 Paint is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to give your room a fresh new feel for the New Year. “It is one of the lowest cost methods of enhancing appeal while satisfying creativity and offering peace of mind,” says Hank Majors of Farrell-Calhoun Paint.
Color changes each year, with new tones and shades emerging. This year is bringing “soft grays and blues, soft greens and browns and muted terra cotta/rust shades,” says Beverly Anderson of Beverly Anderson Interior Design.
Susan Bickford of Susan Bickford Singing Walls says, “Purples, ranging from indigo to deep wine, will be gaining popularity this year. We will start seeing more blues as well; watery and sky blues will continue to be popular with more blue-greens and teal.”
Hank Majors reports, “I see colors that reflect tradition and stability as emerging choices. For exteriors I see weathered bronze, oxidized ferrous metal tones, and copper verde. Natural stone colors, monochromatic schemes or subtle contrasts also give a more formal and larger appearance to the elevation.
“The interior trend is toward complementing existing furnishings, with custom matching to favorite fabrics and accessories,” says Majors. “As accents eggplant, plum and spice tones are very popular now. My favorite new color is “maple” from our Historic Collection. It is dark warm and rich. It complements most all colors of hardwood flooring and makes molding painted either clean or muted off whites really stand out.”
Selection of colors is a personal thing. Each person has their favorites. Some people lean more towards the muted tones while others like to embrace color. “A jolt of color is coming, more intensity in colors, more lively colors with a true neutral balance,” says Vickie Morehead of VM Designs. “Much different reds, soft and refined pinks, and the Star of the Show will be green,” she says.
“I continue seeing brown, but now combined with brighter more intense color, such as orange, from persimmon to copper and cognac; and rich yellow greens,” says Susan Bickford.
To paint the ceiling or not that is the question? White or color? “Ceilings are no longer all painted ‘ceiling white.’ I love a blue or aqua or violet ceiling. When the sun isn’t out you can look up at the blue ceiling and feel as though it is a sunny day. Colors are fresh, and happy! Everyday we want to wake up and think isn’t this wonderful?” says Carolyn Campbell of Carolyn Campbell Interiors.
Bickford adds, “The trend is toward doing ceilings using interesting ornamental patterns, from simple to ornate. I’ve done more ornamental ceilings over the past two years than in the previous five years, and all have been fairly ornate using a variety of metal leaf, shimmery plasters, and even incorporating Swarovski Crystals. I’m seeing the trend toward more elaborate ornamentation coming down onto the walls now as well.”
The trend of combining paint colors with upholstered fabrics, tile, and flooring has been growing with the expansive selections of tile and fabric choices available today. Anna Aycock of Designs by Anna Aycock reports, “An exciting way to use paint is to bring out the subtle tones found in a pillow or drapery fabric used in the room. For example, the cinnamon walls are used to draw out the coral/cinnamon accents in the pillows on the sofa. The same idea works with tile backsplashes in a kitchen.”
According to Baylor Bone of Baylor Bone Interiors, “The selection of paint colors and finishes should be made with your fabrics in hand. The use of brown instead of black is more prevalent; brown works well with many colors. Recently colors are being combined with greens and blues,” she says, adding, “Combinations using browns with lavender and orchid seems to be more prevalent.”
“Paint sheen varies by manufacturer. Flat and high gloss are easy to identify. But everywhere in between can range from matte, low-luster, eggshell, satin, and pearl to whatever name the manufacturer chooses.,” says Majors. “Lower sheens are popular on walls and trim at present. But it is desirable to have a bit more sheen on the trim than on the walls. The lower the sheen the richer the look. It is also more formal on trim to use satin or semi-gloss. Lower sheens also touch up better and hide imperfections more readily. Glossier finishes scrub more easily and are more resistant to staining. Also darker colors need to be at least a satin sheen to prevent burnishing. Latex paints are suitable for trim now,” says Hank Majors.
Vickie Morehead suggest satin finish for ease of cleaning, but matte and glossy are desirable for accent areas.
Carolyn Campbell says, “The walls and trim are more often painted the same color but in different finishes—this keeps the areas visually cohesive.”
“With the availability of durable matte paints now, matte is always a good bet to hide flaws,” reports Bickford.
“Of course the use of the room determines the type of finish, the use of a flat finish is very rare, we use high gloss for more drama,” says Baylor Bone.
Anna Aycock adds, “Eggshell works best for durability. It looks flat but has enough of a sheen to be scrubbed.”
So run don’t walk to your phone call your interior designer get your color swatches and get moving on that new color scheme for 2009.
There are a number of sources for paint in the Greater Nashville area including:
Baylor Bone Interiors
Hendersonville, Nashville
615-822-3199
Beverly Anderson Interior Design
Nashville
615-352-5012
Carolyn Campbell Interiors
Nashville
615-348-9065
Designs by Anna Aycock
Brentwood
615-794-7561
Farrell Calhoun Paint
Franklin, Nashville
615-837-5939
Susan Bickford Singing Walls
Nashville
615-305-3507
VM Designs
Nolensville
615-714-4590
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