Color Of The Year 2021

Hey there and welcome! It’s a new year with new color trends. It’s been interesting watching what the color trend forecasters and paint companies have to say for this year. And slightly frustrating in my opinion. I share more with you on that later. Now though, let’s jump into what the picks are for Color Of The Year 2021 from the best sources.

Pantone: Ultimate Gray 17-5104 and Illuminating 13-0647

Pantone is the go-to guru for color trend forcasting. They are not strangers to picking 2 colors of the year either. Back in 2016 they picked out a rose quartz pink and a serentiy blue to share the title. This year they’ve once again selected 2 contrasting colors to fight for attention. It’s not surprising that Ultimate Gray was selected, as it seems to be still a hot color for home design. The neon yellow of Illuminating though is a surprising pop of color, but pairs so well with the gray.

The pair are meant to convey warmth and optimism, being both practical and strong. Together the colors bring a feeling of happiness, and hope that everything will be getting righter.

Benjamin Moore: Aegean Teal 2136-40

Benjamin Moore creates some of my favorite paints, and their pick for Color of the Year is gorgeous. It’s also right on trend with popular home design colors. It’s a soothing color during troubled times that have been seeing more people forced to stay home and stare at their walls.

Sherwin Williams: Urbane Bronze SW 7048

Touted as the new (or is it returning?) neutral, this dark brown is very earthy and comforting. This color was picked as a ground choice for our homes, which has suddenly become more of a haven than ever. It’s no coincidence that this earthy color was chosen as more and more people are trying to get back in touch with nature, creating an increased demand for houseplants, garden spaces, and natural lighting, amongst the concrete landscapes of our cities.

Beauti-Tone: Dancing In The Rain C20-5-0644-0

Not missing the memo for a soothing color choice, Behr’s Color of the Year pick for 2021 is also a calm shade of blue. It’s very tranquil and serene, designed to give us peace of mind. It’s a beautiful muted blue that will suit many homes and design styles.

PPG/ Dulux: Transcend PPG1079-4, Big Cypress PPG1062-5, Misty Aqua PPG1147-3

Not wanting to miss out on the action, these guys also decided to go with more than one choice- mind you a much simpler version than you’ll see from Behr. It’s a trio of colors that coordinate very well together. They are also soothing, earthy, and comforting tones which are fitting for the needs of most homes this year. This trio also represents beauty, and the importance of the wellness of mind, body, and spirit. These color choices ask us to be mindful, and intentional with our energy.

Behr: 21 Color Palette

Behr either couldn’t decide, or couldn’t bother to decide, on a single color for 2021 Color Of The Year and selected a whole bunch of colors for a 2021 Color Trend Palette instead. 21 colors to be precise for the year 2021. Very concise list. They even narrowed it down made sure to be inclusive and picked everything from neutral shades of white, to brick reds, to mint green. One thing they did do was try to group them into themes such as casual comfort, calm zone, subtle focus, quiet haven, optimistic view, and outdoor escape.

Note: After writing the piece above I came across a new release from a Behr representative describing their thought process behind these specifically curated colors. They took their color trend inspirations from research into food, pop culture, fashion, etc to find colors that would help diyers to elevate their homes during these hard times. A sense of Elevated Comfort.

Thoughts and Opinions on the Color Choices for 2021

The Good

First, let’s talk about the common theme: a soothing and calming color choice during volatile circumstances. All of the companies had an underlying theme in mind of presenting calm and comforting colors for the 2021 year. I’m really enjoying the deep and rich tones of the Sherwin Williams pick; Urbane Bronze.

The Bad

Here is why I am disappointed by the color trend palette concept. While the colors are appealing in their small groups or individually, this format doesn’t make sense to me. No one is going to put all of these colors into a single home. Especially during a time where the trend is to stay simple and use one color (or a couple of similar shades) throughout the entire home. And many people rely on checking the color of the year and color forecast to pick out a new paint color for their home, businesses, or rentals. If even the paint companies can’t decide on a single color to promote, how can a single person who is color shy feel confident in picking a new color?

Yes, I am here, as well as many other color consultants are here, to help you with paint selection pains and color shyness. Yes, selecting a Color Of The Year is fun and entertaining, and really shouldn’t affect what color you choose to put in your home. But the truth is that it does matter.

And there is normally a deeper message behind the picking of a color for the year. It’s a representation of the current events, design trends, and suppose to make a statement. This is something I really look forward to; understanding the psychology behind the color selection. Now, if along with the releasing of a set Color Palette was a message about inclusivity, protecting the rights of all humans, and standing up for our neighbours, then heck yes, I’d be on board. But there hasn’t been much mentioned on the deeper meaning of selecting an overwhelming number of colors for a trends palette. In fact, it took a few different pages and links on Behr’s own website before I found this article talking about what their purpose in choosing these colors was. The reasoning was to give homeowners a way to add color to their homes and elevate them while being comforting. I feel they missed the mark with this concept. More could have been done, but wasn’t.

Your Thoughts on the Color Of The Year 2021 Picks

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this. Do you disagree with my sentiments? Do you feel I am reading into the color selection too much? Or do you agree with where I am coming from?

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