Bathed in one of 2001's hot colors, Passon's periwinkle-purple bathroom provides a calming sanctuary when paired with crisp white tile and sunny yellow hand towels.

"I'm drawn to fun and whimsical (colors), because in my day-to-day life I don't have that chance," says Passon, who spends her days in a starched-shirt office. "My home is my castle, and it's a reflection of how I want to be."

Passon is one of those homeowners who choose colors for their homes not to follow a trend, but to create moods.

"Consumers today are understanding more and more that color is less about what the hot new color is - because we don't all change the colors on our walls every year - and more about decorating their homes in their comfort zone, no matter how many styles and trends come and go," says Bainbridge Island designer Leatrice Eiseman.

This isn't to say that colors don't follow trends. They do, and for those who want to know tomorrow's hot colors, Shirley LaFollette has answers.

"Popular colors and names in the 2001 market place will be Camel, Aluminum Foil, Cherry Fudge, Frosted Jade and Silver Blue," says LaFollette, a Seattle designer and member of Color Marketing Group, the national organization that divines color trends for big manufacturers like Tupperware and Ford.

Barbara Simard's living room blends sensuous, spicy colors: curry-yellow walls, red leaf-print chairs and caramel-colored accessories.

Blue has re-emerged as a hot Seattle color, LaFollette says, because "fresh, clean water (is) so important to our lives." These new blues are clean and bright - think Chinese porcelain, periwinkle, cobalt and ultramarine from dark to light. Even green is going bluer.

Pure purple, violet and lavender are gaining ground as desirable colors, and pink is resurfacing after a nearly 15-year hiatus.

Among neutrals, gray has stepped up as "the most important new neutral," LaFollette says. "Seattle needs to use a warmer gray - to the beige side, sand tones. Cool grays do not work well with our gray skies."

Yellow - which lost favor after a few years of overpowering kitchens - is finding its way back. Now it is warmer and softer.

Any colors with staying power? "We see spice, copper and terra cotta as strong established colors," LaFollette says. "They have spiritual influence and work with most any palette."

One place to see these ideas at work is the home of Barbara Simard, co-owner and chief colorist for Queen Anne & Magnolia Paint & Interiors. Her traditional Seattle home is a curry-hued yellow in the living room and wallpapered a terra-cotta/muted gold in the dining room.

Another trend, looking ahead:

"When the economy softens, so do the colors," LaFollette says. "The new forecast shows a lighter and clearer color direction with softer and more muted colors, backing away from the past years' strong colors."

Accessories create punch in vivid purple. Passon considered painting the walls in the same jelly-bean hue, but decided instead on a room-enlarging tan.

Finally, she says, "Our forecast palette is more sophisticated, wider in scope, allowing for more individual and personal color selections."

And that note of individualism brings us back to Jordan Passon and Bainbridge Island's Leatrice Eiseman, founder of the island's Center for Color and author of "Colors for Your Every Mood" (Capital Books, 1998).

Eiseman divides colors into eight "mood palettes." For instance, Passon's paint-box colors fall in what Eiseman calls the "whimsical" mood.

"It's kind of stepped out of the child's room into the other rooms now," she says. "It's all about fun."

Other moods are:

Sensuous: A bit of the exotic - robust reds, rich browns, desert camel, burnished gold, orange mango, spicy curry or paprika, and jet black.

Dynamic: Multifaceted jewel tones, black and white and metallics like chrome or gold/silver combinations. "No soft colors here," Eiseman says.

Nurturing: Snuggly baby-blanket colors, perfect for a cozy place that's made for cuddling. Use in any room that's an escape from the overanxious, grown-up world, particularly bedrooms and baths.

Contemplative: Minimal, monotoned, epitomizing simplicity. Use neutrals of gray, beige, taupe, ivory and other off-whites.

Romantic: Nostalgic and sentimental. Use midtones the color of fading flowers - dusty lavender, apricot cream, bridal rose.

Tranquil: Instant solace. Use sea-foam green, sea blue, gray mist, purple haze or other muted blue tones. These predominantly cool tones work best to create a quiet place of respite and relaxation, especially in the bedroom or bath.

Traditional: Perfect for framing grandfather clocks and grandmother's furniture. Use classic colors such as navy, burgundy and forest green.

"These moods can be reflected in colors," Eiseman says. "Look at any picture of a room and nine times out of 10 it's the color that gives people the message that says: `I could live in that room.' "

For Microsoft's Passon, that translates to a purple bathroom, bus-yellow kitchen and smudged-green living room.

"I just like really strong, rich colors," she says. "It's fun, and that's what I relate well to. It's the total emotion, connection thing."

Jennifer Dirks reports on Northwest design for Pacific Northwest and other regional magazines. Reach her at jd@thewritersgroup.cc.