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 size aggregates, materials and pigments to make our buildings more beautiful.

Weston Stucco is introducing a brand new color chart this year and it coincides with their 19th anniversary. Their extensive and capable merchandising department has been scouring the globe to access the newest trends and colors. In years past Weston Stucco has used their clientele of capable color coordinators that worked for local building developers and home builders’. This year, however, they took a more cosmopolitan approach and studied trends that were coming out of the largest fashion markets. It is very important to stay abreast of trends in design and color. The color chart like paint fan decks is used extensively in architectural offices and design centers to begin the process of choosing colors 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 color for well know stars and celebrities such as, Jennifer Anniston, Dennis Rodman, Sly Stallone, just to name a few.
 
We have discussed before how natural products make us feel more comfortable. It is logical that materials and colors that are found in nature would be the colors we choose to lower stress in our living and work spaces. Over time, with trends in fashion and advertising and the need to change, colors 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 color tones and never run out of variation. As for man-made trends, we are ever looking for things that excite and deliver“newness” to our homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Through fashion, these are ever evolving. Fashion is a big contributor to interior and exterior color design. Some colors may take on a more important role in certain climate locations, such as reds are more popular in colder climates and blues are more popular in warmer climates. Overall, neutral tones can compliment any design, and, therefore, are used in any location. In the 1980’s pastels were very popular in stucco. The color charts were full of light yellows pinks and beiges. If you look at those charts now they are terribly dated! But just think about a picture of yourself from the 80’s, See the mullet and clothes it’s laughable! This is what makes it so much fun though. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s 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 portecocheres. Now the look is contemporary. Spaces are large and simple without clutter. Exteriors are going to a clean monolithic appearance with natural cement colors. In commercial interior spaces, some have exposed HVAC systems and real or replicated poured in place walls. Weston Stucco has had a huge resurgence in an old product called Super Stucco Finish This material was originally 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 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 in downtown New York, Los Angeles, and other urban areas.

Ten years ago the market was flooded with real 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 difficult to make the design community aware of the fact that lime is perfectly suited for contemporary designs. The resin plasters are beautiful, shiny and really can add flavor and excitement to walls and ceilings. The industrial look has become very popular and many architectural firms have this beautiful “minimalized” interior space

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

Weston Stucco has always been the leader in choosing new and exciting colors on color 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 colors in the Weston Stucco database! Now we have Vero Italian Finishes that is building a repertoire of great color for lime and resin. Vero has even started carrying Modern Masters for metallic’s and pearlescent additives. Don’t forget to preview the new colors of the Weston Stucco Web-site: www.westonstucco.com