Coatings World - MAY 2013

As for Lemon Sorbet, “It’s the ideal transition color as we move from the more vibrant spectrum and mid-to-deep tone hues that we’ve been experiencing in home furnishings and fashions,” Mathew added.

Founded in 1989 by Rohm and Haas, which is now part of Dow Chemical, the Paint Quality Institute (PQI) offers insights into the world of color. This year, Debbie Zimmer, PQI’s director of communications and alliances, says that greens and blues will be popular choices for interiors.

“If you’re into what’s ‘in’ when it comes to interior paint colors, just look outside in 2013,” Zimmer said. “The greens and blues that characterize the world outdoors are the same hues that will be popular when beautifying our living spaces this year.

“It’s fitting that green is expected to be one of the top paint colors used to refresh and renew the interiors of homes and buildings,” Zimmer added. “Green has always been symbolic of new life. Only now, it will be giving new life to tired interiors. Then there are the greens that gravitate toward blue, which just happens to be projected as the other popular paint color this year. Bluish-greens like teal, turquoise, aquamarine and cyan are expected to be hot designer choices.” Valspar Paint has developed three color trend palettes for 2013: Simple Delights, Gathered Stories and Electro Noir. Simple Delights features soft and sophisticated lights. Gathered Stories includes, warm, grounded and comforting colors. Electro Noir includes cool metal tones with rich earthen elements.

“As we move into 2013, we overcome our fear of uncertainty
and need for control by pursuing happiness within our home
life. While going through economic downturn, we turned back
toward the home as a safe haven,” said Sue Kim, Valspar color
strategist. “The Valspar 2013 trend palettes show that our home
is ready to break out of its own cocoon and we are ready to start
dreaming in color again, inviting the transformative power in
color into our lives.”
BASF breaks down color trends by region. For example, for
Asia Pacific, BASF is pointing toward Scent (the scent of one’s
homeland), rich colors such as red, gold-based colors and nature
color such as brown and olive. In North America, the trend is
COPE, or dealing with challenges in a sincere manner, which
BASF categories as visually stable colors with low color satura-
tion. For Europe, the trend is toward PLY, or multiple layers,
with the emphasis on dark colors as well as contrasting colors.

Behr Paints’ 2013 Color Trends were diverse in their own right, with four home decor themes and 20 original colors, ranging the gamut from bold to natural.

“Behr’s 2013 Color Trend palettes “help consumers express themselves through color,” said Erika Woelfel, director of color marketing for Behr Paints. “Whether consumers are interior design divas or redecorating rookies, these trends help channel self-expression to create home décor that realizes all of the drama, liveliness or ingenuity they envision.”