Benjamin Moore already has the most extensive selection of colours—some 3,000-plus. But, that has not stopped the 128-year-old iconic American paint company from developing an all-new palette of 240 exceptional, eye-candy hues that it has named Colour Stories. And, yes, there is a story behind Colour Stories; an impressive one, in fact.
These colours have a greater clarity, purity and are richer than conventional colours because they are formulated with more pigments in very precise, exacting amounts. Handcrafted blends, they reflect Benjamin Moore's mastery of colour science and cement the company's position as the leading colour authority.
"We have broken all the rules with the creation of Colour Stories, and have achieved colours we've never been able to before," said Ray Gomez, Benjamin Moore's director of colour marketing. "These are full spectrum paint colours, meaning that we're combining anywhere between five and seven pigments, using no black or gray tints. Conventional colours use only three pigments and often fill in with black or gray."
The story keeps getting better: Unlike other pigments or colorants, Benjamin Moore's are zero-VOC. Uniquely, the company makes its own colorants and assures this standard is upheld. So, when the colorants are added to Aura®, which is the only paint formulation being offered for this special series and is the brand's ultimate performance product, the paint remains low-VOC, under 50 grams per liter.
Each Colour Stories colour is much like a secret recipe. Only select authorized Benjamin Moore retailers will be equipped to mix them and, without knowing the correct colorant ratios, these hues are impossible to duplicate. "The retailers who take on Colour Stories will really qualify as paint mixologists, because the process requires such infallible accuracy," Gomez remarked.
The exquisite, scrumptious colours in this new palette are best appreciated once the paint is applied and dried. They create depth, overtones, nuance and luminosity not found in ordinary paints. Lighting, especially, interacts with Colour Stories colours to yield a visual dynamic that can be an unexpected treat. Natural morning light will affect it one way, artificial or indirect light another, causing the colour to take on different characteristics and appearances daylong. The shifting tonal readouts add vitality to a décor that paint never has fully contributed to previously.
"With Colour Stories there's a complexity to the colour experience that is amazing," said Gomez. "Moreover, the colours in the palette evoke emotions and feelings more so than most colours, which is one of the reasons we named it Colour Stories. You'll find there's a story and a personality behind each hue."
By organizing Colour Stories according to the fundamental colour families, the Benjamin Moore team has created eight descriptive "volumes" to help as colour decorating choices are made. Look for Earthen Hues, Elemental Greens, Fiery Sunset, Fluid Blues, Golden Fields, Naturally Neutral, Shades of Gray, and Violet Twilight.
With such an incomparable encyclopedic colour system, Benjamin Moore only launches new colour palettes when there's a valid breakthrough. The last such rollout was Affinity®, introduced together with Aura® paint in 2006. The release of Colour Stories is considered to be another milestone. According to Gomez, the research and development to build upon this initial full spectrum palette is ongoing, and there is great optimism that there will be more Colour Stories to come in the near future. "Benjamin Moore has excelled in harnessing the science of colour and we are continuing to explore and discover more ways to enrich the existing portfolio."
Gomez said that Colour Stories is expected to resonate largely with architects and interior designers as well as consumers who have a discerning eye for colour and how it is individually perceived. A colour can be ordered in gallon, quart or pint sizes of Aura® only, in matte, eggshell, semi-gloss and satin finishes. Select Benjamin Moore retailers will offer Colour Stories.