-By AnnMarie Marano

One of—if not the—simplest and most classic of decorative tools can be used in a multitude of ways to transform walls into art, rather than just a typical surface. Today, decorative painting technologies and techniques can offer varying textures, designs, and finishes, allowing for myriad aesthetics.

"The appearance is not just of one solid color," Jackie Jordan, Sherwin-Williams director of color marketing, explains of the company's Softsuede and Sandscapes decorative paints. Each adds a different type of texture to the wall thanks to a sand-like element added to the product.

"Going forward we'll see more color blocking with decorative finishes, which is where you may use one wall of a space to create some mosaic excitement," says Deborah Zimmer, paint and color expert with the Paint Quality Institute—the educational arm of the Rohm and Haas Company, providers of the raw materials and technologies that go into a can of paint. Color blocking creates a mosaic as each blocked off area is painted with a different hue. Many hospitality spaces employ this technique in lobby areas, perhaps, behind an interesting piece of art or a big screen TV, Zimmer explains. While color blocking creates a sense of visual depth on the two-dimensional surface, adding actual texture to walls is very big right now, as well. "Texture is a huge trend in commercial spaces," Zimmer notes, "especially as a sandy texture or a Venetian plaster-like finish."

Another popular decorative technique, color washing adds a mixture of glaze and paint to a previously applied layer of paint. Depending on the desired affect, the more glaze added, the more transparent the effect becomes. Benjamin Moore offers a line called "Studio Finishes" with a "Studio Finishes Glaze" that is available in both latex and alkyd-based formulas and creates a discernible depth of color on the surface. Also available in the line are metallic glazes and topcoats called "Glitter Effect" and "Glow-in-the Dark." Jim Rayball, product manager for Studio Finishes, says, "You can see through the layers of paint to varying degrees below." The line provides a tool belt of products that can achieve multifarious levels of intensity depending on how they are applied.

As with all interior, furnishings, and finishes these days, environmental concerns rise to the surface with decorative paint. Four components comprise a can of paint: the binder, which keeps all the elements in a paint together; additives that account for application properties like how well the paint flows off the applicator, as well as mildicides and preservatives; pigments; and the carrier, such as water for a latex-based product. "We're seeing a huge trend in producing materials that are suitable for use in reduced-VOC products," says Zimmer. "The drive is to produce the raw materials around the binder and additive side that help a paint become more environmentally responsible, as well as more washable and durable."