November 1, 2025 • 38 mins
In this episode of Home in Progress, host Dan Hansen explores the practical side of home ownership and the creative side of color. After a surprise discovery of a basement leak, Dan walks listeners through six simple but often overlooked maintenance checks that can prevent costly roof and water issues down the line.Then, the conversation shifts to design—specifically Benjamin Moore’s newly announced 2026 Color of the Year, Silhouette. Dan unpacks the mixed reactions to this bold, moody brown and explains why it’s far from a dull choice. He discusses how browns are making a comeback as people move away from fleeting micro-trends and gravitate toward colors that feel grounded, warm, and enduring.Finally, listeners get details on how to enter RepcoLite’s $250 gift card giveaway by joining the Color of the Year conversation online.Episode Timeline00:00 — Introduction and overview00:16 — The debate over Benjamin Moore’s new Color of the Year02:18 — A personal story: discovering a basement leak04:47 — Six preventative maintenance tasks for a healthy home10:33 — Roof inspection essentials16:24 — When to call a professional18:05 — Understanding the “Silhouette” reveal20:13 — Why brown is timeless (and not boring)22:56 — How deep colors create sophistication25:53 — Escaping micro-trend fatigue29:57 — Practical ways to use Silhouette in your home34:16 — The 2026 Color Trends palette36:44 — Contest details and closing thoughts
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in. You're listening to Home
in Progress sponsored by repcole Like Paints and Benjamin Moore.
I'm Dan Hansen, and today we're going to cover a
fair amount of ground. On the second half of the show.
We're going to take a deep dive into Benjamin Moore's
new color of the year. It's a brown won't won't won't.
(00:23):
And I've had a lot of people, or a number
of people, let's not overplay it. I've had a number
of people express, how shall we say it, disappointment, Let's
use that word. They've expressed disappointment at the choice. They
just can't believe that brown is the color of the year. Well,
I know that browns aren't necessarily the flashiest of colors,
(00:46):
but I do think there's a lot going on with
this color pick, and it is pretty interesting. In fact,
one of the ideas I'll just spill the beans a
little bit. I'll get it more into it later, but
one of the ideas behind the color choice this year
is how people are just sick of trends. You know,
new trends crop up all the time and we're sick
of trying to keep up with them. We're sick of
chasing trends. People don't want to repaint their homes every
(01:09):
single year, and so Benjamin Moore is leaning into that
with a color that has staying power. You know, it's
literally in their mind when they pick this color, a
color that you can live with for several years, maybe five,
maybe even more years without having to repaint. So that's
their idea. Does the new color that they picked deliver
on that. We're going to get into all of that
(01:31):
and you know, dissect it and figure out how they did.
That's coming up later. We'll also be talking about how
you can get entered into a contest to win one
of four two hundred and fifty dollars two hundred and
fifty dollars repcolate gift certificates if you don't want it.
You know, I've had a number of people say, well,
I'm not doing any painting, so that doesn't help me.
(01:52):
Christmas is coming right, and who wouldn't love to give
away a two hundred and fifty dollars gift certificate for
paint for somebody's house. It's a great gift and it
didn't cost you anything, and you look amazing when you
give something like that. So everybody's got somebody in their
life who's going to be painting. So I think this
(02:13):
contest really applies to everybody. It's super easy to get entered.
We'll talk about that at the end, but right now
I want to talk about something that happened to me
last week, not this past but the one before. It
was not terribly fun. Here's what happened. I'm sleeping peacefully
one of these days. I don't remember which day it was,
(02:36):
doesn't matter, sleeping peacefully, and then my son wakes me
up at five thirty or so, I think it was
even earlier than that to let me know that there's
water all over the floor in the basement. He'd already
cleaned it up as well as he could, but he
wanted me to know, so that was nice. Unfortunately, his clothes,
which had been strewn all about the room, you know,
(03:00):
acted like towels, and they actually stopped the advancing water
and soaked it up. So being messy actually saved the
day this time. It's nice that it finally has paid
off for him. Yeah, it paid off in a big way.
Saved him a lot of work because it kept that
(03:22):
water localized. I'm sure that it will probably mean that
the floor will forever be strewn with clothes, because you
never know when water is going to come pouring in. Anyway,
we assessed the situation, discovered what the problem was, which
I'll explain later, and then we went about our day.
Now later, because of that water, you know coming in,
you know, because it had happened, I started to get
(03:44):
a little antsy. It's how I am. I think through
all these different terrible scenarios and assume that most of
them are probably going to happen. So I start to
think that water is maybe coming in everywhere. Why didn't
I look everywhere to make sure? Why did I think
it was just this one spot. Oh, I go through
the whole house, you know, all through the basement, and
I find out that everything is good. It's just the
(04:05):
one spot. So I'm relieved, right, taking a breath of
fresh air, feeling that weight off my back. And then
because water is on my mind, I start thinking about
the roof, you know, maybe the roof is leaking. Long
story short, I'll explain more about this later, But long
story short, I crawl into the attic. You know, I
drive myself so crazy that I end up just crawling
(04:26):
into the attic to determine that everything is fine so
I can go about my day peacefully. And lo and behold,
I find out the roof really is leaking in a
couple of spots. Well, once I get over that initial
pity party moment, I started thinking about all of you
out there. Now. It's not fun finding a roof leak,
but it's way worse when you don't find one that's
(04:47):
already there. So I want to talk today about some
preventative maintenance that most of us can do. And I'm
going to focus on six realistic steps that you can
tackle this fall today, this weekend. You know, some you
can do safely by yourself. Some you may want to
pro for you know, you know you you'll figure it
out as we go. Let's start here. Clean the gutters
(05:09):
and the downspouts. This is the first one, and it's
one of those projects that gets talked about all the time.
I talk about it a bunch, everybody talks about it
a bunch. But it's important and it's relatively straightforward. And really,
this time of year, you probably should be doing this
periodically because more and more leaves are dropping every single day.
All right, this is important to do the cleaning the gutters,
(05:29):
I said, it's important. Why is it important? It's important
because when the gutters clog up with leaves and debris,
water backs up and can't be channeled away from your home.
That could end up dumping water right at your foundation
where it could find a way in. But it can
also back up and seep under your shingles, you know,
run along your face shut and get into your roofing system. Now,
over time, this can lead to leaks, it can lead
(05:50):
to rot, it can lead to other problems that you
don't want to deal with. So grab a ladder, get
somebody to hold the ladder steadily for you, and remove
all that gunk. Flush the down spouts with a hose
if you need to. Whatever you need to do to
make sure that water is flowing freely through the system
and away from your house. And while you're at it,
do yourself a favor. Inspect the gutters and the down
(06:11):
spouts to make sure that everything is attached, you know,
make sure it's all hooked together, make sure it's functioning
the way it's supposed to be. I had a down
spout get bumped off by a garbage can that we
wheeled back into place one day, and then when we
got all that rain, it ended up dumping it all
right at the foundation of the house and it found
away into the basement. That's how my problem happened because
(06:32):
it wasn't connected and doing its things. So check yours,
since you're out there anyway, make sure that they're working
all right. So first thing, clean out those gutters. We
say it all the time, but do that. That's going
to help you. Second thing, inspect your shingles. Cracked shingles,
curled edges, missing granules, lifted corners. All of these things
are early warning signs. If shingles fail, water gets under them,
(06:54):
into the deck and eventually into your attic. So give
those shingles a once over. And you know the scope
of your skills and the slope of your roof. The
scope of your skills and the slope of your roof,
it's kind of rimy. That should be easy to remember.
Know the scope of your skills and the slope of
your roof. What I'm getting at is if you can
safely get up there and give them a look, that's ideal.
(07:16):
If not, check out what you can from the ground
and use binoculars if you need to, but don't get
up there if you're not comfortable or if the slope
is too much, But if you can get up there,
that's great either way. Look for missing shingles, cracked shingles,
dark patches, and so on. Inspect your shingles. Third thing
that you can do if you're able to get on
(07:37):
the roof, give some attention to your chimney flashing, the
roof penetrations, anything out there that's penetrating the roof, and
specifically vent pipe boots. Now, for me, my roof problem
was the chimney. The calking around the flashing had gotten
old and brittle and had chipped away in a few spots,
and that gave the water an easy path into the attic.
(07:58):
So look that over and make sure the sea are
in good shape and are doing their job, and also
look for possible entry points for water around the base
of the chimney. And then do the same thing for
your bathroom fan exhausts and any other roof penetrations. And
then finally take a peek at any vent pipe boots.
Now what's a vent pipe boot. Well, it's that rubber
or plastic collar sometimes called a gasket that's around the
(08:20):
pipe sticking out of your roof, the seal where the
pipe penetrates your roof, that's the vent pipe boot. And
those rubber boots, whatever you want to call them, those gaskets,
they can fail with time, they dry out, they can crack,
they can lose their seal, and when they fail, waters
of course got an easy path into the home. Now.
