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Every fall, paint brands tell us which color they’d like us to live with next year, and plenty of us nod politely and keep our walls white. 2027 might be the year that changes.
By my count, six brands have named their Colors of the Year, and this time, they’re telling a surprisingly similar story. Think mossy olive, soft sage, a smoky blue, and a warm, clay-like neutral. No neon, no big statement—just color that feels like it came out of the ground.
We wanted to know whether those picks hold up in real homes, so we asked Chicago-based interior designer Kristen Ekeland of Kristen Ekeland Interiors whether the brands are onto something.
“This is 100% the colors we’re loving and have been using in our palettes,” she says. “There’s been a strong desire to move away from painting interior rooms all white that was popular seven years ago. Now, we’re using earth tones and rich olive and sage greens to create warm, layered interiors with a stronger connection to nature.”
That’s a good sign these aren’t just marketing picks. When the colors on the brands’ swatch cards match what a designer is already specifying for real clients, a forecast starts to feel less like a prediction and more like a permission slip. Here’s the full lineup—plus how Ekeland is putting these colors to work, a powder-room pairing worth stealing, and what it all says about where our homes are headed.
The 2027 Colors of the Year
Color of the Year announcements tend to come with a lot of poetry, so here’s the plain-English version of each pick: what the color actually looks like, and why the brand says it’s the one.
Sherwin-Williams: Celery. A pale, herbal green that looks like the vegetable it’s named for. Sherwin-Williams ties it to a “hunger for serenity” and a desire for calm and restoration; Young House Love calls it the boldest pick the brand has made in several years.
Behr: Grounded. A mossy olive with earthy brown undertones. Behr’s Kayla Kratz told Axios it reflects where design is heading: “toward richer, earthier color with character and a sense of ease.” It’s also Behr’s fourth year in a row choosing a dark, saturated shade.
Valspar: Cottage Door. A soft gray-blue the brand calls “trans-seasonal,” made for thoughtful, introspective rooms. Valspar suggests pairing it with a creamy pink and warm gray.
Glidden: Artifact. A smoky blue that’s remarkably close to Valspar’s pick. It’s the classic Color of the Year formula: calming, colorful, never loud.
Dutch Boy: Deep Rooted. An earthy orange, reportedly chosen because the brand sees people seeking grounding, authenticity, and connection.
Graham & Brown: Rose Earth. A warm neutral inspired by Italian clay. As a wallcoverings brand, they also picked a wallpaper pattern and a mural to go with it.
There are a few big names still to weigh in, but you don’t need the full set to see where this is going. Take a deep breath, because these brands seem to agree on exactly one thing: It’s time to calm down.
Three of the six biggest picks reference the earth, the ground, or roots. Two are nearly the same smoky blue, two are greens, and exactly nobody chose a bright, high-energy color. And that says something about how we want our homes to feel right now: less statement, more exhale.
Why Green Keeps Winning
Don’t take the brands’ word for it: People are already buying green. Behr’s 2026 pick, the smoky jade Hidden Gem, was the top-selling non-neutral color in 31 states this year, according to the company’s data.
Ekeland’s palettes bear it out: earth tones, rich olive and sage, and botanical prints on wallpaper and fabric, all part of her move away from the all-white rooms that dominated a few years ago. Other designers agree. Juliette Byrne, quoted in House Beautiful, considers many greens to be neutrals, which makes them easy to layer; Ansley Majit of Lark + Palm likes a dark, dusty green next to vivid blues, citron, or even neon yellow.
There may even be a financial upside: A 2026 Zillow analysis found sage-green walls could add more than $1,000 to offer prices.
The Powder-Room Pairing We’re Stealing
When it comes to color right now, Ekeland’s favorite move is a pairing.
“We’re currently installing a client’s powder room, which will be painted and tiled to match Farrow & Ball’s Oval Room Blue, paired with a marble vanity rich in aubergine and oxblood hues,” says Ekeland. “It’s a contrast between a steel blue sea and deep-earth tones. The combination is unique, yet the colors are very familiar and grounded.”
That tracks with what Majit hears from clients. She explains they respond less to a single trending color than to unexpected pairings, like dusty clay with cobalt or earthy brown with a sharp green, which create what she calls “tension and personality through contrast.”
What Else Designers Are Watching
House Beautiful asked designers what they expect to see in 2027, and the answers go well beyond green:
Warm neutrals. Limewash beige and oat tones that add depth stark white can’t. Try Behr Pro’s French Beige or Color Atelier’s Wabi.
Dusty pink. Soft mauves and warm blush that read subtle, not sweet. Try House of Hackney’s Sakura or Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster. C2 Paint’s 2027 pick, Pueblo, is a sweet, moody dusty rose, too.
Vintage red. Aged wine and brick softened with mauve, like Portola Paints’ Meritage.
Blackberry. A punchy purple with a hint of pink, like Benjamin Moore’s Bordeaux Red or Love Affair.
Deep blue. More nuanced and less coastal, like Benjamin Moore’s Dark Harbor.
Nuanced gray. Grays with blue or green undertones, like Sherwin-Williams’ Morning Fog.
Optimistic yellow. A grounded, historical yellow like Farrow & Ball’s Babouche.
Will Anyone Actually Paint Their Walls Olive?
Fair question. Neutrals still dominate most American homes, and a 2025 survey found 84% of real estate agents recommended painting interiors white, gray, or beige before selling.
But there’s a shift underway. A new Houzz report cited by Axios says homeowners are increasingly designing for themselves, not for resale. What people buy doesn’t always match what gets predicted, so treat these forecasts as permission, not instruction.
How to Try a 2027 Color Without Committing
Not ready for a full room? Ekeland has a low-risk way in.
“Sherwin-Williams’ newly released color, Sage Green Light, is sophisticated, but soft,” she says. “For someone who isn’t ready to paint an entire room in a color such as this, it could be used for cabinetry or have some fun and paint just the casing, base and crown molding this color and have a warm white such as Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee as the walls.”
A few more ways to test a bold shade:
- Sample first: Look at swatches in morning and evening light, since deep shades like olive and blackberry can shift dramatically.
- Start small. A door, trim, or a powder room is a low-risk place to be bold.
- Go a shade deeper on the trim. Samantha Feuer, founder of Norris Studio, painted a room’s walls and millwork in Farrow & Ball’s Green Smoke and its trim and baseboards in the deeper Studio Green. You’d barely notice the shift when you walk in, she says, but it gives the room polish without changing the mood.
- Pair with natural materials. Wood, stone, linen, and unlacquered brass make any of these colors feel settled, not trendy.
Whether or not you ever paint a wall olive, the throughline is easy to love: color that feels worn in, rooted, and a little bit personal. Benjamin Moore and Pantone haven’t weighed in yet, so check back, because we’ll update this post when they do. In the meantime, our fall decor guide is a good place to start your 2027 home-decor journey.