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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Pink is suddenly the color in kitchens. It all started in 2001 with a pink KitchenAid stand mixer ($300; right). Each purchase included a donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, launching KitchenAid’s Cook for the Cure initiative, which has raised more than $5 million. Now there’s a whole line of Cook for the Cure products, including:

• a five-speed blender ($130)
• a pair of silicone-tipped tongs ($10)
• a mixing-bowl set ($25)
• a can opener ($15)
• a five-piece knife set ($50)

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Poaching eggs rarely pops up on the list of fun things to do. Neither does trussing a chicken, or making ice cubes. And flipping bacon rarely elicits giggles. Fusionbrands‘  brightly colored, stylish silicone products could turn mundane kitchen duties into conversation starters.  The stuff is flexible, rubbery, heat-resistant to 675 degrees, dishwasher safe and, well, cute. Their poach pods (above) first caught our eye. They are lovely and float in boiling water to easily poach eggs. Two are $10.

Fusionbrand’s other stylish, sturdy stuff (you can toss all of it in the dishwasher):

The orange “tenderpress” (above left) to flatten or tenderize meat without pounding or stabbing or having chicken bits fly everywhere, $18. The “foodloop“ (15 inches long, $10, above right), (more…)

Having a football party necessitates having some big bowls. It doesn’t matter what charming crudités and finger food you’ve got on the table, everybody on the couch wants stuff from a big bowl, on the coffee table, between them and the HDTV. Thus, they can keep their eyes glued to the tube and still stuff their mouths.

Now that you see the error of your bowl-less ways, here are some ideas to prepare you for next weekend’s game day. Crate & Barrel’s bark bowl is rustic and sturdy, and $35. Another of their wooden bowls that looks like it could stand up to heavy use is the Borneo low bowl of sustainable mango wood, on sale for $70. If you stay with a wood theme, Crate & Barrel has a whole page of possibilities. William Sonoma has a nice wooden bowl with inset ceramic dip holder, and Pottery Barn’s Springwood chip and dip bowl is pretty (also made of mango wood) for $50.

Sure it’s a little risky to trot out a glass bowl, but Lenox has a striking crystal angled chip and dip bowl for $40, and another pretty bowl in polished metal alloy from Horchow ($115) would be practical and slick. If you want to get artsy, the Museum of Modern Art’s online store has a beautiful river stones bowl ($175, pictured right) that is one of the museum’s best-selling items.

Going with a Latin theme next weekend? La Tienda has multiple options, such as the Roman terra cotta bowl for $23. Cookware.com also has all kinds of sizes and types of serving bowls online. Is all of this just a little too pricey for your crew? Ikea has several less expensive options, including the $8 Sekin bowl. Sur la Table is usually on the high end, but their white terra cotta bowl is only $17. And TheFind has lots and lots of bowls to browse through. Or just forget all this fancy stuff. Target has bowls emblazoned with your pro team’s name, or go for the generic “touchdown” bowl for $20 (pictured above). FansEdge has something for every team’s fans, such as the “snack helmet” for $62.

Every cubicle dweller knows the dangers of leaving your chair and walking to the water fountain. People will try to chitchat, your boss may see you and ask you to come into her office for a second, or you might miss an important phone call.

The solution is simple: a mini-water dispenser, perfectly desktop sized. The one getting lots of attention these days is available at multiple online retailers. We found it at ThinkGeek. It dispenses your minimum daily requirement of eight cups of water a day. It isn’t a cooler, but you can freeze the water (or whatever you want to fill it with) and let it thaw during the day. It’s only about 20 inches tall and is $15.

There are a couple of other tiny water dispensers on the market that might interest you: The Hello Kitty pink one is about the same size (although it features Hello Kitty saying “Please Drink 8 Glasses of Water” on it) and is $17 at Toys ‘r’ Us. A “cute” desktop dispenser features a funny pig face where the water is dispensed. It also holds eight glasses of water, but is a little more expensive at $25 from DealExtreme.

