So this is what dazzled at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas earlier in the year:

Refrigeration and wine coolers in emerald green from the luxury brand True wowed with equally untimid brass or copper pulls.

Brilliant crackled glossy tile in the same shade from Ann Sacks got sustainable as well as style points, as the product is made partially made from recycled material.

Plum, lavender and indigo sinks from Kohler reflected shades that have been prominent in home decor.

BlueStar, known for its wide range of colors, showed off Living Coral, the 2019 Pantone color of the year and teased with a prototype for a pattern: blue-and-white stripe with overlay floral and hint of plaid, designed by Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke from Madcap Cottage. Dolce and Gabbana's ebullient patterns in vivid colors in the Sicily Is My Love collection for Smeg, now grace ranges and stove hoods, in addition to refrigerators and small appliances like mixers and toasters.

Wait, what? With a uniform of safe, neutral looks, especially in the kitchen -- where the favorite styles translate to lots of white cabinets, Carrera marble and stainless steel -- there's a bit of a shakeup going on. While there have been the occasional pops of color (orange, cobalt blue, red), particularly in ranges, more manufacturers are testing the bold. But the rainbow of colors, which covers brights and muted hues, also stretched across appliances to expressions in cabinetry and surface materials.

The appetite for color has been growing across the home design landscape, invigorating shows in Paris, Frankfurt and Milan. What has been striking for trend-watchers is that while there are a few colors and patterns so dominant on textiles (like checks, animal prints and hippie-inspired tie-dyes currently on fashion runways), the utter exuberance of it all sometimes tipped into full-on maximalism.

Are we ready for color in the kitchen and bath? That actually fits right in with current buzzwords that are often bandied about -- customization and bespoke.

Making it your own was one of the themes of last year's EuroCucina, the biennial international kitchen and bath show held in tandem with the giant Salone del Mobile in Milan. Although modular forms popular in Europe have not made a huge dent in our styles, personalization is starting to gain traction in the U.S.

There is much more color in kitchens and baths, to be sure. And instead of stainless pulls on appliances, burnished brass, rose gold and copper are options, coinciding with a warming of metals. Black matte also is huge -- especially paired with gold. Some vignettes at KBIS in Vegas were lessons in how to mix materials: natural and stained wood; painted matte or lacquered finishes; stone, porcelain and metals.

Kohler tapped into fashion and personality in introducing its rich palette, "understanding a desire for more color within the home setting." Now Dacor offers DacorMatch Color Match, inviting consumers to "show your true colors -- all of them," by providing a swatch so the company can match its appliances to whatever is your jam. Victoria and Albert offers a color-match system used in Europe with 194 RAL colors, in addition to its existing six standard color offerings. The brand cites that Elle Decor has identified a trend for deep blues and greens, while Color Hive, a global color trend consultancy, is predicting the hottest colors will be a warm palette of apricots, tawny browns and parchment.

"Personalization is a response to social media and technology," says John Loecke of the High Point, North Carolina-based Madcap Cottage, which designs products such as fabrics, wallcoverings, lighting, bedding and rugs. What people see, they want in their homes, he says, pointing out that digital printing also has opened the door to customization. The new tech, says BlueStar, means that virtually any image, text, print or pattern can be applied to a range, refrigerator or stove hood in a durable, smooth, satiny finish that can be easily cleaned.

"The options for colorful ranges and faucets didn't exist 10 years ago," says Nixon. "Now (with more choices), no one wants to be cookie cutter, with cabinetry exactly like the neighbors'. People want to have some fun. Feel fresh. Consumers now have the tools to do that."

Dallas designer Caitlin Wilson (www.caitlinwilson.com) called the BlueStar Pigeon Blue range and matching custom hood she made the centerpiece of her kitchen her piece de resistance.

She wrote in her blog: "With tons of natural light and a traditional crisp, white aesthetic that glows when the sun hits, our space was invigorated with this fresh, blue statement piece." She chose White Dove (Benjamin Moore OC-17) for cabinets and a contrasting natural oak island topped with Luccicoso marble for the backdrop. She specified antique brass accents and customized knobs in matching blue.

