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This Is the Surprising Color Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent Are Leaning Into for 2023 — and Three Paint Shades They Fully Endorse for Walls

Danielle Blundell
Danielle BlundellExecutive Director of Home at Apartment Therapy
As Apartment Therapy's Executive Home Director, I head up our decorating, trends, and designer coverage. I studied Media Studies at UVa and Journalism at Columbia and have worked in media for more than a decade. I love homes, heels, the history of art, and hockey — but not necessarily in that order.
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published Jan 31, 2023
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headshot of Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent
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Credit: Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images; Design: Apartment Therapy

Known for their love of timeless but stylish furnishings and all things neutral, designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent aren’t exactly risk-takers when it comes to color. That’s why, when I spoke to them just before they partnered with Behr and Operation Homefront on a family living and playroom redo they just revealed on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” today, I was genuinely surprised to hear that they were digging a new, bold shade: cobalt blue.

Brent, in particular, sees this color as apt for accent pieces and smaller decorative objects, and the hue has surfaced in collections from retailers like CB2 and in Apartment Therapy house tours.

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Credit: Courtesy of BEHR and The Home Depot

On the subject of whole room or whole house palettes, Berkus and Brent are sticking to their regularly scheduled neutral programming by endorsing BEHR’s Designer Collection palette, an all-new, 30-shade selection of curated whites, neutrals, and accent colors (as shown above) meant to make the paint color choice process just a little bit simpler by streamlining it. The hues that made it into this assortment are all shades BEHR noticed their designer customers turning to time and time again, and while cobalt hasn’t been elevated to tried-and-true status yet, it’s certainly a shade that would play well with them. Berkus and Brent actually chose three shades from the collection for the project they just revealed for the Green family: Tranquil Gray (DC-007) for the living room, Even Better Beige (DC-010) for the playroom, and Behr’s 2023 Color of the Year, Blank Canvas (DC-003), to tie it all together.

So if you’re searching for a soothing neutral color and want to take some of the guesswork out of that process, give the Designer Collection palette a look. You should absolutely still check out swatches and test sample pots of your potential shades out IRL. If you’re prone to decision fatigue though — especially from the sheer number of colors that are available as paint for you walls and beyond — sticking to expertly curated shades might be the best place for you to start your next home paint project.

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