In “The Devil Wears Prada,” Miranda priestly lectures Andy about how her choice of a cerulean blue sweater had been pre-ordained by the fashion powers that be. “... You’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room,” she admonishes.

Interior designer Dian Cleve explains it in a much nicer way. “Color trends stay in a flow,” she says. “You’re going to see color trends first in print ... The second place is going to be in fashion and then interior design follows.” Entities like Pantone guide color trends each year.

She points out that color trends for interiors are dictated by product and “a lot of research and money goes into establishing those products, the industry tends to move in sync.”

Cleve explains that color trends work off an underlying neutral. For many years, that neutral was beige, shifting to gray about five years ago. “Gray was wonderful,” she says. However, our eyes are now getting bored with gray. So, the marketplace introduced a secondary neutral: navy.

With the underlying neutral gray, accented by white, adding the secondary neutral of navy allows for other vibrant accents—like yellow metals, something Cleve says has not been prevalent for 20 years.

“You combine [navy] with white, wood and brass fixtures and all of sudden you have an interior that is quite lively. It’s not boring or sleepy. It’s awake, it’s active.” Other accent colors include grass green, bright pastels and turquoise or sky blue.

You can change your interior with a complete redesign (“The big thing right now is a navy kitchen,” she says). However, if you want a quick refresh, first identify your underlying neutral—chances are it’s beige—then incorporate navy, white, grass green or sky blue “that will work with your beige,” she says. Go to a hardware store and pick a paint swatch that matches your carpet and experiment with colors that work with that.

“That will give you direction about something that pleases your eye.”

Cleve also suggests adding contrast with artwork (museum gift shops are a great source), glass pieces or other décor items such as pillows to your rooms.

“Look at the resources that you have,” she says. “Don’t be afraid of color.”

Dian Cleve, Hawaii Modern Architecture & Interior Design. (808) 225-0821