Angela Wellborn O'Neill, director of marketing and advertising for Wellborn Cabinets, says that new alternatives to stainless or white help people make statements in their kitchens.

"We cook with our senses -- taste, touch, sight -- so why not extend them to the room's design, from the cabinets to the kitchen appliances?" O'Neill suggests.

"Bright, beautiful colors help accent the rest of the home," says Jeremy Press, owner of Appliances by Design in Hilton Head, South Carolina. "The kitchen is so central to the functionality of a home. It's only right that it should be the focal point of the design as well."

That goes for the outdoors as well. A turquoise grill with rotisserie and a separate burner can inspire the color scheme for patio furnishings. Hestan, a California-based manufacturer with 12 signature colors in its appliance line, loves to gather insights on color from designers and those in the trade, as does Press.

While Nixon and Loecke welcome the idea of pattern in the kitchen and bath -- they are the authors of "Prints Charming" (Abrams; $35), a tutorial to sparking joy with pattern-filled rooms -- they say the key to it all is layering.

That's what designers Damian and Britt Zunino, husband-and-wife partners of Studio DB (www.studiodb.com), did with the bathroom they designed for this year's Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York City. They started with Kohler's new plum clawfoot soaking tub, which they set against a shimmery backdrop of a panther-patterned silver hand-painted paper by de Gournay. They described the space, that's walls are Viridian Green from Benjamin Moore's Century Collection, and that includes a sitting area and separate bath lined in beautiful patterned lavender and white tile, as "a sexy boudoir."

Here again, pattern is taking on a bigger role, thanks to elegant hand-painted murals and porcelain tiles. The range in porcelain tile, quartz, stones, solid surface and laminate has not coincidentally beefed up. Manufacturers are exploring more exotic stones and unique, complex patterns, with swirls and rich, pronounced veining. Backlighting also has added another dimension, alongside translucent surfaces such as quartz and onyx. Vetrite's Gem Glass collection, thin glass slabs created with polymer film that mimics precious stones and gems, is suitable for islands, backsplashes and furniture.

While color and pattern may be making themselves a little more comfortable in kitchens and baths, there's still a fear factor. Remodeling these spaces is not for the faint of heart -- especially if plumbing needs to be relocated. For that reason, choosing product -- appliances, fixtures, surface materials, hardware, faucets -- is a topic of angst and debate. Some of the deliberation is about style; the rest is about money.

But while you're dreaming about your re-do, here are some ways to think about driving out of neutral:

-- Make a statement. Choose your favorite color for the range and/or range hood and fridge. Or go bold with a colorful freestanding tub.

-- Pop color onto a backsplash. Even if you can't get past white or neutral cabinets, this can be a fabulous spot for exciting color and graphic pattern.

-- Ground it. The floor is a wonderful canvas, especially for patterns. Geometric ones, like the range of concrete and porcelain tiles available, work well -- if they're not too busy.

-- Center it. Focus on the island. Pattern can star here, and depending on what you choose, it can function as an art piece.

-- Add texture. "Pattern is not just a color or a print -- it can be a texture," says John Loecke. Consider strong wood grains, 3-D tiles and sinks with relief aprons.

-- Change it out. For a simple refresh, have a little fun with taps. Colorful modern options include the Hastings Vola series (www.hastingstilebath.com) and Grohe's semi-pro kitchen faucets with interchangeable silicone hoses (www.grohe.com). Or swap out cabinetry hardware for a bit of color.

