Colour

Wall colour and the subjectivity of feelings

The feeling and meaning of a colour varies from person to person, from context to context. What looks good in one environment cannot always be replicated in another. Every colour has a different meaning depending on the person who perceives it. And a solid colour will not give us the same feeling as a decorative pattern. Different colours will influence our perception of space.

In short, when we deal with this subject we must know that there is no certain rule, there is no colour that suits everyone and no shade is objective. This is why we say that spaces must be designed and seen as a whole, surfaces must be hypothesised, matched with furnishing elements, examined and selected.

3D design and photorealistic renderings are very helpful because they allow us to simulate different situations and choose the one that excites us the most. In fact, interior painting allows a different perception of spaces based on where and how the chosen colour or texture is applied.

We talk about this in this article:  wall painting and the perception of spaces

How to choose the colour of your walls

The most important thing for us, who find ourselves interacting with clients who are choosing the colours of their homes, is to leave aside our personal taste. We have to listen actively to our client, which could be you, and let ourselves be infected by the sensations he or she feels, absorbing his or her emotions and slowly arriving, thanks to the composition of mood boards and the juxtaposition of colour palettes and types of flooring, at establishing which wall colour is most appropriate.

The colour of the walls is decided by finding a balance, a harmony among different elements:

• The context;
• The person;
• The characteristics of the colour.

By context we mean all the elements and materials that will interact with the colour of the walls. Then we need to take into account the person, that is, the sensations that the owner of the house wants to feel when he lives in that environment. Finally, we need to know the characteristics of the colour itself.

Choosing a wall colour: saturation

Once the colour has been defined, it is important to work on its characteristics: saturation, tone, texture, thickness, material effect...

Clearly, we will have to show you these basic elements and let you see for yourself the tactile and visual difference between the different effects that can be obtained with the same colour. This is particularly true for finishes and decors, such as those by Graesan, which are beautiful effects but not easy to understand at first glance. 

You can discover them in our shop or learn more about decors in this article: decorative plasters for interiors: crude lime

Trends in wall colours

One of the most popular trends at the moment is to characterise just one wall in each room with full, intense colours, or with special textures or very rich wallpaper, leaving the other walls neutral.

As far as decorative colours are concerned, metallics, textured decorations and wallpapers are very popular.

In terms of colours, the current market demand is for blues, greens and powders, while some very fashionable colours such as sand, rope and dove grey, which were in vogue a few years ago, are falling in demand.

Colour and the importance of the applicator

The evolution of the interior paint sector is such that it requires trained applicators who are able to make the most of what the market has to offer.
We work hard on the technical training of the applicators, on their knowledge of the subject. The painter must know the Uni 11704 standard that regulates the sector and must constantly dedicate part of his time to training in order to acquire knowledge, skills and abilities to handle the most advanced products.

How much colour is sold worldwide?

In 2019, the market for paints, colour and coatings in general reached a global turnover, worldwide, of approximately 140 billion dollars. This is a truly significant figure and is estimated to be growing by at least 5% per year.

In Europe, too, growth is expected to be around 4% per year, with the building sector accounting for at least 50% of the total paint sold.

The lion's share of this 50% is accounted for by residential: wall coverings in homes, decorative finishes, house paints, account for more than half, followed by commercial and then other uses.

Environmentally friendly walls and colours

Decorative paints are on the rise, but only if they meet increasingly stringent environmental standards and the demands of homeowners for environmentally friendly and sustainable products. Awareness of indoor chemical pollution issues is becoming increasingly important in the choice of product, which must therefore be water-based, environmentally friendly and, at the same time, guarantee high performance.

Anti-mould indoor paint

We often hear about indoor pollution or diseases caused by unhealthy environments. One of the factors that puts our health at risk is the presence of mould in the walls. For this reason, paints that counteract the formation of bacteria in walls are becoming increasingly popular.

The best solutions are those with a composition based on lime, a product that sanitises and regulates the humidity present on the wall, or those, more recently, that contain silver ions in the mixture. Thanks to the natural action of silver, painted walls eliminate bacteria and micro-organisms, guaranteeing a high standard of cleanliness and well-being for those who live there.

Colour producers in Italy

The Italian paint market has around 600 companies and a number of painters and decorators that is difficult to estimate. In Italy, 500 million litres of paint are used every year to paint homes, of which approximately 320 million are used for interior walls and 180 million for exterior walls.

The top 10 companies that produce paint achieve a turnover of 940 million euros, but, as mentioned, there are many producers and some are small or very small: it is therefore difficult to estimate the overall turnover. Let's take a look at some of the top manufacturers:

• Boero Bartolomeo
• Colorificio San Marco
• Akzo Nobel Coatings
• Sherwin-williams Italy
• Dow Italia
• Lechler
• PPG Unilever
• Chromology Italia
• Estalia
• Oikos
• Kerakoll
• Mapei
• Covema Vernici
• Farbe
• Valpaint
• Spiver
• Remmers Italia
• Loggia Industria Vernici
• Barozzi Vernici