Just when you think there’s nothing new to say about blenders, enter Blendtec. Actually, enter the Blendtec videosWill it Blend?. Call it a publicity stunt, but it’s a good one. Blendtec, which sells commercial-grade blenders akin to those you see in coffee shops, has entered the home-blender arena with their Total Blender and a series of short videos showing a lab-coated, safety-glasses wearing man blending outrageous things. He blends an iPhone, a video camera, glow-sticks, an iPod, golf balls, marbles and on and on and on. Call us gullible, but this blender reduces everything from cubic zirconia, a stuffed toy, a stun gun, a Rubik’s cube, a DVD and a hearing aid to tiny bits and pieces. Warnings of “Don’t do this at home” pepper the Web site. Of course there are plenty of videos and information about blending edibles such as smoothies, bread dough, peanut butter, hot soup, salsa, ice cream, etc. The blender is good-looking, with a digital display and lots of functions. It’s heavy and solid. The Total Blender isn’t cheap at $400, but will draw ooohs and ahhs from your party guests, even if you’re just blending a margarita, not a cell phone.

The football games are coming, and it’s time to start thinking about beer. Not just the beer you’re going to drink, but what you’re going to serve it in. Toss the plastic cups. It’s time to upgrade. You could go with some basic but classy glasses, like the assortment at PubGlasses.com, where you can pick from a variety that can be personalized for $15 a glass (or get the special football game glass for $10 each). CocktailVibe has the Oslo beer glass ($32 for a set of 4); Pottery Barn has a solid-looking set of six British pint glasses for $28; and at Williams-Sonoma you can find a set of four glasses and have them monogrammed with your initials for $59. If you want to have a bit more fun, consider a pilsner glass with a color-changing LED base or a set with a witty saying (”Half Empty? Half Full?”) in Italian from Sur la Table for $39.50 (pictured, set of four). Uncommon Goods always has amusing and interesting items, like their artful set of glasses that make the beer look suspended in mid-air, or the set of four glasses with your “house rules” for football game parties. Or go all-out for your team with a crystal freezer mug complete with team logo (3 for $12.99). Want to really get fancy? A pair of Lalique Louvre beer glasses will cost you $142, or a handsome set of four Waterford crystal beer glasses will run $250. But aren’t your friends worth it? Now that we’ve got you thinking about beer glasses, why don’t you just go all the way and buy real German beer steins? At BeerSodaSports.com, there are all kinds of steins such as a Bavarian beer ceramic stein with a metal lid, for $38. Or go straight to BeerGlasshopper, where the selection is as wide as your new HDTV: from a real ox-horn with a pewter lid and base ($285), a 3/4-yard glass (with stand) that holds 68 oz. for $80, a 40-oz. Hofbrauhaus Octoberfest dimpled glass mug (pictured), a Swiss hand-carved colorful stein complete with fancy lid for $130 or - and yes, they really do drink from these glasses - an 80-oz. Hofbrauhaus glass drinking boot for $70. And, when your friends have had a boot or two, and shatter your precious purchase on the floor, just remember: That’s what friends are for.

You can’t buy love. But you sure can surround yourself with beauty that is good for the heart and soul. That notion would seem to be the organizing principle behind the eclectic offerings at Rian Rae Interiors & Gifts, which specializes in unique but comfy home décor pieces that make use of elements found in nature and are, quite simply, beautiful to behold. They’re also so sensually and texturally alluring that you might just long to reach out and touch them, like these geometrically shaped hand-crocheted pendant lamps ($224; pictured) or this French crinkle pendant made of white glass ($379). The Bamboo Cloud chandelier was designed by a Thai artist using traditional bamboo-weaving techniques in a nontraditional way ($690). The roof of this handcrafted lantern ($1,898) is covered with oyster shells. Cuddle up on the couch with this crocheted wool throw ($148), and put a cup of hot tea on this coffee table made from an antique Fench pigeon basket ($1,385). (more…)