PITTSBURGH - The PPG Pittsburgh Paints(R) brand today named Turning Oakleaf, a soft, but energetic buttercream yellow, as its 2014 Color of the Year. Experts from PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG), makers of PPG Pittsburgh Paints products, said they expect the color to have a prominent role in home decor in the coming year as part of their forecast for use of brighter, more optimistic colors among homeowners.

Refreshed thinking is driving homeowners to unwind from their stressful lives and seek colors that emphasize enlightenment, according to the brand's color forecast for 2014-2015. Incorporating colors into the home that illustrate hopefulness in society, such as Turning Oakleaf (ATC-38), can transfuse a room with brilliant energy. Turning Oakleaf is one of 25 featured colors presented in Pause & Refresh, a collection of five new color palettes showcasing the 2014-2015 color trends for THE VOICE OF COLOR(R) program.

"Homeowners have moved away from the muted hues influenced by economic factors in recent years. Turning Oakleaf, which is soft enough to be a neutral but bright enough to generate a sunshine-like energy, represents a trend toward warmth in harmonious living, deep appreciation for the surrounding natural elements and a thorough understanding of enlightened philosophies," said Dee Schlotter, brand manager, The Voice of Color program. "We are experiencing the popularity of the soft yellow shade across all markets, such as home decor, automotive and electronics, making it a clear Color of the Year selection."

PPG employs more than 20 color stylists around the world, each specializing in different markets, who collaborate to determine styles and color trends for the home, consumer products and automobiles. The megatrend of refreshed thinking drives diverse color options in the Pause & Refresh trend palettes, enabling homeowners to determine what color combinations will create a customized room that captures the necessary elements to evoke a calming and refreshing hiatus from the hectic nature of everyday life. Whether it's a bold, rich red like Red Gumball (223-7), an elegant and refined blue like Stained Glass (447-6) or a soft, pale pink like Ballet Slipper (231-2), consumers are using color to capture their personal definition of tranquil living.

"With today's 24-hour connectivity and on-the-go lifestyle becoming more and more common, homeowners are transforming their living spaces into comfortable retreats with colors that represent how individuals perceive their ideal form of relaxation," Schlotter said. "For some, the back-to-basics feel that captures an earthy, primitive and organic reference is the natural influence needed to pause from today's technologically-driven lifestyle. For others, bold, dynamic colors mixed with artisan patterns, shapes and prints generate an atmosphere that is lively, vibrant and creatively energizing."

The key trend colors for the PPG Pittsburgh Paints brand are presented in signature five-color palette cards that create color opportunities for all design elements in a space, including window treatments, flooring and fabric.

The five new Pause & Refresh palettes in The Voice of Color program for 2014-2015 are available at dealers of PPG Pittsburgh Paints products across the United States. These palettes are:

New Spirit

Earthy and Primitive

This trend focuses on the new consciousness of earth and organic references. A calm and modern approach to color captures earthy tones for a relaxed atmosphere, combined with the raw colors of the great outdoors. Bringing fresh colors from the surrounding environment inside evokes a renewed outlook and primitive feel. Earthy decor displayed with a clutter-free style and back-to-basics wooden floors and brick walls bring this palette to life.

The palette features the Color of the Year, Turning Oakleaf (ATC-38), paired with calming and natural greens and a bold reddish-brown. Other PPG Pittsburgh Paints paint colors in this palette are Soft Cream (115-2), Safari (312-3), Rattan (313-5) and Seasoned Acorn (315-7).

Hi-Breed

Organic and Man-Made

The intersection of the organic and man-made worlds creates a palette of colors that work in harmony to capture both realms with soft yet lively color options. Various shades of soft pinks and creams are accented with a brighter shade of orange. The palette captures the manner in which technology and nature work in harmony by incorporating the dark gray of city streets into the natural hues of flowers and springtime landscapes.

Pale pinks and oranges accompanied by a soft gray create an interesting and contrasting palette. PPG Pittsburgh Paints paint colors in this palette are Orange Liqueur (223-4), New Clay (228-4), Ballet Slipper (231-2), City Street (ATC-81) and Cranapple (231-5).

