By Lisa Samuel, Owner, The Samuel Design Group

To follow trends or not to follow trends? That is the question.  Each January, people naturally think about trends for the New Year and they wonder what to do. Individually each of us needs to decide whether or not we will follow a particular trend; perhaps it involves fashion or color or interior design. Of course, I am going to discuss all three!

First, let’s talk about trends in general. Trends in all industries come and go. If you chase a trend, it is often gone by the wayside by the time you have implemented it, whether it is fashion or any type of design. I personally love clean, sexy, modern, and sophisticated everything! This applies to fashion, interiors, architecture, landscaping, lighting, etc. So, with that said, I do not chase trends. I prefer clean lines, a neutral palette, with thoughtfully selected details.

Let’s say we are talking fashion: imagine a very simple black dress with clean lines fitting the body just so and graced with the perfect accessories. Beautiful. Now, when it comes to color, let’s use paint as an example. Paint is generally easy to change and it can be a fun area in which to play. This may require changing a few accessories year to year but that is not a big deal. As far as interior design and decorating goes, clean lines are always a timeless winner. You cannot go wrong with a casually elegant room that invites the user to enjoy the comfort. Good taste never goes out of style.

 Lisa Samuel is a regular contributor to All Things Real Estate, a weekly radio program heard locally on 1260 AM, 101.5 FM.   For more valuable information and resoures visit ATREradio.com