on a life-sized LEGO sculpture of a loved one for that very special holiday gift. Or double that and get a sculpture of yourself.

Yea, right. It’s fun to dream, isn’t it? And that’s what 99.9 percent of us will be doing as we thumb through Neiman Marcus’ annual catalog of holiday excess which hit the Web and mailboxes this week.  Among the more extravagant offerings:

A limited edition 2009 BMW for $160,000 (these babies go fast, and they only have 31 of them). You also get a lavish trip to Europe to meet your new car on its home turf, as well as a stay in a luxury hotel, gourmet meals, etc.

An entire life-sized Dallas Cowboys Texas Stadium end zone painted in your own back yard, for $500,000. You’ll get all kinds of extras with this, such as a luxury suite at the last game in Texas Stadium and a tailgate party in your yard with Jerry Jones and the Cowboy Cheerleaders. There are other goodies in the package as well, but you might want to ask the neighbors if they’re OK with this. Better ask your wife, too.

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Dogs shouldn’t have all of the fun this Halloween. With a little prowling around, costumes can be found for those felines willing to put up with being dressed up. Of course, the very act of attempting to dress a cat could be just as scary as going through a haunted house. If you’re not afraid of claws or yowls or dirty looks from Fluffy, then go for it!

Bat Cat from The Gilded Paw, above left, is a mere $5, on sale. Wacky Planet’s princess outfit is $13 (above right.)

The queen in her velvet cape and crown from Funhouse Theatrical Costumes seems to be in a royal snit over her regalia. ($25)

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When it comes to bathroom sinks, porcelain is passé. Get in the design flow with a stunning sculptural vessel sink. Inspired by the china basins of old, these sinks are finished on all sides and mount on top of the countertop.

But it’s not just the unusual shapes that turn these into design statements; many are crafted from surprising materials like glass, stone or even bamboo. Be warned: Once you turn on this particular faucet, you’ll want to redesign the whole bathroom around your new basin.

Perhaps the most gloriously whimisical is this lollipop of a freestanding basin, the Crosswater Watercolour (right), with its candy-striped glass bowl suspended from a stainless-steel stand with integrated faucet. Sweet! The downside? It seems to be available only in the United Kingdom ($2,625 for the double-armed stand; $1,567 for the basin) but you could try to convince them to ship across the pond.

Go bold with a fire-red Galaxy rectangular glass sink from KRAUS with a coordinating waterfall faucet ($270; below). It’s the perfect antidote to boring white porcelain. And just think of the color combinations!

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If a movie is set in Beverly Hills, we, the movie-going public, expect to see spoiled girls, designer clothes, plenty of pink and loads of bling.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua does not disappoint. It was the nation’s top grossing movie last week. Audiences loved the adventures of Chloe, the pampered rich-girl chihuahua (pictured at top), voiced by Drew Barrymore. The pawed princess wears couture clothes and sports a pristine mani-pedi. We watch while Chloe looks down on the hired help, gets lost, gets found and ultimately learns that love has no social class, or money can’t buy you happiness, or something like that.

But we digress. This isn’t about life lessons. This is about shopping.

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