My Colorful Corian Interview with Markus Woodman

Jay Johnson - I  love Skyping with experts in the industry. You can see them talking to you, right on your computer screen, and have them show you around their homes. I convinced Mark Woodman, of Laurel, MD's Mark Woodman Design & Color, to show me around the room he was Skyping in. Mark is an international color expert, so I was curious about his decorating choices.

I saw his townhome's white stucco wall treatment, a hand-hooked rug, and "whipped egg yolk yellow" and rasperry accents, including yellow wall-to-wall carpeting and a strong yellow damask fabric. Mark works with UK's Color Color Research - the industry's think tank for "what's next?" color trends - and we talked about DuPont Corian's new designer colors this year.

"Back in the 1980s, we had kitchens that focused largely on almond Euro cabinets and counter surfaces. In the 1990s, we saw cherry or maple make a resurgence. Now we're back to white again, but it's softened and cabinetry is chic again in painted white. This solid white is one of my favorite Corian colors, Designer White."

Mark worked with Global Color Research to analyze DuPont's colors, do a gap analysis, and narrow down color choices for new releases.

"I love Designer White. The hot look will be lots of color in a room with pops of white, and this clean, but not clinical white will look fantastic. Think of the white caps you see on waves - it's that kind of white that gives you a great visual pop."

Mark has other favorites in the new Corian collection. He's quite fond of the Metallics, including a soft silver grey called Silverite. There's also a color called Cottage Lane, a warm tan/caramel color.

"The new metallics are softer, more relaxed, and quite subtle. Years ago, metallics had to mean bold and brassy. Now they're quieter so your counters and other surfaces don't compete with shiny appliances. Overall, we're seeing a trend towards new colors that are subtle and softer in their delivery. 'Comfortable' is a color goal, but the colors aren't too homey or too cute."

I asked Mark how he became interested in color, and he said it went back to the 1950s. The Naval Yards in DC made a big impression on him when he was about two years old. One of his earliest color memories were the 55-gallon drums piled up in the yards, painted in an eye-catching riot of colors. And the rest is history.

Click here to watch a video of Mark talking about the new DuPont Corian colors and how they're trending, click here to see the full range of exciting DuPont Corian colors, and click here to use DuPont's interactive My Room Designer online tool to help you visualize colors and materials in different rooms.