Usually they're going to last, you know, anywhere from eight
(08:41):
to fifteen years, but it never hurts to give them
a quick once over, just to make sure they're in
good condition and they're doing their job. So look around
each vent pipe for cracked rubber collars separation from the pipe,
or gaps you know, between the boot and the roof surface.
Check to make sure that the flashing beneath the collar
is properly overlapped by shingles on the uphill side. And
(09:01):
if you spot cracked collars, visible gaps, or any other issues,
you know, anything that would make you suspect that that
gasket or that boot is failing, call a probe. They
can come out and confirm your diagnosis and do the repair.
One other thing not related to the roof, you know,
leaky roofs or anything, but since you're up there anyway,
you know, shine a flashlight down those vent pipes. Make
(09:24):
sure that they're clear. They're important for your plumbing and
if that air, if they're blocked, air can't move through there,
and that can actually mess with you know, draining sinks
and all of that. So with all the leaves coming down,
just just if you can shine a light down there,
that at least gives you a quick look to see
if anything's you know, severely blocking it. At least as
(09:47):
far as you can see. It's not perfect. You know,
you're not diagnosing everything at that point, but you're up there,
you might as well take a peek at that. Moving on,
while you're on the roof, if you can safely do so,
trim any overhanging branches. Be sure to clear any organic
debrithe from the roof, all right, First off, the branches
when they're rubbing against the shingles, that can wear shingles
(10:08):
down over time, and falling limbs of cores can punch
holes in the roof. So clear the branches away if
you can safely do that, you know, cut them back
and take care of those. Secondly, piles of leaves that
have settled into you know, certain pockets on the roof
can trap moisture, and they can keep water pooled rather
than letting it run off, and all of that gives
(10:28):
the water the chance to back up under the shingles.
So get those leaves off the roof, all right. Step
five the attic check. And here's the step that saved
me from much bigger problems. And I want to back
up and explain some of this a little more. You know,
I said that I crawled through the attic, and it
seems a little insane that water in the basement would
make me make me check the attic. I got to
(10:50):
give you the whole story, so it makes a little
more sense. In my living room, when we moved in
years back, there was a small stain on the ceiling
where water I had previously leaked in around the fireplace.
The inspector pointed it out, and whenever I repaint that
area that ceiling, I'm gonna have to use a special
stain blocking primer to seal it in and then I'll
(11:11):
be done with it, hopefully forever. But I haven't done
that painting yet. It's just not something that I notice.
I don't think about it, and I never really even
see that spot unless I shine a light up there.
The lighting in their room is so bad. And that's
a benefit for having that bad lighting in the room.
It doesn't expose all these flaws. But anyway, that's why
(11:32):
I haven't repainted that ceiling yet. It just it falls
off my radar. I don't even think about it. But
every now and then, when we get a lot of
rain or something happens, like get water in the basement,
which happened because of a lot of rain, I always
remember that spot and then I go and look at it,
and I wonder, is it worse? Is it the same
as it always used to be? So this happened, you know,
(11:53):
multiple multiple times. So I ended up taking pictures of
it so that when more rain comes in someday, or
more rain happens, I can go and consult these old
pictures and I can reference them and find out if
the spot has changed over time. And the only problem
with that plan, it's a good plan. The only problem
is that my phone runs short on space, and so
(12:15):
periodically throughout the year, I have to delete a bunch
of stuff, and I always tool through and I find
these pictures, and I have no idea why I've taken them.
You know, why do I have pictures of the ceiling.
That's stupid. So I delete all those pictures and then
we get a lot of rain. I go looking for
the pictures and they're gone every single time, so I
take new ones and I repeat that. Anyway, I was
(12:36):
doing that again this past week, and I finally decided
that since it's been a while, maybe I should just
crawl in the attic and check. You know, I didn't
want to do it, but I couldn't get it out
of my head. It just seemed like the thing to do,
and so I did it. And when I crawled the
little ways in, I immediately spotted damp spots on the underside
of the roof decking and in an area around the chimney.
(12:56):
What a pain. I was so frustrated. It wasn't bad,
but it was bad enough. Now. Of course, it's absolutely
no fun to get into the attic. It's messy, it's
a tight space, it's dark, it's full of who knows what,
who knows what is up there, and you get to
try to navigate around an area where there's no real floor. Right,
(13:17):
it's not fun, but it's still a surefireway to find many, many,
many roofing problems. And as sad as I was about
finding it, I'm still really happy to know about the
problem so I can address it and deal with it
before it becomes worse. So get into your attics, That's
what I'm getting at. Get into your attics and take
a look, especially after we've had some prolonged rain. Now,
quick word about actually getting around and moving around in
(13:40):
your attic. If yours is like mine, there's no floor,
it's just ceiling joists buried under blown in insulation. You
need to know a few things before you go exploring.
First off, if you can bring a piece of plywood
with you, you know, I'm talking like a two foot wide,
maybe a three foot wide piece of three quarter inch
thick plywood that you can lay across a couple of joists,
and that can become a mobile platform. You can kneel
(14:03):
on it, stand on it, kind of slide it ahead
of you as you go. It distributes your weight so
you're not bowing the joys and cracking your ceilings below
or worse yet, falling through. Second, use your feet like
you're feeling for stepping stones. All right, with all that insulation.
You can't see the choice, so probe gently with your
foot until you feel solid wood. Then commit your weight, slow, deliberate,
(14:25):
no quick movements up there, or you're going to have
a way worse problem than just trying to diagnose a
little bit of a leaky roof. Third thing, Bring a headlamp,
not a flashlight. You need both hands free. You may
not think you do, but you will promise. I promise
you this. I mess this up. And so I'm up there,
and I need both hands to kind of balance myself
(14:46):
because I didn't have the plywood with me. I should
have brought that. I knew right away I should have
brought that, but I didn't. I thought I could do it.
So I need both hands. So I put the flashlight
in my mouth right, so I can use both hands
and kind of brace myself in a couple spots and
crawl forth. And then as I'm doing that, I stirred up,
you know, looking for the next floor, Joisce. I stirred
up a whole bunch of attic insulation, and it ends
(15:08):
up in my mouth right because my mouth's open around
the flashlight. And then without even thinking about it, I
instantly spit all the insulation out, and of course that
sent the flashlight flying, you know, I spit it straight
into the insulation, and I watched it disappear, you know,
into all that blown in insulation, and suddenly everything is
(15:28):
pitch black up there. I've got insulation in my mouth.
I'm in the middle of this area over you know,
a family room, just trying to find floor. Joyce, I've
got no light. It's absolutely terrible, trying to keep my
balance trying to find my flashlight. Well, it all worked out, obviously.
I'm not still up there waiting to be rescued. But
(15:49):
I don't want really to send you to that kind
of an experience. So get a headlamp. All of that.
Just say, get a headlamp. Also, and this is important,
wear a hat, you know, a thick hat. There are sharp,
rusty nails sometimes rusty sticking through the roof deck up there,
and they're just waiting to puncture your head if you
stand up too fast. So just just be aware of
(16:10):
all that stuff. It's not the most happy environment up there,
but it's good to get up there and take a look.
If you spop, moisture damage or anything else that's concerning
up there, it might be worth it to call a pro.
And that's actually the last recommendation that I've got. That's
step six, schedule a roof inspection. Now, when I noticed
the leaking chimney and a couple other wet areas in
(16:30):
the attic, I reached out to Matt Williams from Sheriff
Goslin Roofing. Matt's been on the show multiple times and
he drove out and walked me through exactly what was
going on. Now. Sheriff Goslin, like a number of other
roofing contractors, offers a free inspection. They'll get up there,
they'll tell you how long your current roof probably is
going to last before it needs replacement. They'll assess any
damage or issues that you might be dealing with. They'll
(16:51):
talk about fixes and so on. Now, when Matt was
up there, we were looking at the spots that I
was suspicious of. But he took that investigation way deeper
than I did, and he spotted things I never would
have caught. You know, one of the leaks was around
the chimney flashing. I suspected that one, but a second
leak was happening about five feet above and to the
left of the spot where I thought it was happening,
(17:12):
and Matt explained how common that was, how water can travel,
you know, and can be really sneaky. It can make
you think that the problem is in one spot when
it's actually somewhere else. So all that to say, getting
a pro to look at the roof is probably a
really good idea. I asked Matt what he recommended, and
he said that once the roof gets to be, you know,
about fifteen years old or so, even if your own
attic inspections and roof inspections turn out nothing, it's probably
(17:34):
a good idea at that point to get somebody out
there to give you a free inspection. And from that
point on, Matt said he usually would determine if it's
a good plan to come out the following year, you know,
and do it every year, or to settle into kind
of an every other year situation. Either way, the inspection
is free, or at least they can be, make sure
you ask about that, because they're not all free. Sheriff
(17:55):
Goslin has free inspections. Other ones do too, but other
ones will charge, so make sure you ask those questions
so you're clear on the situation. But get a pro
out there. They'll walk you through everything they find. All right,
let's shift gears dramatically and start digging into Benjamin Moore's
new color of the Year. And let's start that conversation
right after. This home in progress is brought to you
(18:15):
by Repcolite Paints and Benjamin Moore Top toier paint expert advice.
