HOME & Style
Questions of colour H
By GAIA MUELLER
ow do I decide what colour to paint my living room? Will a new exterior coat make my house sell this summer? What are this season’s most
popular colours?
Being a colour consultant at Benjamin Moore, I get asked these questions daily. Why is choosing the right colour so im- portant? Simply put, colour is what we see. It both shows and it tells. It tells others how we feel and what our
values are, while also helping create am- biance. Moonlight White (2143-60) and Thunder (AF-685) communicate moderni- ty and create a fresh, clean feeling. Coastal Path (AF-380) and French Press (AF-170) communicate heritage and tra- dition and help shape a warm, inviting at- mosphere. Trends in design are shaped by the
world in which we live. Right now, we live in a world which celebrates vibrant multi- plicity and technological change while at the same time being shaken by economic and environmental fears.We live in a world where everything is intersecting, where “virtual reality” and “traditional modern” are no longer oxymorons. Really? I can hear the skeptics ask. So the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Facebook’s IPO will effect what colour I paint my house this year? The London Olympics will play on my living room walls? Yes, to the extent that one of the main trends right now is to embrace and pro- tect our heritage, while at the same time recycling or reinterpreting
it.Today’s mod- ern becomes tomorrow’s traditional and everything old becomes new again. Avacado appliances may not be popular again (yet), but the colour has been re- born as Savannah Green (2150-30). Harvest Gold now becomes popular in its modern form of Golden Bounty (294). Even mint and coral will become key colours in 2013….again. In a sense, a large trend in colour is echoing a trend in environmentalism: recycling. The past and the present intersect when we rein- terpret tradition using modern vocabulary. Colour can hold us together and create community. Kelowna is full of “rurbanites,” as so many of us living here relish urban amenities while also celebrating wine, fresh produce and lake views. What
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Today’s modern becomes tomorrow’s traditional and everything old becomes new again.
colour do these “rurbanites” paint their homes? Any drive around town will reveal the Tuscan earthiness of the Okanagan palette, often juxtaposed with gray or black accents. Some new interpretations of this heritage theme are combinations such as Pashmina (AF-100), Dark Olive (2140-30) and Purple Lotus (2072-30) or Tumeric (AF-350), Fall Harvest (2168-10) and Dragonfly (AF-510). Throw in a little of tomorrow’s hottest trend—metallics— and you’re on the cutting edge of a new heritage palette. The environmental impact of colour is at least as important as the aesthetic im- pact. Savvy consumers today will spend
as much time choosing colour as choos- ing the product which carries it. Make sure you choose paints with low or zero- VOCs (volotile organic compounds) even after tints and colourants have been added. This will ensure that you protect the health of you and your family, as well as the planet. The top colours of 2012? Wythe Blue (HC-143) and Tangerine Tango might be the colours of the year, but Green is the theme.
Gaia and Rob Mueller are the new
owners of Benjamin Moore Kelowna on Springfield Road.Email:
gaia@benjaminmoorekelowna.com.
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