The annual Color of the Year releases are one of our favorite design rituals to follow (and try to predict). Major paint manufacturers choose a hue or palette they feel reflects or anticipates design trends. Some picks are bold, some are restrained, and occasional selections surprise us. Now that January is here, our 2026 Color of the Year roundup is complete — though one brand did not announce a pick. For context, we’ve linked recaps of our 2024 and 2025 round-ups for comparison.
As we did last year, we display each company’s recent picks here so you can watch how trends shift over time. Keep reading for the full 2026 list and our predictions at the end.
What is the 2026 Color of the Year?
There isn’t a single universal Color of the Year. Instead, multiple organizations — including Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and Pantone — name their own picks. Each brand uses its own research and methodology, but most are trying to capture cultural moods, design movements, or user needs. Themes frequently include a return to nature, a desire for calm, or a push toward hope and optimism.
What Were Last Year’s Colors?
Below are recaps of the 2024 and 2025 selections. In 2025 many brands favored moody browns, purples, and mauves, showing a surprising level of consistency. In contrast, 2024 featured more variety across warm, cool, light, and dark choices. The comparison helps illustrate how brands shift from year to year.
Will brands move back toward lighter, brighter palettes in 2026 after a very brown-leaning 2025? Or will they double down on deeper, moodier tones? Read on to see where 2026 landed.
Every 2026 Color of the Year
It took nearly six months for most 2026 Color of the Year announcements to appear. We track 15 brands; all but one released a selection. Here’s a summary list, with expanded notes below.
- Pantone: Cloud Dancer
- Benjamin Moore: Silhouette
- Sherwin-Williams: Universal Khaki
- Behr: Hidden Gem
- HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams: Universal Khaki
- Glidden: Warm Mahogany
- Valspar: Warm Eucalyptus
- Dunn-Edwards: Midnight Garden
- Dutch Boy: Melodious Ivory
- Krylon: Coffee Bean
- Rust-Oleum: Satin Lagoon
- Minwax: Special Walnut
- Graham & Brown: Divine Damson
- C2 Paint: Epernay
Below is a closer look at each brand’s pick and what it signals for 2026 trends.
Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year
Pantone chose Cloud Dancer, a clean white tone, as its 2026 Color of the Year — a surprising and understated pick compared with the brand’s usual bold, attention-grabbing choices. This selection highlights a continued appetite for calm, minimal backdrops where art, textiles, and colorful accents can shine.
Benjamin Moore’s 2026 Color of the Year
Benjamin Moore named Silhouette (AF-655) its 2026 Color of the Year. Described as a “burnt umber with delicate notes of charcoal,” Silhouette anchors the brand’s Refined Elegance trend. It’s a deep neutral frequently used as a softer alternative to black, reflecting the wider move toward warm, elegant neutrals.
Sherwin-Williams’ 2026 Color of the Year
Sherwin-Williams chose Universal Khaki, a warm earthy neutral, to lead its Tailored & Timeless forecast. The color and accompanying language — classic, simple, elegant — align with several other 2026 picks that emphasize comforting, grounded neutrals.
Behr’s 2026 Color of the Year
Behr’s pick, Hidden Gem, is a smoky jade described as mysterious and richly saturated while remaining muted enough for walls. It continues a multi-year trend at Behr toward darker, moodier colors and supports the wider movement toward full-room color treatments and deeper accent hues.
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams 2026 Color of the Year
HGTV Home opted not to name a unique Color of the Year and instead embraced Sherwin-Williams’ Universal Khaki. They did, however, present an Honest Essentials color collection that pairs Universal Khaki with a curated group of ten swatches focused on subtle contrasts and natural, restorative hues.
Glidden’s 2026 Color of the Year
Glidden named Warm Mahogany as its 2026 selection — a rich red that emphasizes rest, connection, and creativity. It aligns with other warm, saturated picks and feels like a natural extension of recent years’ darker, mood-forward choices.
Valspar’s 2026 Color of the Year
Valspar selected Warm Eucalyptus, a muted gray-green described as restful and grounding. Their messaging reframes neutrals as inviting and restorative, rather than colorless, and emphasizes calm, nature-inspired palettes.
Dunn-Edwards Color of the Year 2026
Dunn-Edwards chose Midnight Garden, a deep muted green with earthy undertones. It’s one of the more colorful selections in 2026 and evokes a quiet elegance — a moonlit garden rendered as a calming wall color.
Dutch Boy’s Color of the Year 2026
Dutch Boy picked Melodious Ivory, a warm cream chosen for its nostalgic, layered versatility. The brand illustrated the color with rustic-modern imagery that positions it as a comforting base that pairs well with stronger accents.
Krylon’s 2026 Color of the Year
Krylon named Coffee Bean as its pick. As a spray-paint brand with a narrower palette, Krylon’s selections tend to be bolder and more straightforward; Coffee Bean continues the trend of darker neutral tones in their lineup.
Rust-Oleum’s 2026 Color of the Year
Rust-Oleum selected Satin Lagoon, a hue meant to balance tranquility and vibrancy. Like other spray-paint brands, Rust-Oleum typically showcases brighter, more saturated shades, and Satin Lagoon offers a lively option that pairs well with both neutrals and bold accents.
Minwax’s 2026 Color of the Year
Minwax chose Special Walnut as its 2026 pick — a classic medium wood stain. The choice reflects interest in rustic wood tones and the growing trend of using stain more broadly across floors, ceilings, and furniture to create grounded, tactile interiors.
Graham & Brown’s 2026 Color of the Year
Graham & Brown picked Divine Damson, a deep saturated purple chosen to complement the brand’s wallpaper design direction. The color evokes luxury and sophistication and aligns with their history of refined, wallpaper-forward palettes.
C2 Paint’s 2026 Color of the Year
C2 Paint selected Epernay, an earthy ochre inspired by European craftsmanship and natural materials. The soft yellow-ochre sits within an “En Terre” palette that emphasizes artisan textures and grounded color stories.
Our 2026 Color of the Year Predictions
We like to make our own annual guesses. Below are the predictions we posted on August 1, 2025. While we didn’t land any exact matches, a few picks came close to our ideas.
Sherry’s Guesses
- A taupey-purple
- Emerald green
- Fire engine red
John’s Guesses
- A creamy white
- Rich navy
- Pink-ish terra cotta
Dutch Boy’s Melodious Ivory and C2 Paint’s Epernay were close to John’s “creamy white” guess in spirit — warmer and more saturated than a pure white but similar in role. Dunn-Edwards’ Midnight Garden sits near Sherry’s hoped-for emerald in tone, and Glidden’s Warm Mahogany approximates the terra cotta idea, albeit deeper.
More Paint Colors We Love
If you want additional paint color inspiration, we’ve cataloged many favorite hues across our projects. Here are a few deep-dive posts that highlight go-to whites, greiges, and other popular selections:
- Every 2025 Color of the Year
- Every 2024 Color of the Year
- The 12 Best White Paint Colors
- The Best Greige Paint Colors
- Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
- Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Sherwin-Williams Pure White
- Sherwin-Williams Extra White
- The 12 Best “Haint Blue” Paint Colors