Your next project is way easier than you think it's
going to be. A couple of weeks ago, Benjamin Moore
announced their Color of the Year for twenty twenty six,
and I know some of you out there really get
into that. You know, you're chomping at the bit. You're
sitting on the edge of your seat. You're so pumped
(18:37):
because the color of the Year is coming out. And
I know there's another group of you who couldn't care less.
It'd be impossible for you to muster away to care less.
But I've got to dig into it, whether you care
less or not. I've got to dig into it on
the show because it's my job and it's why they
pay me. But I promise you, even if you're one
(18:58):
of those people who really don't care about Color of
the Year stuff at all, there's still a lot of
good stuff in here, so hang with me. It's gonna
be worth it for you, all right. The color of
the Year from Benjamin mor Is called Silhouette the twenty
twenty six color of the Year, and according to their
marketing materials, it is and I quote, a rich espresso
(19:18):
brown with charcoal undertones. And I know there's a group
of you thinking right now, brown seriously. Brown. I know
that's true because I've talked to some of you told
you it was brown, and I probably should have. I
should have said, what is the quote? I should have said,
the color of the year is a rich espresso brown
(19:39):
with charcoal undertones. And maybe the people I was talking
to wouldn't have said brown seriously. But either way, brown,
you know, it's not a lovely color. Even when when
you hear it said brown. You know, lavender, that kind
of sounds like a pretty color at least, even if
it's not your thing. But brown, you know, doesn't sound lovely.
(20:02):
It sounds boring. Brown typically has been boring. A lot
of us think brown is boring, and you know, brown
is just it's just not a nice color, at least
not in a lot of our minds. And if that's you.
If you're one of those people thinking brown, just pause
for a second and maybe reconsider. I'm going to give
you a lot of reasons to maybe reconsider, So just
(20:23):
put pause on your thoughts for a little bit. Ride
with me, and then you can hit you know, hit
play again or whatever, and see once how you feel
about brown. Now. I think brown gets a bad rap
for a number of reasons. One is maybe because so
many of us are immature at heart. All right, I'm
not gonna say more than that, but I think that's
part of it. Another reason that brown probably gets a
(20:47):
bad rap is that we often associate it with those heavy, dated,
you know, nineteen seventies interiors, the brown shag carpet, the
brown paneling, the brown everything. You know, brown was everywhere
back then, and maybe you just can't get past that idea.
But brown really is these days seeing a resurgence. You know,
in our interiors. People are more and more and more
(21:09):
moving away from all of these grays that we've had
through the years, through recent years, going back a ways,
you know, we're moving away from those grays, and we're
moving towards colors that feel warmer and more livable, and
brown naturally produces that vibe. So designers like to recommend
browns because the right brown can add depth to a
(21:29):
room without making it feel heavy. You know, browns are
incredibly flexible. That's another thing that makes them great. You
can pare them easily with limestone, walnut, linen, and a
huge variety of earthy tones and textures, you know, in
different metals. They can be mixed with certain materials or
certain colors for a more elevated look. You can mix
them with simpler materials for a more rustic look. There's
(21:50):
a lot of flexibility, a lot of versatility with a brown.
But here's the real reason browns are back. People really
do want to preserve this connection to nature and the
outdoors when it comes to their interior design. We talked
about this several weeks ago, two or three weeks ago
with interior designer Andy Gates. You know, just the whole
biophilic design. We want to stay connected to nature, and
(22:12):
brown is a very very natural color. You know, it's
incredibly organic. It's literally the color of earth, right, wood, stone,
it's warm, it's grounding, and after years and years and
years of cool grays and stark whites, that could feel
cold and impersonal. People are really craving the warmth that
(22:32):
brown brings. So that's why it's back now for those
who like flowery marketing language. Benjamin Moore describes silhouette, you know,
the brown for the year, as a sophisticated and warm
hue that offers an elegant alternative to black paint, and
it pairs easily with a wide range of colors. So
that's kind of the whole idea of silhouette in a nutshell,
(22:54):
a sophisticated and warm hue. And let me take a
quick detour at this point. You know, there's a lot
more I want to say, but I do want to
stop for a second because pink companies and designers and
I just did it. We love to throw around the
word sophisticated, and we use all kinds of other jargon.
But in this instance, I just used the phrase or
the words sophisticated when talking about a color. And I
(23:17):
want to dig into what that really means because it
sounds good. And you know, I think a lot of
you maybe are rolling your eyes. Why do I need
to explain this, But if that's you, if you're rolling
your eyes or thinking that sophisticated in reference to a
color doesn't need to be explained. Well, explain it to
yourself for a second, in terms of how it relates
to color, or explain it to somebody in the room
(23:38):
with you. You know, I don't know what you come
up with when you try to explain how sophisticated relates
to a color. But when I did it, when I
tried that little experiment, uh, I didn't have a whole lot.
I ended up saying a sophisticated color is something elegant
and timeless. It's sophisticated. You know, cool people would have it,
maybe James Bond. You know, really, it was ridiculous. It
(24:01):
seems so easy until I did it. I'm not sure
what you came up with, and I'm sure you didn't
come up with something terrible. What I came up with
wasn't terrible. You know, A sophisticated color is something elegant
and timeless. But when designers call it color sophisticated, what
they're talking about is way more than that. They're actually
describing something very very specific, the color's complexity. A sophisticated
(24:23):
color is one that has layers, you know, like an
onion it's not a straight from the tube one note color.
There are subtle undertones that make it shift, you know,
depending on the light, what's next to it, the materials
around it. Think about it this way. A simple color
is kind of like a basic primary color crayon, you know, bright, straightforward,
(24:44):
really obvious. You know, fire engine red, it's just really obvious.
A sophisticated color has hints of other colors mixed in,
so it's quieter, it's moodier, it's more adaptable. With silhouette,
you know, let's make it specific. With silhouette, you've got
that espresso brown, but there are charcoal undertones. And here's
what's really interesting. It also has violet undertones, so there's
(25:07):
a lot going on. In cooler light, those violet undertones
are going to come forward. In warmer light, the brown
undertones show up more, and it feels cozy and grounded.
It's like the color is a little bit alive, you know,
what changes throughout the day a little bit. And that complexity, again,
is what designers mean when they say a color is sophisticated.
It's got nuance, it's balanced, it's responding to its surroundings,
(25:29):
and that's what makes it interesting to live with. So
when people say a color's sophisticated, now you've got a
little more of an idea what they're getting at. And
I'm betting it's a little more than what you came
up with too. So sometimes it's really good to define
some of these jargon terms that we all throw around
and think we're talking about something, when in fact none
of us are really saying anything at all. Okay, now
(25:51):
let's move on. Let's talk bigger picture stuff. Because the
choice of silhouette, you know, Benjamin Moore making that choice,
it's really a response to something that Bench Moore is
calling micro trend fatigue. And honestly, I think of all
the things that I want to talk about in regards
to silhouette, this part's maybe the most important part for sure.
To me, it's the most interesting part. Now. Andrea Magno
(26:13):
from Benjamin Moore. She leads up the Color of the
Year's search every single year, and we've had her on
the show before and I'm hoping to get her back
soon to talk about silhouette. But until she comes back,
all I can do is reference her quotes from articles,
and in some of those articles, Andrea explains micro trend fatigue.
Like this quote, you go on social media and it's
(26:35):
this trend that trend, and it's almost like you can't
keep up. But we're seeing almost a reaction to that
where people are looking to have good, timeless, classic pieces
in their home. End quote. So basically what she's getting
at with micro trend fatigue, we're exhausted, that's the bottom line.
You know, the constant, constant churn of trends on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest,
(26:56):
it's relentless, you know. One day it's all about this
particular paink or whatever. Then it's sage green, then it's
terra cotta, then it's you know, another pink, I don't know,
it's coastal Grandmother. It never stops, you know. And here's
the thing. The reality is people don't want to be
repainting their homes every six months. People don't want to
be repainting their homes every year or every five years,
(27:18):
for heaven's sake. So choosing silhouette as the color of
the year is actually a reaction to the idea of
chasing that next trend. You know, I know there are
people who hear about this color of the year thing
every single year, and they think it's a little bit annoying,
you know, because it's all about, in their mind, getting
a new color scheme in your home every year. That's
(27:39):
what Benjamin Moore is after. Actually, the idea behind this
year's selection is the opposite. It's about finding and choosing
colors that you're not going to regret in five years,
Colors that have staying power, colors that feel timeless. You know,
there's this whole anti trend movement happening right now in design,
and instead of following what social media is telling us
(28:01):
to do, people are choosing colors that reflect our personality,
the comfort that we want in our space. There's a
return to craftsmanship, to heritage, to things that feel like
they have a soul. And it's funny, funny, funny, funny
to me how everything is so cyclical. You know. Last week,
just last week, we talked about how the Victorian era,
(28:23):
you know, all the architecture of the Victorian era and
the way people designed and decorated their homes, all of
that started with this deep longing for a return to
craftsmanship and beauty and quality. That's what started that whole movement.
