Benjamin Moore says new ‘Color Stories’
collection breaks the rules
Benjamin Moore & Company says its new “eye-candy” palette, “Color
Stories,” represents a breakthrough in color science.
The palette is made up of 240 hues characterized by a high degree
of clarity, purity and richness as a result of formulation with more pigments in precise amounts, the company says.
“We have broken all the rules with the creation of Color Stories,
and have achieved colors we’ve never been able to before,” said Ray
Gomez, director of color marketing.
“These are full-spectrum paint colors, meaning that we’re com-
bining anywhere between five and seven pigments, using no black or
gray tints. Conventional colors use only three pigments and often fill
in with black or gray.”
The company says zero-VOC pigments and colorants are used in its
Aura brand paints, which are the only products available in the Color Sto-
ries palette. In addition, Benjamin Moore said it launches new color palettes
only when a “valid breakthrough” in technology is involved. The last such
roll-out was Affinity, introduced together with Aura paint in 2006.
Gomez says the research and development to build this initial full
spectrum palette is ongoing.
By organizing Color Stories according to the fundamental color
families, the Benjamin Moore team created eight descriptive volumes:
Earthen Hues, Elemental Greens, Fiery Sunset, Fluid Blues, Golden
Fields, Naturally Neutral, Shades of Gray, and Violet Twilight.
Gomez says the new palette is expected to “resonate largely with
architects and interior designers as well as consumers who have a dis-
cerning eye for color and how it is individually perceived.”
The company says select authorized retailers will be equipped to
mix the hues in the palette.
“The retailers who take on Color Stories will really qualify as paint
mixologists, because the process requires such infallible accuracy,”
Gomez said.
The colors can be ordered in gallon, quart or pint sizes of Aura only,
in matte, eggshell, semi-gloss, and satin finishes.
Benjamin Moore predicts blue big in 2012
Benjamin Moore color experts are forecasting that blue will be big in
2012 as the population seeks out a sense of calm, trust and the tried-and-true. The paint company’s top color pick for the coming year is
Wythe Blue HC-143, a blue green hue with a cool gray cast to it.
“It’s interesting that Wythe Blue is from our historical color collec-
tion,” said Sonu Mathew, ASID, IIDA and Benjamin Moore’s senior inte-
rior designer. “We’ve actually cited it because it has a modern edge, yet
it’s so rooted in history and is respectful of what’s classic and enduring.”
As Mathew pointed out, the blue family is an ideal backdrop for
other colors and materials. “It’s an excellent partner to various wood
tones, and complements the grays and whites that have become cur-
rent decorating basics.”
Benjamin Moore’s Wythe Blue also evokes nature’s primal elements
of earth, sky, water, flora and fauna. It’s a color that can create a serene
and restful, comfortable and stable ambiance—an antidote to the fre-
netic pace of today’s daily life.
Colors that are clear, pure and rich are featured in Benjamin Moore’s
latest color palette.
12 | Coatings World
www.coatingsworld.com
October 2011
