Welcome to 2023!
May this new year be full of projects that bring a fresh look and feel to your home.
Start the year by infusing new colors into your home with fresh paint. Painting projects, whether they are DIY or completed by a contractor, should be undertaken early in the year, especially if you want to paint the exterior of your home. In addition to painting the exterior and interior of your home, other projects like refreshing shelves and furniture can give your home a lift. Painting can cover a lot of areas (pun is intended).
The History of Paint
Before we dip into the paint can, let’s get a brushstroke history of paint.
Humans have been using pigments, the color in paint, for quite some time. In fact, according to Earth Date, the oldest discovery of ground ochre and charcoal is more than 100,000 years old.
Ancient paint mixtures were made from a variety of sources. Early paint mixed pigments from plants, and minerals, such as iron ore with water, saliva, animal fats, and urine to create images and to color themselves. Pigments included blood, saps, berry juices, dried plants, charcoal, and roots to generate a very basic color palette. The Egyptians improved the binding agents with sources such as eggs and beeswax. They also used more minerals such as green malachite and blue azurite.
As an art form, painting on dried plaster began in Egypt. The Greeks made the leap to painting frescos on wet plaster. The Romans expanded this method of painting.
Read more about the history of paint.
Modern Paint
Today, due to synthetic pigments, paint is available in nearly any color you can imagine. Just walk into any Sherwin-Williams paint store and look at the array of colors that would stagger the ancient people. Paint and coatings have become an integral and vital part of our daily lives.
In addition to color creation innovation, there are three types of paint: acrylic, water-based (latex), and oil. All paint is formulated with water or oil-based binders combined with pigments to create the desired color.
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint’s pigment is suspended in an acrylic polymer solution and acrylic resin. It is chemical-based and becomes water-resistant when dry. Acrylic paint dries quickly and is ideal for exteriors and some interior areas.
Latex Paint
Latex is a water-based paint. It is also made from acrylic resin. However, it is ideal to use latex for large interior surface areas. It provides a long-lasting finish with good performance values. Latex paints are easy to work with, dry quickly, and are exceptionally durable.
Oil Paint
Oil paint offers good adhesion, excellent durability, and stain resistance. However, not many oil-based products are being manufactured. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been phasing those out over the years.
Just about any surface can be covered with paint. The key is selecting the right paint for a particular surface, and properly preparing the surface before you paint.
Colors of the Year 2023
Sherwin-Williams Paint of the Year is Redend Point SW 9081.
Described as “minimal, calming, and intriguing,” Redend Point is an earthy color with subtle pink undertones, invoking a feeling of down-to-earth coziness.
“We’re craving connection and that’s starting to show in our homes,” says Director of Color Marketing, Sue Wadden. “Redend Point is a thoughtful hue that knows how to reinvent a space in the warmest of ways.”
This hue, she notes, reflects the need for nurturing ourselves and others.
When styling, think minimal and calming to complement the quieter nature of the color. From rounded shapes to warm wood tones, it’s about balancing layers of naturals and neutrals for a look that instantly makes you feel at home.
Pair Redend Point with Sherwin-Williams’ other colors that they highlight for 2023.
- Foothills SW 7514
- Cool Beige SW 9086
- Hushed Auburn SW 9080
- Carnelian SW 7580
- Malted Milk SW 6057
- Pure White SW 7005
- Urbane Bronze SW 7048
- Toile Red SW 0006
“What I really love about this palette, is that it’s this great team of colors,” says Wadden. “They all look pretty on their own, but when you pull them together, they create this gorgeous harmony.” From pink clays to terracotta shades, this palette is as rich in tone as it is in options, too. “You don’t have to use every single one of these colors, but you can pull in the ones you like and still get the essence of the collection,” concludes Wadden.
We asked Laurie E. Clark, Senior Design Account Executive at Sherwin-Williams how these colors are chosen. “It is quite the process actually. An organization called the Color Marketing Group, consisting of a cross section of industries from fashion to plumbing fixtures, comes together each year to talk about color. At the meetings, themes are discussed by attendees. These themes are partly social, political, cultural even geographic. This research gets funneled into different stories for the various colors and a comprehensive report is issued. At Sherwin-Williams we take these reports and break them down into bite-size pieces and themes. As these various themes are reviewed, a particular color presents itself to the color team and is chosen as color of the year. You will notice that we have developed color palettes that complement the color of the year and the stories behind each. These come from the same review process.”
So, who chooses the names for colors? According to Clark, that is quite a stressful job. “At Sherwin-Williams we have over 1,500 different colors with new colors being developed each year. In fact, that process has begun for the 2024 palettes. Can you imagine having to find names for all these colors? Think about how to say yellow 200 different ways! Butter, sunflower, sunshine, dandelion, and you start to get the picture. I always imagined that person waking up in the middle of the night screaming out a new name for a color.”
If painting a whole room is more than you want to tackle, paint an outdated piece of furniture, such as a dresser, desk, or nightstand. Just one freshly painted item can breathe new life into a room. The Sherwin Williams website www.sherwin-williams.com, has several tools to help you choose colors for your project.
Pantone recently announced its 2023 Color of the Year: Viva Magenta. The brand describes the shade as a “crimson red tone that presents a balance between warm and cool.”
The Pantone system is the standard language for color communication from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer.
Whether you select Sherwin-Williams’ Color of the Year, or colors in the Pantone spectrum, try them without committing to a whole can. Order color chips or peel and stick samples.
Before starting any painting project, whether it be a DIY job or one that you hire a professional to do, be sure to read Rosie’s Painting Consumer Guide. Inside you will find instructions about the types of paint needed for specific jobs to hiring a contractor.
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PODCAST
There’s a method in creating the many colors of paint. Sherwin Williams’ Senior Account Design Consultant Laurie Clark explains it starts with a group of color consultants that determines and names the many colors on the pallet leading to the 2023 Color Of The Year. Great tools to try different colors without painting a wall section. Rosie details his method of a great paint job on walls.
Podcast Archive With Expanded Content and Resources
PHOTO CREDIT
- Sherwin-Williams
- Shutterstock
- Pantone
- Witold Skrypczak/Alamy
