Sherwin Williams' Color of the Year for 2014

According to esteemed paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams (founded by Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams in 1866), Exclusive Plum is the Color of the Year for 2014.

Jackie Jordan, Sherwin-Williams director of color marketing says, “This dusky, filtered violet is refined without being stuffy, elegant yet easy, and layered with romantic potential.”

It seems, from what I see in these promotional photos from Sherwin Williams, that the color has enough grey in it to function as a neutral. There has been a quiet revolution in interior design over the last decade or so where "neutrals" are no longer simply black, white, grey, tan, or brown. Neutrals are now appearing in many other hues. And it would be interesting to layer some featured colors on top of Exclusive Plum. If you are thinking of painting a room anytime soon, give some thought to a "new" neutral.

I will be discussing how to pick paint colors in an upcoming post for 2014. Stay tuned and...

...Happy designing!

Pantone's Color of the Year for 2014

Pantone has selected Radiant Orchid as their Color of the Year for 2014. Interesting that Sherwin Williams and Pantone both chose a purple hue. And Benjamin Moore chose a light blue which I wrote about here. Clearly, cool colors are in the zeitgeist...

I will be discussing how to pick paint colors in an upcoming post for 2014. Stay tuned and...

...Happy designing!

Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year for 2014

Venerable paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore have revealed their Color of the Year for 2014 and it is... drum roll please...

Breath of Fresh Air 806! While I do not believe in following "color trends" (I prefer instead to work with color on an instinctive level), this hue is light, and indeed fresh. I can imagine using this color in many different ways: for a powder room, a full bath, perhaps a ceiling in a master suite, or, as in the second photo below from Benjamin Moore, in a hallway as a way to blur the line between in and out...

But as with any color, remember that how it looks on your wall will depend on how much and what type of light your wall receives, what colors will be bounced onto it from either furnishings in the room or by greenery (or the lack of it) from the outside. I will be discussing how to pick paint colors in an upcoming post for 2014. Stay tuned and...

...Happy designing!