"Warm in winter and cool in summer, MOUNT SAINT ANNE CC-710,
BENJAMIN MOORE is versatile. It's sophisticated – like an elegant 18th-century French dining room. I love it in living, dining and powder rooms with white trim and chocolate brown floors. Just add dark wood furniture, lots of silver and crystal accents and rich-tone silks for a classic look, or mix it with contemporary fabric patterns like soft geometrics for a cool, modern feel."
Paula Arsens, kitchen and bath designer, Vancouver



"HALE NAVY HC-154, BENJAMIN MOORE is a true navy. It reminds me of my grammar school blazer. Navy blue is evocative of eastern-seaboard high style. There's something classic and preppy about it that elicits a sense of nostalgia. I love this colour in bedrooms and dining rooms. Generally, a flat paint looks best, but if you have perfect walls, a lacquered treatment in a dining room is stunning. I like the ceiling and trim to be white, and I add grey, brass and antiqued gold accents to create the feeling of a navy blazer with brass buttons and grey flannels."
Thomas Smythe, designer, Toronto



"Don't be fooled by the name. On a paint chip or in small quantities, SMOKY GREEN CC-700, BENJAMIN MOORE can look green, but on walls it takes on a gorgeous robin's egg blue tone. It's relaxing and what I call a dirty kind of blue. I'd use a latex eggshell finish and paint a bathroom, bedroom or kitchen this colour. I'd paint the trim Benjamin Moore's Cloud White CC-40 for a warm effect or Simply White OC-117 for a crisper look. Mix this blue with silver accessories like frames, lamps or Venetian mirrors."
Costantino D'Elia, designer, Toronto



"My favourite blue, WOODLAWN BLUE HC-147, BENJAMIN MOORE reminds me of a sunny Alberta sky or West Coast beach. It's peaceful, comforting and promotes a feeling of tranquility. It works just as well with traditional antiques as it does with modern furniture. I like it against accents of ivory, pink, fuchsia, brown and creamy gold." Brenda Porter, interior designer, Calgary



"PARMA GRAY 27, FARROW & BALL is like a faded blue cotton shirt made soft with repeated washings. I like blue and have no difficulty working with it, although I tend to avoid blues with green undertones. This one has a warmth that reminds me of evening sunlight striking a blue wall. I'd use a matte finish in a room with lots of white and stained woodwork, and accent it with watercolour paintings, antique carpets, rose-colour fabrics and creamware."
William Ryan, designer, Port Hope, Ont.