50 YEARS OF STUCCO COLORS TORONTO

When you think about stucco, there are many ways to categorize it: functionality, installation, durability, patching, etc. The reason for cement stucco is really how it looks on the outside of our structures. As a society, we start with function and move to esthetics. We started with packing mud over a straw to keep the weather out, and now we are using different sizes of aggregates, materials and pigments to make our buildings more beautiful.

Weston Stucco is introducing a brand new colour chart this year, and it coincides with their 19th anniversary. Their extensive and capable merchandising department has been scouring the globe to access the latest trends and colours. In years past, Weston Stucco has used its clientele of capable colour coordinators who worked for local building developers and home builders.

This year, however, they took a more cosmopolitan approach and studied trends emerging from the largest fashion markets. It is essential to stay abreast of trends in design and colour. The colour chart, like paint fan decks, is used extensively in architectural offices and design centers to begin the process of choosing colours for our most popular buildings and homes.

Here in the capital of “glitz and glamour,” it is not uncommon for Weston Stucco and Vero’s marketing departments to help choose colour for well-known stars and celebrities such as Jennifer Anniston, Dennis Rodman, and Sly Stallone, to name a few.
 
We have discussed before how natural products make us feel more comfortable. Logically, materials and colours that are found in nature would be the colours we choose to lower stress in our living and work spaces.

​ Over time, with trends in fashion and advertising and the need to change, colours do tend to ebb and flow in terms of popularity. However, earth tones tend to stay at the forefront as we see them in nature every day. Just think about the last time you went to a park or out in the forest. How many different greens did you see?

There is an infinite variety of hues and textures to look at. This is why we can stay with natural colour tones and never run out of variation. As for man-made trends, we are always looking for things that excite and deliver“newness” to our homes, neighbourhoods, and workplaces.

Through fashion, these are ever-evolving. Fashion is a significant contributor to interior and exterior colour design. Some colours may take on a more critical role in specific climate locations, such as reds are more popular in colder climates and blues are more popular in warmer climates. Overall, neutral tones can complement any design and, therefore, are used in any location.
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In the 1980s, pastels were very popular in stucco. The colour charts were full of light yellows, pinks, and beiges. If you look at those charts now, they are dated! But think about a picture of yourself from the 80s, see the mullet and clothes, it’s laughable! This is what makes it so much fun, though. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was all about “Tuscan” and “Mediterranean”. It was not uncommon to hear the owner ask that the house “look 200 years old “when it was completed.

They did a lot with “distressed” wood timbers and exposed beams, ancient-looking balustrades, and a porte-cochere.

Now the look is contemporary. Spaces are large and simple without clutter.

Exteriors are going to have a clean monolithic appearance with natural cement colours. In commercial interior spaces, some have exposed HVAC systems and real or replicated poured-in-place walls.

Weston Stucco has had a massive resurgence in an old product called Super Stucco Finish. This material was initially used in locker rooms, industrial kitchens and large areas that had moisture much of the time. This material was applied over a brown coat as an exterior smooth Santa Barbara Finish and then painted. Now calls come in from all over the world looking for a natural cement product for showers in high-end luxury lofts like those in downtown New York, Los Angeles, and other urban areas.

Ten years ago, the market was flooded with authentic and knock-off “Venetian Plasters”. Now, the contemporary market is using lime and resin to achieve that natural “clean look”.  Weston Stucco is an importer of real Dolomitic Lime from Trieste, Italy. When the demand for aged buildings lessened, it was challenging to make the design community aware that lime is ideally suited for contemporary designs.

The resin plasters are beautiful, shiny, and can add flavour and excitement to walls and ceilings. The industrial look has become very popular, and many architectural firms have this lovely “minimalized” interior space.e

Toronto Fashion Week is held each spring, showcasing its colours for the following year’s colour palette. This influences everything from clothing styles and colours to paint fan decks and building facades. 

Weston Stucco has always been the leader in choosing new and exciting colours on colour charts, and designers are used to working with a company that is as discriminating as they are.

So here is to 50 years of service and thousands of colours in the Weston Stucco database! Now we have Vero Italian Finishes that are building a repertoire of great colours for lime and resin. Vero has even started carrying Modern Masters for metallics and pearlescent additives. Don’t forget to preview the new colours of the Weston Stucco Website: www.westonstucco.com