PITTSBURGH – The return to strong color gains momentum this year, according to the PPG Pittsburgh Paints ® brand color forecast for home decor in 2012-2013. Homeowners reluctant in the past will take the leap into deep and vivid hues this year. On a quest for intensity, they will inject their decor with deep indigos like Blue Tang, saturated reds like Rum Punch, big purples like Grape Juice and almost-neon yellows like Citrus Spice, just four of the 20 key colors presented in PPG Pittsburgh Paints 2012 trends, the Insider’s Color Guide.

“Intensity is a survival strategy in crisis times,” said Dee Schlotter, Brand Manager for The Voice of Color® program of PPG Pittsburgh Paints. “For some, it means seeking out extremes of sensation, rebelling against the bland existence that comes with cynicism and disenchantment. For others, it means ‘unplugging’ in order to reconnect with a life they feel is fleeting.”

The key trend colors of the PPG Pittsburgh Paints brand are presented in signature five-color palette cards that offer color opportunities for all the design elements in a space, from paint and window treatments to flooring and fabric. “A trend is never about just one color. It’s about the combination of all the colors in a space,” Schlotter said.

The four new Insider’s Color Guide trend palettes in The Voice of Color program of PPG Pittsburgh Paints for 2012-2013 are:

· Local Revival: This trend is about unplugging from a complicated life and living more simply and in harmony with one’s community. It’s about reconnecting with the rhythm of the seasons, homegrown foods and the materials of the region. Craftsmanship is valued. Materials are strong and honest classics: leather, wood, aged metal. Design forms are simple and familiar; antique-industrial and retro-mechanical. Folkloric patterns tell the stories of generations. The palette is a mix of red berries, stone gray and solid brown refreshed by a creamy white.

· Beauty Queen: This palette speaks to the unapologetically confident woman. It’s the return of glam with a disco sophistication. Beauty Queen strikes a feminine note but doesn’t exclude her suave, charming man. It’s high-intensity color that can turn light and airy on a dime. Lush and mysterious, soft and fresh, girly but not – the built-in contrasts sensation-seekers want. Ultra-slick surfaces like Lucite and mirrors capture the best spirit of the 1970s. Sharp fuchsia pink and juicy purple are softened with cosmetic pink and freshened with this year’s brighter teal and white.

· Quiet Tech: It’s impossible to unplug without a place to escape to, so minimalism is the foundation of this trend. Rooms have visual interest without complication. Details and embellishments are kept to a minimum. Pale and medium wood tones don’t overpower the space. Shapes are rounded and tactile to keep rooms from feeling barren or cold. In the palette, ink blues play with earthy and calming neutrals.

· Deco Candy: Bringing together vibrant colors and fun design, Deco Candy transforms a home into an intensely joyful playground. A vivid harmony of citrus accented by this year’s bright blue, clean green and tangerine, the color scheme is irresistibly optimistic. Stripes and color-blocking bring a sense of organization to what could otherwise be too boisterous a spectrum of hues.