Paint color trends might start with Pantone, the company that sets industry standards for color in printing, packaging and more. They picked honeysuckle as their 2011 color of the year, saying it “… emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink (check out Pantone's color of the year), Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting.”
A little more research revealed that each paint manufacturer picks/promotes their own colors. Several of the 2011 pics are shared here to help you see why you want to pick colors that speak to you. New color research explains our choice of colors is related to personal experience … colors we like are associated with positive experiences!
Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore picked Vintage Wine (2116-20, above left) for their 2011 Color of the Year. Founded in 1883, Benjamin Moore offers more than 3,500 colors, making a feature color easier to focus on. Vintage Wine is elegant, a rich hue made from a deep brown base and a hint of violet. It's equally popular in the fashion world and interior decor as demonstrated by SensationalColor.com.
Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams takes a different approach to 2011 color recommendations with 39 colors grouped into four palettes: Purely Refined (displayed below), Bold Invention, Restless Nomad and Gentle Medley. What's fun with these colors is you almost know by the name, which group you want to explore further and they make it easy by grouping colors that work together, taking much of the guesswork and mistakes out of your color picking decisions.
Paint Companies From Around the World
From ICI Paints Malaysia, one of the world’s largest paint manufacturers, comes this pale, citrus yellow for colour of the year. ICI is owned by a European company, Akzo Nobel , headquartered in the Netherlands.
Farrow & Ball, another European paint and wallpaper company introduced 9 new colors for 2011. This is significant as their palette is much smaller than those above with just over 130 colours. Many of their new colors are pale although they've got a bright orange that is remarkably close to my websites accent color, although that's just a coincidence.
There is nothing like a fresh coat of paint to create a new and updated look without spending a lot of money. The key is to choose a color you love. Check out this article and see which of the latest shades in vogue is right for you. One of my favorites is ICI’s yellow citrus.
Gayle, I think it’s also important for people to think hard about a color and whether they’ll like it as much in 3, 5 or more years. This is more meaningful for me right now as I’ve always liked bold, vibrant colors but now want to soften things and go with more muted, neutral colors. 5 years ago my bedroom was painted something close to the vintage wine but today, I also prefer the yellow citrus.