Fresh, trendy paint colors revitalize rooms while keeping decorating budgets in line.
Keeping up with trends can be a full-time occupation, but if you keep your eye on the Color Marketing Group, a nonprofit, international association that does nothing but forecast color 19 months in advance, you'll always know what's hot and what's not. Representatives of major paint companies attend CMG meetings each April to make sure their palettes coordinate with appliances, furnishings and more, so you can count on these manufacturers to put the latest and greatest color matches on store shelves.
Sherwin-Williams Paints
This venerable paint company lists a variety of contemporary color combinations as current trendsetters, but the one that leads the list is the "Artistically Bright" collection. Not for the shy, these hues are "in your face" colors that are youthful, energetic, edgy and bold, reminiscent of post-modern art and high-tech brilliance. You won't find gray in this palette, but you can combine intense shades from the company library like Extra White, Bohemian Black, Gold Crest and Luau Green, each of which can be mixed with the others to produce the look you seek.
Benjamin Moore Paints
Color experts at Benjamin Moore have jumped on the green bandwagon touted by CMG trend trackers, suggesting a trendy pairing of yellows with sage green for walls and trim. Slate and charcoal neutrals deposed browns and beiges, so if you pick a cooler neutral from this family, you'll have the trendiest walls in town. That stated, if you love bright colors, keep those cool neutrals in your decorating scheme but pair them up with aqua or slate blue. Alternately, mix neutral charcoal with red and white to impress the most important color critics of all: your family.
Pantone Color Institute
Double check the wall color trends you're following by comparing the CMG palette to that of the Pantone Color Institute, a for-profit organization that has been the authority on color for artists, designers and decorators for decades. PCI recommends considering hot and bright yellows when searching for a trendy wall color. "The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance," says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "Yellow also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation."
Ralph Lauren Paints
The legendary fashion designer put his reputation on the line when he formed a paint company, but if you ask trendsetters to pick a favorite paint line, you'll find plenty of Ralph Lauren fans. A style leader in the category of special effects and faux finishes, Lauren recommends incorporating metallic finishes into your color scheme if you want your walls to be the epitome of fashion. The Lauren line is made with real metallic pigments, so silver, gold, bronze and other shimmering paint colors may be all you need to stop traffic. However, if this is too over-the-top for your taste, pick a textured suede, applied with a special roller, to turn your walls into artistic statements.
Related posts
Modern interior paint focuses on creating open, clean spaces.The goal of most modern interior paint colors is to create open spaces, clean lines and natural, relaxed environments. The specific col...
Painting a room with dark colors, including red, requires additional efforts.Painting walls in dark colors takes a little more preparation and effort than painting in lighter colors if you want to...
Match the type of paint to your hardwood floor type.The most important factor when pairing a wall paint to a hardwood floor is that the color of the paint must match the brown of the floors. Hardw...
Bright colors are great for accent wallsIf you are looking for a great way to create a one of a kind room, you should started with paint. Professional designers use paint to create an ambiance and...
One popular design trend is to use more than one color to paint a bedroom. The traditional way of doing this is to paint the walls the primary color and the trim in a different color or with a hig...
