Home & Garden

14 - GARDEN Home 2016 & COLOURS OF SPRING PLAY WITH PAINT PALETTES FOR EVERY SPACE BE PREPARED Every successful project begins with a solid plan. Once you choose a colour palette, make sure you have everything you'll need to complete the paint job before you start: • Sanding paper, a putty knife and filler to repair any cracks, and a screwdriver to remove electrical outlet plates • Drop cloths and painter's tape to protect floors, carpets and adjoining walls • Brushes, rollers — and roller extensions • Rags and a water bucket for quick cleanups And finally, ask your retailer for advice on what type of paint to use — semi-gloss or flat, acrylic or latex — and be sure to explore low-odour and green options. DO-IT-YOURSELF DECORATORS KNOW A FRESH SPLASH OF COLOUR IS A FAST FIX FOR TIRED ROOMS. AND ONCE YOU'VE FINISHED SPRING CLEANING, IT'S THE PERFECT TIME TO ADD THAT FINAL TOUCH. P aint the front door in a primary colour — or paint it black — and give your exterior trim a mini makeover to boost curb appeal. Add a dash of colour like sunny yellow to brighten up a dark entryway, and make it pop with a crisp white trim. Introduce a feature wall in the living room, in a rich colour that's reflected in an existing piece of art, a chair, a rug or a key accessory. Tackle a modest project to spruce up a small bathroom or closet. Buy a can of chalkboard paint and colourful chalk for a playroom, or go for broke with a radical new floor-to- ceiling do-over in a master bedroom or formal dining room. Grey is the new go-to neutral and there are far more than 50 shades available to use as an anchor or accent feature, with coordinating tones that run the gamut from white to silver and black degrees on the colour scale. Paint manufacturers have delivered new hues to transform every space for 2016, with a focus on hot trends and curated collections that make it easy to select complementary colours. Benjamin Moore's colour of the year is Simply White, a standby that never goes out of style, and that adds a touch of sophistication when it's layered with another shade of pale. Along with 250 whites to choose from, the company's new slate of 22 paint colours includes nuanced neutrals and dramatic accents that provide sharp contrast, including Ravishing Red, bright Banana Yellow, fuchsia Royal Flush and bold Black Ink. Dulux is calling its 2016 palette Lucid Dreams — it's all about delicate grace and soothing tones, exemplified by the Dulux colour of year, a soft blue-green called Bear Run. Soft pastels and neutrals include vintage- look Restoration Rose and Peppermint Pink, along with a double dose of the most popular decorator colour of the day in deep Great Grey and lighter Silver Trophy. Meanwhile, Behr has introduced 20 colours that fall into four coordinated collections: High Contrast, Luxe Dimension, Blurred Boundaries and Lyrical Living. Inspiration rooms include a High Contrast dining area that mixes deep brown walls painted in Black Pearl with ivory trim, green drapes, bright yellow Canary Diamond chairs and a pink accent wall. The Lyrical Living palette is all about elegant, neutral shades of taupe, gold and ivory, with subtle accents of mauve and brown, while Blurred Boundaries blends Modern Mint and Charcoal Plum with grey-scale walls and trim. An elegant office space painted in contrasting neutrals gets a boost of energy from a wide band of coral trim and accent pops of blue and yellow. Painting a ceiling can add a new dimension to a space, and a new coat of paint on an old piece of furniture can give it new life and enhance your new theme at the same time.

• Cover