Metal-toned coatings allow designers to mimic real metal in their designs, down to the finest detail. Create the eye-catching sparkle of silver, simulate a copper finish or provide a bronze metallic effect with long-lasting metal finishes.
As technologies evolve and preferences shift, metal tones adapt to the needs of architects and designers. Forecasts show metal coatings moving into warmer tones, similar to movements in residential, industrial and commercial design.
Metal tones 101
In design, tones are categorized as warm, cool or neutral. Available in a spectrum of colors that extend beyond gold, silver and bronze, metal-inspired tones can fall into any of these categories. Popular tones in the market also include brass, copper, steel, silver and nickel, zinc, blackened steel and anodized. Check out our Metal Trends Color Card to see a sampling of these metal tones.
The evolution of metal tones
Cool metal tones have commanded the building products space in recent years. This has been a recurring element in the broader design world, from stainless-steel appliances to cool gray flooring and interiors. However, recent forecasts show interiors shifting toward warmer, dustier hues. Exterior architecture is adopting warm metal tones, with finishes of champagne, soft gold and satin gold entering the market in place of their cool counterparts.
Color and tone naturally shift with new technologies and design preferences. For building products, new capabilities in color and effects allow designers to emulate metal more precisely than ever before. Additionally, as consumers adopt warm hues for their wall paint, flooring, cabinetry and even jewelry, color trends trickle into residential and commercial architecture.
Tools to prepare for emerging tones
At Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings, we research societal and industry influences to prepare architects and product manufacturers for these color movements. We then publish our analyses in highly informative color forecasts.
Our color forecasting distills into segmented color collections to provide a variety of finishes and effects for metal coatings. We also develop building products color lookbooks, which organize coating solutions into subsequent markets and specific building products.
In addition to these tools, our color experts offer in-depth, on-demand support. No matter your endeavors in color and effects, our sales representatives are equipped to answer your questions and provide strategic solutions for any project.
Where will metal tones take you? Contact a Sherwin-Williams color expert to learn more about our colors, effects and forecasting.