January 2024

Contract Colour Trends Talk
THE YEAR IN COLOUR
Emma Fowlds, Marketing Executive at Distinction Doors, looks back at the
company’s most popular paint colours of 2023 and highlights what to expect in 2024.
We offer a paint service as part of our fully
prepped package, alongside prepping the
door slab and glazing. We regularly review
and revitalise our colour palette to reflect trends
and changes in consumer demand, and we are
committed to only using non-toxic, odourless, low
emission and eco-friendly paints.
Last year neutral shades of black and grey
dominated our paint sales with Distinction
Anthracite Grey retaining the number one spot for
another year. Once thought to be a passing trend,
our annual results prove that it’s here to stay
and likely to become the new classic colour, a
premium and modern alternative to white.
Adding a hint of colour, our blue hues were also a
popular choice in 2023 with Distinction Steel Blue
and Distant Blue RAL 5023 ranking eighth and
tenth, while Distinction Chartwell remained a firm
favourite but dropped several places to rank fifth.
Most interesting was the rise of Distinction Agate
Grey, now our second most popular painted colour.
A mid to light shade, this grey has a hint of green
making it the ideal compromise between Distinction
Anthracite Grey and Distinction Chartwell.
Warm and welcoming
With more warmth and subtlety, Distinction Agate
Grey works with any door style on any property so
no wonder it is fast becoming the homeowner’s
favourite. Plus, with most PVC-U systems houses
offering this colour on other fenestration products,
Distinction Agate Grey has universal appeal, and we
expect numbers to continue to increase in 2024.
This colour is indicative of a trend for natural
greys and warmer neutrals, a tendency which
our sales data supports. Orders for Distinction
Pebble Grey more than doubled in 2023 when
compared to the previous year. Honey Beige
also experienced strong growth. Both are
welcoming and complementary tones, evocative
of the famous Farrow & Ball colour chart. As is
Porcelain Blue.
This cool blue is a classic colour and often used
for heritage projects. A grey neutral undertone
sees it pair well with both deeper, richer colours
as well as more muted shades. Sales almost
doubled last year.
Layering up
But why the interest? Could it be the fact that the
doyenne of British paint brand Farrow & Ball, Joa
Studholme, declared 2023 the year of layering.
“Simple schemes of closely coloured layers will
create the peaceful environment we all crave.
Our homes have become our sanctuaries, so I
think relaxed but sophisticated spaces will be
popular this year.” And she was right. The rise
of Distinction Agate Grey, Distinction Pebble Grey,
Honey Beige and Porcelain Blue are all proof of this.
These tones are complementary and can easily
be incorporated into a layered scheme such as
those suggested by Farrow & Ball – Earthy Pinks,
Relaxed Neutrals, and Grounded Greens.
And of course, with the option to paint the interior
of the door either the same or a different colour
to the exterior, homeowners can ensure their
composite entrance door is a cohesive and integral
part of their interior design scheme. Around 25% of
homeowners chose to do just that in 2023.
Bold and bright
In stark contrast, sales of our bolder and brighter
colours also rose last year. Sales of Telemagenta
doubled year-on-year and Turquoise Blue rose
30 T I JANUARY 2024 PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST