Each year, we see more and more hype around Pantone’s selection of a color to characterize the upcoming year. If you managed to miss the coverage this time around, 2014 is supposed to be all about Radiant Orchid.

It can be hard to know how to use this sort of fashion-forward hue when making decoration choices for your home, though design magazines certainly have suggestions — see, for example, Pantone’s spring 2014 palette as styled by Elle Decor contributors.

Paint manufacturers also preview color trends; these can be somewhat less driven by runway fashion and therefore more user-friendly:

• Benjamin Moore is talking up a New Neutral palette for 2014. Compare their lovely and very livable selection for Color of the Year, Breath of Fresh Air.
• Sherwin-Williams highlights a four color families with evocative names like Diaphanous and Curiosity.
• Behr’s also has four bold sets in their 2014 Color Trends. Perhaps you will be intrigued by their Seaside Harmony or Natural Avocation palettes?
• Dunn-Edwards goes a step further, investigating colors that are trending for the holidays (!).

When all is said and done, however, you want the colors in your home to make you happy and comfortable. For most of us, these trend reports are simply fun ways to think about the possibilities.