Mosaic

Bold and Dynamic

This palette is a wealth of artisan patterns, shapes and prints that weave together to express a creative future. Bright colors paired with vibrant decor create a digi-art feel. The palette is all about an expressive, live-out-loud theme that homeowners can use to unleash their inner originality and imagination.

Vibrant primary colors along with a neutral, sandy brown, bring the palette together to create a bold design that has a natural balance. PPG Pittsburgh Paints paint colors in this palette are Del Sol (114-7), Honey Bun (ATC-20), Cinnamon Stone (129-7), Red Gumball (233-7) and Bright Cerulean (247-7).

Magnifigance

Lavish and Historical

The blending of magnificent and elegance creates the "Magnifigance" palette, full of opulent, dramatic colors. With classic black and white decor and accents of vivid hues coordinated with soft neutrals, this palette can help homeowners design lavish rooms with elegant contrast. Extravagant decor creates a historical, yet theatrical theme with the soft and bold color combinations

Bold reds, blues and black serve as accents for softer creamy neutrals to create the extravagant emotion of this palette. PPG Pittsburgh Paints paint colors in this palette are Napoleon (541-7), Stained Glass (447-6), Red Gumball (233-7), River Rock (ATC-82) and China Silk (430-2).

Theorem

Clean and Minimal

This trend is carefully calculated to evoke precision with clean, minimal design. Contemporary decor and fresh colors create an energizing space free of clutter to allow for ultimate relaxation. This edited point of view helps homeowners cut through the chaos of everyday life and enjoy a space that is carefully balanced with clean, rejuvenating colors.

Basic blues, grays and creams combine for a refined design, highlighted with deep-colored accents. PPG Pittsburgh Paints paint colors in this palette are Flagstone (518-4), Celestial Blue (451-7), Flannel Pajamas (545-5), Black Magic (518-7) and Ginger Spice (323-6).

The 2014-2015 Pause & Refresh palettes, along with 2,000 additional colors in The Voice of Color program, are available in any of the PPG Pittsburgh Paints paint lines, including PURE PERFORMANCE(R) paint – a premium-quality paint brand that has zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the base paint* and low odor during application and drying – and MANOR HALL(R) paint and Manor Hall TIMELESS(R) paint – super-premium-performance paints offering superior coverage and brighter finish than competing brands.

To learn more about PPG Pittsburgh Paints products and The Voice of Color program, and to find the dealer nearest you, please visit www.voiceofcolor.com.

*Colorants added to this base paint may increase VOC level significantly depending on color choice.

PPG Color Leadership

PPG employs more than 20 color stylists around the world, each specializing in different markets, who collaborate to determine styles and color trends for the home, electronics and automobiles. PPG's unique position as a color leader in multiple markets enables it to observe and translate emerging global color trends for its customers' applications – from consumer goods to automotive color, from residential to commercial to industrial design. Visit the new website at www.ppgcolorshare.com to see how color impacts PPG's businesses and its customers.

About The Voice of Color Program

The Voice of Color program is a design system based on the premise that every color has an emotional association and that individuals are drawn to different colors for reasons inherently tied to their unique personalities. The Voice of Color program offers an engaging online experience to help homeowners discover Harmony color families and palettes that reflect their personalities and complement their styles. Palettes are presented in signature five-color Harmony chips to coordinate colors for all the decor elements in a space. The Voice of Color program also features exclusive color collections that offer style inspiration (such as Hacienda Style, Historic Colors, FALLINGWATER(R)-Inspired Colors), designer favorites and expert advice. For more information or to order color tools and resources, visit www.voiceofcolor.com.

PPG: BRINGING INNOVATION TO THE SURFACE.(TM)

PPG Industries' vision is to continue to be the world's leading coatings and specialty products company. Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and color, PPG helps customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets to enhance more surfaces in more ways than does any other company. Founded in 1883, PPG has global headquarters in Pittsburgh and operates in nearly 70 countries around the world. Sales in 2012 were $15.2 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol:PPG). For more information, visit www.ppg.com and follow @PPGIndustries on Twitter.

Bringing innovation to the surface is a trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

Manor Hall, PPG Pittsburgh Paints, Pure Performance, The Voice of Color and Timeless are registered trademarks of PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.

Fallingwater is a registered trademark of The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Source: PPG Pittsburgh Paints