I find that I like to blog about color quite a bit. I love helping clients pick out paint colors for home or office, and over the years I’ve developed a nice niche in expertise on color selection. I’ve noted in past blogs that I enjoy seeing “Color of the Year” announcements from paint companies like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams. I don’t always buy in to “Color of the Year” but it’s always interesting to check out the selections and promotions, and sometimes I’m on board with using the colors for projects. Seems like the paint companies been moving up their announcements, since they announced their 2021 Color of the Year well in advance of the New Year. I’ll focus on Sherwin Williams’ 2021 Color of the Year – Urbane Bronze. It’s a very dark bronze-gray that can play a starring role of its own for interior heft in a family room with a stone fireplace surround, in a dining room with creamy white millwork and trim, or in a den/library to create warm and sophisticated surroundings. It’s in a family of colors that I use very often for residential interior color specifications, which includes Worldly Gray, Amazing Gray and Intellectual Gray. It’s a very “November-ish” kind of color. Dark and cozy!
For exteriors, Urbane Bronze would actually be a great choice for a contemporary house with stacked stone accents, or for a historic home with off white or colorful trim. Cities such as Providence RI or Salem MA are known for their historic Colonial districts and feature a great sampling of homes and buildings in very dark paint colors. It sounds unusual but the dark colors are very beautiful. Providence is a great place to visit, with several historic neighborhoods, great restaurants and a vibrant and busy harborside walk. Salem too!
Urbane Bronze works well with many vibrant accent colors such as dark orange or russet, plum, spruce green, and brick red. And, perhaps, the focus on Urbane Bronze signals a shift to warm, brown based tones as opposed to gray tones that have been so popular over the past five years or so. I’m a big fan of brown and beige colors (as well as warmer gray colors that work so nicely with dark blue, black, russet/orange/red and pale yellow accent colors).
Stay safe and cozy this fall and as the holiday season begins, and please reach out if I can help you with paint color selections for your home or office. Remote consultations are definitely do-able, even for paint color specifications.
Sophisticated dark colors work well in traditional, transitional or contemporary settings
Lighter companion colors complete the palette
Urbane Bronze will be a great wall color to complement this custom shower tile
Urbane Bronze will play off this mosaic tile floor medallion beautifully
Great looking combination with stacked stone for interior or exterior applications