Bring the gorgoeus fall colours inside
By: Beverly Allen - October 9th, 2007
The fall colours are gorgeous this year — burnished reds and glimmering golds, with vivid splashes of deep purple and hot orange. I hear the leaves are turning pretty colours now too, but I’m too busy picking paint colours for the bedroom to go out and look.
This a great time of year to paint – either indoors or out. Exterior painting is best done when the temperature is between 15 and 20ºC, the humidity has been low for a few days and when no rain is expected for at least 48 hours. 
While interior painting be done any time of year, fall conditions are ideal. Windows can be left open for ventilation during and after painting (although it’s wise to not to do so on a windswept day when dirt and grit might mar the paint surface.)
The current buzzwords in paint seem to be “micro-ceramic technology”, which is a key selling feature of Beauti-Tone’s new Designer Series. What is micro-ceramic technology? Simply put, all paint contains pigment, usually organic materials such as clay, talc, chalk, or synthetic materials. Tiny ceramic beads can be added to, or used in place of, these materials, to create paint with a dense, durable surface. This paint is supposed to be easy to apply, and very easy to clean, which makes it well-suited for high traffic areas.
According to the makers of Beauti-Tone, their micro-ceramic paint cures in about seven days, compared to traditional paints that require about 30 days to achieve optimal hardness. It’s also supposed to offer better resistance to scuffs and stains.
Beauti-Tone’s Designer Series is sold exclusively in Home Hardware stores. 
For a list of dealers, go to http://www.homehardware.ca/. PARA Paints also sells a latex interior ceramic paint called Elite that comes in an eggshell finish. For a list of PARA dealers, visit para.com.
While it pays to stay abreast of new paint technologies, especially those that make it easier to clean your home, colour is usually the primary factor in choosing paint. There are lots of options this fall.
According to PARA, the shrinking of the global village means that Asian reds, Indian golds, and Oriental purples, along with clay browns and khakis inspired from the Middle Eastern palette, are going to be seen more often in North American homes in 2008.
Melanie Rice, colour advisor for PARA Paints, thinks that heightened awareness of the environment will be reflected in natural and organic schemes, which can be enlivened with small punches of bright accents. Hues that show subtle changes in different light — such as copper — are also hot. So are accent colours that suggest the darker metals, such as brushed bronze and nickel.
Sico Paint is predicting that there will be more interest in extreme colours, either very dark, very bright or intensely pale. Off-blacks, as well as deep purples, grays and navy, will be hot, while a range of soft whites that have just the barest hint of colour, will start showing up.
You can’t talk about paint colours without mentioning Farrow and Ball, the upscale paint and wallpaper maker that sells its luxury brand in a variety of finishes — including the matte, highly-washable Estate Emulsion. For a list of store lcoations go to farrow-ball.com).
Farrow & Ball has also just published a book called 
The Art of Color that offers inspiration and ideas on how to choose colours to create a pulled-together look. Written by Brian D. Coleman, West Coast Editor for Old House Interiors magazine (oldhouseinteriors.com), The Art of Color is a collection of stunning interior shots from fantastic homes around the world that feature Farrow & Ball paints and papers.
True, these are very luxe homes, and most of us aren’t likely to ever get our hands on a pre-WW II apartment in New York City, or even an 1850’s English regency farmhouse in Caledon. But in every home featured, colour plays a central and definite role in the look and feel of the rooms, and the lush photographs provide a jumping off point for an inspired colour scheme of your own.
For design dorks like me who don’t have high-priced help to guide colour choices, Coleman has another tip. “A lot of the designers I write about will take a point of inspiration, such as a piece of artwork or a plate or even a plant from the yard,” says Coleman. “Then they slowly build on that.”
The Art of Color is available for $78 at Farrow & Ball stores, but I found it on sale at chapters.indigo.ca for $49.50.