Color trends return to nature for 2022.
Story by Tracy Dickinson
Featured in January/February 2022
Neutrals have been the go-to color scheme for a number of years, so it’s no surprise that as we close out the second year redefining something like normal, the color trend in interior design is a new take on neutral, a soft, calming green with hints of gray and blue.
Deb Pudenz of Wild Rose Interiors and AIM Kitchen & Bath says, “Several big paint companies all picked a shade of gray-green as their color of the year for 2022. The whole color of the year process is a 6- to 8-month forecasting and research process where color experts gather all sorts of intel from around the industry.”
One of those companies, Sherwin Williams, surveyed designers who ranked the company’s Evergreen Fog as the most popular choice for 2022. The greatest percentage of respondents indicated that neutrals and greens would be the primary themes of their designs, with darker neutrals still a key option.
“Green is a soothing, spalike color,” says Pudenz. “It represents growth and new beginnings, which is exactly what everyone is looking for these days.”
Although the gray-greens are dominating the market, designers are implementing shades reminiscent of olive, guacamole, and evergreen.
Other paint companies are seeing the same trend—Benjamin Moore with October Mist, another gray-green shade, and Dulux with the gentle blue-gray Bright Skies. In fact, Benjamin Moore’s 2022 color palette consists of more than a dozen paints in muted neutrals ranging from milky white to dark sage, with darker shades evident only in a charcoal black and a creamy tangerine.
Both residential and commercial designers are emphasizing comfort and peace in their designs, creating spaces that offer a sense of ease in an uncertain world. Even added pops of color are soft rather than bold in buttery yellows, watery blues, and gray-tinted reds and oranges.
Because these new gray-greens are being incorporated as neutrals, designers are using them as more than just wall color. Everything from cabinets to furnishings works with these shades.
But other greens are also showing up in the latest designs.
“I’m actually working on two green projects currently,” says Trieste’s Meredith Beattie. “They’re completely different tones, though. One is more apple green with whites and black accents, and the other is more hunter and sage green with warm neutrals.”
National experts echo this local perspective. Although the gray-greens are dominating the market, designers are implementing shades reminiscent of olive, guacamole, and evergreen.
“I love green and all the different shades,” says Beattie. “It’s the one color that goes with everything since it reflects the colors you find in nature. It’s such a classic, timeless color.”
Pudenz agrees. “The trend is toward the earthier shades. We’re seeing less pure gray,” she says.
Across the spectrum, color selections are reflecting clients’ desire to make their homes and businesses less stressful. Even the bold color trends have a softer, weathered look, with names like Raspberry Shade, Stone Blue, and Wild Flower.
It may not be possible to make the problems of the world disappear, but creating a home with the soothing shades of nature can make it feel that way. •
Resources
- Deb Pudenz AIM Kitchen & Bath
- Meredith Beattie Trieste
