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When was the last time you sold a plate to one of your customers? That is, you sold the dish purely as an eating receptacle — it wasn't romanced as a hand-painted pasta bowl from a centuries-old Italian village, it wasn't a crackled rice bowl that inspired a Zen-like serenity, and it wasn't a replica of a Depression-era milkglass that conjured up memories of the customer's grandmother in her kitchen.

Rather, from the moment you put it out on the sales floor until the customer brought it to your register, it was simply and only a plate.

Not lately, right? That's because image and mood play integral roles in the tabletop category these days — especially since our culture decreed that we're not just living anymore, we're cocooning and nesting; and we don't live in houses, we've put together shelters and sanctuaries.

These buzzwords might sound like "fashionspeak," but they get at the heart of the notion that our personal space is just that: personal. As a result, it seems that any item that goes into today's home must overtly lend support to an ambience that communicates the consumer's sense of style, adventure, or history. In other words, every single bit of our "stuff" makes a statement that ultimately serves as our lifestyle imprint.

With consumers so finely attuned to shelter trends — and particularly to the kitchen and the dining table as design tableaux — it's essential to your business to explore the subconscious attraction to product and to use that information in tabletop merchandising and display. With that in mind we asked Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of Colors for Your Every Mood (Capital Books, 1998), to discuss the psychology of color.

"We know that more than 60 percent of the reason that people buy is based on the color of the object they're buying, and from an emotional standpoint it's the color that grabs their attention," said Eiseman, who will discuss "Color Forecasts & Consumer Preferences: The Hottest (and Coolest) New Trends" at noon on Monday, January 17, during the NHMA International Housewares Show at Chicago's McCormick Place.

Because the American consumer has become more sophisticated in his or her home-design sense, Eiseman believes tapping into the psychology of color is an area that's ripe for retailing. "I think for the majority of people, color is still a subconscious issue. But when you point it out to them, talk to them about it, you can see them really get excited," Eiseman says. "They're intrigued by the better understanding of their gut feelings."

Over the years, Eiseman's research has unveiled eight primary color moods. "We came up with many more, but these eight seem to be the basic moods to which everyone could relate," she explains. "In the thousands of interviews we've done over the years, we saw certain words and feelings that everybody used, that they could understand and describe, and that's how the primary moods developed."

With Eiseman's help we put together the following list of the eight color moods as they relate to the tabletop category, offering tips on putting together the right mix of color, texture, and product, as well as setting a mood through display and determining which customers might be more attracted to specific moods.

Traditional

Hunter green, burgundy, eggplant, and navy are the colors that fall into the traditional family, according to Eiseman.

"These are the colors that are the least changeable over the years," she explains. "These are the people who love antiques, love the sense of continuity, and love the depth that the traditional colors engender."

Eiseman recommends accenting such colors with burnished gold "to spark up the color," as well as such fabrics as toiles or anything that might convey nostalgia or a sense of the old-fashioned. Overall, "This is not a delicate table," she adds. "Traditional has a bit more depth to it; that's one of the reasons you have richer, more elegant fabrications. So you're looking for products that have some strength about them. They convey a sense of dependability that is key to the traditional table."

Whimsical

"Sheer fun" is the way Eiseman describes the whimsical table. "As a result you're looking for something that's very colorful and often is a mixture of the primary colors," she says. "It's also a good palette in which to use the pure whites, since they mix well with these other primary colors."

Which consumers might go for the whimsical table? Usually younger families are drawn to a whimsical mood — "or the young at heart," Eiseman adds. "This is where you'd incorporate really bright ceramics, or mix in other products such as a selection of brightly colored teakettles. What you're seeking to do is put together a table that would bring a smile to the customer's face."

Eiseman also recommends using casual fabrications, and staying away from the metallics. "Metals just don't work with this palette," she notes. Rather, go for the unexpected elements, such as a goldfish bowl as a centerpiece, as glass is another medium that works well on the whimsical table.

Nurturing

"Tactile" is the key word Eiseman uses to describe the nurturing table. "I like to think of it as a baby blanket kind of texture," she says. "In the color palette, nurturing is always very warm; you've got a lot of peach tones, and perhaps you'd want to use peach roses as a centerpiece."

Eiseman notes that the nurturing mood shares a common theme with the romantic mood: "They both convey the same feeling, but the primary difference is that the romantic palette is a pinker tone." Indeed, when you're developing the nurturing table, seek out such shades as banana, cream, yellow and apricot — "soft warm shades with no element of blue," Eiseman says.

And concentrate on a mix of texture: "The nurturing table is all about evoking the senses, especially touch," Eiseman says. Chenille mats, potpourri scattered about the table, and peach roses tucked into folded napkins can come together to attract the consumer seeking a nurturing environment. "Usually we see a younger demographic in this color mood, especially young families with infants," Eiseman notes. "It's also a very feminine mood. But because all the research supports the fact that it's the woman who's making the buying decisions, the nurturing table is very appealing to your primary customer."

Contemplative

Tabletop's minimalist designs would be well-suited to the contemplative mood, according to Eiseman. "This is very much a neutral tone, but always with some accent of color that's added in touches," she says. "You won't find primary colors; if you're going to accent with color you'd use some deeper tones or jewel tones. Overall, this is a very serious, straightforward table." These days it's one of the most fashion-forward palettes, Eiseman adds, pointing to the prevalence of such colors as stone and oatmeal in dinnerware collections.

