Supplied / Sico
Make holiday trimmings pop by painting the fireplace mantel an unexpected colour such as Icy Fjord blue by Sico paint, surrounded by the brand’s Meteor Shower blue, featured on the surrounding wall.
Move over red, green and gold. When it comes to decorating for the holidays, according to Sico paint, today’s trendy colour combinations can be used not only to create a festive decor, but also a stylish look that can be enjoyed all year round.
"Paint is a gift that keeps on giving, and enveloping a room in colour is the easiest way to spread joy when entertaining at home for the holidays," says Geneviève Paiement, brand manager for Sico paint — a brand of PPG. This season Paiement encourages homeowners to break with tradition and try an out-of-the-box colour scheme that will remain fashionable long after the decorations are put away.
Stylish holiday colour combinations include rich brown mixed with blue-green, burgundy or mustard, earthy green and ivory paired with terracotta, and midtone blue coupled with grey and highlighted with dark metallics. Also popular are black-and-white combinations accentuated with a pop of colour such as sun-kissed yellow, burnt orange, turquoise green or deep purple.
"Everyone goes all out when it comes to holiday food and menu planning, and creating a memorable decor to greet guests is really no different," says Paiement — noting that even updating one room, whether it be a living area, kitchen, powder room or foyer, will help add cheer to the home.
Paiement suggests combining paint colours of equal depth and intensity for best results. If you’re hesitant about making colour selections, she recommends testing them first on a large poster board or portion of wall before committing. "Be sure to examine the colours at different times of day, as well with lights on and off, and remember to consider how they flow with adjacent rooms and hallways," she says.
Top holiday colour picks by Sico paint include Elegant Brown, Zen Green, Waning Moon (blue), A Simpler Time (purple), Beijing Bloom (orange) and Cinnamon Heart (burgundy).
Warm browns, such as Sico’s Elegant Brown are making a comeback in home decor and are the ideal way to add "instant cozy" to any room, Paiement says. For a contemporary holiday decor, paint walls brown and accessorize with silver, turquoise blue and olive green. For a more classic look, incorporate gold, maroon and cream accents, such as gingham cushions, reddish-brown candles dipped in gold, or burlap ribbons and bows.
Who says fireplace mantels need to be white? In fact, light-coloured mantels tend to get lost among holiday trimmings. By painting the mantel an unexpected colour such as aquamarine blue, golden mustard, charcoal grey or moss green, you can create a vibrant focal point in the room and ideal place to showcase ornaments, hang stockings or drape greenery. After the holidays, the colourful addition will help infuse new life and interest into the room.
Before hauling out the garland, take a good look at your staircase. Highlighting a white or light wood staircase with a pop of colour painted on the banister, balusters or back of the stairs is an effective way to add wow factor to your holiday and every day decor. Good colour choices include Sico paint’s Cool Current (greenish grey), Electric Night (cobalt blue) or Grand Piano (black). The more saturated the colour the better, in order to highlight architectural details in the wood.
The kitchen is a great place to experiment with bright colours since wall space is limited. Burnt orange, mustard yellow and rich purple are popular choices for today’s modern white kitchen, Paiement says. Add surprising splashes of colour inside drawers and cabinets and introduce black and white accessories for a contemporary, crowd-pleasing decor.
