2010 Color Trends

After attending color forecast seminars from mega paint giants Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore, there are some clear color trends for the year ahead. Both companies shared thoughts that clearer, more vivid colors will emerge this year.

In particular, the color green gains a truer presence than years previous- a little less sagey and a bit more vivid. Ben Moore's choice is "Cedar Green" and Sherwin's is "Pickle". If that gives any indication of its hue, I think we can figure out that the greens of 2010 have a bit more blue in them than we've been use to, while retaining a bit of yellow.

Blues are getting more attention as well (although has blue ever been out of style?) The biggest change I see is that whether you like a purplely blue or an aqua blue, they are more intense- think blueberry, navy and deep turquoise.

Reds of the year are Sherwin's "Tomato Red" and Ben Moore's "Claret Rose". I don't see a huge change from past years reds. However, the literally mouthwatering reds we're seeing have an added nuance of pink. Interestingly, neither company noted any pinks at all- sorry for any of you pink lovers out there. It looks like that ultrafeminine look is on the down swing.

Yellows continue to gain more ground, and from everything I'm reading yellow is a color of optimism. Its no surprise that people are gravitating towards it during these difficult economic times. Ben Moore shows "Sundance" as their "it" yellow, and I can see it's not quite as acidic as last year- seems to have a bit more orange in it. Well, ALL the yellow colors are morphing into the oranges- something we'll see more of in 2011 and beyond???

For all the neutral lovers out there- here's the lowdown. Today's neutrals are grounded in earthy elements and the trend for more organic things. Wood tones, natural fibers, and stone are big influences. Your average beige is out and the more sophisticated "greiges" are in, and they are lighter or much deeper in color. Sherwin's top picks are "Nomadic Desert", "Magnetic Gray", and "Foothills" while Ben Moore's top picks are "Slip", "Thunder" and "Fairview Taupe".

I have added links to both paint companies websites 2010 forecast palettes. Take a look and let me know what you think!