ColorWatch 2023

ColorWatch 2023

Friday, September 2, 2022 from Floor Covering Weekly

ColorWatch 2023
Wall Street, from Sherwin Williams’ HGTV Home collection, offers a soothing backdrop in this combination living space/home office.
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When it comes to choosing products for the home, color is a driving force in consumer preferences and choices. While the early and mid-2010s were all about the minimalistic grays and whites made popular by the farmhouse trend, recent years have seen preferences shift toward warmer shades, earth tones and an overall more colorful palette. Looking to 2023, color experts from some of the leading paint companies see this trend continuing.

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“We’re painting 2023 in rich earth tones, natural clays, sunbaked sands, restful neutrals and powdery pastels,” shared Sue Wadden, director of color marketing, Sherwin-Williams. “Strong browns, warmer neutrals, cosmetic beiges, blues, greens and bold influences are all incorporated into the forecast for next year.”


Glamour, a muted purple with warm undertones, is part of the HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams 2023 Color Palette of the Year.

Each year, Sherwin-Williams releases its ColorMix Forecast, a tool to help designers specify their creative projects with confidence in the coming year. This year’s forecast is focused on four palettes — Biome, Lore, Nexus and Origin — with colors that tell a story about our connection to the Earth, fondest memories and future hopes. These ideas, Wadden shared, will impact both residential and commercial spaces in 2023.

“After everything we went through together globally, we continue to look to nature to escape,” Wadden said of the psychology behind Sherwin-Williams’ color forecast. “We’re also looking inward as we look to create spaces that feel safe and secure. We’re seeing this ongoing emergence of green, which is symbolic of rebirth and moving forward. For example, the Lore palette in this year’s forecast is all about storytelling and craft and our connection to the Earth, whereas Nexus highlights the importance of taking good care of ourselves.”


Warm neutrals, like Natural Linen from HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams’ Vintage Homestead Color Collection for 2023, will be popular among homeowners and designers alike.

PPG Paints also tells multiple color stories in anticipating upcoming trends, shared Ruthanne Hanlon, PPG’s lead color expert. PPG’s Global Color Forecasting Workshop identified three color stories that will resonate with homeowners and professional painters in 2023, Hanlon shared: Serenity, a tranquil palette anchored by soft neutrals and muted, soothing accents; Origin, a grounded theme with a balance of lights and darks as well as saturated and muted earthy hues that expands on our evolving relationship with the environment; and Duality, a bold collection filled with contrasts that focuses on color blocking rather than harmonizing. Each palette features PPG’s 2023 Paint Color of the Year: Vining Ivy.

“Vining Ivy is a beautifully robust and refined blue-green. Sitting between a blue and a green, Vining Ivy’s dark and muted tonality is symbolic of the deepest depth of a body of water, representing consumers desire to reflect — whether on what matters most to us, on our relationship to the planet or on how we engage with others,” Hanlon said. “While this color has been showing up in our trend research as a hue for contemporary or forward environments and designs, it is also a color that can be considered quite traditional, classic or elegant. It perfectly marries a touch of the past and a taste of the future.”

Devising these color palettes requires a lot of research and insight. Every year, more than 30 color experts from all over the globe gather for PPG’s Global Color Forecasting Workshop, Hanlon shared. Over the course of several days, these experts analyze runway, lifestyles, demographics, geographies, global events and cross-cultural societal inspiration to determine what colors will resonate in the year to come.

“After analyzing research and team discussions, we found that individuals want to create more balance in their lives by seeking out colors that provide a sense of sanctuary and calm.  At the same time, our relationship with our environment is expanding and evolving. The greater connection to nature spurred by the pandemic continues, as an emphasis remains on naturalism — a design theme that allows us to interact and connect with nature in a close way,” Hanlon shared.

However, she added, the group acknowledged that our relationship to technology is also impacting color choices. “Technological advancements create a contrast between our real world and online experiences and color trends have followed suit as we see stark oppositional colors, like neutrals and bright hues, being paired together in ways that create a striking balance,” Hanlon explained.


Vining Ivy, the 2023 Color of the Year for PPG Paints, pairs beautifully with crisp white trim and warm wood.

Sue Kim, color marketing manager at Valspar, also acknowledges the dual trends toward natural, earthy colors as well as the eclectic options spurred by maximalism.

“The influence of the Japandi style contrasts the clean lines and rustic materials at home — woven elements add interest to the natural palette, and natural materials soften this simple aesthetic. On the other hand, the Maximalism trends still have a presence, creating an eclectic look with personal collections,” she explained. “A light blue with softness, like Valspar Rising Tide, is standing in as an uplifting backdrop to elevate this aesthetic and bring a sophisticated yet playful mood.”

Valspar’s palette of 12 colors for 2023 can complement either preference. “These thoughtful colors are focused on nature, heritage, and mindfulness,” Kim said. “If your decors are connected to nature and textures, using simple and soft neutrals like Cozy White and Villa Grey will elevate the relaxed mood. The dramatic and unique colors like Everglade Deck or Gentle Violet give a simple four-corner space a story and immersive experience.”

Behr’s color forecast for 2023, while featuring heavily tried and true neutrals like white, gray and beige, also features nature-inspired hues in shades of blue and green, as well as moody accents in black, navy and deep green are also used to create dramatic statements. “At Behr we pride ourselves on offering trending palette colors, and the Designer Collection is one that will continue to deliver inspirational hues, enhancing living spaces throughout 2023,” shared Erika Woelfel, VP of color and creative services, Behr.


2023 will explore warmer tones like browns, khakis, terracottas and baked, deeper reds, like Redend Point from Sherwin-Williams, shared Sue Wadden, Sherwin Williams’ director of color marketing.