Paint Color Names Can Drive You Nuts

Been to a paint store lately? If you have you know paint color names are confusing. I wanted to paint our lower level a pale tan, but names like Oriental Silk and Pale Moon did not help me make a color choice. In fact, they were driving me nuts. Apparently other customers feel the same way.

Mary Roach describes her frustration in "Color Me Flummoxed: selecting a Paint Color," published on the "Reader's Digest" Web site. Roach wanted to paint her television room a subtle color and chose Peace Yellow. After they painted two walls she and her husband stopped painting because they felt like they were "inside Easter."

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Roach says she forgot the Universal Law of Paint Chips. That law: "Whatever you choose will be two times brighter, darker and more garish than it looked on the chip."

Paint Color Names Can Drive You Nuts

Paint manufacturers have come out with special collections to promote sales. Behr recently launched its Disney Collection, described in, "Over 1,600 Colors for Any Home Project," on http://www.About.com. As you might expect, the colors are bold and bright. But customers may be confused by the mini collections within the Disney Collection. The Mickey collection, for example, has 15 colors and each has a special name.

There are three Winnie the Pooh collections. The Princess variety features pink and purple. "Girls will have a hard time choosing in the middle of paint color names like 'Pretty in Pink,' 'Princess Tiara,' and 'Prince Charming,'" according to the About.com article. No wonder customers are frustrated.

Designer Christopher Lowell has named all of his colors after food. Lowell thinks names like Pearled Onion, Cookie Dough, and Peas and Cream help customers to visualize the colors. He uses the words "blushed" or "iced" for Lighter shades. On his Web site Lowell says you have a "gourmet buffet of lip-smacking possibilities to choose from."

"Boston Globe" staff writer Christopher Muther tries to justify paint color names in his article, "Taking the Paint out of selecting Paint Colors." His article, published on http://www.boston.com, focuses on London businessman David Oliver. Oliver owns the Paint and Paper Library and has practical guidance for selecting paint colors.

His tips:

1) cut up color charts and discard colors you don't like;

2) paint the inside of a box to test the color;

3) choose paint colors you would wear;

4) stick to a theme;

5) brighten cupboard interiors with paint.

I narrowed my color choices down to three and tested them on a wall. ultimately I chose a pale tan called Parisian Taupe. The painter liked my choice, worked quickly, and changed our lower level from dated space to contemporary space. Parisian Taupe was so gorgeous I added it to our dining room (above the chair rail) and painted our kitchen and family room the same color.

While the painter was working I noticed that Parisian Taupe was the same color as his canvas drop cloth. Drop Cloth would not be a poetic name. Certainly, it would not originate as many sales as Parisian Taupe. Now I know why paint colors have names. Parisian Taupe brings back happy memories of the trip I took to Paris years ago and that's fine with me.

Copyright 2008 by Harriet Hodgson

Paint Color Names Can Drive You Nuts

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