The common element of Formica, fabric, and wallpaper is the variety of colors available in the same pattern.

Ever since I was a kid, I've enjoyed looking through samples - those little pieces of Formica threaded onto a chain, and wallpaper books. Part of the fun was the names that were given to each pattern. At one of my past homes, my counter top material was called Navajo Dusk, and I never knew if I chose it for the name or the color.







Every year the Pantone people identify the color trends. To me, a lot of it has to do with what they call it.



When I look at the names, I try to think what they would have been called a couple of decades ago. For example, deep purple has been called eggplant, and then more recently it was called aubergine. I also think that Emerald today is not what they would have called Emerald 20 or 30 years ago. And what they are calling Linen in 2013 might have been Beige some time ago.

One website I looked at said the trendy colors are called Chaps (a medium warm brown), Ginger Root (kind of a terra cotta), Cream Puff (a very blah gray), Light Sage (which I agree is a light sage green), and Whippet (what would have been called Taupe at one time).

Here are some real whippets, in case you forgot what color they are. They also come in brown.