Where Data Tells the Story
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Each year, paint companies—and the influential color forecasters at the Pantone Color Institute—announce their “Color of the Year”. While the concept may warrant some eye-rolling from those outside the industry, these selections are closely watched by interior designers, manufacturers, and trend analysts, who look to them for signals about wider design directions.
Pantone started selecting emblematic annual colors in 2000. In the years that followed, major paint brands adopted the practice, especially as social media strengthened the connection between brands and consumers, accelerating the spread of design trends.
In 2026, Dutch paint company AkzoNobel apparently could not decide on a single color and broke from tradition by selecting a trio for Color of the Year.
Looking at the 2025 color selections across brands, it’s easy to see a cohesive theme of coffee-toned hues were trending in paint colors.
Pantone remains the wildcard: as the longest-running authority in color forecasting, its annual choice is eagerly anticipated and can range from bold and saturated to soft and neutral, or even two colors. Paint companies, meanwhile, tend to favor more muted, versatile colors—often reinforcing, and occasionally shaping, emerging interior design trends.
And if you’re experiencing a sense of déjà vu, you’re not alone—more than a few of these “new” colors look suspiciously like reruns from years past. Looking at you, 2025 Dunn-Edwards and 2021 Behr...