The color of the year for 2021 is “calm.”
Photo courtesy of PPG Paints.
Warm. Muted. Earthy. Comforting. Color trends for 2021 are the paint swatch equivalents of meatloaf with mashed potatoes. With soothing names like Sanctuary and Continuum, from Sherwin-Williams; Be True and Be Well, by PPG; and Casual Comfort and Quiet Haven, from Behr, the palettes take this year’s deep-water blues and herbal greens—meant to evoke nature—and tone them down to come inside, along with a bakery’s worth of rich browns and beiges. Paired with accent colors like heather, maize, and clay, the palettes are reminiscent of quiet landscapes on a hazy day. Even the boldest offerings, like PPG’s Be Wild and Sherwin-Williams’ Tapestry, tend toward misty sunsets and lazy rivers. These are colors to snuggle in, to ward off winter, and, ultimately, to wrap yourself in like a cozy blanket to wait out the pandemic.
This article originally appeared in the December 2020 issue.
