October Mist

ColoroftheYear FOR 2022 OctoberMist

by BethAnne Brink-Cox, House & Home feature writer

Humans have been painting since the Stone Age! But ‘The Color of the Year’ phenomenon began with the first choice in 1999 and grew as different paint companies got on board.

There is a lot of preparatory work that goes into choosing the ultimate shade, predicting what consumers will want for the following year as they design and decorate their homes. It’s about analyzing lifestyle trends and search engine data.

Color trends are much more than a simple coat of paint in a room. They’re about general collective mood and encompass such elements as political climate, economic health, even travel, fashion, food and drinks, among others.

It’s why the decision you make is important, poring over paint chips, brushing test patches on a wall to get a better feel for how the perfect color will look, because you’re going to live with that chosen shade for a while.

Good paint is an investment, one of the easier ways to freshen your home, and you don’t want to make a mistake choosing what will be the final result.

So maybe part of your decision includes a look at the ‘Color of the Year.’ Now that 2022 is here, that means Benjamin Moore’s October Mist. The very name undoubtedly brings a color to your mind. But what color would that be? Something opaque, nearly translucent? Silvery, like sunlight through fog? Or with a slight touch of warmth, as October leaves? I must admit that “October” makes me think of brilliant colors, red and gold blazing from the trees….although what’s left when they have all fallen away? October mist.

But was I right? Nope. Not even close.

All the major paint brands have a palette of shades for 2022, and October Mist is actually described as a gently shaded sage, inspired by the silver-green of a flower stem. Can’t you envision that? And you can see how peaceful and beautiful a room painted with such a soft shade would be, a place to meditate or to read, to sleep, or to rock your baby.

It would lend itself well anywhere, though; a dining room could look casual or formal based solely on your choices with October Mist in the background. And a kitchen could be fresh and spring-like, depending on your other choices of color and decor.

This year, and for the first time ever, nearly every paint company’s color of the year is remarkably close to October Mist, surprising designers and paint experts everywhere. The colors, whatever the name, have been compared to the elements of sea glass, pebbles, grasses and succulent plants.

It seems to have been influenced by the major changes our lives went through since the pandemic quarantined so many of us. We spent so much time at home, far more than might be the norm in previous times. We were working inside, eating outside, and becoming aware of our mental health and what was required to restore and shore it up.

Nature definitely has a way of helping with that; think of a long walk through the woods or along the beaches, surrounded by leaves or sunlight on the water. If you can’t go outside among nature, you want to bring it wherever you have to be.

So if you’re thinking this new year leaves you wanting a facelift for your living space…. consider October Mist, and soothe your soul. n