Paint and colour trends for 2009

Decorating - Inspiration

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By: Kama Lee Jackson

Refresh a room with the look of new country using one of these fresh colour combos

Some inspiring ‘new country’ colour palettes:

Tip: If you see a colour palette that mixes a wide range of saturated colours, pick one that you like for the walls then use complementary colours as accents in other aspects of the room, like throw cushions, smaller pieces of furniture or décor items.

Try using both a pea soup green and hunter green on the walls (try Para Paint’s Lodge Retreat and Shady Nook), divided by an off-white chair rail. Use rich brown, black and burnt orange accents throughout the room.
Mix a foggy grey and a silvery blue for a calming effect, and add a ruddy accent with just the suggestion of pink. For inspiration, look at Benjamin Moore’s Sea Haze, Gossamer Blue and Mellow Pink.
A burnt orange looks both warm and bold with a rich dark or grey-brown, and tempered with a fresh, barely there pale green or sunshiny yellow. Try Beauti-Tone’s Matchbox or Disguise (oranges), with the cosy brown Velveteen, and lively Prom Dress or cheery Jaunty.
Make a pale, yellowish cream cosier by adding hits of a dark greeny brown, with accents of grey blues and a dark-toned red. Behr’s Cracked Wheat, with an accent wall or section of Thorny Branch or Fig could be livened up with Cool Dusk or Winter Lake, and Awning Red.