Dunn-Edwards’ 2023 Color of the Year Is Lush and Sophisticated

published Oct 4, 2022
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Credit: Courtesy of Dunn-Edwards

New year, new you? More like, new year, new hues. Dunn-Edwards is the latest paint brand to announce its 2023 color of the year and this one might have you busting out the rose-colored glasses.

Part of its Life in Poetry palette, Dunn-Edwards has chosen Terra Rosa as its 2023 color of the year. The scorched-earth, approachable hue with rosy pink tones and a touch of terracotta can work as a neutral background or as an accent color.

Credit: Courtesy of Dunn-Edwards

After a rocky start to the decade with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, “we want to make bolder choices [at home], but feel a tie to simpler, nostalgic times,” Color Expert and Stylist Sara McLean exclusively tells Apartment Therapy. It’s about “making life a little more romantic [but also] honoring what we’ve learned in the past and moving forward.”

“In everyday life, this comes through as an appreciation of simple pleasures and a concerted effort to engage in more positive interactions amid the global chaos we experience day to day. This translates to design through lush, sophisticated touches with equal parts prettiness and drama.” 

Credit: Courtesy of Dunn-Edwards

The orange and terracotta undertones take the rosy hue into more neutral territory, making it a good fit for a variety of styles and applications. For a cottagecore look, McLean suggests Terra Rosa as a base color, pairing it with a warm white and a grassy green, and touches of sky blue and yellow for those natural accents.

For a nod to the ’90s and a “vampirecore” inspiration, add charcoal grays, shinier metals, and velvet, while choosing a glossier sheen for Terra Rosa, she says. It will bring out the hue’s “deeper aspect for a moody, sexy lounge vibe.”

Credit: Courtesy of Dunn-Edwards

For a “clean and understated” modern look, McClean suggests Terra Rosa as an accent color with a cool white base and a touch of classic black, especially with lots of marble surfaces.

While researching color trends, McLean noted that pinks and blues will continue to be popular in 2023 and into 2024, with rosy and terracotta tones being a recurring choice for kitchen cabinets, appliances, and veined stones like marble and granite at trade shows; it’s only a matter of time before they pop up in more homes across the world.

Credit: Courtesy of Dunn-Edwards

Terra Rosa is a “bold yet comforting choice,” McLean tells AT. “It’s meant to be playful and a great starter color” for people who might be color-averse. “It’s okay to try new things!”