Where do yearly color trends come from?
Every year, color trends seem to shift, but have you ever wondered where these trends originate? You may be surprised to learn that each year’s list of popular colors does not come together by coincidence! The International Color Authority (ICA), a global team of color experts, plays a major role in deciding these trends. By analyzing cultural, societal, and psychological factors, they purposefully select the hues that will define the seasons ahead. Their influence reaches across industries, from fashion to interior design, and even impacts the popular colors selected by major paint companies like Sherwin-Williams.
The ICA is a consortium of international color specialists who study a wide range of factors – some of them rather surprising! – that influence color preferences. Those factors include general color trends, consumer behavior, societal changes, and the psychology of color itself.
The ICA’s members work in fashion, industrial design, manufacturing, and more, and the organization is emphatically neutral when it comes to the companies its members work for. They meet twice a year in London to select a color palette and announce their selection a little less than two years ahead of the retail selling season. That decision then influences virtually every public-facing industry, including textiles, paint, home goods, furniture, automobiles, retail, and more.
Many paint companies announce a color of the year, largely based on the ICA’s studies and selection, and Sherwin-Williams, one of the best-known paint companies in the world, has announced Quietude as their color of the year for 2025.
A Versatile Hue
Quietude is a light blue-green, muted but not quite gray, though with definite green undertones. It is offered through the company’s Naturally Refined Color Collection, which is part of their line of HGTV Home-branded paint.
“Within the collection, the softened sage green Quietude stands out,” says Sherwin-Williams color marketing manager Ashley Banbury. “It sets the stage for a quiet space to promote relaxation.”
Quietude has an LRV of 48. LRV means Light Reflectance Value, which measures how light or dark a color is, 100 being the lightest, 0 the darkest. Landing in the middle range makes Quietude ideal for any space in which a homeowner wants to create a sense of quiet, calm, and relaxation. It is an ideal color for bedrooms and bathrooms, especially when paired with off-white cabinetry, but Quietude is probably best used sparingly for exteriors. It’s great for individual rooms or accents, but even as a muted, grayish color, blue-green can easily register as too colorful for a house, making it a little overwhelming. However, with brick, stone, white, or off-white, it is lovely for shutters, trim, and doors.
Two large paint swatches Ellen did when selecting paint for her home.
This Is Only A Test
Whatever the color – even white – it’s imperative to test paint colors on interiors and exteriors, both. Fortunately, it is relatively easy. Ellen recommends skipping those tiny test cans of paint you can find at the hardware store. Instead, spend the money on a quart of the paint you are considering and use it to paint a large swatch in the desired room. With a large swatch, you will be able to visualize better how that color will work in your space versus a tiny square on the wall, which can turn out to look vastly different once the entire room is painted. It may take a little more time, but it is worth it to avoid repainting an entire room!
In A Good Light
The same paint color can look dramatically different depending on the space’s lighting. Natural light, incandescent bulbs, and LED lighting can all affect how a color appears on the walls. It’s important to view your paint samples at various times of day and in various lighting conditions to make sure that the color works well day and night.
The amount and type of light in a room will bring out the warm or cool tones of color as well. When selecting paint for a room, warm-toned colors (like reds, yellows, and oranges) are great for creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. Cool tones (such as blues, greens, and purples) can offer a calming and spacious feel. The lighting in a room significantly affects how these colors appear—natural light can enhance the vibrancy of warm tones or soften cool shades, while artificial light can either warm up cool colors or make warm tones feel more intense. It’s essential to test colors in the room’s specific lighting conditions to ensure the desired effect. You may find a color you fell in love with at the hardware store just doesn’t feel right when you test a swatch in your home, and this could be due to its warm or cool undertone!
Stay On-Brand
Most major paint companies offer “crossover” colors, which may even have the same names. However, they are usually made with different bases, so the final color and sheen can be slightly different. The only way to ensure a true match is to buy the same brand.
Keep in mind – the base of paint significantly impacts how light or dark a color appears. Clear or deep bases are used for darker, more saturated colors, while white or light bases are best for lighter, softer hues. Glossy finishes reflect more light, making colors appear brighter and more vibrant, while matte finishes absorb light, making dark colors appear deeper and light colors more subdued. The type of base, along with the sheen and pigment concentration, determines the final look and intensity of the color!
