Source: DBC Public Relations Experts

Warm Up Your Winter Season With Color and Decor Trends From Ace Hardware

Ace's Design Experts Inspire Homeowners to Take On the Holiday Season With Style

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwired - Dec 9, 2014) - Ace Hardware, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world, reveals the top color and home décor trends to create a warm and inviting atmosphere this winter. Selected by Ace's Design Experts, Julie Richard (Boston, Mass.), Nathan Fischer (Orange County, Calif.), and Katie Reynolds (Atlanta, Ga.), these trends will encourage homeowners to relish time spent indoors with friends and family by drawing inspiration from the unexpected beauty found during the winter months.

Ace's Design Experts, with over 30 years of combined interior design experience, have carefully curated a color palette ideal for the winter season, which includes warm hues and balanced neutrals alongside rich vibrant shades from the Clark+Kensington® paint+primer in one collection. "Though it is often overlooked, winter is the perfect season to draw inspiration from with a palette of rich, on-trend colors, adding a sense of warmth within the home," said Richard. "Our color selections will inspire homeowners to bring the cozy feeling of a crackling fireplace into their interior décor this holiday season, making their home the perfect backdrop for entertaining all winter long."

Julie, Nathan and Katie have identified the following Clark+Kensington colors as the top winter hues for homeowners:

  • Combat the chilly winter weather with an entryway that features an eye-catching focal piece in a warm, radiant red like Big Apple 04D-5. This hue works best in a high gloss lacquer. Try it on a vintage dresser, repurposed as an entry console, for a glamorous look during the holiday entertaining season ahead.
  • Set your home apart during the holiday entertaining season with an offbeat color combination. Paint the walls a neutral shade, such as Light Navajo White CW-W8, and the trim in a splash of color, like Green Tea 23A-4, a muted olive hue. Incorporate just the right amount of charm with Custard Center 23C-2, a butter yellow, on a painted piece of furniture in the space.
  • Make any room in your home the one you'll want to spend the most time in by adding a unique twist to the walls with Mysterious Gray N-C19, a distinctive smoky ash hue that makes for a truly one-of-a-kind wall color. Next, bring in black accents to play up the calming gray color of the walls. Try painting the fireplace mantle, trim work, or doors a glossy black, like Little Black Dress 38A-5, for a touch of sophistication.
  • Blue is a classic color that pairs well with almost any neutral. Try Haven of Coziness N-C1, a soft, neutral beige, for the majority of your home's walls -- it makes a great staple for a cozy look. Add touches of a sophisticated, slightly-bright blue-gray to your décor, such as Tower Bridge 34A-3 or Objet D'Art 35A-3, for a balanced but dynamic update to each room. For a bolder look, try Late Night Serenade N-C21, a deep slate gray.
  • Gray is the perfect color choice for a serene and cozy feel in a master bedroom. Try Silver Glamour N-C18 on the walls, trim and ceiling for a look that will wrap the room in tranquility. Complement this radiant gray with bedding in colors to match Frost CW-C3, a crisp clean white, paired with bedroom pillows in a shade such as Heirloom Jewels 40C-7, a rich and luxurious purple.
  • Deep colors will add a beautiful dose of drama and work beautifully as a color palette for the exterior of your home. Paint the home's facade in Sheer Mist N-C9, a subtle gray, and try Union Square 37A-4, dark gray-blue, in a high gloss finish on the front door with a nickel doorknocker.

Ace's Design Experts are also inspiring homeowners to bring the latest trends into their home décor this season, as winter is a popular time for indoor entertaining. The following design tips are recommended to pair alongside their winter color trends:

  • For a timeless, layered look, mix and match different elements in the same color. Go for a glamorous neutral palette with a classic fur throw, a thick and luxurious white flokati or shag rug, knit wool throw pillows and classic tweed upholstery fabrics. This touchable palette is classic and chic in tones of gray, taupe and ivory and is the perfect warm up to the cold weather.
  • Window frames, mullions and muttons painted in very dark colors are on-trend -- try this chic, unexpected update to the outside of your home to catch every neighbor's eye this season.
  • Bring in tile accents. Rather than a glass accent tile, look for a hand-painted, glazed and natural tile to achieve a classic look. Concrete tiles with color and pattern are a great update for a modern treatment.
  • Casual elegance is trending this winter. Create an accent feature in the kitchen by painting a set of mismatched breakfast room chairs in the same color for a unified yet unrefined look that is both pulled together and relaxed.
  • Comfort and coziness are a must as the weather cools down. Utilize natural materials throughout your home, such as wood and antiqued leather, for a comfortable feeling in any room of the home. Add cut white birch logs to your fireplace for a warm, yet updated look and try an upholstery piece covered in an antique-style woven rug to add a rustic air to the space. Keep your worn or scuffed leather chair around for a bit longer -- this accent piece can help add to the look of a well-loved room this winter.

Clark+Kensington, a premium line of paint+primer in one, is available exclusively at the Paint Studio at Ace. Its semi-gloss finish was recently ranked #1 for the second year in a row by a leading consumer magazine in tests of interior paints. The paint line features designer-selected hues that cover the entire color spectrum to provide homeowners with a selection of beautiful, livable colors.

Designed to help homeowners find the perfect paint color, The Paint Studio at Ace features eye-catching color racks, unique pullout drawers and easy to use color cards to simplify the color selection process. Paired with the helpful service and knowledgeable advice customers can expect from Ace associates, The Paint Studio at Ace provides a world-class paint experience right in consumers' neighborhood hardware stores.

For more information on Clark+Kensington or Ace's Design Experts, please stop by your neighborhood Ace or visit www.clarkandkensington.com

About Ace Hardware
For 90 years, Ace Hardware has been known as the place with the helpful hardware folks in thousands of neighborhoods across America, providing customers with a more personal kind of helpful. In 2014, Ace ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores, Eight Years in a Row," according to J.D. Power. With more than 4,900 hardware stores locally owned and operated across the globe, Ace is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries currently operate 14 distribution centers in the U.S. and also have distribution capabilities in Shanghai, China; Panama City, Panama; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its retailers' stores are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and approximately 60 countries. For more information on Ace, visit www.acehardware.com.

Contact Information:

Media Contact:
Ryan Vaughan
DBC PR + Social Media
202-292-4575
ace@dbcpr.com

Media Contact:
Jenny Stephen
Ace Hardware Corporation
630-990-6643
jestep@acehardware.com