The Bold & the Beautiful

Remaining neutral never seemed so boring. Shake things up this season by letting your true colors shine.

French Lessons
What greater luxury than reproducing stately silk fabrics that once graced the walls of Versailles? With Tassinari & Chatel, choose from hundreds of vintage designs from the 300-year-old archives, or try your hand at producing more modern designs of impeccable hand-loomed quality—the company’s Lyonnaise silk mills are still using techniques from  the turn of the 19th century. Pictured is Le Billard de la Reine, a hand-made silk fabric reproduced from the one used by Marie Antoinette in the billiards room at Versailles. Quenin / Tassinari & Chatel, 3495 Piedmont Rd.; (404) 495-5971.
Fit for an Emperor
German brothers Michael and Christian Sieger’s “My China!” collection, influenced by antique Chinese porcelain, is every chic hostess’s dream: hand-painted with hand-gilded motifs, lively colors with expressive decoration—not to mention thin, light, functional and dishwasher-safe! We fell hard for Sieger’s Emperor’s Garden collection—it’s exquisite, original and fun, whether on the table, on display, or in the cupboard (God forbid). A five-piece place setting starts at $555. Sieger through OwenLawrence, 1200 Howell Mill Rd., Suite A; (404) 869-7360, owenlawrence.com.

For paint lovers, hearing the color forecasts from Benjamin Moore is like opening day of Fall Fashion Week. So when the company recently announced the next big hues for 2008 (of which there were 21), we eagerly nodded in agreement. At the top of our list? The jewel-toned cousin of turquoise, Peacock Feathers; followed closely by what is sure to be every decorator’s new favorite green, Split Pea, and Gypsy Pink (the name says it all). $37.99 a gallon; visit benjaminmoore.com for stores.