2018 Paint Color Trends and Forecasts

Happy New Year friends!! I can’t think of a better way to start things off than by talking about the 2018 paint color trends and forecasts!

PPG Hot Stone

**The 2019 Paint Color Trends post is now on the blog!

I am really late this year with my annual post on paint color trends for the year but better late than never, right?! I am SO excited about where we are heading with color and I have devoured, analyzed and scoured all of the paint manufacturers forecasts and I can’t wait to share with you guys all the details.

On a side note, all of the images in today’s post I took while touring the Salt Lake City Parade of Homes back in September. I was so blown away with all the fresh ideas and paint colors that I took tons of pictures so I could share with you guys.  If I was able to get the name/brand of the paint color from the builder, I listed it directly below the image.

PPG Storm’s Coming

Color Forecast Background

More than any other color forecast that comes out, I look forward to the paint manufacturers forecast the most because I think it’s the most accurate because it’s based on current paint color sales indicators.  As we consumers naturally move through color undertones, manufacturers have the tools to predict what colors we will be drawn to next.

As I look back over the 9 years that I have been blogging about paint colors, color trends and yearly forecasts, I continue to be amazed at just how precise the paint manufacturers are in their color forecasting. From my experience, paint manufacturers are about 12-18 months ahead of mainstream consumers in their color trend forecasting and if you look through my 2017 Color Trends and Forecasts post  you can see that we are now trending into those forecasted colors.

Sherwin Williams Dovetail

Muted Paint Colors

Each year, I sift through all the various color forecasts and predicted paint colors (hundreds of colors) and pull the forecasted colors that I feel are more realistic for our walls and those colors that I know from experience are good.

Here are my 2018 favorites that I pulled for you!

This year, all of the paint manufacturers 2018 color forecasts are unanimous with where we are heading in color for the next year. We are slowly moving into more color and warmth. If there was a word of 2018 when it comes to paint colors, that word would be “muddy” or “muted”. I also agree that is precisely the move that I have been seeing with consumers, designers and home builders.

If you’ve been following along with me the last couple of years, you know that we are on a slow natural path moving into warmer paint colors.  The pendulum swings slowly when it comes to consumers and how we naturally move through colors. Of course, we would never go overnight from wanting cool grays on our walls to bright warm colors. Instead, we move gradually and warm up to colors by starting with muted or muddy colors. Makes perfect sense, right?!

Sherwin Williams 2018 Color Forecast introduced the “Sincerity” color palette and it’s about as muted or muddy as you can get when it comes to color.

 

Neutral Paint Color Trends

Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray

If you’re like me and are still very much grounded in neutral paint colors, no need to worry because neutrals will always be popular. However, we will see trends in neutrals continue to move from cool leaning to warming up.  I am already seeing this neutral warm-up  in design this last year.

Sherwin Williams Argos

Warm grays that have a balanced hint of coolness will continue to be the most popular neutral in 2018. The gray trend is not going anywhere anytime soon!

I was really excited to see the color Moonshine on Benjamin Moore’s 2018 Color Forecast because it’s one of the best neutrals out there and the very slight warm undertone is indicative of the move to slight warm-up this year with consumers. However, Moonshine still has plenty of coolness to balance. If you’re looking for just a little neutral color for your walls, put Moonshine on your radar for sure!

Benjamin Moore Moonshine

 

I fell in love with a neutral color called Storm’s Coming by PPG when I saw it used in a whole home during the SLC Parade of Homes.

 PPG Storm’s Coming

PPG Storm’s Coming

 

PPG Storm’s Coming

Benjamin Moore Gray Owl has been very popular for several years now and I also saw it used as a whole home color in several different homes on the tour.  It’s one of the most dependable and versatile paint colors out there!

Benjamin Moore Gray Owl

 

Benjamin Moore Gray Owl

If you are looking for a gray that is slightly less warm than Gray Owl, Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray is a gorgeous color to consider!

 

Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray

 

Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray

While all these grays look the same, there are some slight differences. Here are all the colors together to help you see the differences.

 

White Paint Color Trends

PPG Garlic Clove

I was surprised that there were very few whites in the paint manufacturers forecasts for 2018. This is where I take a hard veer from their predictions.  I feel from what I have been  seeing the last year, white walls and cabinetry will continue to dominate more so than ever in 2018.  All you have to do is scroll through designers and home bloggers on Instagram to see that white is not going anywhere.

Benjamin Moore Simply White

I think that consumers are really loving the freshness that white walls and cabinetry bring. I’m continuing to see people opt for color in fabrics, rugs and art against the white walls. It’s a lot easier to try out fun new colors seasonally with white walls, which is another reason white continues to be so popular.

Benjamin Moore Simply White has by far been the most popular white this last year because it’s not too bright and cool and has slight warmth.

Benjamin Moore Simply White

We are moving from the crisp bright cool whites into ever so slightly warmed up whites. That change has been happening significantly this last year!

However, for my clients that do not have a lot of natural light but want white walls, Simply White could be too warm of a white. In those cases (very little natural light), I recommend Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White, which is a little brighter and less warmth.

 

I am also going to start recommending Sherwin Williams Nebulous White for my clients that do not have a lot of natural light.  I saw this color used in a whole home during the SLC Parade of Homes and absolutely loved it!

Sherwin Williams Nebulous White 

Dark Paint Color Trends

Another trend that I have been seeing over the last year that I have talked a lot on the blog about is this move to rich and dark paint colors for cabinetry and accent walls.  All the 2018 forecasts were loaded with dark rich colors, which supports this trend that we are seeing.

Accent walls are back in a very big way right now and I saw a rich and dark accent wall in  almost every home that I toured during the SLC Parade of Homes.

Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal

You’ll notice in all of these pictures that the walls are all white but the accent walls are very dark and rich colors. This contrast is really stunning and something that I know we will be seeing a lot more of in 2018.

I also saw a lot of rich and dark interior doors and even blogged about that trend because I loved it so much!

Sherwin Williams Dovetail

Kwal Brainchild

Sherwin Williams Black Magic

I am so excited to continue to watch this slow movement into color and I love all the rich colors mixed with crisp white. It’s such a beautiful combination!  Here are links to all of the 2018 paint color trends and color forecasts from the various paint companies if you want to sift through yourself!

 2018 Benjamin Moore Color Forecast

                                                2018 Sherwin Williams Color Forecast 

2018 BEHR Color Forecast

    2018 Dunn-Edwards Color Forecast

If you are looking for more inspiration, my post from 2017 Paint Color Trends and Forecasts is loaded with great colors and room inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by today friends and have a wonderful and Happy New Year!

Cheers!

Cyndy