Top Five Paint Trends for Fall 2012

Credit: Benjamin Moore

Mixing cool and warm shades of colour in the same room is a popular fall trend. Here, the main walls are painted Dunmore Cream and the accent wall is painted Montpelier

This fall, paint colours take a trip down memory lane, with influences from period movies, red carpets and retro fashions

Yellow dresses at the Oscars and a series of period movies are a few of the cultural references influencing this season’s paint colours.

Sharon Grech, a colour and design spokesperson for Benjamin Moore, notes that while cultural references are always an important indicator when it comes to interior design, the turnaround time is faster than ever before.

“It used to be that you would see trends on the red carpet make their way into fashion two to three years later,” said Grech. “Now, with fashion designers doing home lines we are seeing things transitioning much faster, usually within the calendar year.”

This fall, get ready to go bright and warm on your walls with the following paint colour trends.

1. Mixing Cool and Warm Tones

Cool colours, particularly cool blues, are a current staple in home design. And even though the temperature will soon be dropping, homeowners are not entirely ready to ditch icier tones for the deeper shades of fall.

“This year’s fall colours include both warm and cool shades, so they can easily adapt to a wide range of individual tastes,” said Alison Goldman, brand manager for AkzoNobel makers of CIL and Dulux paints.

Goldman recommends combining a warm colour such as a CIL’s burnt orange (Golden Tan 90YR 34/468) with a cool accent wall colour such as CIL’s royal blue (Blazer Blue 43BB 09/340) for a contemporary effect.

2. The Colour Yellow

The colour yellow has been seen everywhere from the 2012 red carpet at the Oscars to designer handbags. The sunny hue is expected to remain on trend well into 2013.

Grech sees yellow as a more optimistic replacement to green, a popular colour choice in recent years. The colour consultant recommends Benjamin Moore’s Dunmore Cream (HC-29), a mellow, buttery yellow perfect for a living room or other large, livable space.

3. Painted Furniture

Grech says people aren’t just purchasing paint to cover their walls, but also their furniture. Painted furniture is a popular trend in home decor and a low-commitment way to pull a strong, trendy colour into your room.

“You can take the furniture you pick up at a summer antiques market and give it a completely new look,” said Grech. “A console table in a strong blue is a great way to bring colour into your space and make it a focal point in the room.”

4. Heritage Colours

Grech notes that traditional colours from Benjamin Moore’s Heritage Colour Collection are also making a resurgence. She credits Oscar-winning, period movies such as The Artist and Hugo as among the cultural influences helping drive the trend.

The colour consultant recommends Wyeth Blue (HC-143). The mellow, greeny-blue colour was Benjamin Moore’s 2012 colour of the year. It also happens to been one of my all-time favourite paint colours. I have used it twice in my own home. It makes for a great, sophisticated baby room colour.

5. The 1960s

Another trickle-down effect from fashion are retro colours such as coral, not a colour traditionally associated with the fall season.

Goldman likes Dulux’s Simmering Cider (50YR 26/461). The burnt orange colour has a tan undertone and a light element reminiscent of copper. This paint colour is a rustier, more mature hue than the pumpkin-inspired tones of last year.

Dulux’s Simmering Cider has a tan undertone and a light element reminiscent of copper (Image: Dulux)