In 1999 the Pantone Colour Institute created the Pantone Colour of the Year educational programme. Its purpose was to interest not only the design community, but for colour lovers across the world to engage in conversations around different shades and what they mean. Pantone says their intention was to “draw attention to the relationship between culture and colour”.

Since then, it’s snowballed and colour trends for 2024 are big business. They often reflect current affairs and the mood of what’s happening across the world: from biophilic design, where we’re wanting to bring more of nature inside to calm us, to colours that bring balance and stability in an increasingly frantic life. Dig into these colour trends for 2024 and see which resonates most with you.

Pantone – Peach fuzz

Given that Colour of the Year is the brainchild of Pantone, it stands to reason that they are the trailblazers every year. In 2024, they’ve chosen the rather delicious shade of Peach Fuzz.

Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute, has described Peach Fuzz as a colour that “captures our desire to nurture ourselves and others. It’s a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul.”

Leatrice describes that “seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a colour radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless.”

Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Colour Institute, adds that “Peach Fuzz presents a fresh approach to a new softness. An appealing peach hue softly nestled between pink and orange, Peach Fuzz inspires belonging, recalibration, and an opportunity for nurturing, conjuring up an air of calm, offering us a space to be, feel, and heal and to flourish from.”

Benjamin Moore – Blue Nova

Blues in all the hues are something that we’ll be seeing a lot of in 2024. Benjamin Moore is leading the charge with their Colour of the Year for 2024, Blue Nova. The team at Benjamin Moore have described the reason for their prediction as “strong, versatile and calming, blue is a cornerstone of a stylists’ colour palette. Blue Nova, is a blend of blue and violet that will elevate a room creating a true presence in the home.”

The lively blue combined with a warm terracotta will bring rich earthy vibes to your home. Benjamin Moore’s Blue Nova is paired in a palette with warm pink shades like Springtime Peach, grey-greens like Regent Green, and sunshine shades of both a bold yellow, Sun Valley, and a pale yellow, Honeybee.

The team at Benjamin Moore explains that “yellow is the epitome of an uplifting hue. Synonymous with joy, it will effortlessly evoke a feeling of warmth. Pair paler shades of the colour with soft pinks to create a light and airy feel. Alternatively, opt for a vibrant yellow and colour drench the space from floor to ceiling before introducing flashes of cobalt blue to achieve a Mediterranean-inspired scheme.”

Dulux – Sweet Embrace

Dulux’s colour trends for 2024 centre around calmness with a palette of soft shades. Their Colour of the Year for 2024 is Sweet Embrace, a soft, delicate hue, which has drawn inspiration from the gentleness of evening clouds.

Creative Director and Colour Expert at Dulux, Marianne Shillingford, explains: “What is so wonderful about Sweet Embrace is its soothing quality. Like a whisper of reassurance in a moment of stress, it has a visual softness that calms the senses and creates an atmosphere of serenity.”

Marianne adds that “we’re all running non-stop these days, so it’s important that our homes provide us a raft in the storm, where we feel safe to take time out from facing our toughest challenges. A shade as subtle and versatile as Sweet Embrace encourages us to get quietly creative and fashion spaces that allow us to be our best, most authentic selves – and vitally, feel completely at home.” 

Earthborn – Hopscotch

Calming colours that uplift are a common theme for colour trends for 2024, and shades that are evocative of the natural world feature highly. Earthborn’s answer to the Colour of the Year 2024 is Hopscotch, a beautiful neutral, which has subtle yellow and grey undertones to give a cosier feel to the room. There’s also a move towards a completely matt finish and Earthborn’s clay paints have a high clay content giving a creamier finish.

Cathryn Saunders, Head of Creative at Earthborn, explains that “with earthy, warm colours starting to dominate the interiors space, chalky neutrals are an essential part of this palette. Extremely versatile and delicate, Hopscotch is our Colour of the Year as it works with all room orientations, serving as the perfect subtle backdrop for brighter colours or working in harmony with similar neutral tones for a softer aesthetic.”

Graham & Brown – Viridis

Graham & Brown started life as a family business on Haygarth Street in Blackburn in 1946, and has been passed down through the generations. It’s been expanding ever since and recently celebrated 75 years of innovation and pledging to become carbon neutral.

Graham & Brown’s colour of the year has, like many of the colour trends we’re seeing for 2024, been heavily influenced by nature. A nod to the huge movement of biophilic design, Graham & Green have unveiled that their Colour of the Year 2024 is a muted green shade called Viridis, which means “green, young, fresh, lively and youthful”.

Head of Design at Graham & Brown, Maryanne Cartwright, says “Viridis is the color of growth and health, mirroring nature and expressing renewal and life. It evokes a feeling of abundance and a plentiful environment whilst simultaneously providing a restful and secure feeling. We see our homes as a haven, a place to spend time with family and friends, and this is the perfect hue to create a welcoming colour palette.”

Behr – Cracked Pepper

American paint brand Behr have revealed their Colour of the Year for 2024, and it’s bucking the other trends and bringing some drama to the table. Cracked Pepper is a soft black that Behr says is a “timeless and modern hue that awakens the senses and exudes confidence on every scale”.

“As we look into 2024, creating a sense of comfort and belonging will continue to drive design decisions— but now, as life returns to its more familiar rhythms, it’s time to allow our senses to come alive,” says Erika Woelfel, Vice President of Colour and Creative Services at Behr Paint Company.

Farrow and Ball

Farrow and Ball unfailingly has their finger on the pulse when it comes to colour trends, and 2024 is no exception.

Joa Studholme, the brilliant Colour Curator for Farrow & Ball, says, “Decorating over the next year is going to be all about balance. As we continue to embrace our new ways of living, creating personal interiors has never been more important. This can look like a myriad of different styles, but it’s paramount that our homes are sustainable, authentic and carefully crafted.

“Rich clay tones continue to nurture us in times of uncertainty, while for those embracing the opportunity to try something new, combining different sheens and wallpaper is ideal for celebrating individuality.”

They have not one colour of the year, but rather a chic palette to dip into. The shades all fall into the clay tones and include the earthy warm hues of Jitney (pictured below) and Stirabout.

Joa suggests “using a lighter tone like Oxford Stone on the walls and the much stronger Tanner’s Brown on the trim instantly makes the walls feel lighter and the room feel bigger”.

Valspar – Renew Blue

Renew Blue is Valspar’s Colour of the Year for 2024, which Sue Kim, Valspar’s Director of Colour Marketing, describes as “a balanced blue with a touch of grayed sea-green that focuses on wellness and comfort – setting a restful and meditative mood in any room of the home”.

She adds that it’s an “incredibly versatile and all-season shade that anyone can envision in their space. Inspired by fleeting elements like fog, mist, clouds, and glacier lakes, Renew Blue elevates the everyday mood, encourages self-expression, and evokes a feeling of balance and calm.”