Designers are Calling Burgundy This Year's Big Color Trend

As 2026 approaches, interior designers are anticipating a shift in paint color trends towards warm, bold, and nature-inspired tones, moving beyond the standard creamy whites and sandy beiges that have long dominated interiors. These emerging trends reflect a desire for calming, lived-in environments, while also embracing more vibrant and dramatic hues. Deep purple, particularly eggplant-inspired shades, is identified as a significant trend. These rich, warm colors, with their red undertones, are suitable for both cabinetry and walls, adding a sense of luxury and drama while maintaining a cozy and calming atmosphere. This signals a departure from strictly neutral palettes, encouraging bolder statements in home decor. Similarly, inky blues are gaining prominence. While blue is a perennial favorite, the current focus is on deeper, muted tones like indigo, navy, and dark teal. Designers note a movement away from soft blues towards these more intense shades, which can be incorporated into walls, cabinetry, and furniture, reflecting a broader embrace of vibrant colors. For those seeking a neutral with more character, khaki is presented as a versatile alternative to off-white or light beige. This shade offers a slightly darker, yet still bright and light, option that can be used across various rooms and elements, including walls, cabinetry, furniture, doors, and trim. Yellow ochre is set to replace the butter yellow trend of 2025, offering a deeper and more timeless appeal. C2 Paints has even named an ochre shade, Epernay, as its 2026 Color of the Year. This moodier yellow pairs well with dark wood tones, making it ideal for spaces like libraries or guest bedrooms, and contributes to an elevated aesthetic. Terracotta continues its reign as a favored neutral-adjacent tone. Its earthy, warm, and nostalgic qualities make it an upbeat choice for brightening spaces and adding charm. Terracotta works effectively on flooring and complements both light and dark-toned furniture, demonstrating its adaptability across different design styles. Earthy greens, a dominant interior color in recent years, are expected to remain popular, particularly deep shades such as olive green and muted forest greens. These nature-inspired tones create a grounded and cozy feel, with Dunn-Edwards’ 2026 Color of the Year, Midnight Garden, exemplifying this trend with its sophisticated and dramatic green hue. Finally, dramatic jewel tones, including emeralds, sapphires, deep teals, and rich burgundies, are expected to continue their influence. These rich hues bring depth and drama, replacing lighter, more subdued palettes. The prominence of jewel tones in various 2026 Color of the Year announcements from brands like Behr, Graham & Brown, and Clark + Kensington further solidifies their status as a key trend for those looking to make a bold color statement. #PaintColorTrends #InteriorDesign #HomeDecor #ColorOfTheYear #EarthyNeutrals #BoldColors #JewelTones #DeepPurples #InkyBlues

The Color of the Year (COTY) is a significant annual design trend that aims to capture the prevailing spirit of the time and inspire interior design choices. Experts from leading brands such as HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams, Valspar, and York Wallcoverings reveal that the selection process is a sophisticated blend of data analysis, observation, and creative foresight, extending 1-2 years before the official announcement. This meticulous approach ensures the chosen hue is not merely a fleeting trend but a meaningful representation of cultural attitudes and a forward-thinking design direction. Sue Kim, Director of Color Marketing at Valspar, describes the COTY as "trend-worthy, forward-thinking, beautiful, and livable," acting as a cultural moment to ignite conversations around color. Carol Miller, a trend expert with York Wallcoverings, emphasizes that COTY selections build excitement and connect interiors with the artistry and glamour seen in other industries like fashion. Beyond identifying trends, these color choices help consumers visualize new colors and combinations, encouraging them to incorporate these hues into their homes in innovative ways. Ashley Banbury, Color Marketing Manager at HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams, notes that their brand often creates a "Color Collection of the Year," with the COTY representing the overarching theme and feeling of the collection. The accompanying photography and design ideas showcase the featured color, alongside complementary shades and versatile applications, offering a comprehensive palette for a cohesive and fresh look. The COTY serves as a strategic tool, providing direction for color selection, stimulating innovative home design projects, and offering creative solutions for homeowners and DIY enthusiasts. The selection process is deeply rooted in extensive trend research across various sectors, including pop culture, media, fashion, design, technology, and