But then it got out of control and factory started
cranking out machine made decor and all of that. Everybody
went nuts. They filled their homes with it, and then
(28:45):
all of a sudden, everything comes back again. Pendulum swings,
there's a kickback, and the arts and crafts movement rises up,
calling again for a return to craftsmanship and natural, simplistic beauty.
While we're seeing it again a reaction against the constant
content that we're fed on social media and a longing
to see designs slow down just a little bit. You know,
(29:06):
we want craftsmanship, you know, good quality materials, natural tones,
calm and comfortable interiors. And that's what silhouette Benjamin Moore's
Color of the Air for twenty twenty six represents. You know,
it's not a flash in the pan color. It's not
going to look dated next year. It's the kind of
color that you can build a room around and know
that it's still going to be working for you five,
(29:27):
maybe even ten years from now if you want to,
you can have it working for you that long down
the road. It's a neutral, but it's a neutral with depth,
and that means it's not boring, it's not bland, but
it's also not pushy, you know, It's going to adapt
to fit a lot of different vibes. We hinted at
it earlier. It can be elegant and it can be rustic.
And the only thing that really needs to change is
(29:49):
some of the supporting pieces, you know, accessories, pillows, art, hardware, whatever.
Silhouette is a great foundational color, all right, Right now,
I want to look at some of the best ways
to incorporate silhouette into your space in your home. So
I think what I'll do is I'll talk about some
key spaces and the kind of vibe that you're likely
to get with silhouette and get started. Let's just look
(30:09):
at living rooms. If you put it on the walls
in your living room, you're going to get a cozy,
welcoming space. You could pair it with white trim or
off white trim. I'd probably lean towards off white trim,
and you're going to get a really classic look. You
could bring it onto the ceiling and really create a
cozy vibe in that space. You know, it's really going
to create a welcoming and relaxing space in that area
(30:32):
by not necessarily fully color drenching the area, but putting
it on the walls. And bringing it onto the ceiling.
You know, definitely that's going to create a cozy vibe
in there. And if you've ever thought about putting a
color on the ceiling, if you ever think about doing that,
a couple of things that I'll say here. First Off,
a number of you are probably thinking, why would I
put such a dark color on the ceiling. It's going
(30:54):
to make the room feel smaller. Well, that's actually, you know,
pretty much a design myth. Putting a darker color on
the ceiling is in most instances going to push the
ceiling further away visually, it's going to make the space
feel a little more expansive. So don't instantly discount the
idea of, you know, putting a color on the ceiling
because you're thinking that's going to make the room feel smaller.
(31:15):
It's not going to necessarily do that. In fact, most
times it won't. Secondly, if you're even remotely thinking about
putting a color on the ceiling, use Benjamin Moore's water
borne ceiling paint. I talk about it a fair amount
on the show here, but it's a premium ceiling paint
that covers and hides really well. Yeah, so it's nice
to work with. But most importantly, it stays dead flat
(31:35):
even when it's tinted, and that's not the usual case
for many, probably most ceiling paints. Most of the time
they're going to pick up some sheine from the colorant
that's added to them to get to the color that
you want. And when they've got that sheene, it makes
them trickier to work with. You know, as you roll
them onto a ceiling, you're going to see lap lines
and all of that much more readily when there's a
(31:56):
sheen on your finish on the ceiling. Benjamin Moore's waterborne
ceiling paint is going to stay dead flat no matter
what color is in it, and that's going to make
it really easy to work with and easy to get
great results. So keep that in mind. Silhouette in the
dining room, what about that, Well, you could pair it
with metals like gold or brass in your lighting or
(32:16):
your hardware or whatever, and that's going to create this
kind of upscale feel without feeling overdone. And then, because
it's so versatile, you could pair it with or not then,
but instead of that, you could pair it with more
natural elements and materials and create this cozy inviting, you know,
kind of rustic vibe, you know, like a little hobbit hole,
(32:38):
perfect for kicking back and relaxing and having first and
second breakfasts and all of those things in it. So
that's where you see the versatility of silhouette with what
you pair it with. It's a great choice for bedrooms,
of course, because it's going to create that naturally cozy,
RESTful space. Front Doors another place to use silhouette, and
it's one of my favorite uses because it's not your
(32:58):
everyday first thought. You know, normally front doors get a
little boulder treatment, reds, greens, you know, mustard yellows, blues, blacks,
but opting for silhouette gives the door a warm, welcoming feel.
It's inviting, it's a little unusual, and that's kind of
fun with the front door. If you're thinking kitchens, silhouette
would work beautifully on an island or maybe on your
(33:20):
lower cabinets. It's going to add a ton of depth
and contrast while keeping that space relatively balanced, especially if
you keep those upper cabinets or walls lighter exteriors brown
tones like silhouette. They're great outdoors too. You could try
it on trim to highlight certain architectural details, or even
use it as an alternative to black for a softer,
(33:40):
more natural look. Now, the thing about brown and silhouette
in particular is that it's inherently comforting. You know, you
pick that up as we're walking through the rooms. There's
other rooms we could look at, but what you're getting
with silhouette is this comforting tone, you know, a soothing
sense of security that it brings to a space. Rich
Brown's work really well in rooms that you want to
retire to in the evening. They create, you know, kind
(34:03):
of an inviting, relaxing atmosphere. Whether you color drench your
space in one shade or layer a selection of similar
tones across different surfaces, painting a room brown really creates
a cozy feel. That's kind of the bottom line. Now,
as many of you know, when Benjamin Moore releases a
color of the Year color, they also release a number
of color trends colors, you know, supporting actor colors, and
(34:25):
this year there are seven and they're all designed to
work well together. They can kind of be divided into
what we maybe could call some pale tones and some
mid tones, so maybe two different groups if you want
to think about them that way. The pale tones include
Swiss Coffee, which is kind of a warm, creamy white.
It's already one of Benjamin Moore's bestsellers. There's First Crush,
(34:46):
which is a neutral with a little bit of blush undertones.
So it's got a little bit of a pink vibe
to it, but very very subtle. There's Batique that's a
dusty mauve that really's got a lot more pink to it.
That one's not my favorite, to be honest. Bautique kind
of feels like a banunk. I didn't really like that one,
but hey, it's just me. If you love it, go
(35:08):
for it. Rain Dance that's another one that we'd kind
of lump into the pails. Maybe it's a steely green
with gray undertones, you know, really organic, you know, a
mineral quality to it. Really nice colors, except for maybe Bautique.
Sorry Boutique, Uh sorry, Bautique. The mid tones, let's just
move on a couple mid tones. Three different mid tones.
(35:28):
Narroganzt green it's a deep blackened teal, Southwest pottery you
can picture what that is, a warm terracotta tone, and
sherewood tan now, the idea is that these colors can
stand alone or work together. Silhouette pairs beautifully with Swiss
coffee for contrast, or you could use it with Sherwood
tan for a tonal kind of layered approach. First crush
can soften spaces dominated by deeper tones, on and on
(35:51):
and on and on. These aren't just random colors thrown together.
That's the main thing to take away from this. They're
designed to kind of create a balance, colors that can
on top of one another without fighting for attention. So
looking at Benjamin Moore's Color Trends for twenty twenty six,
it's all about warmth and connection to nature and comfort
and creating a RESTful space. And like any of the
(36:12):
color Trends colors throughout the year, the biggest message is
to pick whatever color works best for you. Whether Silhouette
is one of those colors or any of these color
trends colors, maybe those are the colors that work for
you and they're speaking to you right now. But if
they're not, go find what is you know. That's what
it's all about. Find what you love, you know, Just
think about what you want to feel when you're in
(36:33):
that particular space that you're painting and bring those ideas
to Repcolite. We'll help you find the colors that get
you there, and will also help you make sure that
you're choosing tones that you'll still love in five years.
All right, that's going to do it for today. But
before I wrap it up, I got to talk about
that contest quickly, super simple. Just go to our Facebook
and Instagram pages and find our contest post. Or if
(36:54):
you want an even simpler path, just go to repcolite
dot com. Click the contest banner on the homepage. That's
going to provide you with the links that take you
directly to the Instagram and the Facebook posts that I'm
talking about. Either way, get to those posts and in
the comments tell us which of the twenty twenty six
color trends colors moves you and which room they move
you to paint. For example, one of the comments out
(37:15):
there right now is rain Dance would look great in
my laundry room. That's all I'm looking for. So whatever
color moves you, whatever room it moves you to paint,
leave a comment, and on November sixteen, I'll draw four
random winners from everybody who had something to say on
those posts, and those four people will each win a
two hundred and fifty dollars Rep Coollite Gift certificate. So again,
head to repcollite dot com, click the contest banner on
(37:38):
the homepage, and get your comments in. All right, that's
officially going to do it. If you enjoyed this episode
and you'd like to hear more like it, we really
encourage you to subscribe to the podcast. You can do
that wherever you listen to podcasts, of course, everybody knows
that by now. And also if you did like the
content and you wouldn't mind leaving us a review, that
would be great. It helps other people find the show
(38:00):
and that really helps us out. All right, thanks so
much for listening for Home in Progress. I'm Dan Hansen.
