Colors of the Year are announced annually. For paint, Benjamin Moore, selected First Light, a soft pink. Sherwin Williams selected Naval, a deep blue.

Pantone 2020 Color of the Year

Pantone, the global authority on color, announced the Color of the Year for 2020 is Classic Blue. Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on. It provides an anchoring foundation evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky”, says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of The Pantone Color Institute.

For over 20 years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings, industrial design, product packaging and graphic design. You’ll be seeing a lot of blue tones everywhere.

 

The Decorologist®

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist®, is a design and paint color expert, home staging educator, author, and speaker who has been blogging about design since 2009. I met her at the International Association of Home Staging Professionals Conference in Nashville this past October.

Barnett says, “The right colors and color placement are vitally important in both home staging and interior design. Color has more visual impact than any other element of design, and it’s estimated that 90% of the visual information we take in is related to color. For good or for bad, color is the element most likely to be held in memory and has the most impact on first impression!”

Barnett recently launched an online Psychological Color Expert™ course. It includes over 11 hours of video instruction, her go-to color and color combo guides, her Perfect Paint Palette kit, tons of real examples from her own color work, and both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams fan decks and designer kits. Visit her website for more info: decorologist.com

As for me, my best advice is to ignore trends unless you love the color. A budget friendly way to stay on trend is to accessorize with color leaving it off the walls. It is cost effective to decorate via home décor; compare cost of paint and labor vs accent pillows. The blues would make a great front door color. Florals can add a touch of pink.

As far as paint color, gray is still popular and great for resale. Gray is a neutral chameleon color and plays well with accent décor colors. Creams, soft whites and taupe are also livable options which allows you to refresh the look via accessories regularly. My own home has soft gray walls decorated with blues, light green and my signature turquoise. Any room can be styled with different colors. When you find the palette you love, it works.