These days many paint stores have sophisticated computer equipment at their fingertips and can scan, match and create practically any colour – for a child’s bedroom, perhaps match the colour of a favourite stuffed animal. Or matching the colour of a lamp shade where the colour may be used as an accent in a formal living room.
Interior designers, colour consultants, interior decorators, architects and even builders have an opinion when it comes to colour, fabrics, finishes, materials and the like. We all read and listen to what they have to say.
However, when it comes down to colours and trends for the immediate future, the experts are influenced by what they see. It all starts with the paint manufacturers in their labs and in their design studios. This is where research with customers and designers comes home and is developed over time. It’s not just what they want us to think; it’s all about what we like. We’re the end consumers and we dictate colour trends in our homes.
Having said all of that, when we examine the suggested colour trends for 2010 from three major players in the Canadian home décor market, Benjamin Moore & Co., Para Paints and Sico Paints, at first glance there appears to be absolutely no agreement – many different colours, tones, hues. Each company has invested enormous amounts of time, effort and dollars in research and development to bring their vision for your future to your home.
Everyone is predicting that lively, more vibrant colours will be front and centre. Painting basic off-white or neutral beige will be cast aside. Look for more lively hues. Look for new beginnings.
And that is where the similarities are almost astounding. Sure, there are different names given by different companies to colours; ‘Distant Forest’, Huntley Green’ and ‘Cedar Green’. All shades of green. And today, green is ‘in’. It personifies growth. Green talks to being eco-friendly.
2010 is the beginning of a new decade and that it’s a time of renewed hope and optimism and paint companies agree. Put the doom and gloom behind us and begin anew. Elegant sounding names such as Fools Gold, Chocolate Mousse, Ningxia Pink and On the Horizon, blue. 2010 is a time to make a statement when it comes to colours that reflect your lifestyle.
Sharon Grech, colour expert at Benjamin Moore states, “One pervasive trend in 2010 is going to be smart spending. When it comes down to decorating, paint is among the wisest investments you can make.” This sentiment is corroborated enthusiastically by local colour maven, Sue Kay of Sue Kay & Company at Allandale Decorating Centre. “Give a single wall a new coat of colour and it’s one of the simplest, most economic and effective makeovers. Or, if the budget and the mood fit, why not consider splurging and paint a whole room – perhaps even try a decorative technique? Nothing compares.” For example, traditionally, many parents of new-born children will adorn their nurseries in blues or pinks and muted hues that blend into the chosen colour theme. “Now, we are encouraging people to go a little further,” says Kay.
“When it comes to choosing a paint colour for your room, start at the top – ceilings, the forgotten fifth wall need colour too! Learn how colour on the ceiling can transform a room.” An example of this might be painting the ceiling with Benjamin Moore’s August Morning, a robust darker yellow/orange and the walls in a lighter colour, Opaline. Quite different, yet the results are visually stunning – and appealing. Another unusual combination of 2010 colours could include the ceiling in a colour referred to as Meditation, an almost taupe-toned paint, the walls in a striking Claret Rose and the trim, baseboards, door frames in Guilford Green, which has an almost sage-like hue. The combination although dramatically different, works.
And that is part of the overall professional prognostications. “Do not be afraid to make bold statements. Be daring – as long as the final choices reflect who you are, practically anything goes,” says Kay. The suggestions from everyone are to combine colours. “And in many cases, you might be surprised at what works.”
Stéphanie Pelland with Sico goes a little further. “As the year unfolds, more energetic colours will be used as a complement to neutral colours – to give the neutrals a lift.” Similarly, Garry Belfall of Para Paints shares the overall optimism of the industry. “Influences of simple pleasures, innovation, nature and cross generations give us palettes full of passion, playfulness modern thinking and most of all freshness.”
Any of the colours put forth by each company can help achieve and express a state of mind, a state of being. It comes down to personal choices. As Pelland puts it, “The themes presented emit emotional energy and optimism – a detox from the gloominess that has been undermining our spirits.” In a stronger voice, she further states, “Used on their own or merged together, 2010 colours reflect the diverse outlooks of today’s consumers and deliver a refreshing change and renewed attitude on life.”
For further information from all three companies and to set the wheels in motion for your foray to emerging colour combinations, visit: www.sico.ca; www.benjaminmoore.ca; or, www.para.com Or make a point of stopping by your favourite decorating and paint centre to see what works best for you. Many decorating centres now sell paint in small, inexpensive sampler ‘pots’. Try things out at home on a part of a wall before making the commitment to litres of Midnight Navy or Beach Tote yellow.
2010 Colours
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