Colour trending to muted simplicity for next year’s new look

With just two months until Christmas and Holiday Week, it’s a good time to deck the walls with fresh new colour.

When paint companies prepare their palettes and forecast trends for an upcoming year, they review sales of the hues customers actually purchased for their walls. While showrooms may glow with jewel tones and retro looks from the heyday of Art Deco, most homes trend towards less trendy, more classic shades.

For 2014, most palettes will feature muted, serene simplicity with calm neutrals rich in depth.  Against this background, bold colours and patterns in furnishings or accessories provide fun accents that really pop for an uncluttered design statement.

In 2014, the classic pale, luminous yellow appears in everything from automotive to textiles. It’s an upbeat, feel-good colour – less intrusive than the rain-slicker hues of retro 1950s décor, and much easier to live with.

Call it beige, mushroom, or tan – these neutrals have had their day. Shades of gray so popular of late in novels and on walls or trim are elegant, sophisticated and work beautifully with natural materials like wood and linen. This year, watch for traditional greys to take on a tint of colour, adding complexity with undertones. A dusty pale gray-green makes a warm and interesting backdrop for a room decorated in tones of trendy marigold, for an optimistic and wholesome effect.

Deep dramatic shades still have a place in classic and contemporary homes. For those who find great satisfaction in vibrant colour, saturated shades of dramatic dark blues, particularly cobalts and indigos, are an excellent choice for rooms where the accent décor contrasts with tones of bright white or pale buttercream yellow. In 2014, these near-neutral shades may be less popular, as green – the colour of hope and renewal – moves into the mainstream. Turquoise bridges the blues and greens with warmth and brilliance, refreshing a dark room (and still working well as a backdrop for that white and buttercream décor.

When choosing a new paint colour for a room, visit the manufacturers’ websites. They offer a wealth of tools and hints to help purchasers define – and refine – their colour selection from the full paint spectrum, even allowing browsers to order their paint and colour samples online for pickup at their local retailer.

For the timid, visit one of our Coastal paint and interior design specialists for the latest information on products and trends – they’ll be glad to help.

Staff Writer