Designers and their clients shopping for just the right paint color will see calm surroundings and global influences reflected in many brands’ latest color palettes. Here are three common threads we’ve seen across manufacturers.
Calm & Easy
Soft neutrals remain popular and are represented in many manufacturers’ color trend reports. Dunn-Edwards says its Energy Deciphered collection is “inspired by the need to seek order from chaos.” Similarly, at Yolo Colorhouse, designers introduced the Handcrafter collection, which includes many shades with this type of inspiration. (Read more about the new colors at right.)
Worldy Bolds
While soft neutral colors offer a soothing escape, not everything in life can be calm. Sherwin-Williams’ Intrinsic palette from its Colormix 2014 forecast incorporates a number of saturated brights that bring to mind bohemian lifestyles. Shades such as Capri and Georgian Bay indicate global influences, which other brands have picked up on as well. Dunn-Edwards’ Enchanting Utopia palette includes intense colors inspired by upcoming Olympics host cities Sochi, Russia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Vintage Vibe
At Devine Color, founder and creative director Gretchen Schauffler has designed what she calls “trend-proof” collections that include colors that work together naturally and are often seen together. “What you’re calling a trend today already exists—you’re just highlighting it,” she says.
Devine Color’s Havana del Alma palette exemplifies this philosophy, showcasing a collection of colors pulled from vibrant Cuba in the 1920s. Though “trend-proof,” the collection jives with a vintage trend also highlighted by Dunn Edwards in its Enjoy the Memories collection.
—Lauren Hunter is the senior products editor at REMODELING. Find her on Twitter at @LaurenHunter_HW or @RemodelingMag.
