Britain's bestselling paints are nothing if not prolific . . . in the myriad ways they name shades of off-white. But considerable ingenuity also goes into describing the up and coming colours of grey and blue. We asked paint manufacturers and DIY stores for their current colour success stories:

1 B&Q’s top seller remains its value matt emulsion in magnolia. But beiges and coffees are rising up the charts. Coffee shades are also popular at Fads.

2 Treacle Tart, a dark beige, is the most popular paint in Dulux’s new palette. Other hits include Tawny Crest, “a new neutral”, and Crested Moss, a toned-down lime.

3 Crown’s top sellers are: Ivory Cream, Cream White, Egyptian Sand, Pale Gold, Taupe, Powder Blue and hot red English Fire.

4 Silica White — “a subtle off-white that provides a powerful canvas accepting of colour and enlarging space” — is Fired Earth’s biggest seller. Kevin McCloud, a designer as well as a TV presenter, developed the range.

5 Bleached lilac is number one at earthBorn, whose products are free of environmentally unsound VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

6 Pointing, named for the lime pointing in brickwork, is Farrow & Ball’s No 1. Other favourites are New White and Lime White.

7 Classic Cream reigns supreme at Homebase, but magnolia and stone are also well-loved shades.

8 Glitter Glaze (gold), King’s Gold and Morris Blue, a William Morris-inspired shade, are the top three sellers at Craig & Rose, a manufacturer of paint since 1829.

9 Sugar Pink is the shade that Cath Kidston customers are most eager to put on their walls. They renovate their old furniture with Nursery Blue, Apple Green and Campanula.

10 Thames Mud is the number one at Paint and Paper Library, a design business. The name “evokes images of the muddy tones found on the banks of the River Thames”.

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