Styled, Staged & Sold

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2020 Color Forecast: The Rise of Blues and Greens

Some paint companies and other color forecasters have released their predictions for the 2020 Color of the Year, and grays and beiges are losing favor to more colorful interiors. Shades of blues and greens are expected to grow in popularity next year. Here's an overview of some of the 2020 color predictions released so far:

A Lighter Side of Green

Behr living room in green

Photo courtesy Behr

Behr's top pick for 2020 is a meadow-inspired green called "Back to Nature." The yellow-based hue aims to give the illusion of bringing the outdoors inside, whether splashed on a living room wall or bedroom throw pillow.

A plain green mudroom

Photo courtesy Behr

"As we look ahead to a new decade, Back to Nature encourages us to reengage with the natural world, which we know can have a real, positive impact on our well-being," says Erika Woelfel, vice president of color and creative services at Behr. "Everyone has a different way of engaging with nature. Whether you're biking on a forest path, canoeing on a lake, or walking on the beach, green is prevalent in nearly every outdoor landscape. It is easily nature's favorite color."

A Brighter Blue

A white couch in a living room with dark hardwood floors and a bright blue background

Photo courtesy PPG

Paint firm PPG has made "Chinese Porcelain" its choice for 2020 Color of the Year. The shade is a blend of cobalt and muted navy tones. Blues have been growing in popularity—even as a trending color for kitchen cabinetry—over the past year. "Consumers are tiring of stark grays and are looking to infuse colors that delight the senses," says Dee Schlotter, senior color manager at PPG. "Blue is the easiest possible entry point from the world of neutrals to the world of color."

Stairwell with Blue walls and white accent

Photo courtesy PPG

Blue can be used as an accent color or a neutral shade. It can be used as a feature color in a bedroom when set against crisp, white bedding and crown molding for a sharp contrast, PPG notes. Or, it can be used in the living room for a modern look. Blue shades are being layered with tufted and velvet furniture or paired with metallic finishes.

A bedroom, containing a bed with a large headboard against a blue wall, flanked on both sides by blue nightstands

Photo courtesy PPG

Ocean-Inspired Palettes

Other paint firms like Pantone have yet to release their 2020 color picks. But a pattern of nature-inspired hues and blues seem to be common among color forecasters. Colors inspired by the ocean are a big trend for 2020, and that doesn't just mean blue but a variety of sea tones, according to the Color Institute.


"Browns are important across the gamut and are inspired by dried seaweed and driftwood," Lauren Pressman, the Color Institute's vice president, said at a conference earlier this year in Las Vegas. Colors of the sea—like sand-inspired whites, deep blacks, and oxygenated, cooler greens—also will be trending in 2020, Pressman said.

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