Materials Guide: A Zen Palette
Boulder-based interior designer Susan Lofgreen believes that the right paint color can transform your home. Right now, she notes that white walls are extremely popular and that even bolder colors aren’t as heavy as in the past. Warmer grays are holding strong (one of Valspar’s 2016 palettes of the year offers six shades), as are beautiful soft shades like alabaster and marble.
Sherwin-Williams has named Alabaster its 2016 Color of the Year. “Neither stark nor overly warm, but more exactly an understated and alluring white,” says Jackie Jordan, the company’s director of color marketing. And once you pick a color, Lofgreen advises that you stick with it, noting that it’s now more common to keep one color consistent and use wallpaper or tile as an accent. But color and design aren’t all that matters. Look for paints low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs); these paints are both safe and environmentally friendly.
ROOM AND BOARD COLORS
1. ROOM AND BOARD COLORS by Valspar in Cement (left) and five other colors (above), $50/gallon; Room and Board, Denver
“Color can create a backdrop in a home. It’s like the music in the background of a good film.” — Susan Lofgreen
GREENWICH VILLAGE PALETTE
2. GREENWICH VILLAGE PALETTE PAINT COLORS, $38-$41/gallon; RalphLaurenPaint.com, available at The Home Depot
PURA VIDA COLLECTION
3. PURA VIDA COLLECTION PAINT COLORS in Unfussy Beige (left), $38.99/gallon in flat finish; Sherwin-Williams, Denver
SEE ALSO:
The Materials Guide: Tile
The Materials Guide: Wallcoverings
The Materials Guide: Fixtures and Finishes
A Color Pairing Trend for 2016
