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Bling bling seems to be the newest word in the English language, or is it words? It's a Hollywood-originated word that means bright and shiny accessories. Everything these days seems to be bright and shiny. You see lots of diamonds and jewels perched on sparkling fabric apparel and metallic leather purses. Glowing pearl seems to be the next "shiny" in thing on the horizon. Today, we need sunglasses day and night for all the brightness in the world. Probably, it's a great time to own stock in a glitter company.

Metallics
Although metal is not a color, it is being used in the home as a color and is becoming more visible than ever. A specific design trend doesn't seem to be the usage of metal — suddenly, it just appeared everywhere on everything. Today, you'll find a very traditional dining chair sprayed metallic gold or silver with an antique glaze. A copper-glazed wooden finish is impressive, and stainless steel kitchens are all the rage in the modern home, along with the new décor metal, titanium.

Rarely do you see a metal or metallic finish alone — it is almost always accompanied by a strong presence of color. The colors are mostly pastels, usually with sparkles or iridescence on top for good measure. Even gold chains are no longer plain — now they come with a big red ruby or a diamond attached and most cars shimmer these days with some type of metallic finish. The new SUV black is metallic charcoal.

The reemergence of the traditional martini a few years back was the first place I noted a complete shiny metal experience. All of the beverage preparation equipment was composed of shiny metal — the traditional round penguin ice bucket; the elegant chrome shaker; the long, shiny stirrer; the great-looking strainer; and the metal shot glass. The presentation of a great martini on a beautiful round silver tray made the experience complete even before the first sip. Since then, metals have emerged everywhere for every household use and style.

You Don't Shui?
In my search to understand this fascination with metal, I went to a thousand-year-old source on house design, Feng Shui. It is always fun to consider how elements or colors impact such design from the Feng Shui point of view. The ten-cent definition of Feng Shui is that the five elements of the world — metal, water, wood, fire, and earth — each have different energies that work together and influence our Chi via their use or placement in our lives. Chi is the cosmic and natural forces that surround us and the complementary and antagonistic forces we try to keep in balance among the five elements.

According to Feng Shui, metal is also found in cement, rocks, and stones, such as marble, granite, and flagstone. Almost every new kitchen in America includes a granite countertop, and concrete floors are the latest in kitchen flooring. White, silver, gray, gold, and light pastel colors are considered metallic elements and according to tradition, metal enhances mental acuity and independence, and strengthens presence of mind, even in stressful times. Too much metal creates rigidity, stubbornness, lack of teamwork, and the inability to compromise. Too little metal promotes indecisiveness, procrastination, and confusion.

When the dominant element is wood or a color that represents wood, bring in the controlling element of metal or a color that represents metal. When the dominant element is metal, include the controlling element of fire, which can be represented by the use of red, pink, or maroon.

It appears that all the metal and metallic finishes represent the American lifestyle — very busy with little downtime or relaxation. As mentioned above, metal strengthens presence of mind and keeps bad energy at bay. My favorite metal combination package, which can be seen more and more at checkout stands everywhere, is dark chocolate all wrapped up in gold metal foil packaging.

Metal Works
This month's visual merchandising display is about the good life — drinking wine, eating fine foods, and contemplating art. The table is laden with metal accessories that make an elegant table setting as the brass plate chargers and brass angular napkin rings are offset by gold flatware and gold salt and pepper shakers. The silver candleholder and silver candles create a visual contrast against the antique gold-framed painting. The fine wine is consumed in large gold shimmering red wine glasses that sit atop a shiny subtle print tablecloth over another gold brocade cloth. Your eye is carried through the display from the red in the painting to the red iridescent wine glasses, and finally, to the tablecloth's deep crimson print. This display is powerful and draws in the viewer who wants to step in and enjoy life.

Renée Chappelle, principal of Retail Projects Unlimited, is a retail consultant who specializes in store design and visual merchandising that motivates consumers to spend. Contact her at 707-845-3140 or mpu@humboldt1.com. Photography by: Robin Robin, Eureka, Calif.