Because of the neutral palette and the simple lines usually found therein, Eiseman advises that you keep the table clean, streamlined and without fuss. And as men become more involved in kitchen buying decisions, Eiseman recommends the contemplative table for any retailer with a healthy male customer base. "A man definitely is attracted to this table," she says. "This is for the bachelor who's setting a dinner out or for the household where the guy is the primary cook."

The contemplative table also makes use of a color trend that has emerged over the last decade, Eiseman says. "We've seen green become more accepted as a neutral color in the last ten years. It's always been a great neutral — all you have to do to understand that is to look outside and see the wonderful job Mother Nature did with, say, green leaves against yellow daffodils, for example. But it's only been in the last ten years that consumers really get that."

As a result it's possible to inject green into every table — just make sure it's the right shade of green. "For the contemplative table a great accent would be a deep emerald green," Eiseman says. "This is also a table on which you definitely can use silver, gold or brass, as metallics are an excellent pairing. Glass is also excellent because it's highly reflective."

Romantic

Eiseman calls the romantic table "one of the most popular, because every woman understands romantic." For the romantic mood you'll want any color that has a hint of pink in it: "This is rosy pinks and blues, and you can mix in soft greens as well," Eiseman says. "But this is where you'll want to pull out the pink candles, and scatter pink rose petals all over the table. In textiles, you'll want to go for soft fabrications, such as cottons, but definitely nothing rough."

And stick with rounded shapes, Eiseman advises. "You don't want anything too angular; everything on the table should have a softness to it," she says. "It's an unabashedly female table, because men don't usually choose these kinds of colors."

Sensuous

Eiseman doesn't mince words when describing this table: "The sensuous table is pure, unadulterated sex," she says. "We're talking a very confident purple or red — and it doesn't have to be lipstick red, as a claret red also works very well."

The sensuous table emphasizes unique, off-the-wall color combinations — "such as claret mixed with mango," Eiseman says — as well as very sumptuous fabrics, most notably velvets or velvet-like textures. "Animal prints also can play a role," she adds. "And sparkle is key to the sensuous table, so that means gold as opposed to silver, unless it's a pewterized silver, which does evoke a sensuous mood."

Which of your customers might be attracted to the sensuous table? "This table draws the really outgoing person who loves drama," Eiseman explains. "These colors draw someone with a very dynamic personality."

And while "dynamic" is a mood that has earned a table of its own, it does share some common feelings with the sensuous table. "The dynamic table is a little more streamlined," Eiseman says. "So for the sensuous table you want to emphasize rounded shapes and an environment that stresses soft, plumpish items — maybe a lot of velvet pillows thrown around the table. This is a table that ultimately says 'inviting,' which is why you want to emphasize texture. Your goal is to draw the customer in."

Dynamic

Eiseman describes the dynamic table as "super dramatic, but simple at the same time." The basic dynamic table is a black and white palette, but often is accented with just one strong color. "The dynamic table really pops when you have a bold explosion of color, such as black and white with red, or black and white with peridot, that strong yellow-green," she says.

When putting together the dynamic table, go for lines that are spare and angular, with metallics as an important accent. "The higher sheen in the silvers, especially if it's a very contemporary looking silver, can result in an understated and elegant but dynamic look," Eiseman says. "Likewise, fabrications should be very spare and clean; this is where you could use just a white tablecloth or a base of white china, because you want that color accent to stand out. So the best strategy is to think of your black or white pieces as a background and then develop your accent color from there."

Tranquil

This is perhaps the most easily understood color mood for one key reason: "It's the family of blues and blue-greens, which overwhelmingly are the most popular among consumers worldwide," Eiseman says. "Blue always has been the perennial favorite, because it's the color most associated with peace and serenity. If today's consumer wants his or her surroundings to be tranquil and relaxed, no feeling engenders that more than blue. So I'm always telling retailers they should never be without it. Perhaps they don't have to have a predominance of blue in their selection, but they always should have a large representation of it in their tabletop selection."

When putting together the tranquil table, Eiseman advises that blues and blue-greens can be mixed with cooler violets and a touch of rose. "But be careful that you don't go for too many cool colors, or you end up with a look that's too cold," she says.

A fun experiment is to put together a table that emphasizes more traditional blues alongside a table that focuses on blue-greens. "We find the blue-greens to be growing as an extension of the popularity of blue," Eiseman says. "Blue-greens play into a lot of the same feelings as pure blues, and that's growing in the pure greens as well. Green in particular represents regeneration and growth, which is what the last decade was all about."

Eiseman points to the Asian trend as a perfect example of the tranquil table. "You definitely see those colorations as among the most popular in Asian tableware," she says. "Asian also is perfect with another idea of the tranquil table, which is simplicity. You don't want anything that might imply 'fussy' on the tranquil table, and Asian works very well because of the element of simplicity. The tranquil table needs to be quiet and understated, and as a result it's a more limited color palette."

As the 20th century drew to a close, Eiseman said the popularity of the tranquil table made perfect sense — and will continue to do so. "As we come to the end of a century people get a little apprehensive, and the result of that takes one of two forms," she explains.

"First, you have a need for nostalgia, which was best exhibited by the fact that you couldn't find a company that didn't do some form of retro in the last decade.

"Second, the tranquil palette allows us to play into the other way to relieve apprehension — the search for spirituality. That's why Feng Shui and the examination of the Eastern philosophy — Asian dishes included — became so popular. People overwhelmingly have returned to spiritualism or are visiting it for the first time. We expect it to be a trend that will continue well into the new century."