From softer colors to sturdier fabrics, here’s the lowdown on the hippest design trends in 2009.

We all know people who still love their ’70s shag carpet or ’80s mauve-and-country-blue accents. But most of us like to stay on top of home design trends and freshen things up once in awhile.
But how do we know what’s in? The rise in home-décor cable programs may nudge you toward a certain look, and the Pottery Barns and Targets of the world may help you affordably attain it. But local interior designers and trade experts say that by the time home design trends are on TV or in chain stores, they’re already on their way out.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2009, here’s what local designers and tradesmen say is hot – and what’s not.

Colors
Expect colors to soften in 2009 and 2010, partly in response to our collective national mood. Independent Phoenix interior designer Kelly Frampton says when colors are softer and less flamboyant, a sense of relaxation and safety surrounds the home – important during anxious economic times.

Frampton also says the high fashion industry often drives interior design trends. “I think they take their cues from what the economy is like. We’re not taking big risks right now with our finances, and subliminally that translates,” she says.
Fresh from viewing a new line of fabrics at the 15-showroom, trades-only Arizona Design Center in Scottsdale, Frampton has noticed several color trends emerging. Colors are toning down, but she is quick to caution this doesn’t signal a switch to a dull or pastel palette. “Colors are still saturated, just softened. Instead of seeing cayenne or pumpkin, you’re going to see a cantaloupe color. Instead of espresso brown, it’s milk chocolate,” she says. Sue Bickerdyke, owner of Sue Bickerdyke Interiors in Carefree, says these saturated hues deliver clients from boredom. “People buy their large-scale pieces in neutral and safe colors. Then they want to add color,” she says, adding that she does a booming business in re-covering chairs and cushions or creating colorful, textured bedspreads. “It’s a way to get a new bow on the package.”