Here it is: a roundup of every 2025 Color of the Year from 15 different color authorities. We enjoy tracking these announcements because they help us follow trends and compare how forecasts change over time. This post will also be useful when we start predicting 2026. A clear trend emerged for 2025 — keep reading to see which hues dominated the year.
As we did in our 2024 roundup, we compared each company’s past picks so you can see what’s trending for 2025 and how those forecasts have shifted. Reviewing past selections makes it easier to spot broader design and cultural influences that shape each year’s choices.
What is the 2025 Color of the Year?
There is no single universal color of the year. Multiple organizations — Pantone, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and others — each announce a color or a palette they believe will shape design trends for the coming year. Each group uses its own methodology, but the goal is the same: forecast hues we’ll see more of across paint, decor, fashion and product design. Sometimes these choices reflect broader trends, like a return to nature, or a cultural mood such as comfort or optimism.
What Were Last Year’s Colors?
In 2024, blues, warm neutrals, and a few vivid corals were prominent across the major picks. The prevalence of blue that year was often tied to a desire for soothing, calming home environments. Several brands grouped bolder hues into themes emphasizing renewed comfort and warmth.
So, will 2025 continue the trend toward comfort and calm, or will brighter, livelier colors take center stage? The announcements give a clear answer.
Every 2025 Color of the Year
By January 22, all tracked companies had announced their 2025 Colors of the Year (Rust-Oleum was the final announcement). Brown, caramel and purple tones were prominent across many selections.
- Pantone: Mocha Mousse
- Benjamin Moore: Cinnamon Slate
- Sherwin-Williams: Grounded (1 of 9 colors in a Color Capsule)
- Behr: Rumors
- HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams: Quietude
- Glidden: Purple Basil
- Valspar: Encore
- Dunn-Edwards: Caramelized
- Dutch Boy: Mapped Blue
- Krylon: Hammered Black
- Rust-Oleum: Satin Warm Caramel
- Minwax: Violet
- Graham & Brown: Elderton
- C2 Paint: Raku
- Stainmaster Paints: Truffle
Below we break down each company’s pick and note how it fits into wider trends. The repetition of caramel and brown tones across multiple brands is especially notable.
Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year
Pantone, which initiated the Color of the Year phenomenon, often picks bold tones that influence multiple industries. For 2025 they chose Mocha Mousse, a warm brown inspired by chocolate and coffee that leans toward comfort and sophistication. Compared with many past Pantone picks, Mocha Mousse is more muted and fits the broader warm-brown trend seen across other brands this year.
Benjamin Moore’s 2025 Color of the Year
Benjamin Moore selected Cinnamon Slate, a melding of heathered plum and velvety brown. The color is described as quietly colorful and fits neatly into the purple-brown family that was prevalent in 2025 announcements. It echoes Benjamin Moore’s approach in previous years of choosing nuanced, versatile shades.
The shade reads as restrained yet rich, a characteristic shared by several other 2025 picks.
Sherwin-Williams’ Color of the Year
Sherwin-Williams celebrated its 15th Color of the Year by releasing a nine-color Color Capsule rather than a single hue. The capsule’s palette ranges from muted earth tones to more vivid options, with Grounded listed first and representing the overall earthy, subdued direction of the collection. While a capsule provides variety, it departs from the single-color tradition and makes the announcement feel less definitive than previous singular picks.
The capsule favors practical, usable colors — even the brighter tones are presented in a way that encourages wide application across spaces. For those tracking single-color trends, the capsule approach complicates comparisons, but it does offer a curated set of coordinated options for designers and consumers.
Behr’s 2025 Color of the Year
Behr chose Rumors, a deep ruby red with merlot undertones. This moody, rich red aligns with a broader move toward darker, saturated hues in interiors. Behr’s recent picks show a shift toward bolder, moodier colors after years of softer midtones.
HGTV Home’s 2025 Color of the Year
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams picked Quietude, a softened sage or mint with a calming presence. It supports a “quiet luxury” trend that favors serene, restrained color palettes while still welcoming color in homes. Quietude is a safe, crowd-pleasing green-blue that reads as both soothing and refined when used at scale.
Glidden’s 2025 Color of the Year
Glidden embraced maximalism with Purple Basil, a deep eggplant that encourages unapologetic use of rich color. Their messaging pushes back on defaulting to neutrals and invites people to explore darker, moodier tones in interiors.
Valspar’s 2025 Color the Year
Valspar selected Encore, a saturated cobalt-navy blue, marking the brand’s second consecutive single-color announcement. They framed it as a comeback for strong, classic blue tones that convey confidence and stability compared with softer blue-greens from prior years.
Dunn-Edwards’ Color of the Year 2025
Dunn-Edwards named Caramelized their 2025 pick. This terracotta, earthy clay tone was described as a new neutral that pairs well with a wide range of styles. It reinforces the warm-brown trend that appeared across several other brands.
Dutch Boy’s Color of the Year 2025
Dutch Boy’s Mapped Blue is presented as a timeless foundational blue — a safe, widely appealing choice that helps interiors stay on-trend. Blues like this have been consistent year-to-year picks for many brands and remain reliable selections for many homeowners.
Rust-Oleum’s 2025 Color of the Year
Rust-Oleum announced Satin Warm Caramel as their pick. As a company known for spray paints and finishes, their selections often showcase accent and project-focused colors. Satin Warm Caramel aligns with the warm-brown direction and is described as rich, tranquil and suited to relaxing spaces.
Minwax’s 2025 Color of the Year
Minwax’s 2025 stain pick, Violet, is a bold, saturated eggplant tone. Described as eclectic and whimsical, it signals Minwax’s interest in more adventurous stain colors and reflects the broader popularity of deep purples and aubergines in 2025 trends.
Graham & Brown’s 2025 Color of the Year
Graham & Brown selected Elderton, a deep brown inspired by elder trees, as their 2025 color. Paired with their wallpaper Design of the Year, Elderton serves as a timeless neutral that complements botanical and nature-inspired motifs.
C2 Paint’s 2025 Color of the Year
C2 Paint’s Raku, named for a Japanese ceramics technique, shifts between burgundy and oxidized sanguine with brown and purple undertones. It fits the moody, rich direction seen across many 2025 selections and marks a move away from the brighter blue choices of the previous year.
Stainmaster Paint’s 2025 Color of the Year
Stainmaster’s pick, Truffle, is a near-black tone that continues the brand’s recent interest in deep, saturated colors. The company positions it as versatile and elevating across many palettes, from pastels to brights. Stainmaster’s limited color range means their selections tend to be bold and focused.
We recently spotted Stainmaster displays in stores featuring their Color of the Year; their small palette keeps their annual choices distinct.
What Were Our 2025 Color Guesses?
We shared off-the-cuff color predictions on Instagram Stories as a fun yearly tradition. These guesses are informal and based on instinct rather than research, but they’re a lighthearted way to test how well we read trends. This year our guesses leaned toward darker, moodier tones; some predictions aligned closely with a few official picks, such as near-black and deep brown shades.
Predicting Colors of the Year is part game, part trend-watching, and part fun — and it’s always interesting to see how many picks line up with one another.
More Paint Colors We Love
If you want more paint color inspiration, we’ve shared many of our go-to shades across detailed posts and home tours. For deeper reads, consider browsing our guides on past Colors of the Year and curated lists of whites and greiges to help you find the right neutral or statement hue for your space.
- Every 2024 Color of the Year In One Place
- 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