Canadians are stuck on neutrals. That's the finding of a country-wide survey conducted by leading-brand CIL paint of Canadian paint habits over the last year.
The survey, which polled a sampling of CIL paint stores across the country, showed that neutrals accounted for 65 per cent of sales in the last 12 months. Of the neutral hues, grey was the most requested colour (25 per cent), followed by beige tones (22 per cent) and whites (18 per cent). Greens and blues were next, with 11 per cent of consumers choosing green and six per cent choosing blue tones for their rooms.
"While most people seem to acknowledge that using a more colourful shade can rejuvenate a room, when it comes to actual purchases, the majority appears to take a more conservative approach," said Alison Goldman, brand manager for CIL paint, a brand of PPG Architectural Coatings. "Neutrals like whites, beiges and greys are often preferred because they are safe, long-term investments that don't go out of style and don't compete with other objects in a room."
Goldman cites CIL's top-selling neutral paints as Granite Grey (00NN 37/000) grey, Chinchilla White (10YY 46/041) taupe, and Antique White (43YY 78/053) white.
When I updated our rec room a while back, I decided to neutralize the space. The room had several different wall treatments, and although they worked together, I found them to be too busy for my current design style. The room is mainly rectangular, with a stone fireplace on an angle at one corner. The longest wall was treated by the previous owners with barn board wainscoting and a rough, plaster-like treatment on the upper portion of the wall. This technique was 'in' back in the day but the plaster treatment (which was actually just drywall mud) was dated, an unpainted stark white and impossible to clean. On the other side of the room was tongue and groove knotty pine and a partial wall with wallpaper in muted vertical stripes in shades of taupe.
I decided to remove the wallpaper, scraped down the drywall mud so that it would represent a more subtle plaster texture and painted it all in two neutral tones in the same colour family. It was a lot of work, especially the plaster wall, but now the plaster technique is painted and looks finished and the darker neutral walls in the rest of the room bring all of the wood tones together. The room is calming yet fresh and cozy for sitting by the fire and watching a movie.
Kitchens can be notoriously visually busy with all of the potential surface finishes available. A busy, tiled backsplash, highly ornate cabinets, patterned stone countertops, patterned flooring and appliances with yet another surface finish can make for a hectic décor. None of these items can be easily changed either, so paint is a good neutralizing option. Use neutral paints on paintable surfaces to calm the décor. Choose a colour that will work with all of the surface tones when possible to make the space visually cohesive.
While neutrals are less dramatic than their more colourful counterparts, they need not be perceived as boring. Try some of these suggestions to boost a neutral colour palette:
Paint darker or lighter versions of the main neutral wall colour on baseboards, trim, windowsills, ceilings and doors. The simplest way to find related colours is to check the paint chip for darker or lighter versions of the same tone. Or, you can ask your paint retailer to add white to the paint for a lighter tint and black for a darker one.
Using two or three different neutral colours can warm up a room and add appeal. Decide on a colour theme that is either monochromatic (colours from the same family) or related colour (colour groups which lie beside one another on the wheel), and paint an accent wall, doors and trim, in different neutral hues.
If nerves are what stop you from trying a more vivid paint shade, add a splash of colour on an accent wall -- around a fireplace or behind a headboard, for example. An accent wall is an easy way to experiment with colour and is quick and simple to update at any time.
If you prefer to stick with one neutral paint colour in your room, bring in colour through accents pieces, such as rugs, pillows, paintings or furniture.
connieoliver@shaw.ca