Sources

-- Ann Sacks, 800-278-8453, www.annsacks.com

-- Antoniolupi, 312-329-1550, www.antoniolupi.it

-- Blanco, 609-668-6200, www.blanco.com

-- BlueStar, 610-376-7479, www.bluestarcooking.com

-- Devon and Devon, 312-676-3755, www.devon-devon.com

-- Dornbracht, 800-774-1181, www.dornbracht.com/en

-- Hestan Home, 888-905-7463, http://home.hestan.com

-- Kohler, 800-456-4537, www.us.kohler.com

-- Sicis, 877-839-8900, www.sicis.com/en

-- Smeg, 212-265-5378, www.smegusa.com

-- True Manufacturing Co., 888-616-8783, www.true-residential.com

-- Victoria and Albert, 800-421-7189, www.vandabaths.com

Unless you're a designer -- or just obsessed with all the product aesthetics -- you probably don't think much about hardware. On furniture, doors, appliances, it's functional. Its job as a pull, handle or hinge is to open and close things.

Hardware can, of course, be so much more. In design furniture history it is distinguished, and it's often been a focal point of pieces. The iconic Chinese wedding chest, for example, often finished in red lacquer, bears a recognizable central brass medallion held in place with a pin to keep its doors closed. That round shape sometimes is repeated in hinges that quite deliberately are visible on the door panels.

Hiding hinges and hardware became a thing in recent years in modern design, particularly in the kitchen, as well as bedroom and bath and entertainment pieces, where the touch latch became a clever disguise and allowed clean profiles. But those designing kitchen cabinetry with wood panels -- especially cladding large appliances like refrigerators -- needed substantial pulls to work. Curiously, that need evolved into larger scale, which translated into longer hardware.

Then it got interesting. Though sturdy, some designs got skinny, enormously appealing for modernists, not only in stainless steel but in a new favorite: matte black. Other warm burnished finishes also found popularity. And manufacturers of decorative hardware took the design challenges to heart. Game on.

So here's what we've noticed at furniture shows internationally and at the Kitchen and Bath show recently held in Las Vegas: Designers are paying more attention to hardware as punctuation.

In appliance design, some manufacturers are offering a "wardrobe" of choices in pulls, including copper. No longer an afterthought, the choices warrant careful consideration, especially when color is involved. True Refrigeration paired its bold emerald collection, which includes refrigerators and wine coolers, with brass pulls.

For cabinetry, matte black hardware has been wildly popular, unadorned or dressed up with burnished gold, which elevates it to elegant.

With some of the latest furniture introductions, it's obvious that designers are carefully considering their hardware options and integrating them into an overall plan, not just applying generic pulls.

With the advent of touch-latch (concealed hardware), some opt to celebrate a cabinet front without the interruption of hardware, especially when there's a strong pattern like wood graining or graphic markings in stone. Then there's the very minimal design when there's a barely there pull tucked into the top or sides of a door panel.

Luxury brands like Fendi often utilize their logos as part of fabric design or hardware. The fashion brand Etro riffed from their signature paisley pattern, pulling one comma-like shape and casting it into brass hardware.

Cast metal tassels, sometimes combined with enameling for a pop of color, may have taken inspiration from real textile tassels attached to keys on vintage cupboards.

Hardware also is being designed in a camouflage -- squares, circles or rectangles faced with the same veneer or surface material, so that aside from the defined shape, they disappear into the piece.

Clean, modern styles currently are most appealing today. The range in materials includes metals, wood, glass, crystal, concrete, resin, leather, mother of pearl, agate, even fabric.

Belwith-Keeler, a trendsetter in hardware design, provides custom pieces for many furniture manufacturers. More than 600 knob and pull designs are produced at its Grandville, Michigan, workshop, which dates to 1893.

"Design, inspiration and style are blurring the lines that used to define them," says the company's trend manager, Knikki Grantham. She looks to fashion runways for inspiration for interior design and home decor trends.

"As visual creatures there is a trigger that can be stimulated by the visual connection to a design," she says. "No longer do people want to be placed into style buckets; they want to define their own style."

The company actually refers to its designs as "cabinet jewelry."

"Hardware is much more than just an afterthought," says Grantham. "Just as jewelry completes an outfit or 'look,' hardware sets the tone and style for a piece or that of a room. That is why we work directly with furniture manufacturers and interior designers to create pieces that meet trends today as well as remain classic for years to come."

