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2021's earthy palette includes Benjamin Moore's Aegean Teal. (Photo courtesy Benjamin Moore)
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2021's earthy palette includes Sherwin Williams' Urbane Bronze. (Photo courtesy Sherwin Williams)
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2021's earthy palette includes Farrow & Ball's Preference Red. (Photo courtesy Farrow & Ball)
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Pantone's Illuminating and Ultimate Gray (Photo courtesy Pantone)
The 2021 colors of the year from major paint brands include a rich and varied palette of vivid reds, calming blues and dramatic earth tones that both bolster and soothe our senses.
“Color is extremely important, and people are looking for ways to make their home more joyful,” says Gary Inman, owner of Gary Inman Interior Design and an advisor to the High Point Market Style Spotters, a group that tracks home-fashion trends.
The HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams 2021 color of the year, Passionate, a bold red that’s part of the Delightfully Daring color collection, is a prime example. “As we spend more time at home, we’ve begun to uncover what truly makes us happy,” the Sherwin-Williams website explains. “[We’re] immersing ourselves into the colors and experiences that feed our soul.” Farrow & Ball’s Preference Red strikes a similar vein.
Pantone, the global color authority, selected two independent colors: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating, the latter a vibrant, cheerful yellow, as its 2021 colors. According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, their picks highlight how different elements come together to express a message of hope and fortitude, while injecting a dose of sunshine and positivity in any room.
Also making waves are the blue-green in both Aegean Teal, Benjamin Moore’s 2021 color of the year, and Aqua Fiesta, Glidden’s first-ever accent color of the year. For a truer blue, there are Behr’s Jean Jacket Blue and Nocturne Blue; Valspar’s Blissful Blue and Lucy Blue; and Farrow & Ball’s Ultra Marine and Pitch Blue, with the latter described as “a strong cobalt blue, with a dose of black pigment, that takes its name from the dark sticky tar often used in roofing."
In addition, “there is an embrace of organic materials and colors as a response to COVID,” Inman explains. “Nature equals serenity and safety.” An example is Sherwin-Williams’ 2021 color of the year, Urbane Bronze, a saturated gray-brown.
“Autumn colors like cognac, cinnamon and burnt orange are very strong, and will be for a few seasons,” Inman adds. Think Behr’s Maple Glaze, Saffron Strands and Cellini Gold, as well as Valspar’s Maple Leaf.
In a twist, PPG has selected its first-ever color palette of the year, which is a trio. Transcend, described on the company’s website as “a midtone oatmeal-colored hue”; Big Cypress, “a shaded ginger”; and Misty Aqua, “a watercolor cerulean blue,” are all part of 14 natural hues grouped in this year’s most apt name: Be Well.
