Colors Trends for 2017 Being knowledgeable in the latest paint trends and helping customers create their own vision can be the difference between a sale and a lost opportunity. So you know 2017’s top colors and trends, we’re going to review some comments from color expert Maria Killam of the blog Color Me Happy

Pantone: Greenery Look for customers to gravitate toward brighter colors as accents on a plainer backdrop. Pantone calls this nature-inspired shade of a green a “refreshing and revitalizing” selection symbolic of “new beginnings.” Killam calls it indicative of what she’s seeing in her clients’ requests across the U.S. “The grey trend arrived because consumers were craving fresher, cleaner colors and grey is the backdrop for bright color. But you’re only now seeing items that are more permanent include color, such as ranges with hoods in bright yellows and reds along with royal blue and hot pink faucets. It takes time for people to embrace a bright color.”

Sherwin-Williams: Poised Taupe Customers are moving away from earthy tones such as this one. Lighter beiges and greys are likely to me more popular. Killam is a proponent of a “greige” backdrop (lighter greys and beiges) to homes that allow brighter colors in furniture or accents to stand out. Poised Taupe, however, falls too deeply into earthy tones with its darker hue, she says, muddling the effect. “It’s not a hot trendy color. No one is really doing earthy on walls at least,” Killam says. “It goes with muddier, dirtier colors. If the consumer is looking for something new and they pick taupe, it will likely be too dark and earthy for them.”

Benjamin Moore: Shadow A dark purple hue best used for an accent piece, such as a door or shudders on a house’s exterior. The darkest of this year’s featured colors, Shadow is said to work on the interplay of light and dark with its deep purple tone. For Killam, this husky shade belongs with a trend of brown hues from the 90s and early 2000s. “In the brown trend, if someone said Shadow was color of the year, then absolutely, but today it seems kind of out of left field,” she says. “Purple is something artsy that keeps trying to be revived, but I don’t see it as a trending color this year.”

PPG: Violet Verbana A lighter purple shade that will likely be used by customers looking to brighten rooms similarly to Greenery. This lighter purple, however, is right in line with Killam's expectations for trends in 2017. “It’s not earthy, it’s definitely a good trendy color. You could put Greenery with this and it wouldn’t clash.” She does warn about those who would throw caution to the wind when selecting their favorite color, however. If a consumer wants purple, it still needs to be integrated into the rest of a home’s design.

Akzo Nobel: Denim Drift Coming in a variety of shades, this color is versatile for any project. Featuring a wide variety of shades to choose from, Denim Drift leans more traditional in Killam’s view. Spanning indigo to royal blue in hues, Denim Drift also keeps with the fresh, vibrant expectations for this year’s choices. “Denim Drift’s different shades are all pretty fresh. They’ve even got the muted choices. People have only been talking indigo for about three years, so that color isn’t going away.”

3 RETAILER TIPS 1 Most customers want one color throughout a house’s interior. Lighter greys and beiges are best for this. 2 Use a color wheel to help find transition colors. For retailers looking to stay on track with customer needs in their paint departments, Killam suggests keeping a few things in mind. “What most people are looking for is one color to repaint their house. The days of different colors in every room is over. In the 80s, color was a new idea and accent walls were big. That went on through the 2000s as well. Now, most people are looking to pick a single, fresh neutral throughout the house.” “There is a transition color that everyone wants. Everyone is trying to transition from the brown trend. For instance, if your house is still in the Tuscan trend, you can’t introduce cooler blue or green greys. If you can’t afford to replace existing finishes that are still Tuscan, choose a light green beige to give your interior an updated look.” “A lot of people are asking for white, they see white everywhere. Every fixer upper house is white, white, white. But the average builder house can’t have white walls. Say a house has an earthy tile in the kitchen or entrance. That’s when greige can be a real transition color. It’s still pale, but it doesn’t have stark white paint on their walls.” 3 Stark white walls are difficult to pull off in most homes. Look for lighter shades of color instead.

Colors Trends for 2017 These are the colors selected to trend in 2017. Being familiar with the purpose and uses of each color can help a customer find the best paint for their project. Take NRHA’s Basic Training Course in Hardware Retailing to learn more about the paint department.