In fact, a number of high-end furniture manufacturers, such as Chaddock, have turned to boutique companies or artisans to create hardware that has a distinctive, hand-crafted look.

Anthropologie has been a popular go-to for hardware for the design-savvy, even before the latest attention. Color, pattern, materials choices and combinations excel -- ranging currently from metal with patterned fabric to agate rimmed in gold. Many resemble jewelry. The Corinne handle, a bar framed by circles in gold, is reminiscent of a brooch. Another bar style inlaid with mosaic stone looks like a hair clip. Others are like cufflinks or buttons. Some are playful, including the all-ears knobs -- small white glass spheres topped with gold bunny ears, which seems like a natural choice for furniture in a child's room.

Some spotlight craftsmanship, like the forager's handle, which features cast brass leaves. One of the most striking knobs is Isoke, a simple burnished brass slender crescent shape with a bar that cuts across a flat oxidized metal circle and extends to two ball finials.

Changing knobs or pulls is an excellent way to breathe life into outdated cabinets or salvage finds. Take a look at furniture with a little verve for cues -- also for clues as to what materials make good mates, and how size and proportion matter. At Anthropologie, for example, a low-slung tambour front rosewood buffet, strong in its natural hue and nearly 6-foot length, is appointed with white marble pulls with brass caps that match the dimension of the tambour. For a buffet patterned with diamonds, repeating the shape is the perfect choice, as is its striking mix of materials -- agate and brass.

With the hardware choices available today, you can strike whatever mood you wish -- from playful to bold and graphic, colorful to subdued, minimal to ebullient -- and give a piece of furniture or cabinets something to show off.

Sources

-- Anthropologie, 800-309-2500, www.anthropologie.com

-- Belwith-Keeler, 800-775-5589, www.belwith-keeler.com

-- Berenson, 800-333-0578, www.berensonhardware.com

-- Richelieu, 800-619-5446, www.richelieu.com

Warm weather and sunshine can do wonders for your body, mind and soul. And if you have an inviting outdoor living space where you can stretch out and chillax with your fave frosty beverage, all the better!

A few years ago, talk about patio, terrace or deck shifted to "rooms," as the idea of extending interiors became a goal. Now it's not so much about rooms, but style. Keeping it consistent, so there's a seamless flow from furnishings and palette in your home to what you choose to surround yourself with outside.

Even al fresco cooking styles have expanded, with debates about charcoal versus gas, Green Egg or Kamado and Argentinian grills. How about a pizza oven? Sometimes more than one style of cooking is now part of an outdoor kitchen, which, depending on your space, may include a sink, fridge, wine cooler or even beer dispensers.

Although outdoor furniture still is sold in "suites" -- groupings of sofas and chairs, dining tables with chairs in the same style -- some manufacturers are beginning to rethink the sameness and mix it up a bit.

That's especially true in Europe, where designers are masters of the mix -- pairing concrete or porcelain with wood or metal and rattan, for example, and combining unexpected palettes, not just summer brights.

"There are definitely international trends emerging in outdoor furnishings," says Richard Frinier, a lauded designer who creates collections for both American and European companies. "Modular pieces have become the centerpiece of most outdoor living spaces. Seating for lounge chairs and sectionals is slightly deeper. Left and right units can be added on to create different shapes for entertaining or used as chaises or grouped and clipped together as daybeds.

"The ability to mix materials, textiles, textures, constructions and patterns has never been as accessible. And color trends incorporate every combination imaginable, allowing people to really express themselves without feeling like they have to follow any particular trend."

Part of what's driving this enormous accessibility, of course, is social media.

"Social media continues to be the main influencer," says Frinier. "Brands from every corner of the world show their designs on their websites, blogs, videos and across social media platforms with a click of the mouse."

And reporting from international shows has fed Instagram with images of all the latest textiles, lighting, rugs and accessories. Seasonal Living (www.seasonalliving.com), a manufacturer whose products include modern outdoor furniture, lamps tables and sculptures made of colorful ceramics, recently launched a free magazine whose mission is "to inspire you to live a life of wellness and sustainability -- in harmony with the beauty of nature's season." There are articles on "off the beaten track travel destinations," food and drinks, recipes and entertaining.

