Finding comfort at home with color

Benjamin Moore Color of the Year 2021 Aegean Teal 2136-40. A blue-green with grey undertones, is soothing and tranquil with hints of the outdoors and nature. Walls: eggshell. Trim: Atrium White OC-145 in satin. Photo credit: Benjamin Moore

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press • Oct. 24, 2020

Before we know it, the election will be over. The holidays will be here. And we’ll be heading into a new year with optimism and hope as we say goodbye to a tumultuous 2020. It’s a time to reflect and reset. And there’s no better place to start than in our homes.

Benjamin Moore just announced its Color of the Year, Aegean Teal 2136-40 and the corresponding Color Trends 2021 palette. The colors have a welcoming, lived-in quality that is comforting, uplifting and inspiring. Colors that we can really use in our homes.

Cabinets: Benjamin Moore Color of the Year 2021 Aegean Teal 2136-40 in satin finish; walls: Aegean Teal 2136-40 in eggshell; trim: Gray Cashmere 21385 in satin. Photo credit: Benjamin Moore

“Amid uncertainty, people yearn for stability. The colors we surround ourselves with can have a powerful impact on our emotions and wellbeing,” says Andrea Magno, Benjamin Moore director of color marketing & development.”

As Southwest Florida interior decorator, I’m designing more color palettes for my clients than ever before. Whether during an in-home consultation or virtually, everyone seems to be looking for a color refresh. As someone who lives, sleeps and breathes color, I’ve always believed that popular color trends somewhat reflect what is happening in the world and what we need.

Love this color and want to start out with an accent? Try the inside of a cabinet. Inside cabinet: Aegean Teal 2136-40 in semi-gloss; cabinet exterior: Chestertown Bluff HC-9 in semi-gloss. Photo credit: Benjamin Moore

And it’s no surprise since our homes have never had to work so hard serving as an office, workout space, restaurant, classroom, library and more.

Thoughts about Aegean Teal

My clients know that I advise against following a color trend just for the sake of the trend. But they can be fun and bring a little energy to a room that needs refreshing.

Full disclosure, I love this color. The blue-green with grey undertones, is perfect for our Florida location near the Gulf of Mexico. It’s soothing and tranquil. Inviting. Hints of the outdoors and nature. There’s a harmony and a calm to it.

I love this color so much I used it in the coffered ceilings of my own home and had a living room sofa upholstered to match, two years ago. It still gives me happiness.

I have this color in my own home. Two years ago, I had the coffered ceilings in my entry, dining and living room painted in this color. The walls are Benjamin Moore’s Silver Satin 856. I wanted just enough of this beautiful color to provide an accent. I like it so much that I had a sofa upholstered in the same color in my living room.

And here we are two years later and I still love it. Why? It gives me joy. It’s pure happiness every day. That’s what I want from a color: happiness. And it’s what I want for your home.

And if Aegean Teal does not work, check out the other 11 colors in the Color Trends 2021 palette. Described as having sunbaked qualities, they include Atrium White OC-145, Muslin OC-12, Foggy Morning 2106-70, Rosy Peach 2089-20, Beacon Hill Damask HC-2, Potters Clay 1221, Chestertown Buff HC-9, Amazon Soil 2115-30, Gray Cashmere 2138-60, Kingsport Gray HC-86, and Silhouette AF-655.

How to use Aegean Teal in your home

Just because you like a color does not mean that it has to (or necessarily should) go on the walls. There are many ways to incorporate color into your space. For Aegean Green, a few suggestions: front door, powder room, kitchen or bathroom cabinets, kitchen island, shelves or a bookcase in a high gloss, the back wall of a bookcase, wallcoverings, side table, ceilings, trim and baseboards, accessories, fabric, rug.

Use Aegean Teal 2136-40 in satin for a window seat or piece of furniture. Walls shown are Muslin OC-12 flat. Photo credit: Benjamin Moore

It’s a fact that making a color change in your home is the biggest change you can make for your decorating budget. Note these tips when creating a new color palette:

Color don’ts

• Rush to make a decision

• Pick color from a tiny swatch

• Paint without testing the color on the wall

• Pick a paint color before you have anything else in the room

• Think only about the room that you are painting. Color needs to flow in order to work.

• Paint every room a different color.

Color do’s

• Create a color palette and work from there. Consider your window treatments, upholstery, pillows, artwork and accessories.

• Buy the best quality paint you can afford. It makes a difference. And go with the lowest VOC or no VOC.

• Color challenged? Magazines, Pinterest and vision boards all help.

• When all else fails, call a professional. Our job is to keep you from making mistakes.

We still have a couple of months before we say goodbye to 2020. This is a good time to begin planning your strategy for reenergizing your home.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 949-1808 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog