At the end of every year designers, artists and creators across industries speculate on the colors that will dominate the next year. Brands from across the creative space–from online retailers like Etsy to industry experts at Pantone–choose their pick for the coveted title of color of the year.
The Pantone Color Institute has become the de facto tastemaker in color, starting it’s “Color of the Year” back in 2000. But nowadays, brands from across the creative spectrum weigh in on what colors they think will influence fashion, interiors, vehicles, design and beyond.
So what colors are brands forecasting will make a big splash in 2022? We’ve compiled a list of the latest color of the year picks for you.
Color of the Year Trends
The biggest trends in color for 2022 revolve around sensitivity, optimism and growth. After two years of spending more time at home, people are opting for creating happy, yet calming spaces. This trend can be seen across most of the interior and paint companies color choices. While Pantone and fashion brands have leaned towards that evoke playful optimism and growth.
Laurel Leaf by Better Homes & Gardens
The interior design and home furnishings publication made their very first paint “Color of the Year” pick this year. Laurel Leaf, is a muted grey-green that embodies the refreshing appeal of eucalyptus leaves. While also tapping into the trend to bring more nature into the home.
According to the Style Director for Better Homes & Gardens, “During the pandemic, people spent more time outside enjoying their backyards, parks and other outdoor spaces. And now those shades of green are coming inside the home.”
October Mist by Benjamin Moore
While its name may evoke seasonal fall tones of orange or burnt sienna, October Mist by Benjamin More is actually a lighter hue of a dusty green. Continuing the trend of bringing nature into the home and office–October Mist is meant to play as a soothing neutral. Since the hue is less saturated, it gives space for other colors to flourish according to the company’s Director of Color Marketing, Andrea Magno.
Guacamole by Glidden
Another home decor brand, Glidden paint company, opted for a natural shade of green for their color of the year as well. Guacamole, which was made specifically for the kitchen, but plays well across spaces, takes the grey undertones out, and emphasises the playful and eye-catching yellow tones that come when we order Avocado toast.
Evergreen Fog by Shermin Williams
Like the other companies above, Shermin Williams decided to bring the comfort of nature into the home this year. Leaning further into the grey-green tones, the paint company believes it’s time to move away from cool neutrals and towards organic greens that convey restoration, relaxation and calm.
Breezeway by Behr
Behr paints chose to meet somewhere in between a cool neutral and an organic green. Breezeway is a soft, shimmery blue-green that takes us to sandy Caribbean beaches with crystal clear oceans. With the goal of eliciting tranquility with its tone and energy with its crisp hue, Erika Woelfel, the Vice President of Color and Creative Services says, “Breezeway is a color that welcomes a hopeful sense of renewal, restoration and healing.”
Emerald Green: Etsy
Every year the online retail platform releases a lookback at creative trends (and purchases) of the year and forecasts the upcoming year’s trends. This year Etsy’s search data and trend forecasters say Emerald Green is where it’s at. Symbolizing harmony and growth, along with royalty and refinement, the company says the color will help us reestablish balance. According to it’s search data, the trend is already on the up with searches for Emerald Green items up by 64% and Emerald Green decor up by 60%.
Vibrant Magenta: Stitch Fix
Every December online fashion retailer Stitch Fix chooses a color that will dominate fashion in the new year. Like Etsy, the brand determines its forecasts through customer data and color experts. According to this year’s research, vibrant Magentas will take off in 2022. But also expect to see more purple and mustard yellow in women’s apparel and dusty lavender, dark green and coral for men.
Veri Peri by Pantone
With lots of competition vying to be the authority on color, Pantone decided to invent a new color to stand out from the crowd. The company’s creation, Veri Peri, is described as a “futuristic periwinkle blue with violet-red undertones” whose courageous presence encourages personal inventiveness and creativity.
“Creating a new color for the first time in the history of our Pantone Color of the Year educational color program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place. As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red violet infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us,” Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, Laurie Pressman said.
Want to learn more about color? Subscribe to the Creator Pass to start exploring color through photography, design, art and beyond.
