Where "on-trend" is trending

Someday, I will be on-trend -- a phrase that has been defined by some as an oh-so-trendy way to say trendy. Right.

I was once, I think, when we painted a room Burnt Olive, a dark green risk that remains quite sophisticated. Good thing, too, because it would be a bear to paint over.

In any case, the recent International Home + Housewares Show (IHA) in Chicago provided a glimpse at what's going to be on-trend NEXT year. Color is always the big factor, and Pantone, the company that proclaimed a peculliar shade of green called Emerald this year's hot color, laid it all out in a special exhibit.

Reports from the field describe it thusly:

Hot color palette themes "include Techno Color, Physicality, Sculpted Simplicity, Tribal Threads, Moda, Eccentricities, Intimacy, Collage and Fluidity.

What does this mean? Techno colors are Dark Citron and Methyl Blue. Look for those shades in the kitchen.

Sculpted Simplicity shows up in gear such as knife sets, corkscrews and travel mugs. Trudeau, in fact, has a knife set that's completely red, blades and all.

The Moda palette goes for a "svelte and voluptuous" vibe with colors such as Blackberry Cordial and Wood Violet.

In short, on-trend looks like deep colors, vivid colors, big colors. In a landscape that remains both wonderfully and depressingly white, I'm vulnerable to these suggestions. Should I take the risk?

Have you taken a color risk and had it go well? Ever been surprised at how the color swatch looks different when it's a whole wall? Are there tricks to helping that transition from small to large work best?