Grays and whites may still be a soothing whisper, but colors speak volumes, and they’re livening up spaces with daring wallpaper, pillows that pop, fun rugs and punchy paint.

It’s a trend Daniel Lubner, CEO of Clive Daniel Home, is seeing among clients he’s served in Boca Raton, Miami, Sanibel and Naples, and is revving up to serve locally with a new, third location in Sarasota slated to open early next year. Lubner expects to hire more than 20 designers and offer a full service, 65,000-square-foot showroom where “everything between the front and back door to the home can come together,” he says.

As of now, the firm has an 85,000-square-foot flagship in Naples and a 70,000-square-foot showroom in Boca Raton. The new location is also a homecoming for him and his wife, who used to live in a Towles Court apartment in Sarasota in 2000. 

Lubner is a fourth-generation furniture guy. His great-grandfather made furniture in London and immigrated to South Africa to make furniture for diamond barons. In Florida, Lubner's father Clive helped grow furniture chain Robb & Stucky to 20 locations in the early '90s. Lubner joined about 10 years later, learned the ropes, fell in love with Sarasota and is thrilled that "Mediterraneo restaurant is still here," he says, eager to move back and lead the new location.

As for trends, neutral grays and whites still dominate, but colors like deep corals and yellows, greens and blues, among others, are inching in.

“We're seeing clients embrace more color stories. They take a neutral sofa and introduce a Hermes orange pillow or colorful art as a point of inspiration,” Lubner says. 

With the recent influx of Sarasota residents and the demand for real estate, renovations and design services are humming. The Sarasota location will also be a hub for others in the industry.

“Lots of independent builders struggle to have the space to work on color selection, so we plan on having a color selection studio they can use and bring their clients in, so they don't have to go to a bunch of different companies in search of what they need,” Lubner says.

Clive Daniel Home will be located at 3055 Fruitville Commons Blvd., Sarasota and will also have dedicated space and services to support local independent designers.