I'll see you next time.
Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in. You're listening to Home
in Progress sponsored by repcole Like Paints and Benjamin Moore.
I'm Dan Hansen, and today we're going to cover a
fair amount of ground. On the second half of the show.
We're going to take a deep dive into Benjamin Moore's
new color of the year. It's a brown won't won't won't.
(00:23):
And I've had a lot of people, or a number
of people, let's not overplay it. I've had a number
of people express, how shall we say it, disappointment, Let's
use that word. They've expressed disappointment at the choice. They
just can't believe that brown is the color of the year. Well,
I know that browns aren't necessarily the flashiest of colors,
(00:46):
but I do think there's a lot going on with
this color pick, and it is pretty interesting. In fact,
one of the ideas I'll just spill the beans a
little bit. I'll get it more into it later, but
one of the ideas behind the color choice this year
is how people are just sick of trends. You know,
new trends crop up all the time and we're sick
of trying to keep up with them. We're sick of
chasing trends. People don't want to repaint their homes every
(01:09):
single year, and so Benjamin Moore is leaning into that
with a color that has staying power. You know, it's
literally in their mind when they pick this color, a
color that you can live with for several years, maybe five,
maybe even more years without having to repaint. So that's
their idea. Does the new color that they picked deliver
on that. We're going to get into all of that
(01:31):
and you know, dissect it and figure out how they did.
That's coming up later. We'll also be talking about how
you can get entered into a contest to win one
of four two hundred and fifty dollars two hundred and
fifty dollars repcolate gift certificates if you don't want it.
You know, I've had a number of people say, well,
I'm not doing any painting, so that doesn't help me.
(01:52):
Christmas is coming right, and who wouldn't love to give
away a two hundred and fifty dollars gift certificate for
paint for somebody's house. It's a great gift and it
didn't cost you anything, and you look amazing when you
give something like that. So everybody's got somebody in their
life who's going to be painting. So I think this
(02:13):
contest really applies to everybody. It's super easy to get entered.
We'll talk about that at the end, but right now
I want to talk about something that happened to me
last week, not this past but the one before. It
was not terribly fun. Here's what happened. I'm sleeping peacefully
one of these days. I don't remember which day it was,
(02:36):
doesn't matter, sleeping peacefully, and then my son wakes me
up at five thirty or so, I think it was
even earlier than that to let me know that there's
water all over the floor in the basement. He'd already
cleaned it up as well as he could, but he
wanted me to know, so that was nice. Unfortunately, his clothes,
which had been strewn all about the room, you know,
(03:00):
acted like towels, and they actually stopped the advancing water
and soaked it up. So being messy actually saved the
day this time. It's nice that it finally has paid
off for him. Yeah, it paid off in a big way.
Saved him a lot of work because it kept that
(03:22):
water localized. I'm sure that it will probably mean that
the floor will forever be strewn with clothes, because you
never know when water is going to come pouring in. Anyway,
we assessed the situation, discovered what the problem was, which
I'll explain later, and then we went about our day.
Now later, because of that water, you know coming in,
you know, because it had happened, I started to get
(03:44):
a little antsy. It's how I am. I think through
all these different terrible scenarios and assume that most of
them are probably going to happen. So I start to
think that water is maybe coming in everywhere. Why didn't
I look everywhere to make sure? Why did I think
it was just this one spot. Oh, I go through
the whole house, you know, all through the basement, and
I find out that everything is good. It's just the
(04:05):
one spot. So I'm relieved, right, taking a breath of
fresh air, feeling that weight off my back. And then
because water is on my mind, I start thinking about
the roof, you know, maybe the roof is leaking. Long
story short, I'll explain more about this later, But long
story short, I crawl into the attic. You know, I
drive myself so crazy that I end up just crawling
(04:26):
into the attic to determine that everything is fine so
I can go about my day peacefully. And lo and behold,
I find out the roof really is leaking in a
couple of spots. Well, once I get over that initial
pity party moment, I started thinking about all of you
out there. Now. It's not fun finding a roof leak,
but it's way worse when you don't find one that's
(04:47):
already there. So I want to talk today about some
preventative maintenance that most of us can do. And I'm
going to focus on six realistic steps that you can
tackle this fall today, this weekend. You know, some you
can do safely by yourself. Some you may want to
pro for you know, you know you you'll figure it
out as we go. Let's start here. Clean the gutters
(05:09):
and the downspouts. This is the first one, and it's
one of those projects that gets talked about all the time.
I talk about it a bunch, everybody talks about it
a bunch. But it's important and it's relatively straightforward. And really,
this time of year, you probably should be doing this
periodically because more and more leaves are dropping every single day.
All right, this is important to do the cleaning the gutters,
(05:29):
I said, it's important. Why is it important? It's important
because when the gutters clog up with leaves and debris,
water backs up and can't be channeled away from your home.
That could end up dumping water right at your foundation
where it could find a way in. But it can
also back up and seep under your shingles, you know,
run along your face shut and get into your roofing system. Now,
over time, this can lead to leaks, it can lead
(05:50):
to rot, it can lead to other problems that you
don't want to deal with. So grab a ladder, get
somebody to hold the ladder steadily for you, and remove
all that gunk. Flush the down spouts with a hose
if you need to. Whatever you need to do to
make sure that water is flowing freely through the system
and away from your house. And while you're at it,
do yourself a favor. Inspect the gutters and the down
(06:11):
spouts to make sure that everything is attached, you know,
make sure it's all hooked together, make sure it's functioning
the way it's supposed to be. I had a down
spout get bumped off by a garbage can that we
wheeled back into place one day, and then when we
got all that rain, it ended up dumping it all
right at the foundation of the house and it found
away into the basement. That's how my problem happened because
(06:32):
it wasn't connected and doing its things. So check yours,
since you're out there anyway, make sure that they're working
all right. So first thing, clean out those gutters. We
say it all the time, but do that. That's going
to help you. Second thing, inspect your shingles. Cracked shingles,
curled edges, missing granules, lifted corners. All of these things
are early warning signs. If shingles fail, water gets under them,
(06:54):
into the deck and eventually into your attic. So give
those shingles a once over. And you know the scope
of your skills and the slope of your roof. The
scope of your skills and the slope of your roof,
it's kind of rimy. That should be easy to remember.
Know the scope of your skills and the slope of
your roof. What I'm getting at is if you can
safely get up there and give them a look, that's ideal.
(07:16):
If not, check out what you can from the ground
and use binoculars if you need to, but don't get
up there if you're not comfortable or if the slope
is too much, But if you can get up there,
that's great either way. Look for missing shingles, cracked shingles,
dark patches, and so on. Inspect your shingles. Third thing
that you can do if you're able to get on
(07:37):
the roof, give some attention to your chimney flashing, the
roof penetrations, anything out there that's penetrating the roof, and
specifically vent pipe boots. Now, for me, my roof problem
was the chimney. The calking around the flashing had gotten
old and brittle and had chipped away in a few spots,
and that gave the water an easy path into the attic.
(07:58):
So look that over and make sure the sea are
in good shape and are doing their job, and also
look for possible entry points for water around the base
of the chimney. And then do the same thing for
your bathroom fan exhausts and any other roof penetrations. And
then finally take a peek at any vent pipe boots.
Now what's a vent pipe boot. Well, it's that rubber
or plastic collar sometimes called a gasket that's around the
(08:20):
pipe sticking out of your roof, the seal where the
pipe penetrates your roof, that's the vent pipe boot. And
those rubber boots, whatever you want to call them, those gaskets,
they can fail with time, they dry out, they can crack,
they can lose their seal, and when they fail, waters
of course got an easy path into the home. Now.
Usually they're going to last, you know, anywhere from eight
(08:41):
to fifteen years, but it never hurts to give them
a quick once over, just to make sure they're in
good condition and they're doing their job. So look around
each vent pipe for cracked rubber collars separation from the pipe,
or gaps you know, between the boot and the roof surface.
Check to make sure that the flashing beneath the collar
is properly overlapped by shingles on the uphill side. And
(09:01):
if you spot cracked collars, visible gaps, or any other issues,
you know, anything that would make you suspect that that
gasket or that boot is failing, call a probe. They
can come out and confirm your diagnosis and do the repair.
