The 2018 Colors of the Year, According to Paint Companies

As we near the end of 2017, we are naturally looking to the future. Quite a few paint companies have announced their 2018 Colors of the Year, and there are a broad range of hues to choose from. Here’s a roundup of what they say we’ll be seeing more of in the coming months, along with advice on how to decorate with them.

PPG Paints and two of its other brands, Olympic and Glidden, all went to the dark side with a shade of black for 2018. PPG’s Black Flame (above) is a “statement-making” black with an undertone of “the deepest indigo.” The combo of the two dark neutrals is “dressed up” and “timeless.”

Glidden went back to basics with Deep Onyx, an uncomplicated, minimalist black that goes with everything, and Olympic’s Black Magic “embodies glamour and strength,” and is “a statement piece for your walls.”

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Sherwin-Williams upped the saturation and drama with Oceanside (SW 6496), a “fusion of rich blue with jewel-toned green” that “evokes optimism” and “offers a sense of the familiar with a hint of the unknown, bridging between old and new, light and dark.” We even mused if teal is the new millennial pink (but apparently, that’s Gen-Z yellow).

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Benjamin Moore, on the other hand, came in hot and heavy with Caliente, a vibrant red with a hint of orange that is “strong, radiant, full of energy, and “total confidence.” One thing’s for sure: “The eye can’t help but follow its bold strokes.”

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Not all 2018 COTYs will take five coats of primer to cover—a few lovely neutrals and pastels made the mix, as well. Above, we have BEHR’s In the Moment, a blue-green hue that’s meant to restore balance and our presence in a hyper-connected and sometimes unfocused world.

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Dutch Boy went with Sandstone Tint, a greige that’s a neutral that never really left, that “can serve as a blank canvas for bold or neutral color pairings and everything in between.”

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Don’t count a dusty pastel out yet: For 2018, Dulux went with Heart Wood, a mauve-y rose that’s definitely a cousin of millennial pink.

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