Space, Like Beauty, is in the Eye of the Beholder

Q: We have the world's smallest master bath and can't expand the space. What can we do to make it look bigger?

A: Take a leaf or two from a top designer's book of professional tricks. The pictured bath has charms far greater than its actual floor space, thanks to the legendary legerdemain of designer Barclay Butera.

First, he's chosen an allover pattern for the walls, a traditional toile de Jouy, so it's only blue and white (the designer's signature colors, by the way). Why this "trick" works: Using the same pattern everywhere acts as a visual unifier. It smoothes the room's nooks and crannies into one plane, enhancing the illusion of space in the process.

Next, Butera relies on the old mirror trick. Mirror cladding on the dual vanities, as well as framed mirrors on the walls, coax the eye to the conclusion that the room is twice its actual size.

Finally, Butera repeats the blue-and-white theme at the window, but this time in a bold stripe that adds a welcome jolt of energy to the serene scene. This "trick" works because the two patterns are alike in color — blue-and-white — but unalike in design. Florals and prints, such as toile, will always "go" with geometrics like stripes or flame-stitch patterns or dots or checks, as long as they have dominant colors in common.

To learn more from Butera (who also designs many of the furnishings that go into his admirable rooms), visit barclaybutera.com.

Q: What's the home fashion forecast from abroad?

A: The color plum, rounded-off edges on furniture and gold, both metallic and a golden-mustard color.

That's the word from the French, who are long accustomed to setting the taste pace for the rest of the world. Their trend-making design industry show, "Maison et Objet" (House and Object, or Accessory), has just wrapped in Paris, where some 3,000 manufacturers, designers and artists exhibited their latest work from all around the world.

The show is always a feast of ideas and influences that quickly find their way into American homes. Here's what to watch for, according to veteran trend-watcher and style/color forecaster Patricia Bouley, a member of the New York Chapter of IFDA (International Furnishings and Design Association).

— Purple (aka plum or mauve) is still going strong, but it's shifting from a blue cast to a redder, rosier and "fruitier" color.

— Round is in. As opposed to the aggressively angular, squared-off silhouettes of the midcentury modern we've been living with, shapes are circular, spherical, "almost bionic," Bouley reports.

— Gold is, well, golden, whether it's metallic or warm yellow. "It's actually 'Harvest Gold,'" Bouley explains, "But that's too dated. Call it 'mustard.'" She calls it smart in combination with taupe, baby blues and medium blues.

— Green is also golden, as in environmentally green. In fresh greens, look for orchids ("the flower of the moment"), hanging gardens and glass-domed terrariums. The green scene also showcases furniture made of recycled cans and bottle caps, and baskets woven of telephone wires with fabric strips mixed in for a "rag look."

— Africa is hot, no joke intended. European designers are all agog over many things tribal, Bouley says. Colorful beading, hand-blocked African fabrics and contemporary interpretations of traditional motifs, such as fantasy animals, are in fashion's spotlight for 2010 and 2011.

— Indian pop culture pervades in out-loud colors like pink, fuchsia, lime, yellow and blue. You'll be seeing them soon on throw pillows, photo-printed with scenes of contemporary Indian life.

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Manhattan Style," "Hampton Style," and five other books on interior design.