One other thing not related to the roof, you know,
leaky roofs or anything, but since you're up there anyway,
you know, shine a flashlight down those vent pipes. Make
(09:24):
sure that they're clear. They're important for your plumbing and
if that air, if they're blocked, air can't move through there,
and that can actually mess with you know, draining sinks
and all of that. So with all the leaves coming down,
just just if you can shine a light down there,
that at least gives you a quick look to see
if anything's you know, severely blocking it. At least as
(09:47):
far as you can see. It's not perfect. You know,
you're not diagnosing everything at that point, but you're up there,
you might as well take a peek at that. Moving on,
while you're on the roof, if you can safely do so,
trim any overhanging branches. Be sure to clear any organic
debrithe from the roof, all right, First off, the branches
when they're rubbing against the shingles, that can wear shingles
(10:08):
down over time, and falling limbs of cores can punch
holes in the roof. So clear the branches away if
you can safely do that, you know, cut them back
and take care of those. Secondly, piles of leaves that
have settled into you know, certain pockets on the roof
can trap moisture, and they can keep water pooled rather
than letting it run off, and all of that gives
(10:28):
the water the chance to back up under the shingles.
So get those leaves off the roof, all right. Step
five the attic check. And here's the step that saved
me from much bigger problems. And I want to back
up and explain some of this a little more. You know,
I said that I crawled through the attic, and it
seems a little insane that water in the basement would
make me make me check the attic. I got to
(10:50):
give you the whole story, so it makes a little
more sense. In my living room, when we moved in
years back, there was a small stain on the ceiling
where water I had previously leaked in around the fireplace.
The inspector pointed it out, and whenever I repaint that
area that ceiling, I'm gonna have to use a special
stain blocking primer to seal it in and then I'll
(11:11):
be done with it, hopefully forever. But I haven't done
that painting yet. It's just not something that I notice.
I don't think about it, and I never really even
see that spot unless I shine a light up there.
The lighting in their room is so bad. And that's
a benefit for having that bad lighting in the room.
It doesn't expose all these flaws. But anyway, that's why
(11:32):
I haven't repainted that ceiling yet. It just it falls
off my radar. I don't even think about it. But
every now and then, when we get a lot of
rain or something happens, like get water in the basement,
which happened because of a lot of rain, I always
remember that spot and then I go and look at it,
and I wonder, is it worse? Is it the same
as it always used to be? So this happened, you know,
(11:53):
multiple multiple times. So I ended up taking pictures of
it so that when more rain comes in someday, or
more rain happens, I can go and consult these old
pictures and I can reference them and find out if
the spot has changed over time. And the only problem
with that plan, it's a good plan. The only problem
is that my phone runs short on space, and so
(12:15):
periodically throughout the year, I have to delete a bunch
of stuff, and I always tool through and I find
these pictures, and I have no idea why I've taken them.
You know, why do I have pictures of the ceiling.
That's stupid. So I delete all those pictures and then
we get a lot of rain. I go looking for
the pictures and they're gone every single time, so I
take new ones and I repeat that. Anyway, I was
(12:36):
doing that again this past week, and I finally decided
that since it's been a while, maybe I should just
crawl in the attic and check. You know, I didn't
want to do it, but I couldn't get it out
of my head. It just seemed like the thing to do,
and so I did it. And when I crawled the
little ways in, I immediately spotted damp spots on the underside
of the roof decking and in an area around the chimney.
(12:56):
What a pain. I was so frustrated. It wasn't bad,
but it was bad enough. Now. Of course, it's absolutely
no fun to get into the attic. It's messy, it's
a tight space, it's dark, it's full of who knows what,
who knows what is up there, and you get to
try to navigate around an area where there's no real floor. Right,
(13:17):
it's not fun, but it's still a surefireway to find many, many,
many roofing problems. And as sad as I was about
finding it, I'm still really happy to know about the
problem so I can address it and deal with it
before it becomes worse. So get into your attics, That's
what I'm getting at. Get into your attics and take
a look, especially after we've had some prolonged rain. Now,
quick word about actually getting around and moving around in
(13:40):
your attic. If yours is like mine, there's no floor,
it's just ceiling joists buried under blown in insulation. You
need to know a few things before you go exploring.
First off, if you can bring a piece of plywood
with you, you know, I'm talking like a two foot wide,
maybe a three foot wide piece of three quarter inch
thick plywood that you can lay across a couple of joists,
and that can become a mobile platform. You can kneel
(14:03):
on it, stand on it, kind of slide it ahead
of you as you go. It distributes your weight so
you're not bowing the joys and cracking your ceilings below
or worse yet, falling through. Second, use your feet like
you're feeling for stepping stones. All right, with all that insulation.
You can't see the choice, so probe gently with your
foot until you feel solid wood. Then commit your weight, slow, deliberate,
(14:25):
no quick movements up there, or you're going to have
a way worse problem than just trying to diagnose a
little bit of a leaky roof. Third thing, Bring a headlamp,
not a flashlight. You need both hands free. You may
not think you do, but you will promise. I promise
you this. I mess this up. And so I'm up there,
and I need both hands to kind of balance myself
(14:46):
because I didn't have the plywood with me. I should
have brought that. I knew right away I should have
brought that, but I didn't. I thought I could do it.
So I need both hands. So I put the flashlight
in my mouth right, so I can use both hands
and kind of brace myself in a couple spots and
crawl forth. And then as I'm doing that, I stirred up,
you know, looking for the next floor, Joisce. I stirred
up a whole bunch of attic insulation, and it ends
(15:08):
up in my mouth right because my mouth's open around
the flashlight. And then without even thinking about it, I
instantly spit all the insulation out, and of course that
sent the flashlight flying, you know, I spit it straight
into the insulation, and I watched it disappear, you know,
into all that blown in insulation, and suddenly everything is
(15:28):
pitch black up there. I've got insulation in my mouth.
I'm in the middle of this area over you know,
a family room, just trying to find floor. Joyce, I've
got no light. It's absolutely terrible, trying to keep my
balance trying to find my flashlight. Well, it all worked out, obviously.
I'm not still up there waiting to be rescued. But
(15:49):
I don't want really to send you to that kind
of an experience. So get a headlamp. All of that.
Just say, get a headlamp. Also, and this is important,
wear a hat, you know, a thick hat. There are sharp,
rusty nails sometimes rusty sticking through the roof deck up there,
and they're just waiting to puncture your head if you
stand up too fast. So just just be aware of
(16:10):
all that stuff. It's not the most happy environment up there,
but it's good to get up there and take a look.
If you spop, moisture damage or anything else that's concerning
up there, it might be worth it to call a pro.
And that's actually the last recommendation that I've got. That's
step six, schedule a roof inspection. Now, when I noticed
the leaking chimney and a couple other wet areas in
(16:30):
the attic, I reached out to Matt Williams from Sheriff
Goslin Roofing. Matt's been on the show multiple times and
he drove out and walked me through exactly what was
going on. Now. Sheriff Goslin, like a number of other
roofing contractors, offers a free inspection. They'll get up there,
they'll tell you how long your current roof probably is
going to last before it needs replacement. They'll assess any
damage or issues that you might be dealing with. They'll
(16:51):
talk about fixes and so on. Now, when Matt was
up there, we were looking at the spots that I
was suspicious of. But he took that investigation way deeper
than I did, and he spotted things I never would
have caught. You know, one of the leaks was around
the chimney flashing. I suspected that one, but a second
leak was happening about five feet above and to the
left of the spot where I thought it was happening,
(17:12):
and Matt explained how common that was, how water can travel,
you know, and can be really sneaky. It can make
you think that the problem is in one spot when
it's actually somewhere else. So all that to say, getting
a pro to look at the roof is probably a
really good idea. I asked Matt what he recommended, and
he said that once the roof gets to be, you know,
about fifteen years old or so, even if your own
attic inspections and roof inspections turn out nothing, it's probably
(17:34):
a good idea at that point to get somebody out
there to give you a free inspection. And from that
point on, Matt said he usually would determine if it's
a good plan to come out the following year, you know,
and do it every year, or to settle into kind
of an every other year situation. Either way, the inspection
is free, or at least they can be, make sure
you ask about that, because they're not all free. Sheriff
(17:55):
Goslin has free inspections. Other ones do too, but other
ones will charge, so make sure you ask those questions
so you're clear on the situation. But get a pro
out there. They'll walk you through everything they find. All right,
let's shift gears dramatically and start digging into Benjamin Moore's
new color of the Year. And let's start that conversation
right after. This home in progress is brought to you
(18:15):
by Repcolite Paints and Benjamin Moore Top toier paint expert advice.
Your next project is way easier than you think it's
going to be. A couple of weeks ago, Benjamin Moore
announced their Color of the Year for twenty twenty six,
and I know some of you out there really get
into that. You know, you're chomping at the bit. You're
sitting on the edge of your seat. You're so pumped
(18:37):
because the color of the Year is coming out. And
I know there's another group of you who couldn't care less.
