• A modern home is awash with the fresh pastel shades of rose quartz and Serenity.

A modern home is awash with the fresh pastel shades of rose quartz and Serenity. (Photo : YouTube/Mary Tardito)

People who plan to spruce up their homes by yearend may take inspiration from designers' choice of colors that will rule 2016. These are rose quartz, serenity, and simply white.

Compared to the radiant orchid, marsala and lavender hues that brightened up walls of homes and retail stores in 2014, the fresh, relaxing colors of rose quartz, serenity and clean whites are less in-your-face.

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Pantone Inc. picked more than one color for 2016. While rose quartz or pale pink hues bring to mind baby showers and nurseries, the muted shades of serenity conjure images of the blue ocean and sky.

Pantone wrote on its official page on Facebook that the seamless combination of Rose Quartz and Serenity offers the "perfect counterpoint to the fast-paced, fractured and hurried lives we live."  The company's online followers responded favourably, and some believe that bringing softness into one's life is a welcome move.  

The colors have a calming, soothing effect, lending themselves well to modern home interiors. Rose quartz and Serenity are a cool breakaway from dramatic blacks or flamboyant oranges and fuchsia.

The pastel hues of rose quartz and Serenity are very easy on the eyes. Designers noted that there are subtle approaches homeowners can try when incorporating the trendy colors in their residential design, Bustle reported.

Besides having the walls of dwelling places, work areas or even retail spaces awash in the calming shades of light pink & blue, people may opt for accents like vases, area rugs, chaise lounge, or even a wall clock in rose quartz or Serenity.

As for the other designer favorite for 2016, clean, pristine white emerges as top choice owing to its strong impact and refreshing appeal, especially in an age of being visually bombarded by colourful images.

In an interview with Architectural Digest, designer Ellen O'Neill said that white offers people the opportunity to self-express to the hilt.

From the designer's perspective, white declutters and redirects the eye, and may convey a wide range of things from peace, to innocence, to purity, healing, romance or brilliance.