Perhaps part of the seduction of European-designed outdoor furniture is fearless color combinations, form and surprising influences. A new table by Antonio Citterio from B and B Italia, for example, has a slender frame, shown in a rich terra cotta. But one surface choice is extraordinary: enameled lava stone with clay decoration that appears to be a lacey overlay, especially striking in charcoal over the burnt orange.

Gloster's new Dune seating by Sebastian Herkner, honored as designer of the year in January at Maison and Objet in Paris, takes cues from indoor upholstery features like quilting. The way Herkner puts dusty shades together, like cinnamon, a pink and lavender, is appealing.

Of course, there's nothing more inspirational than a fabulous image, to be drawn into a shot with a gorgeous landscape. It's the aspirational aspect that Frinier long has embraced. His newest Tangier collection for Century Furniture takes architectural and design elements from Morocco -- one of his favorite destinations.

"Among all of my travels to more than 40 countries across five continents, my time spent in Morocco was extremely inspiring. It's really the ultimate nomadic travel experience for its sense of allure, mystery, rich history and artistic heritage.

"While the colors of souk markets, with their inspired foods, aromatic spices, mint tea, roses, clothing, shoes and crafts, are incredibly memorable, it is the remarkable architectural style and design elements that captivated me. White stucco walls, arches, domes, blue doors and windows, geometric patterns, romantic courtyards with tiled moriscas and lavish gardens are remarkable."

Sometimes even the simplest addition of greenery can be huge.

At Maison and Objet, the Italian brand Gervasoni paired tall-backed strappy chairs and two totally mismatched chairs with a curvy concrete base table topped with marble -- all whites, grays and black. A montage of dripping greenery and lights was constructed above, like a chandelier hanging overhead -- and it was design genius.

Don't forget about accessories -- pillows, rugs, lanterns and small garden stools or tables -- that can add a pop of color and pattern. Elaine Smith (www.elainesmith.com) brings fashion to her stylish pillow designs -- with dressmaker details like cords and trims -- all with on-trend color combinations. One new rug design from the eponymous Spanish brand Nanimarquina juxtaposes florals with checks in a striking pattern that is modern but reminiscent of antique Bessarabia.

Frinier feels we spend so much time connected online that we need to think about wellness. "We need balance," he says.

"Beyond creating outdoor dining and entertaining spaces, find the unique space outside where you can place a lounge chair, ottoman and small occasional table near filtered sunlight, where you can actually read a book or sketch or simply relax or meditate with calming music or to the sound of wind chimes," he says. "A place for a chaise lounge, daybed or hammock where you can laze and nap.

"For those who live in apartments or condominiums, a chair or chaise by French doors to a small balcony or a window where sunlight may flood in create that feeling of a retreat and getaway.

"We really need to unplug, unwind and undo. Relaxing makes us more aware of ourselves, our surroundings and it ignites and fuels the creative spirit to be still with our own thoughts."

Sources

-- B and B Italia, 212-889-9606, www.bebitalia.com

-- Century Furniture, 800-852-5552, www.centuryfurniture.com

-- DEDON, 877-693-3366, www.dedon.de

-- EMU, (some items sold through Room and Board, 800-301-9720, www.roomandboard.com), www.emu.it

-- Gervasoni, in the U.S., contact imoderni, 305-865-8577, www.imoderni.com; www.gervasoni1882.it/en

-- Gloster, 434-205-0417, www.gloster.com

-- Kettal, 786-552-9002, www.kettal.com

-- Missoni, 866-966-0390, www.missoni.com/us

-- Nanimarquina, 646-701-7058, www.nanimarquina.com

-- RH, 800-762-1005, www.restorationhardware.com

-- Roche Bobois, 212-889-0700, www.roche-bobois.com

-- Seasonal Living, 512-554-5738, www.seasonalliving.com