2022 Colors of the Year
“We need a moment of peace!” That seems to be the consensus among many color experts and other trend prognosticators, who have almost universally chosen nature-inspired hues for 2022 that are soft, warm, often green, and intended to provide a relaxing, comfortable, Zen ambience. Below are the picks to date:
- AkzoNobel (a paint and coatings manufacturer): Bright Skies, an “airy blue.”
- Behr: Breezeway (MQ3-21), a soft blue gray, somewhat reminiscent of sea glass.
- Benjamin Moore: October Mist (1495), a silver green, along with a complementary Color Trends palette of 14 nature-inspired hues such as Red Wildflower, Pale Moon, and Fernwood Green.
- Better Homes and Gardens: Laurel Leaf, a dusty green inspired by eucalyptus leaves.
- Dunn-Edwards: Art and Craft (DET 682), a warm soft brown.
- Glidden: Guacamole, a darker, more intense shade than many of the other 2022 greens.
- HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams: Soft Indigo, accompanied by 10 complementary colors in the “Soften Refuge” collection.
- RoomMates Décor (the peel-and-stick division of York Wallcoverings): Cream Moonstone, a soft beige.
- Sherwin-Williams: Evergreen Fog (SW 9130), a mid-tone gray green.
- Pittsburgh Paints: Olive Spring (MEN7169-4), another gray green.
The one outlier to this mellow trend is Pantone, the company that originated the Color of the Year. For the first time, the company created a new color, rather than choosing from its existing color spectrum. Very Peri (17-3938), is a vibrant blue/violet shade Pantone describes as “displaying a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit… a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through.”
With a tilt toward fashion, commercial design, and marketing, Pantone often choses vibrant, distinctive colors such as 2012’s Tangerine Tango, 2014’s Radiant Orchid, and 2018’s Ultra Violet. These dramatic shades make for arresting accents, but often don’t have the staying power of more subtle choices for home décor.
Pantone first named a color of the year in 1999 (2000’s Cerulean blue), based on color trends it identified and explored across industries. It looks for new color influences across entertainment, art, fashion, design, social media platforms, and many other sources to inform its selection. If you’re fascinated by the origins and history of the color of the year, one painting site has put together a primer, available here.
About Gulick Group, Inc.: Established in 1987, Reston-based Gulick Group has developed communities throughout Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, including One Cameron Place and Newport Shores in Reston, The Reserve in McLean, Autumn Wood, Grovemont, and the three Riverbend Communities in Great Falls, Red Cedar West in Leesburg, and Wild Meadow in Ashburn.