Break out your brushes and head to the hardware store—the colors of the year are here
The beginning of a new year comes with so many fun traditions, but one of our personal favorites is finally learning the hotly anticipated colors of the year. These are shades that trend forecasters believe you’ll be seeing everywhere, from dinnerware to your very trendy neighbor’s throw pillows.
So what's in store for us in 2022? Will it be a pastel, a bold jewel tone, or an earthy tan? Whether you're searching for a new shade for your living room walls or a new trim color, these paint colors will match the tone of the year ahead.
Design companies spend a significant amount of time crowning the next color of the year, and for a good reason. This color can have a significant cultural and economic impact, trickling down from high fashion to consumer products.
Research for these colors begins months in advance. Throughout the year, the team looks for trends in everyday life and a color they feel will embody the year ahead.
So, what hues made the list after a very eventful 2021? Before you chat with your local interior designer, get in the know with the favorite hues of the year.
It's official, the 2022 Pantone Color of the Year is Very Peri. This soft yet lively tone comes from the violet family, toeing the line between blue and purple. According to Pantone, Very Peri's "courageous presence encourages personal inventiveness and creativity." The tone aims to encourage transformation in a year of change and inspire innovation, curiosity, and courage.
Where to use this color: The balanced periwinkle works in a range of spaces, but its touch of vibrancy makes it a great contender for accent walls and other bold choices. Brighten up a whole home office or choose one accent wall in a living room, dining room, and kitchen. Energize the vibe of a bathroom, especially balanced against white trim.
Natural hues like blues and light purples are ideal for creating a sense of calm in your home, especially when used on interior walls. The difference here is that Very Peri has a bit more pop than your standard lavender, adding a sense of energy to a space.
Pantone famously chooses one color as its winner—though it did make waves by choosing two colors for 2021—but traditionally does not name a full palette like the paint brands.
Behr also announces popular color trends in December each year, and some inspirational hues also made its list. The top color of the year by Behr is Breezeway, a tranquil combination of silver and green that evokes seaside living. Behr adds that Breezway inspires "feelings of coolness and peace while representing a desire to move forward and discover newfound passions."
Unlike Pantone, Behr names a full palette of popular hues to try out in your home next year. A few of our favorites from the 2022 palette include:
Laurel Tree: This earthy, pale green fits in with the overall move toward green interiors in 2022 and pairs well with gray, tan, and other creams. Brighten up a guest bedroom by painting all the walls or adding to a colorful kitchen or dining room on accent areas.
Sunwashed Brick: This hue looks just as it sounds—like a pale brick on a historic building that crosses between red and a pale rose. Add it to a wall in a nursery, a playroom, or as a playful touch in the living room.
Basswood: Named for the popular carving wood, this hue lives in the tan family but has a light warmth to bring nature indoors. Create a warm energy in your dining room, especially when paired with a white ceiling and trim. This option is also a powerful contender for your home's exterior.
Ocean Abyss: One of the more vibrant hues on Behr's list, this deep, blue-green color makes a splash on accent walls while sticking with the natural theme of the rest of the home's colors. You can also create a peaceful haven in your home office or bedroom by filling the whole room with Ocean Abyss.
Great paint minds think alike. The Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year—while very different from Behr's—combines a delicate green and gray into another peaceful shade. The paint hue earns the name Evergreen Fog and depicts a misty morning in a pine-filled forest. Sherwin-Williams notes, "Evergreen Fog SW 9130 is a versatile and calming hue, a chameleon color of gorgeous green-meets-gray, with just a bit of blue."
Complementary colors pull from the forest as well, such as:
Bakelite gold: Combining the worlds of amber and tan, this paint color pops against a pale white or even as an accent with Evergreen Fog. Its vibrancy will also work well in the kitchen or a breakfast nook.
Shoji White: When choosing white paint for your interior walls, the full color wheel can affect which way the white leans. This one leans quite warm, adding a natural earthiness while still opening up the space. If you're looking to reflect natural light in a small room, this will still do the trick while still staying in an earthy color palette.
Uber Umber: This deep chestnut reflects the woodland energy of the color of the year and acts as both an accent hue and a bold choice for a cozy room. Add a bit of color to window or door trim or on an accent wall with plenty of windows with natural light.
October Mist 1495 tops the list of Benjamin Moore's colors of the year. Yet again, delicate and calm-inducing colors blend with the popular silver-and-green combination. While this pick is similar to some of the other paint companies’ favorites, the hue is still unique in its energy and is particularly delicate. Benjamin Moore adds, "This gently shaded sage quietly anchors a space, while encouraging individual expression through color."
The Benjamin Moore palette grounds a room in nature, bringing in the fresh colors of botanicals while remaining soft and pale. The company names these picks as part of the 2022 palette:
Hint of Violet: This tone reminds us of the Pantone pick but with a much larger silver and white presence. If you're looking for a softer hue with the same lavender touch, add Hint of Violet to a bedroom, living room, or kitchen to create a peaceful haven.
Wild Flower: The boldest color in the palette, this rose-forward warm hue provides a pop of color for kitchens, bathrooms, or accent walls.
Collectors Item: The vintage style is making a big splash in home decor across the board in 2021, so an antique white paint fits perfectly with the surrounding collection of soft earth tones. Line doorways, windows, or the doors themselves with this gentle tone or open up a room by opting for both walls and the ceiling.
It's not hard to spot the trend in the selected shades for this year's picks. Color experts and paint companies can sense that the world needs a balance of calm and creativity—-colors that move us forward while including some much-needed connection to the world’s beauty. Once you find your personal favorite, call in a local painting pro to transform your home for the new year.
