Announced on September 1, their 2023 Color of the Year, Rustic Greige, is an understated yet warm color that brings coziness into any room. “At the end of the day, people just want to be comfortable," says Ashley Banbury, senior color expert and interior designer at Dutch Boy Paints. “We know that’s a key element that people want in their home and that’s translating directly through color.”
A Versatile, Foundational Shade
Banbury notes that the 2023 color is incredibly versatile, making it appealing to a wide range of people with different decor styles. “It works well with warm tones, with cool tones, it’s helping to really bridge that gap as a lot of people are still in that transitional period where they have the cool grays, and we’re transitioning into the warm colors,” Banbury says. Banbury notes that it’s possible to use Rustic Greige in any room in the home. It works well as an entryway or foyer color and on textured walls, but can also work well in sitting rooms or even on kitchen cabinets. It can also help to soften other, more daring shades. “A lot of people love it in built-ins or furniture,” Banbury says, noting how popular upcycling furniture has become in the past few years. “Even people that want more of a bolder wall color, this is a nice neutral that helps kind of make the bold colors more approachable.”
3 Color Palettes
In tandem with the Color of the Year announcement, Dutch Boy Paints put together three different color palettes to show the versatility of Rustic Greige and how it can work both as a backdrop and as a focal point in a room. The first color palette, Plush, combines Rustic Greige with Ultra White, Silvered Purple, and Ebony Sky. Banbury explains that the Plush color palette is about creating a place where homeowners can treat themselves and relax, and has elements of softness, warmth, and luxury. “A lot of people were investing in their bathrooms, they weren’t able to go on vacation or they were plugged into Zoom calls,” Banbury says about the last few years. She notes that the Plush color palette, “balances comfort and elegance as we really want to create that retreat in the home.” The Wistful color palette is more of a nostalgic, vintage-inspired look, with more pastel-leaning colors like Maize (a pale yellow), Superhero (a soft blue), and Glamorized Green. Banbury says Rustic Greige helps to neutralize the colors in this palette and make them more approachable. “This is really a palette centered around that trend, creating a nostalgic design aesthetic.” Botanic is more of a traditional color palette with an eclectic edge. Amberwood (a soft pink), Industrialized (an almost-blue gray), and Limestone Slate (a greenish-gray) all work together with Rustic Greige to make more of a nature-inspired look. Banbury says that the Botanic color palette “really can show how the rustic greige color is like a foundational neutral and it helps bring the color palettes together and it creates this harmony. It feels very rich and comforting but still soft and approachable.”
Making Painting Easier
According to Michelle Bangs, brand manager at Dutch Boy Paints, the company is one of the leading paint manufacturers in the industry, and their history of helping customers with the painting process from beginning to end is a big part of the Dutch Boy brand. “A lot of painters, especially younger consumers, aren’t familiar with the painting process, aren’t familiar with how to choose color, and that kind of thing,” she says. “We try to make that process a little bit simpler for those individuals that need that extra help.” Their website isn’t just a place to shop for paint; Bangs notes that you can find how-tos, instructional videos, color visualizers, and everything else you need from choosing the right color all the way to the end result. The new Color of the Year is available in their one-coat application, which has been lab-tested for one-coat coverage. Dutch Boy Paints are available exclusively at Menards.
