POSTMEDIA
Paint colour is often the last thing people think about when it comes to decorating their homes, says Sharon Grech, colour consultant and spokesperson for Benjamin Moore Canada. This is perhaps because it’s one of the easiest things to change if you don’t like it or because it’s one of the least expensive materials involved in any renovation, yet the colours we put on our walls determine the mood of any room.
Benjamin Moore’s colour of the year for 2020, First Light, is a rapid departure from the dark and moody shades that have dominated paint trends over the past few years and signals a movement away from grey as a neutral. It’s a happy and playful light pink, neutral enough to work in any room, Grech says.
“It’s one of those colours that if you look at it, you feel good and everybody looks good in it too. Blush tones, especially the really neutral soft ones, they’re really flattering for all skin tones,” she says.
There is a real trend toward softness in home interiors at the moment, says Grech, who is witnessing more “curvaceous design in furnishings” and softening colour palettes at the trade shows she attends around North America and abroad.
“We want our homes and spaces to make us feel good,” she says.
The term anti trend is one you’re hearing more and more when it comes to fashion and home design, Grech says, and it signals the widening of style influences. Home design no longer just follows fashion in terms of what’s trending; it also reflects pop culture, movies and street fashion influences.
“You can get your inspiration from so many different places now,” says Grech.
Dulux’s colour of the year, Chinese Porcelain, is a traditional hue with a muted undertone of dark navy, says Susan Forint, Dulux colour and decor expert.
“We arrived at this deep rich blue for the colour of the year as sort of a calming element in our fast-paced world. People are really entrenched in technology and sometimes we just need to push pause a little bit,” she says.
Blue is one of the most popular colours globally, says Forint, and Chinese Porcelain, with its classic feel, offers a feeling of security and our homes as a safe haven.
“This is a nice progression for those of us who want to start dipping our toe in the world of colour, because it can act as a neutral that helps other colours pop,” she says.
It pairs well with white and even orange, says Forint, recommending those who are a little intimidated by colour to choose either one wall or a small room like a powder room to experiment with it.
Forint says that at Dulux, they’re also noticing a movement away from greys in home interiors, which have been so popular this last decade. Warmer neutrals seem to be finding favour, she says, with people going for more mid-range taupe and grey marble choices.
As Canadians, Forint says, we embrace natural elements in our homes, and as such, there is a rise in the amount of wood being embraced in interiors and paint choices.
“We’re seeing a trend away from white kitchens, which we’ve seen a lot of over the last number of years, and an introduction to a lot more wood tones. So our stain colour of the year, Teak, is a semi-transparent medium tone that has a bit of a ’70s vibe, but still sits in today’s world,” she says.
