Pittsburgh Paints
It’s time.
You find yourself with a roller in hand and a tray at your feet. Drop cloths cover your floor and furniture while tape seals off any remaining corners and overlapping areas. You’re ready to give your space a refresh with a new coat of paint.
But you’re still unsure. Did you pick the right color? What will happen when you pair this ceiling with that wall? Will the finished product create the space you want?
To help you avoid these dilemmas, color consultants and paint experts from central Ohio businesses offer advice on everything from choosing a color to painting style to help create an updated space that feels like you.
Choosing your colors
Compass Homes, Pittsburgh Paints
Warm tones and deep, moody colors have been the focus for years, but many of these go-to colors are shifting to more neutral options.
Companies such as Sherwin-Williams and Krylon – with their Universal Khaki and Coffee Bean colors, respectively – have named lighter, but still warm-toned, neutrals as their colors of the year.
Those looking for something a little darker but still warm and neutral can find Benjamin Moore’s warm charcoal, titled Silhouette, at Creative Paints and Warm Mahogany at Pittsburgh Paints. Both offer bolder options that still create a great base to build on.
Pittsburgh Paints Color & Design Manager Ruthanne Hanlon says these warm tones have lent well to the incorporation of natural materials that more people are looking to infuse into their homes.
“The natural materials are really important in all of these designs,” Hanlon says. “Whether it be the wood pieces or the stone or the brick or the natural light, combining those warmer neutrals with those natural elements creates these very welcoming, serene (and) comforting spaces for us.”
Techniques and applications
Compass Homes, Pittsburgh Paints
Creative Paints Color Consultant Blake Hill has noticed more homeowners leaning away from contrasting colors in certain areas.
“I feel like, sometimes, people will do that black and white with a high contrast,” Hill says. “That’s still around, but definitely a little less, (more of a) softer contrast on the exterior.”
This softer contrast can be seen in the home as well through paint trends such as color drenching, which uses the same hue or slight variations of it on different areas of a room.
Hill has seen a surge of interest in color drenching, she says, commonly in spaces such as offices, bedrooms and bathrooms. Still, the technique has not taken over the whole home.
“A bathroom or a bedroom could be a different color when you have a neutral aesthetic throughout the home,” she says. “I think that’s an easy place for people to try it out, too. It’s not the whole house being that way, so it’s a good (way to) kind of dip your toe in to try it.”
Another popular trend starting to pop up in homes is color capping. Close to color drenching with its near-monochromatic style, the technique creates a tiered look using different tints and shades of the wall color on other areas of the room.
While Hanlon says this works well across several architectural styles – sometimes creating depth and interest in a space – it can still sometimes take some getting used to.
“Give yourself time to adjust. If you’ve been living with white ceilings, the change can seem jarring at first,” she says. “Using a single hue, or subtle contrasts in value, can make a space appear larger, even with dark colors.”
Given the countless color and application options, both Hill and Hanlon always remind homeowners of one thing: It’s your home. Make it feel true to you.
“Look to your favorite textile or piece of art for inspiration when choosing colors, and go with your instinct when making color decisions,” Hanlon says. “Color selection and application is subjective and personal. You can’t go wrong when you surround yourself with colors that speak to you.”
Rachel Hanz is the lead editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rhanz@cityscenemediagroup.com.
