What's in a paint? Lots evidently!

Every year at about this time the manufacturers announce the newest paint trends for the year.
Benjamin Moore recently announced that from deep smoky wine to wildly pumped up fuchsia, purple promises to be a predominant colour in home decor in 2011. Most manufacturers present their colours in palette groupings. In Benjamin Moore's case, the palettes for next year are Soulful (including Wasabi, Amulet and Etrusan); Spirited (with Grape Green, Wrought Iron and Lucerne); and Dreamy (Gray Mirage, Genesis White and Kendall Charcoal).
My favourite paint colour names for this year, so far, come from Beauti-Tone, the paint manufactured for the Home Hardware chain in Burford, Ont. Its Rock & Bold palette includes names like Rolling Stone (it's blue); Going Gaga (also blue) and I Got You Beige. And we can't resist mentioning Crystal Blue Persuasion, Billie Jean, Blond Ambition and Greyful Dead. Beauti-Tone also has a new Sesame Street collection with palette names Cookie Monster, Elmo, Oscar the Grouch and more.



Paint company CIL declared that 2010's Colour of the Year is blue. The Colour of the Year is an airy and opportunistic blue that symbolizes igniting horizons, creating new beginnings, renewed energy and a positive dynamic, the company says. It evokes an image of vast skies, breezy ozone freshness and the energy and essentiality of water. Given these associations, along with the fact that this is a receding colour, it will always create a sense of space.
Home improvement retailer Rona said this year, given the economic instability spreading across the world, a greater need for calm, comfort and well-being has emerged, which is reflected in our choice of decor and, more particularly, colours. Nevertheless, in trying to remain positive about the future, we continue to pair stylish, vibrant and decisively modern colours with neutral tones.
Budget conscious decorating will combine with individual style to drive 2011 paint colour trends, says the Paint Quality Institute, which is owned by The Dow Chemical Company. The U.S.-based institute's paint and colour expert, Debbie Zimmer, says, "There's no escaping the state of the economy, even for homeowners who want to beautify their homes. Rather than diving into large-scale renovation projects, in the coming year consumers will search for inexpensive ways to freshen and update their homes. Many will conclude that painting is the perfect solution."
PPG Pittsburg Paints introduced four new palettes for 2010/2011, including Pink City in which "a vibrant, profound Indian pink and a spicy rusty orange play against an off-white linen. A stony gray and a chocolate brown combine to reflect urbanity, masculinity and a grounding place for the rest of the palette."