Image Credit: Margaret Wright

These Will Be the Hottest Colors in 2021, According to Designers

by KELSEY MULVEY

Image Credit: Margaret Wright

We went straight to the pros to get the paint, furniture, and accent color picks that are poised to make it big in the new year. Here are their predictions.

Image Credit: St Charles New York

For Paint: White In Kitchens

Karen Williams, creative director of St. Charles of New York, predicts tone-on-tone will enrich all-white kitchens. “The color doesn’t change; but the saturation level does, providing a subtle depth and contrast.”

Image Credit: Andrew Kung

A Hint of Green

“I have replaced my go-to of Benjamin Moore’s ‘White Dove’ with Benjamin Moore’s ‘French Canvas’ for its earthy, green undertones,” designer Isabel Ladd explains. “I just wanted an all-around great neutral that feels more organic.” 

Image Credit: Andrew Kung

Hello, yellow!

Ladd thinks “yolk yellow” will be an “it” hue in 2021. “It’s just fresh and new.” Designer Liz Caan predicts a major surge in sunset colors like red and orange for similar reasons. “These tones are soothing.”

Image Credit: Adrienne Breaux

A pigmented palette

Rich, moody tones are the perfect foil for some of the year’s pastels and neutrals. “Saturated colors are creating the warm, comforting palette people want in 2021,” says designer Marika Meyer. 

Credit: Esteban Cortez

For Furniture: Think Pink

“People are longing for color,” designer Amanda Lantz explains. “It helps raise spirits and makes people feel good. I’m having a lot of clients ask for tons of pink.” 

Image Credit: Natalie Jeffcott

Pretty pastels

“The rise of grandmillennial styles have increased the popularity of softer pastel colors in base furniture,” explains Karina Lameraner, creative stylist at Modsy. 

Bold blues

Instead of the ubiquitous Hale Navy, Ladd sees a rise of its “more colorful cousin, [cerulean], which can still serve as a neutral if paired with other grounding colors.”

Image Credit: Andrew Kung

Image Credit: EQ3

Dreamy indigo

“It’s a rich, deep color that you can use to ground a space,” says Liana Thomson, an accessories designer at EQ3. Try “a velvet sofa to your living room, or as an accent color with an end table, throw, or stool.”

Image Credit: Emily Brownell

For Accents: Try Earthy Tones

“We will see a wider embrace of earth tones and forest greens,” says Davina Ogilvie, founder of Wovn Home, a custom drapery company. Try them against warm white walls or layered with jewel-toned accent pillows.

Image credit: Sociey Social

French Blue

According to Roxy Te Owens, founder and creative director of Society Social, all signs point to French blue for an unexpected trim and millwork color. “This is the new American neutral.”

Image Credit: Julia Sperling

Next-Level Neutrals

“Bright and airy spaces will beckon,” says designer Joy Williams. “Decor accents will be coated in muted shades of cream and ‘nude’ colorways.”

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