It is an exciting time of year as two major paint producers - Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams - announce their color and design predictions for 2017.

Benjamin Moore announced it's 2017 Color of the Year - Shadow. It's a deep purple hue that's romantic, thoughtful and dramatic. Architecturaldigest.com discussed the discovery of Shadow with Ellen O'Neill, Benjamin Moore Creative Director. She comments, "It is a little bit rock and roll. It’s the color of the galaxy but also the color of a beautiful fig. It’s passion, it’s bravery, but it’s also silence." Read the article at the link below and let us know what you think. Are you ready to leave the neutral grays that have dominated recent design?

Sherwin Williams forecasts a Color Mix for 2017 too. We attended a preview yesterday with our lovely and recently married Sherwin Williams rep, Amanda Lowery, at the Ethan Allen in Vienna. Again neutrals faded away and balanced the bolder and "restless" hues like Black Swan, Gale Force, Kimono Violet and Sealskin. Check out this palette from the Noir, one of four thoughtful and creative collections.