Color authority Pantone, has narrowed their top 10 contenders we featured in our last newsletter and proclaimed that the color of 2012 is ...Tangerine Tango Orange. Based on the premise that what we see on the runways today, we'll see in living rooms tomorrow, Fashion designers including Tommy Hilfiger, Nanette Lepore, Cynthia Steffe by Shaun Kearney, Elie Tahari and Adrienne Vittadini, are incorporating a lot of this shade of orange into their spring collections.

Syndicated journalist Marni Jameson consulted her "high octane" Interior Designer dream team for whom she relies on for advice on trends. Dallas designer Betty Lou Phillips declared, "Orange will be everywhere, not the orange of an orange, but rather the hues and tints of bittersweet, coral, and tangerine. Lately, clients have been eager to add a pop of color to an otherwise neutral room with the hopes of adding a bit of bliss." 

Tangerine Tango is not a giant leap from last year's color Honeysuckle, a pink that leaned toward orange. Psychologically granted, it's a cheerful color, at least in small doses. For interiors they suggest energizing spaces with patterned home accessories like pillows, bedspreads and tchotchkes to add spice and a pop of color to any room. You could paint a color block wall Tangerine for a dynamic burst of energy in the kitchen, entryway or hallway.

According to reader's comments on sites like Apartment Therapy, not everyone's juiced up about orange. It has its pros and cons. Speaking of cons, one astute reader likened the shade to being the same color as a prison jumpsuit. Ouch. Another commented orange is so overdone with the mid-century look.  But that's why there is chocolate and vanilla, right?