food. Experts continuously research and observe global lifestyle trends to understand how people are living and what colors they are gravitating towards for their homes. This also involves examining emerging and long-standing design and decorating preferences specific to home interiors. Brands also analyze their internal data, such as sample orders and paint tint particulars, to forecast upcoming color trends. York Wallcoverings, for instance, monitors the trend curve of current and future production colors, combining this with sales data, consumer polls, and runway fashion insights to identify dominant or recurring colors. Market factors and distribution channels also play a crucial role, influencing selections based on the target audience, the typical scale of spaces, and how the color interacts with other design components to create aesthetic coherence. For wallcoverings, the diversity of the chosen color and its ability to complement various interior design styles are paramount due to the large-scale nature of their application. Predictive research is another critical element, where experts anticipate what will be culturally relevant during the year the color is launched. For example, research for the 2025 Color Collection of the Year, "Naturally Refined," indicated a societal need for calm and quiet in homes, influencing the selection of soothing tones to counter external pressures. The research, analysis, and evaluation are ongoing, with experts constantly observing the evolution of design aesthetics and how colors respond to these shifts. Although chosen years in advance, COTY selections are expected to gain momentum, growing in presence rather than being transient trends. While various brands release their own COTYs, similarities often reflect broader cultural shifts and nuanced industry changes, representing a harmonious blend of art and science in color forecasting. #ColorOfTheYear #InteriorDesign #HomeDecor #ColorTrends #DesignTrends #ColorMarketing #PaintColors #HomeImprovement

Neutral colors like beige and gray are classic choices for interior painting, but jewel-tone paint colors offer a rich alternative, especially with current trends favoring color drenching and maximalism. This article explores 12 designer-approved jewel-tone paint colors that can infuse a space with vibrant, gemstone-inspired hues, whether for a subtle accent or an all-over color scheme. Each color selection is accompanied by insights from interior designers on its characteristics, recommended applications, and complementary pairings. Deep Sea Dive by Sherwin Williams is highlighted as a rich teal, balancing blue and green. Interior designer Margarita Bravo suggests pairing it with brass to emphasize warm tones and achieve a polished finish. Benjamin Moore's Dark Burgundy is presented as a bold and feminine color that adds warmth, particularly effective in cozy rooms like bedrooms when combined with other jewel tones such as deep emerald green. Ripe Olive by Sherwin-Williams offers a warm, inviting green that brings nature indoors, ideal for living rooms or kitchens. Karla Alvarado, a renovations developer, recommends pairing it with soft grays like Sherwin-Williams' Pewter or Taupe Tone for a modern yet cozy aesthetic. Benjamin Moore Blue, a pure azure, is noted by Feng Shui expert Laura Morris for evoking mystery, wonder, knowledge, and spiritual growth. Morris suggests this sapphire and indigo blue for spaces dedicated to personal growth activities like reading, meditation, or yoga. Copper Mountain by Sherwin-Williams is described as a chameleon-like shade inspired by Southwestern colors, or oranges and reds. Joyce Huston, lead interior designer at Decorilla, praises its ability to glow like a new penny in morning light and deepen to an earthy tone in the evening, making it suitable for a combined living and workspace. Benjamin Moore's Jade Green, like the stone, is a vibrant, earthy color that signifies abundance, joy, and prosperity. Morris recommends it for powder rooms with light-colored stone finishes to create revitalizing energy. Bamboozle by Farrow & Ball is a deep, rich green with a hint of blue, offering depth and complexity that shifts with light. Huston notes its ability to create an intriguing atmosphere and suggests pairing it with brass or gold accents and indoor plants for a nature-inspired look. New York State of Mind by Benjamin Moore, a sapphire-inspired deep blue, can make a bold statement or create a calming environment. Interior designer Alexandra Peck favors it for cabinetry, particularly kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanities, and has also used it for walls, wood trim, and ceilings for a super-saturated effect. Behr's Emerald evokes a feeling of nature and can be combined with natural materials like wood and stone. Evelina Juzėnaitė, principal interior designer at Planner 5D, highlights its elegance and calm, recommending it for bedrooms and workspaces to encourage focus. Smouldering Red by Benjamin Moore, with