Editor’s Note
This article previews the warm, natural color palette forecasted to dominate design trends in 2026, highlighting a shift away from cooler, digital tones.
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In the world of color forecasting, 2026 started a long time ago. In fact, most trend experts helping paint brands pick trending pigments are already living in 2027. But for the rest of us, it’s time to take stock of the colors we can expect to be seeing plenty of in the calendar year to come.
So what do 2026’s colors have to offer? These hues seem to be trending away from the cold and digital toward the warm and natural. Rustic browns like Adventurer, sprouting greens such as Midnight Garden, and earthbound materials like slate-flecked Silhouette and the tactile beige of Universal Khaki speak to a desire to plant seeds and put down roots.
But not every brand camped in the forest for inspiration, and some choices show how our collective idea of “natural” colors is broader than ever. Pantone turned its eye to the sky for the comfortably airy Cloud Dancer, while Graham & Brown’s Divine Damson found inspiration in ripening fruit. Below, we recap the 2026 Colors of the Year.
An elegant blend of espresso and charcoal notes, Silhouette takes the best elements of trending browns and adds a dash of influence from the world of high fashion (specifically suiting) to land on a color that’s too sharp to be a mere neutral.
Pairing the color with white trim can create a pin-striping effect, or pair it with the other jeweled mid-tones of the brand’s 2026 Color Trends Palette to draw out their distinctive beauty even further.
Though Warm Mahogany arguably splits the difference between red and brown, there’s no denying that the color conveys a sense of gravitas wherever it’s placed. Adaptable to current trends without losing its sense of timelessness, Warm Mahogany can blanket a bedroom in sophisticated coziness, add an inviting air to stuffy dining rooms, or turn a home office or reading nook into a private retreat that feels worlds away from the rest of the home.
With a name that makes its connection to fashionable influences more explicit, Universal Khaki is a crisp, calming neutral that strips away the inessential in search of a true canvas of self-expression. Universal Khaki offers a return to basics in a way that feels fresh without losing any sense of elegance or quiet confidence.
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Speaking of grounded greens, Valspar’s 2026 pick, Warm Eucalyptus, harkens back to the biophilic blues and greens that dominated color trend cycles earlier this decade. As soothing as its name suggests, Warm Eucalyptus leans into its serene qualities to introduce comfort to a space, but it can also create a positive spark of emotion and optimism for those willing to embrace color blocking—especially alongside the airy, near neutral Degas Blue and/or the brown-meets-geological-gray of Groundbreaking.
Natural, earthy greens have been often touted over the last few years. One could argue that this has led to a point of oversaturation, but as the name of Behr’s Hidden Gem suggests, there’s more to this particular green than meets the eye.
Taking the recent trend toward terra-cotta and earth tones in a new, fruitful direction, Little Greene chose the plum-aubergine Adventurer for its color of the year, a rich jewel tone that can lend a quietly regal air wherever it goes. Meeting consumer desire for confidence-projecting colors in the burgundy region, Adventurer is made for color-drenching powder and dining rooms, or striking the right accent note alongside soft neutrals and pale pinks in bedrooms, kitchens, and even as high-gloss trim.
The Pantone Color of the Year 2026 is Cloud Dancer.