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Commercial Paint Colors to Evoke Home, Group Says

Friday, February 27, 2009

Even at the mall or in the office, there’s no place like home, says global paint authority Color Guild, which is forecasting homey paint colors for commercial interiors throughout 2009.

“The main driver in the emerging commercial and contract paint trends is the home,” said Pat Verlodt, Color Guild color consultant.  “Consumers want the comforting colors of their homes to cross over into places where they spend significant time.  This is precisely why the Color Guild commercial and contract color palette is moving toward intense and sophisticated earthy colors, supported by optimistic hues that are mature in style and classic in feel.”
 

The main colors emerging in commercial buildings over the next year include warm and rich browns, earthy oranges, bright yellows, conservative reds, true blues and mid-tone to light grays, says Robert Shapiro, Color Guild executive director. Color Guild is comprised of more than 55 independent paint manufacturers from 14 countries.
 
The basic colors in the commercial and contract palette are Worn, beige with a warm red cast, and Camden, a deep, rich brown. Both colors are influenced by the browns currently popular in consumer products.
 
Earthy oranges such as Portfolio and Rusty add excitement to the browns in the palette.  Yellows appear as a promise of bright colors to help consumers be more optimistic in difficult economic times with Exalts.
 
Red, still a popular paint color, appears in deeper, more conservative shades of Sumptuous.  Blue, the most optimistic color in the palette, appears with a red undertone as Edge, and more true blues such as Innovative are also included.
 
Most of these deeper tones appear in fabrics and carpets and are supported by complex neutral paint colors, such as Jungle – a neutral warm gray with a slight green undertone, Dapple - gray beige neutral, and Mademoiselle - neutral gray.
 
Commercial and contract industry professionals can get the emerging commercial building paint color chips and paints at Color Guild member locations.  For more information, visit www.colorguild.com.