ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997               TAG: 9702120026
SECTION: HOMES                    PAGE: D-1  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BARBARA MAYER ASSOCIATED PRESS 

A COOL COLOR FOR THE '90S SILVER IS SHINING WHERE GOLD ONCE GLISTENED

INTERIOR designers have taken a shine to silver, both highly polished and brushed, and it is showing up in cutting-edge projects in decorating magazines.

``If gold was the color of the '80s, silver is the color of the '90s,'' Dominique Browning of House & Garden said. ``It is a little more discreet and restrained than gold. Yet, you feel you are in the presence of something rich,'' Dominique Browning of House & Garden said

Home furnishings took the cue from women's fashion, where the cool color is hot for sheer shirts, painted leather skirts and jewelry both polished and matte.

The high-end market includes a mirrored dressing table in an Art Deco style, a decorative Venetian wall mirror, a Capri silk fabric, and a mercury glass ball.

But there is plenty to choose from in mass-market retailing. At Pottery Barn stores, for example, there are a galvanized metal magazine rack, $59, and storage bins, $69 for four.

Laura Alber, catalog director for the Pottery Barn in San Francisco, said the items were adapted from accessories found in trendy boutiques. The January mail-order catalog is chock-full of furniture and accessories in matte and brushed iron, steel, aluminum, and nickel-plated brass.

Selections range from a steel bed with a low-sheen finish and aluminum cubes that can be used as tables and storage units. There also are lamps, picture frames and desk and bath accessories in polished chrome, stainless steel, nickel-plated brass and cast zinc. Many mimic the high-tech look of the 1930s.

``People especially love the galvanized items like the magazine rack,'' Alber said.

For a more ethereal look, Nuno, a Japanese fabric company with a New York showroom, is showing polyester and nylon sheers in silvery tones, pleated or plain, for window treatments.

``Silver must be the trend,'' Desiree Auld of Manuel Canovas, said. ``House & Garden and Tiffany's both recently chose our Florian pattern, a moire and satin stripe weave that combines a matte and shiny silver look.''

Auld, manager of the New York showroom, said the fabric has been available for several years, but no matter. ``Silver is a classic, in use today, 40 years ago, and no doubt 40 years from now,'' Auld said.

For the walls, if a shade of gray or white won't do it, Ralph Lauren can help. His Duchesse Satin paint includes seven silvery hues with names such as Evening Slipper, a pale silver; Oyster, grayish; and Garden Twilight, dark silver.

Old silver accessories are finding new acceptance, particularly bar and vanity items from the 1940s and 1950s, according to Diana Shiel of the Silver Information Center in New York, the nonprofit arm of the silver mining industry. There are distinctive new designs, too.

Silver is a quieter, more casual color than gold, particularly in a brushed or matte finish.

Linda Blair, an interior decorator in Scarsdale, N.Y., suggests putting a silver accent near a window or a lamp, or where it can reflect candlelight or firelight.

Traditionally, silver is used with cool colors such as blues and grays. But Blair likes to combine it with warm colors such as yellow, red and pink. Silver and white is a classic combination, but silver also is a fine foil for cream, beige and taupe.

For accessories, a mix of silver finishes creates interest. Blair groups family photos on a tabletop in frames of pewter and antique and shiny silver. Gold and silver are a good mix if the metals are dull rather than shiny.

Blair's one caveat: ``Don't even think of covering an entire sofa with a shiny metallic fabric.''

Instead, cover an accent pillow or two and add a small silver table.

``There is a cheapness when you use too much,'' she says.

LENGTH: Medium:   79 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  AP. Silver-colored items in this furniture showcase 
          include a galvanized magazine rack, metal storage bins, martini 
          table with metal base and beveled wood top and a nickel satin-finish
          lamp with fabric shade. color.