It'd be impossible for you to muster away to care less.
But I've got to dig into it, whether you care
less or not. I've got to dig into it on
the show because it's my job and it's why they
pay me. But I promise you, even if you're one
(18:58):
of those people who really don't care about Color of
the Year stuff at all, there's still a lot of
good stuff in here, so hang with me. It's gonna
be worth it for you, all right. The color of
the Year from Benjamin mor Is called Silhouette the twenty
twenty six color of the Year, and according to their
marketing materials, it is and I quote, a rich espresso
(19:18):
brown with charcoal undertones. And I know there's a group
of you thinking right now, brown seriously. Brown. I know
that's true because I've talked to some of you told
you it was brown, and I probably should have. I
should have said, what is the quote? I should have said,
the color of the year is a rich espresso brown
(19:39):
with charcoal undertones. And maybe the people I was talking
to wouldn't have said brown seriously. But either way, brown,
you know, it's not a lovely color. Even when when
you hear it said brown. You know, lavender, that kind
of sounds like a pretty color at least, even if
it's not your thing. But brown, you know, doesn't sound lovely.
(20:02):
It sounds boring. Brown typically has been boring. A lot
of us think brown is boring, and you know, brown
is just it's just not a nice color, at least
not in a lot of our minds. And if that's you.
If you're one of those people thinking brown, just pause
for a second and maybe reconsider. I'm going to give
you a lot of reasons to maybe reconsider, So just
(20:23):
put pause on your thoughts for a little bit. Ride
with me, and then you can hit you know, hit
play again or whatever, and see once how you feel
about brown. Now. I think brown gets a bad rap
for a number of reasons. One is maybe because so
many of us are immature at heart. All right, I'm
not gonna say more than that, but I think that's
part of it. Another reason that brown probably gets a
(20:47):
bad rap is that we often associate it with those heavy, dated,
you know, nineteen seventies interiors, the brown shag carpet, the
brown paneling, the brown everything. You know, brown was everywhere
back then, and maybe you just can't get past that idea.
But brown really is these days seeing a resurgence. You know,
in our interiors. People are more and more and more
(21:09):
moving away from all of these grays that we've had
through the years, through recent years, going back a ways,
you know, we're moving away from those grays, and we're
moving towards colors that feel warmer and more livable, and
brown naturally produces that vibe. So designers like to recommend
browns because the right brown can add depth to a
(21:29):
room without making it feel heavy. You know, browns are
incredibly flexible. That's another thing that makes them great. You
can pare them easily with limestone, walnut, linen, and a
huge variety of earthy tones and textures, you know, in
different metals. They can be mixed with certain materials or
certain colors for a more elevated look. You can mix
them with simpler materials for a more rustic look. There's
(21:50):
a lot of flexibility, a lot of versatility with a brown.
But here's the real reason browns are back. People really
do want to preserve this connection to nature and the
outdoors when it comes to their interior design. We talked
about this several weeks ago, two or three weeks ago
with interior designer Andy Gates. You know, just the whole
biophilic design. We want to stay connected to nature, and
(22:12):
brown is a very very natural color. You know, it's
incredibly organic. It's literally the color of earth, right, wood, stone,
it's warm, it's grounding, and after years and years and
years of cool grays and stark whites, that could feel
cold and impersonal. People are really craving the warmth that
(22:32):
brown brings. So that's why it's back now for those
who like flowery marketing language. Benjamin Moore describes silhouette, you know,
the brown for the year, as a sophisticated and warm
hue that offers an elegant alternative to black paint, and
it pairs easily with a wide range of colors. So
that's kind of the whole idea of silhouette in a nutshell,
(22:54):
a sophisticated and warm hue. And let me take a
quick detour at this point. You know, there's a lot
more I want to say, but I do want to
stop for a second because pink companies and designers and
I just did it. We love to throw around the
word sophisticated, and we use all kinds of other jargon.
But in this instance, I just used the phrase or
the words sophisticated when talking about a color. And I
(23:17):
want to dig into what that really means because it
sounds good. And you know, I think a lot of
you maybe are rolling your eyes. Why do I need
to explain this, But if that's you, if you're rolling
your eyes or thinking that sophisticated in reference to a
color doesn't need to be explained. Well, explain it to
yourself for a second, in terms of how it relates
to color, or explain it to somebody in the room
(23:38):
with you. You know, I don't know what you come
up with when you try to explain how sophisticated relates
to a color. But when I did it, when I
tried that little experiment, uh, I didn't have a whole lot.
I ended up saying a sophisticated color is something elegant
and timeless. It's sophisticated. You know, cool people would have it,
maybe James Bond. You know, really, it was ridiculous. It
(24:01):
seems so easy until I did it. I'm not sure
what you came up with, and I'm sure you didn't
come up with something terrible. What I came up with
wasn't terrible. You know, A sophisticated color is something elegant
and timeless. But when designers call it color sophisticated, what
they're talking about is way more than that. They're actually
describing something very very specific, the color's complexity. A sophisticated
(24:23):
color is one that has layers, you know, like an
onion it's not a straight from the tube one note color.
There are subtle undertones that make it shift, you know,
depending on the light, what's next to it, the materials
around it. Think about it this way. A simple color
is kind of like a basic primary color crayon, you know, bright, straightforward,
(24:44):
really obvious. You know, fire engine red, it's just really obvious.
A sophisticated color has hints of other colors mixed in,
so it's quieter, it's moodier, it's more adaptable. With silhouette,
you know, let's make it specific. With silhouette, you've got
that espresso brown, but there are charcoal undertones. And here's
what's really interesting. It also has violet undertones, so there's
(25:07):
a lot going on. In cooler light, those violet undertones
are going to come forward. In warmer light, the brown
undertones show up more, and it feels cozy and grounded.
It's like the color is a little bit alive, you know,
what changes throughout the day a little bit. And that complexity, again,
is what designers mean when they say a color is sophisticated.
It's got nuance, it's balanced, it's responding to its surroundings,
(25:29):
and that's what makes it interesting to live with. So
when people say a color's sophisticated, now you've got a
little more of an idea what they're getting at. And
I'm betting it's a little more than what you came
up with too. So sometimes it's really good to define
some of these jargon terms that we all throw around
and think we're talking about something, when in fact none
of us are really saying anything at all. Okay, now
(25:51):
let's move on. Let's talk bigger picture stuff. Because the
choice of silhouette, you know, Benjamin Moore making that choice,
it's really a response to something that Bench Moore is
calling micro trend fatigue. And honestly, I think of all
the things that I want to talk about in regards
to silhouette, this part's maybe the most important part for sure.
To me, it's the most interesting part. Now. Andrea Magno
(26:13):
from Benjamin Moore. She leads up the Color of the
Year's search every single year, and we've had her on
the show before and I'm hoping to get her back
soon to talk about silhouette. But until she comes back,
all I can do is reference her quotes from articles,
and in some of those articles, Andrea explains micro trend fatigue.
Like this quote, you go on social media and it's
(26:35):
this trend that trend, and it's almost like you can't
keep up. But we're seeing almost a reaction to that
where people are looking to have good, timeless, classic pieces
in their home. End quote. So basically what she's getting
at with micro trend fatigue, we're exhausted, that's the bottom line.
You know, the constant, constant churn of trends on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest,
(26:56):
it's relentless, you know. One day it's all about this
particular paink or whatever. Then it's sage green, then it's
terra cotta, then it's you know, another pink, I don't know,
it's coastal Grandmother. It never stops, you know. And here's
the thing. The reality is people don't want to be
repainting their homes every six months. People don't want to
be repainting their homes every year or every five years,
(27:18):
for heaven's sake. So choosing silhouette as the color of
the year is actually a reaction to the idea of
chasing that next trend. You know, I know there are
people who hear about this color of the year thing
every single year, and they think it's a little bit annoying,
you know, because it's all about, in their mind, getting
a new color scheme in your home every year. That's
(27:39):
what Benjamin Moore is after. Actually, the idea behind this
year's selection is the opposite. It's about finding and choosing
colors that you're not going to regret in five years,
Colors that have staying power, colors that feel timeless. You know,
there's this whole anti trend movement happening right now in design,
and instead of following what social media is telling us
(28:01):
to do, people are choosing colors that reflect our personality,
the comfort that we want in our space. There's a
return to craftsmanship, to heritage, to things that feel like
they have a soul. And it's funny, funny, funny, funny
to me how everything is so cyclical. You know. Last week,
just last week, we talked about how the Victorian era,
(28:23):
you know, all the architecture of the Victorian era and
the way people designed and decorated their homes, all of
that started with this deep longing for a return to
craftsmanship and beauty and quality. That's what started that whole movement.
But then it got out of control and factory started
cranking out machine made decor and all of that. Everybody
went nuts. They filled their homes with it, and then
(28:45):
all of a sudden, everything comes back again. Pendulum swings,
there's a kickback, and the arts and crafts movement rises up,
calling again for a return to craftsmanship and natural, simplistic beauty.
