It’s that fun time of the year where us paint color geeks look forward to the paint manufacturers announcing their annual “Colors of the Year”. Most of the manufacturers have announced their colors in the last few weeks and today I’m excited to share the 2021 Colors of the Year with you from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams. Check out the 2020 Colors of the Year here if you missed those last year.
Sherwin Williams announced their 2021 Color of the Year, which is (finally!!) SW Urbane Bronze!! I have been talking about how amazing SW Urbane Bronze is for several years now and I’m so thrilled that this dreamy rich and versatile color finally got it’s well deserved props!
There are only a handful of colors that are as versatile as SW Urbane Bronze. It always looks gorgeous in any light and it’s one of those colors that is double-duty; makes a statement while at the same time being serene. A rarity for such a dark color.
via Sherwin Williams
From my experience, Urbane Bronze looks its best surrounded by light colors like creams and whites for that beautiful rich contrast.
via Sherwin Williams
I have used Urbane Bronze in the past on interior doors, trim and accent walls. Urbane is also a great media cabinet color or kitchen island.
I just really love Urbane’s beautiful rich balanced undertone that’s not too warm but just right.
via Sherwin Williams
Mandy from Vintage Revivals painted her kitchen nook this color for an absolutely stunning dark and moody affect.
via Vintage Revivals
via Vintage Revivals
Benjamin Moore’s 2021 Color of the Year is Aegean Teal, which is a dreamy blue/green that I is really versatile. This color has also been on my radar for several years and I was excited to see it as Benjamin Moore’s pick for 2021.
As we move into more saturated color in 2021, Aegean Teal is the perfect color choice to showcase because it’s a realistic saturated color that neutral lovers like me would actually incorporate into our homes in small doses for a pop of color. The slight gray also in the undertone makes this color so smooth and the perfect compliment to neutrals and organic textures like woods, sea grass, wovens, etc..
Aegean Teal is a stunning door accent color!
via Benjamin Moore
Aegean is smooth and looks its best when mixed with neutrals and organic textures as Benjamin Moore has shown below.
via Benjamin Moore
Aegean Teal is a beautiful cabinetry or kitchen island color. It looks so pretty in this office below!
via Benajmin Moore
via Benjamin Moore
via Benjamin Moore
If you’re looking for more color in a space and all the walls, Aegean Teal is a beautiful option and again, I think Aegean looks magical mixed with organic light toned textures.
via Benjamin Moore
Normally, I also share the Colors of the Year for BEHR and PPG but this year, the companies did not come out with one. I’m not sure why. 🙁
So what do you guys think about these colors? Have you used either one of them before? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I’m really excited about this year’s picks and love that they are both realistic, colors with rich beautiful depth and very doable!
If you want to revisit last year’s Color of the Year (which I also love), you can find those here.
Thanks for stopping by today friends!
Cheers!
Cyndy
Melissa says
Hi! Love these colors! I am excited to see “color” instead of all white interiors with warm wood. Everything was starting to look the same. PPG did announce “Transcend” as its color of the year. They put it with a palette of three colors that also include Misty Aqua and Big Cypress. I enjoy your blog!
Julie says
Urbane Bronze is beautiful! I painted the exterior of my house this color four years ago with door and shutters In Raisin. Like the idea of painting interior doors in Urbane Bronze. Thanks for this great post!
Christine says
I’m happy to see positive thoughts on Aegean Teal! For some reason, the internet seems to hate BM’s pick this year, but I love it. To me, it’s tranquil, which we all need right now. I painted my home office Aegean Teal a few years ago and I couldn’t love it more. I have it paired with white wainscotting and trim (BM Decorator’s White) and it pops. The room doesn’t get a ton of natural light until later in the day, so the color reads a little moodier and jewel-toned than the photos BM put out, but it’s a great bit of color off my foyer.
Chanda Valko says
would you consider Agreeable Gray still a popular neutral for 2021? Also what darker gray or blue colors would you recommend to go with AG? I love Peppercorn but not sure if those two work together.
Ally B says
I can help you maybe. I painted my main interior walls AG in 2019 still love it. I did my island cabinets in Dorian Gray and my main ones Snowbound. My sunroom in Passive,, my kids rooms Misty, my laundry room Sea Salt and my master bedroom North Star.. They all flow well together.
Cindy Low says
I have used Urban Bronze for years on both exterior and interior. It works on both modern and traditional houses. I new it was always color of the year! It always makes me say”ahhh”!
Christine Salek says
My daughter used Urban Bronze on her lower kitchen cabinets -it looks great. Love the teal !
JMo says
I absolutely love all Benjamin Moore’s 2021 color choices and have a place in my home for almost each color in the pallet. I started with Agean Teal (my favorite) but was quickly disappointed. After applying it to my entry wall, the color was very dark — not at all what I had pictured in my mind, nor what the photos in the brochure portrayed. I dabbed a speck of paint onto the square in the brochure. It was close, but knowing that printed material can vary tremendously and ink is not the same as paint, etc., etc, I headed back to the paint store to get an actual paint chip. I did the dab test again and determined that my gallon of Regal Matte was indeed a smidge darker than the paint chip. But what is more disappointing is the misleading advertisement photos in the brochure — (note “photos”, plural). I adore the grayish -teal tone in the kitchen pic and on the pillow-topped bench and applied to the cabinet fronts. This is a color I could live with during all seasons for the next generation, changing an accent or two along the way. However MY color, the actual color is dark. Take another look at the kitchen photo with the copper pendant lights. The teal cabinets show a varied lighting range from left to right; light, medium to shadowy. The far-right side (the darkest side) implies that it’s in the shadows, is closest to the actual color of Aegean Teal. Is it the hue? The depth? I don’t know. But the brochure is misleading. The formula gives a deep, oceany, jewel-tone. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still a beautiful color! I asked my paint store for a refund or to lighten it, but— nope— so I lightened it myself. I added some white and now I absolutely adore my entry wall! It’s now about the color in the middle. Lots of words here but I thought someone out there might appreciate them. Have a fantastic day and happy painting!
SAJI George says
I can’t tell if urbane bronze looks dark green or blackish ? I was wondering if this color would be too much as an accent wall with a dark maroon color ? What would actually go with a dark reddish paint ? Or is it better to do this urbane color on one accent wall and all the other walls a neutral cream tone ? Please advise !