By Erik J. Martin, CTW Features
The turn of the calendar is a great occasion to make New Year’s resolutions. This period between January and spring is also an opportune time to repaint areas of your home and thereby reinvent living spaces with fresh colors designed to reflect today’s popular tastes and preferences.
“Painting can give a much-needed refresh to the home and make it look more contemporary. Not only does a new coat of paint change the appearance of a room, but it can also completely transform its mood and feel,” Jon Sanborn, a home improvement expert with SD House Guys, points out. “Colors have been shown to affect our psychological well-being. Brighter colors create a sense of openness and light, while darker colors add a sense of warmth and coziness.”
Not sure which paint colors to pick for your room? Take a close look at the 2023 colors of the year selected by key paint brands and organizations.
Case in point: Pantone chose Digital Lavender for its color of the year (COTY). This vibrant and bright purple evokes a sense of freshness, modernity, and joy – perfect for making a space feel airy while adding an exciting pop of color, says Sanborn.
Benjamin Moore’s COTY, meanwhile, is Raspberry Blush, a delicate pink shade with subtle hints of lavender and gray that collectively evoke a timeless and romantic feel to any space.
Then there’s Blank Canvas, Behr’s COTY that can be described as a versatile off-white hue with a touch of warmth that can conjure a comforting ambiance to any living space.
“Blank Canvas is the perfect wall color to offset painting kitchen cabinets a deep jewel tone, which is a big trend for 2023,” suggests Tracey Amadio, creator of the home improvement blog Porch Daydreamer.
Deep dusty pink is probably the best way to describe Terra Rosa, Dunn Edward’s COTY, which falls between rosy pink and terra-cotta.
“This color is vivid enough to feel friendly and inviting with enough of a neutral base to feel warm, enveloping, and workable with various colors,” says Sarah Barnard, owner of Sarah Barnard Design LLC. “Recently, there’s been a lot of interest in nature-based colors with more saturation, and this shade falls into that family while exhibiting a slight departure from traditional terra-cottas. It’s a color that would be great for a bedroom, entryway, reading room, or any space meant for comfort, curiosity, and rest – as Terra Rosa feels engaging without being invigorating.”
PPG and Glidden have chosen Vining Ivy as their COTY; this is a flexible teal that can transform virtually any room.
“It’s a rich jewel-toned blue-green that feels like a deep turquoise stone, which pairs well with warmer tones. It’s the ideal choice for kitchen cabinets – as an accent on a kitchen island or a bank of cabinets paired with natural shades of wood for an updated look,” Amadio adds.
There’s nothing wrong with looking back a year or so to past COTY choices, too. Brady Bridges, broker/owner of Reside Real Estate in Fort Worth, Texas, is a huge fan of October Mist, Benjamin Moore’s 2022 COTY, a soft silver-green hue that offers a soothing vibe.
“This paint represents an effortless harmony of different colors while inspiring an out-of-the-box combination to complement any paint project. You can combine October Mist with a rich and dark shade to add depth and warmth,” explains Bridges.
Overall, white hues and neutral tones are also in vogue in 2023, per interior designer Gene Fitzgerald.
“Beige and cream, when used on walls as paint colors or wallpapers, create a sense of space. Light colors like these are reflective in nature, too,” Fitzgerald notes. “If you’re not a fan of neutral tones and whites and prefer adding more discernible color in your living space, go for pastel yellows and sage green. I love how these shades are minimal yet give acute vibe to the overall space.”