While we're seeing it again a reaction against the constant
content that we're fed on social media and a longing
to see designs slow down just a little bit. You know,
(29:06):
we want craftsmanship, you know, good quality materials, natural tones,
calm and comfortable interiors. And that's what silhouette Benjamin Moore's
Color of the Air for twenty twenty six represents. You know,
it's not a flash in the pan color. It's not
going to look dated next year. It's the kind of
color that you can build a room around and know
that it's still going to be working for you five,
(29:27):
maybe even ten years from now if you want to,
you can have it working for you that long down
the road. It's a neutral, but it's a neutral with depth,
and that means it's not boring, it's not bland, but
it's also not pushy, you know, It's going to adapt
to fit a lot of different vibes. We hinted at
it earlier. It can be elegant and it can be rustic.
And the only thing that really needs to change is
(29:49):
some of the supporting pieces, you know, accessories, pillows, art, hardware, whatever.
Silhouette is a great foundational color, all right, Right now,
I want to look at some of the best ways
to incorporate silhouette into your space in your home. So
I think what I'll do is I'll talk about some
key spaces and the kind of vibe that you're likely
to get with silhouette and get started. Let's just look
(30:09):
at living rooms. If you put it on the walls
in your living room, you're going to get a cozy,
welcoming space. You could pair it with white trim or
off white trim. I'd probably lean towards off white trim,
and you're going to get a really classic look. You
could bring it onto the ceiling and really create a
cozy vibe in that space. You know, it's really going
to create a welcoming and relaxing space in that area
(30:32):
by not necessarily fully color drenching the area, but putting
it on the walls. And bringing it onto the ceiling.
You know, definitely that's going to create a cozy vibe
in there. And if you've ever thought about putting a
color on the ceiling, if you ever think about doing that,
a couple of things that I'll say here. First Off,
a number of you are probably thinking, why would I
put such a dark color on the ceiling. It's going
(30:54):
to make the room feel smaller. Well, that's actually, you know,
pretty much a design myth. Putting a darker color on
the ceiling is in most instances going to push the
ceiling further away visually, it's going to make the space
feel a little more expansive. So don't instantly discount the
idea of, you know, putting a color on the ceiling
because you're thinking that's going to make the room feel smaller.
(31:15):
It's not going to necessarily do that. In fact, most
times it won't. Secondly, if you're even remotely thinking about
putting a color on the ceiling, use Benjamin Moore's water
borne ceiling paint. I talk about it a fair amount
on the show here, but it's a premium ceiling paint
that covers and hides really well. Yeah, so it's nice
to work with. But most importantly, it stays dead flat
(31:35):
even when it's tinted, and that's not the usual case
for many, probably most ceiling paints. Most of the time
they're going to pick up some sheine from the colorant
that's added to them to get to the color that
you want. And when they've got that sheene, it makes
them trickier to work with. You know, as you roll
them onto a ceiling, you're going to see lap lines
and all of that much more readily when there's a
(31:56):
sheen on your finish on the ceiling. Benjamin Moore's waterborne
ceiling paint is going to stay dead flat no matter
what color is in it, and that's going to make
it really easy to work with and easy to get
great results. So keep that in mind. Silhouette in the
dining room, what about that, Well, you could pair it
with metals like gold or brass in your lighting or
(32:16):
your hardware or whatever, and that's going to create this
kind of upscale feel without feeling overdone. And then, because
it's so versatile, you could pair it with or not then,
but instead of that, you could pair it with more
natural elements and materials and create this cozy inviting, you know,
kind of rustic vibe, you know, like a little hobbit hole,
(32:38):
perfect for kicking back and relaxing and having first and
second breakfasts and all of those things in it. So
that's where you see the versatility of silhouette with what
you pair it with. It's a great choice for bedrooms,
of course, because it's going to create that naturally cozy,
RESTful space. Front Doors another place to use silhouette, and
it's one of my favorite uses because it's not your
(32:58):
everyday first thought. You know, normally front doors get a
little boulder treatment, reds, greens, you know, mustard yellows, blues, blacks,
but opting for silhouette gives the door a warm, welcoming feel.
It's inviting, it's a little unusual, and that's kind of
fun with the front door. If you're thinking kitchens, silhouette
would work beautifully on an island or maybe on your
(33:20):
lower cabinets. It's going to add a ton of depth
and contrast while keeping that space relatively balanced, especially if
you keep those upper cabinets or walls lighter exteriors brown
tones like silhouette. They're great outdoors too. You could try
it on trim to highlight certain architectural details, or even
use it as an alternative to black for a softer,
(33:40):
more natural look. Now, the thing about brown and silhouette
in particular is that it's inherently comforting. You know, you
pick that up as we're walking through the rooms. There's
other rooms we could look at, but what you're getting
with silhouette is this comforting tone, you know, a soothing
sense of security that it brings to a space. Rich
Brown's work really well in rooms that you want to
retire to in the evening. They create, you know, kind
(34:03):
of an inviting, relaxing atmosphere. Whether you color drench your
space in one shade or layer a selection of similar
tones across different surfaces, painting a room brown really creates
a cozy feel. That's kind of the bottom line. Now,
as many of you know, when Benjamin Moore releases a
color of the Year color, they also release a number
of color trends colors, you know, supporting actor colors, and
(34:25):
this year there are seven and they're all designed to
work well together. They can kind of be divided into
what we maybe could call some pale tones and some
mid tones, so maybe two different groups if you want
to think about them that way. The pale tones include
Swiss Coffee, which is kind of a warm, creamy white.
It's already one of Benjamin Moore's bestsellers. There's First Crush,
(34:46):
which is a neutral with a little bit of blush undertones.
So it's got a little bit of a pink vibe
to it, but very very subtle. There's Batique that's a
dusty mauve that really's got a lot more pink to it.
That one's not my favorite, to be honest. Bautique kind
of feels like a banunk. I didn't really like that one,
but hey, it's just me. If you love it, go
(35:08):
for it. Rain Dance that's another one that we'd kind
of lump into the pails. Maybe it's a steely green
with gray undertones, you know, really organic, you know, a
mineral quality to it. Really nice colors, except for maybe Bautique.
Sorry Boutique, Uh sorry, Bautique. The mid tones, let's just
move on a couple mid tones. Three different mid tones.
(35:28):
Narroganzt green it's a deep blackened teal, Southwest pottery you
can picture what that is, a warm terracotta tone, and
sherewood tan now, the idea is that these colors can
stand alone or work together. Silhouette pairs beautifully with Swiss
coffee for contrast, or you could use it with Sherwood
tan for a tonal kind of layered approach. First crush
can soften spaces dominated by deeper tones, on and on
(35:51):
and on and on. These aren't just random colors thrown together.
That's the main thing to take away from this. They're
designed to kind of create a balance, colors that can
on top of one another without fighting for attention. So
looking at Benjamin Moore's Color Trends for twenty twenty six,
it's all about warmth and connection to nature and comfort
and creating a RESTful space. And like any of the
(36:12):
color Trends colors throughout the year, the biggest message is
to pick whatever color works best for you. Whether Silhouette
is one of those colors or any of these color
trends colors, maybe those are the colors that work for
you and they're speaking to you right now. But if
they're not, go find what is you know. That's what
it's all about. Find what you love, you know, Just
think about what you want to feel when you're in
(36:33):
that particular space that you're painting and bring those ideas
to Repcolite. We'll help you find the colors that get
you there, and will also help you make sure that
you're choosing tones that you'll still love in five years.
All right, that's going to do it for today. But
before I wrap it up, I got to talk about
that contest quickly, super simple. Just go to our Facebook
and Instagram pages and find our contest post. Or if
(36:54):
you want an even simpler path, just go to repcolite
dot com. Click the contest banner on the homepage. That's
going to provide you with the links that take you
directly to the Instagram and the Facebook posts that I'm
talking about. Either way, get to those posts and in
the comments tell us which of the twenty twenty six
color trends colors moves you and which room they move
you to paint. For example, one of the comments out
(37:15):
there right now is rain Dance would look great in
my laundry room. That's all I'm looking for. So whatever
color moves you, whatever room it moves you to paint,
leave a comment, and on November sixteen, I'll draw four
random winners from everybody who had something to say on
those posts, and those four people will each win a
two hundred and fifty dollars Rep Coollite Gift certificate. So again,
head to repcollite dot com, click the contest banner on
(37:38):
the homepage, and get your comments in. All right, that's
officially going to do it. If you enjoyed this episode
and you'd like to hear more like it, we really
encourage you to subscribe to the podcast. You can do
that wherever you listen to podcasts, of course, everybody knows
that by now. And also if you did like the
content and you wouldn't mind leaving us a review, that
would be great. It helps other people find the show
(38:00):
and that really helps us out. All right, thanks so
much for listening for Home in Progress. I'm Dan Hansen.
I'll see you next time.
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