Unlike the 2024 Color of the Year selections, the 2025 picks reveal more commonalities among the colors chosen by major paint industry leaders. Each year, designers and enthusiasts from various fields gather within companies worldwide to reignite the conversation about color and its connection to contemporary culture. For the 2025 forecast, earth tones seem to be the big winners: Pantone's Mousse Chocolate is joined by cinnamon, brown, and burgundy shades from Benjamin Moore, Graham & Brown, Behr, and C2 Paint. Companies like AkzoNobel, Valspar, and Comex opted for more vibrant colors to celebrate optimism and joy, while Sherwin-Williams and Jotun didn't limit themselves to a single color. Instead, they introduced entire palettes centered on tranquility and relaxation. These concepts appear to be the guiding themes for 2025.
Benjamin Moore: Cinnamon Slate 2113-40
The subtlety of these qualities is reflected in Benjamin Moore's color choice for 2025. The cinnamon hue combines the deep tone of brown with a heathered plum shade, resulting in a color with a low light reflectance value. It is a restorative color, chosen to evoke concepts of balance and reaffirmation. This shade is accompanied by a palette of ten other essential colors, designed to pair with textured materials or neutral tones in shared interior spaces.
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Different Ways of Applying Color to FurnitureGraham & Brown: Elderton
The English company Graham & Brown has chosen a classic color for this year, inspired by the elder tree. It is a dark brown with a neutral tone whose main appeal lies in its timelessness. Directly inspired by nature, the color complements a wallpaper design that celebrates British heritage, featuring intricate details of ancient buildings and trees.
C2 Paint: C2 Raku #549
C2 Paint's Color of the Year 2025 also draws on tradition with earthy tones. Raku is inspired by Japanese tea ceremonies and their centuries-old ceramic techniques. The color sits between a deep chocolate brown and a full-bodied wine burgundy. The concepts behind the color include a sense of security, simplicity, and sophistication, with "dynamic undertones of rich mahogany" (also a tree) that make it a chameleon-like hue.
Behr: Rumors MQ1-15
With a touch of added drama, Behr introduces its own blend of earthy tones and deep burgundy: Rumors, a rich ruby red designed to create captivating spaces when paired with lighter colors. Emphasizing its global influence, the company sets a bold tone for the year with the declaration: "Now is the time to make a statement."
AkzoNobel: True Joy™
AkzoNobel took a different path for its 22nd Color of the Year, selecting a brighter and bolder yellow: True Joy™. Traditionally associated with yellow, the call is for optimism and confidence in 2025, appealing to creativity and imagination. The recommendation is to cover an entire wall in this color or use it as an accent shade on freeform shapes and surfaces, creating a "splash of feel-good color."
Comex: Bambú 237-05
Inspired by nature yet driven by a transformative spirit, the color Bambú, chosen by the Mexican company Comex, seeks to evoke a different kind of nature: one with infinite possibilities shaped by technology. This radiant electric green is recommended for pairing with a more neutral tone (Croissant H4-03), particularly in accent applications, to renew energy in interior spaces.
Valspar: Encore 8002-45 G
Setting the tone for distinction, Valspar selected a blue shade for this year. Encore is an atmospheric blue the company classifies as an anchoring tone, a reference color amidst other tonal curves. This choice accompanies the comeback of blue in interior design, with this ultramarine hue leading the way in evoking confidence and relaxation. The violet undertone of Valspar Encore is amplified under soft lighting, evoking shades of the digital realm and harmonizing beautifully with lavender and fresh green accents.
Sherwin Williams Color Capsule
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of its Color of the Year, Sherwin Williams expanded its horizons by curating a complete Color Capsule of the Year. The collection features nine essential neutral colors, ranging from beige and cream tones to a grayish blue, while also incorporating yellow, browns, and mauve. The guiding idea behind this selection was to offer a modern approach to painting with colors that are easy to use: a true celebration of color under the concept of balance.
Jotun's Colour Card: Nuances
Jotun's 2025 Colour Card features similar tones under the name Nuances: 30 colors across six families (blues, greys, peaches, yellows, beiges, and greens), each with varied shades and an accent color. Standing out within this variety is a clear curation of calm colors and subtle variations designed to evoke the defining small moments of life. The selection is grounded in how color influences our moods, inviting individuals to choose the shades that best suit the environments they wish to inhabit in 2025.