warm orange and brown undertones, is a powerful and auspicious color. Morris suggests this garnet-like shade for a front door to make a bold statement, balancing well with pale gray and black exterior finishes. Glidden's Onyx is described as a sophisticated, mysterious, and deep jewel tone that can also function as a neutral. Juzėnaitė recommends pairing it with lighter, more neutral colors and materials such as metal, wood, gold, and stone. Finally, Etruscan by Benjamin Moore is presented as a safe option for those new to vibrant jewel tones, offering a rich, earthy red with captivating depth. Huston finds it warm, inviting, and sophisticated, particularly suitable for living rooms and libraries to create a cozy, enveloping atmosphere. #JewelToneColors #InteriorDesign #PaintColors #HomeDecor #ColorDrenching #MaximalistDesign #DesignerFavorites #ColorPalettes

Trend forecasting companies annually announce their 'Color of the Year,' aiming to predict and influence aesthetic trends across various industries, including home design, fashion, and consumer products. For 2025, a diverse range of colors has been put forth, creating a debate about the true influence of these announcements versus their role as marketing tools. Behr's pick, 'Rumors,' a deep ruby-red, along with Glidden's 'Purple Basil' and Krylon's 'Hammered Black,' align with emergent aesthetics such as 'Dark Academia' and 'castlecore.' WGSN's 'Future Dusk' similarly reflects a moody tone, while Diamond Vogel introduced a mossy hue reminiscent of 2024's 'Brat Green.' In contrast, Pantone, a significant player in color forecasting, declared 'Mocha Mousse' as its 2025 Color of the Year—a soft brown shade, marking its first brown selection in 25 years. This choice, echoed by Benjamin Moore and Dunn-Edwards with similar taupes and dusty-clay colors, is described by Pantone as nurturing and comforting. While some associate 'Mocha Mousse' with comfort food or 1990s internet cafe vibes, others have drawn less flattering comparisons, leading to discussions about the phenomenon of 'enshittification.' Sherwin-Williams's Color Capsule also features several beiges and browns. These varied predictions raise questions about the authenticity and impact of these annual color announcements. Companies like Glidden assert that their choices are data-driven, based on demographic and lifestyle trends, societal influences, and textile market analysis, rather than arbitrary selections. Glidden's Ashley McCollum notes that 2025's consumers value individuality, self-reliance, comfort, and safety, which Glidden believes 'Purple Basil' reflects. Many 2025 color picks, including purple, blue, black, green, and brown, draw inspiration from nature, offering a sense of security and coziness in a world facing increasing concerns like climate change. Diamond Vogel's Sandy Agar-Studelska explains that muted colors like 'Rediscover' and 'Mocha Mousse' are embracing and calm, reinforcing the home as a sanctuary for destressing. Despite claims of extensive research, the methodologies behind these selections are often proprietary. However, the 'Color of the Year' concept effectively captures consumer attention and can significantly influence purchasing decisions. Paint brands, for instance, undertake substantial marketing efforts to promote their chosen colors, leading to increased sales. The influence extends beyond paint, with Pantone's announcement triggering a wave of products, from pillows and cars to hair dyes, designed to match the 'Color of the Year.' Pantone actively collaborates with brands like Joybird, Motorola, and Libratone to release products in its signature hue. Consumers may also be subconsciously influenced. Wallpaper designer Fiona Howard suggests that even if individuals are unaware of 'Mocha Mousse,' the trend permeates everyday items, subtly shaping their preferences for certain colors. Leo Livshetz of UnHide notes that mocha-colored products were already bestsellers, indicating a pre-existing demand for such neutral, earthy tones that offer a sense of escape. The various 'Color of the Year' selections are best viewed as components of a larger mood board, guiding the design industry in a common direction and simplifying choices for consumers. Jacob Musselman of the North American Hardware and Paint Association highlights their utility for retailers in stocking trending items and for consumers seeking alternatives to dated trends like 'Millennial gray,' which many now perceive as sterile. Ultimately, these announcements serve as marketing strategies to generate excitement around new products and drive consumer spending, even if some critics find the choices unadventurous. Lucinda Law, a color expert, points out that the annual color announcements are crucial for brands to differentiate products and make existing items feel fresh and desirable in a saturated market. #ColorOfTheYear #Pantone #InteriorDesignTrends #HomeDecor #ColorForecasting #MarketingInfluence #ConsumerBehavior #AestheticZeitgeist #DesignIndustry