I try to attend forecasting events each year to get a sense of color trends in home design and interiors. This year's hot color is a saturated blue from Pantone called Blue Iris that works beautifully as an accent color with the natural palette we have developed over the past years. Given the endless number of color choices available today, even if blue is not your preferred color you can choose colors and hues that appeal to you and still stay on the cutting edge of interior design by incorporating two popular color trends into your home:

Cool minimalism
Marked by the stark contrast of darks and lights intermixed with sophisticated hues of grey set against bright colors such as shocking pinks, reds, lime or orange, this trend is seen by some as "urban chic" and a new take on modernism. The look is not only achieved through the choice of colors but also through patterns and textures, including fabrics and rugs that feature big graphic movements on a cubist background.

Warm earthiness
Unlike the sharp contrasts of cool minimalism, this look relies on subtle tone variations of color within the same family. Deep, earthy, warm and neutral wall tones are set off by trim colors that are just a tone darker or lighter than the walls. Or you might see rooms with an accent wall that is just a different degree of intensity from the other three walls, thus altering the shape or focus of the room.

Regardless of the trends, if you plan on re-doing some rooms in 2008, I encourage you to check out the many new environmentally-friendly paints that are on the market today. These low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints perform like regular latex house paints but without the ammonia and/or formaldehyde that have been identified as significant irritants and allergens. Initially you may find these paints a little harder to work with than traditional latex paints, but once you get used to the work time and coating specifics, you will find they are worth the effort. Visit www.afmsafecoat.com, www.mythicpaint.com, www.yolocolorhouse.com, www.myaurapaint.com, and www.finepaintsofeurope.com to get a look at the features and colors offered by these products.

If you are preparing for a historic restoration or would like to use truly organic materials there are more options available to you today than in recent years. Scandinavian- and domestic-made traditional flaxseed or linseed oil paints used both on exterior and interior surfaces, as well as milk-, glue- and wheat-based paints, are re-entering the market in droves ( www.solventfreepaint.com and www.vogelpaint.com). The modern versions of linseed oil-based paints are purified to avoid algae or mold growth and provide a chemical bond with wood and plaster that latex paints simply can't match. Homes in my native Scandinavia have used the less high-tech versions of these products for centuries. Imagine the maintenance-free benefits of using the new versions of these tried-and-true classics - especially as exterior house paint. You won't need to paint again for 40 years!

You might also want to consider different color and texture finishes such as American Clay's ( www.americanclay.com) earth-based finishes that provide a troweled finish much like Venetian plaster but with a granular texture that provides a non-static surface that does not attract dirt, unlike latex paint which when cold holds a negative charge that attracts dust and grime.

Whatever route you decide to take with your design plans in 2008, remember: color trends may come and go, but environmentally-friendly design choices will benefit us all for generations to come.

Read more about Kaja's view on color in the February issue of New York House by ScheinMedia.