From Msn.com - Paint and judicious pops of color can be a relatively simple way to update, even modernize, a home inside and out. Whether you’re customizing your new home, prepping one to sell, or just breathing new life into your beloved abode, we’ve rounded up some of the most happening hues for 2013. Accent colors offset by cooler grays and whites dominated interior design this year, while charcoal, gold and green were the trendy adornments for haute exteriors, according to experts.
Interior: Benjamin Moore’s Stonington Gray
Few know color like Maria Killam, a certified color consultant and design expert who teaches seminars on color. Cooler grays with blue undertones, like this Benjamin Moore offering, have been on fire this year, she said.
Interior: White
Basics returned with a vengeance this year, Killam said. Although, she cautioned that even a shade as simple-seeming as this one doesn’t work everywhere. “If you don’t have enough light to pull it off, your walls end up looking gray and dingy,” she said. “Just walk into any dark room and look up at the white painted ceiling and see how gray it looks.
Interior: Emerald
Pantone, the international purveyor of color taste, named 2013 the year of the emerald. The deep hues elicit adjectives like elegance and harmony. The color of the year — Pantone 17-5641, to be exact — appeared on runways, decor and design materials throughout the world, as well as refreshingly new interiors.
Interior: Peacock
Darker than teal, it plays well with both white and gray neutrals and deep oranges bases. This color started creeping across the radar in January, according to ApartmentTherapy.com. The blog featured decor from the actual bird, on a pillow, to a sofa and a napkin set.
Interior: French gray
Like Paris fashion houses, paint companies set the year’s trends with the palettes they choose. Farrow & Ball introduced a warm gray perfect for a homey bedroom.
Interior: Deep purple
Accent walls were the name of the game for two firms. Dullux paint’s “Inspired Violet” is their deepest main color ever, according to Styleathome.com. Behr Paints chose Plum Orbit for a similar effect.
And if you’re looking to splash your walls with next year’s hottest color, purple is still sure to be your prize. Color authority Pantone says “Radiant Orchid” is the official color of 2014. With fuschia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid “reaches across the color wheel to intrigue the eye and spark the imagination,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
Interior: Chocolate
A rich brown can set off those bright colors and add depth and warmth to any room. As Interior Design magazine noted at the beginning of the year, the goal is “intense, but … richer, and less acidic.”
Exterior: Nature’s green
Muted palates echoed the great outdoors, with a soft green that matched the landscape, designers told Sheknows.com.
Exterior: Gold
Designers and small painting firms reported that they saw an uptick in the popularity of soft golds for a rich-looking exterior option. Plus, gold never goes out of style.
Exterior: Charcoal
Killam sees a rising demand for the rich gray-black offshoot on the outside of homes. But she counseled homeowners to steer clear. Dark tends to be more dated on the outside. “As soon as the gray trend is over, your charcoal gray house will look just as dated as the dark brown exteriors look right now,” she said.
In other words, be wary of any trend that has the potential for a short shelf life. Let the year’s color choices inspire, but perhaps not dictate, the beauty of your home.
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