Color of the Year 2024: Blue Nova 825 Violet and blue come together in this elevated, sumptuous hue.
Color of the Year and Color Trends 2024 - Blue Nova 825 | Benjamin Moore.
Beige is a warmer alternative to gray, making it a great choice for designers who want to create a more cozy and welcoming space.
MONTVALE, NJ – October 16, 2025 – Benjamin Moore, a leader in paint, color and coatings, announced its Color of the Year 2026 as Silhouette AF-655 – an alluring mix of rich espresso hues with subtle notes of charcoal.
A neutral color palette for your base pieces is the way to go if you want to get that upscale look in your home. Beige tones, hues of white, and grey should be the colors of choice for your furniture, curtains, drapes, and other home accessories.
Dark or muddy browns, intense reds or purples, neon shades, certain pastels, cool grays and primary colors often appear harsh in natural light, absorb excess heat or feel out of place depending on climate and neighborhood context.
Here are five paint colors that real estate professionals and designers consistently recommend to help homes sell faster and for more:
The Designer-Favorite Color of 2026
“Clients are craving warmth, including taupes, sands, mushrooms, and creamy whites that feel cozy and timeless. Gray, once sleek and modern, now reads cold and flat; those warm neutrals wrap a space in calm and connection.”
Benjamin Moore revealed their customers' number one choice is White Dove. According to Arianna Barone, color marketing manager at Benjamin Moore, it's regularly topped their best-selling list for years. “White Dove is a go-to for homeowners, contractors and designers alike,” Barone says.
If yellow is a must-have color for you, avoid using it on walls that overlook the bed while lying down, and opt for lighter tones to reduce its stimulating effect. Like yellow, red is also a stimulator and can evoke wildly mixed emotions.
Colors with noticeable blue or purple undertones—once a neutral staple—can now seem a bit flat compared to the depth and warmth of the newer palettes." Your Paint Fix: Opt for warmer neutrals in place of cool grays, like soft greiges and creamy whites, Hudson says. "They create spaces that feel cozy and welcoming.
Blue can calm your mind, slow your heart rate and lower your blood pressure, in turn reducing anxiety.
What's the hardest color to paint over? Red, black, and dark greens and blues are all hard colors to paint over. These hues consistently present the most significant hurdles for painters seeking a flawless, opaque finish.
Off-whites and neutral shades tend to be the most popular picks, but you don't have to stick with these if you're someone with a penchant for more eclectic hues. For a brighter living room scheme, try using pastels.
Dull or outdated colors
While you might be tempted to revisit trends from past eras, among the colors to avoid in a bathroom are beige-yellow tones, dull brown, and olive green. These can even give the impression of uncleanliness in addition to appearing outdated.
The colors that Joanna Gaines repeatedly uses on "Fixer Upper" are Alabaster, Repose Gray, Blanched, Silos White, and Rainy Days.
People can be made to see reddish green and yellowish blue—colors forbidden by theories of color perception. These and other hallucinations provide a window into the phenomenon of visual opponency.
Soft shades like light blue, lavender, pastel green, and muted grey are known to create a calming environment and promote restful sleep.
Pantone 448 C is a colour in the Pantone colour system. Described as "drab dark brown," it has been informally dubbed the "ugliest colour in the world".
According to Arianna Barone, color marketing manager at Benjamin Moore, it's regularly topped their best-selling list for years. “White Dove is a go-to for homeowners, contractors and designers alike,” Barone says.
Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year 2026 is Silhouette AF-655, a rich blend of espresso hues with subtle charcoal notes.
White Dove is more creamy while Chantilly Lace is more neutral. White Dove has an LRV of 83.16, Chantilly Lace has an LRV of 90.04. White Dove is a warmer white while Chantilly Lace wins for the whitest white. White Dove looks best in southern or northern exposures.
Rich, Bold Bathrooms
Dark paint colors make a statement. Luxuriously deep hues look especially sumptuous in a higher sheen. Just like with lighter colors, assessing lighting in your bathroom is critical as light directly affects how your paint color will appear on the wall.
Blue: calmness, serenity, peace
Blue has the opposite effects of red and is the most soothing color. Primary blue is used in therapeutic settings for meditation and relaxation because it helps you unwind, find peace, and become more comfortable expressing your inner feelings.
Top 10 Timeless Paint Colors for Your Home