
Want to juice up your decor? Add a splash of bright reddish orange.
The color gurus have spoken, declaring "Tangerine Tango" the Color of the Year for 2012. The vibrant hue is just what we need to boost our energy and spirits as we slog through the economic doldrums, according to the Pantone Color Institute.
You can saturate an accent wall ... punch up a room with citrus pillows ... or go all-out-'60s with an orange sofa or chair.
If you were born post-'60s, an orange sofa may strike you as sunny and refreshing. But if you're old enough to remember the decade, you might be flashing back to the burnt orange of your youth. Bummer!
Tangerine Tango is not your Mother's orange. It's cleaner and brighter than that murky earth-toned orange that hung around with Harvest Gold and Avocado back in the day.
But it's still a strong color -- one that people tend to either love or hate. Frank Sinatra reportedly loved orange, calling it "the happiest color."

I'm one of the haters, truth be told. It's one of the last colors I'd surround myself with at home, although I can appreciate it in other people's.
Designer Cy Winship (www.cywinshipdesign.com) sides with Sinatra. "I love it!" he says. His own living room is orange. But it's a tricky hue to work with, he admits. "It's an oddly dangerous color."