Color Trends Tend to be Cyclical

There are a lot of very cool people in this business, but one of my favorite ladies of all time is Vanessa Rider of Colormoxie. Vanessa and I met on social media several years ago and forged a friendship based on a shared love of design, color and the desire to help one another grow and succeed. Pre-Covid, we’d meet regularly for coffee and strategize how we could grow and improve. Today, we meet less frequently (and on Zoom), but our topics remain relatively the same. 

Last week, I asked Vanessa what she’s seeing in paint trends. Here were her top four:

Goodbye grey, hello “greige”

WTF is greige, you ask. Put simply, it's a color between beige and gray. Grey was the “it” color, but before that it was beige (and probably before that, grey). You get the point. Color trends are cyclical, but they are rarely exactly the same as they were the first time.  Greige is nice because it’s a warmer version of grey and I find it easier to work with in a space.

Desaturated (or muted) paint colors

Saturation makes colors more vivid (less black or white added) while desaturation makes colors more muted (more black or white added). Like with greige, muted colors can feel less harsh and more warm and cozy (are you seeing a theme here)?

Color Blocking

Color blocking is a low commitment way to create a bold or interesting focal point in a room. Generally, it involves the strategic placement of geometric shapes in contrasting colors on a wall. Pictured is a room Vanessa and I did several years ago with a tangerine colored stripe running vertically to underscore the dramatic height of the bedroom. Today’s version would probably be done in a softer color (see #2) and maybe even a softer shape, such as a circle or semicircle. 

Darker trims and creamy  walls

Do you live in a home where you want to keep the space bright but make it more interesting than going with all white? Vanessa says one way to do that is to paint the millwork - the doors, baseboards, trim or window frames -- darker. This is especially true if you have attractive millwork and you want to call attention to it.

She had a lot more to say, but I can tell you that if you’re struggling with choosing paints (interior or exterior), give my girl a call. And, she and I collaborate regularly on spaces and I think we make a pretty good team.