Color Report · 2026
The 2026 Colors of the Year
Every major authority names its own Color of the Year — and for 2026 they split into two camps that tell one story: serene, weightless light and grounded, tactile earth. Here is the complete set, side by side, with the meta-trend that ties them together.
Every 2026 Color of the Year
Swatches are approximate sRGB renderings — physical paint and Pantone colours don't map to a single exact hex, so each brand's official colour code (linked) is the source of truth. Cloud Dancer and Silhouette show confirmed values.
- #57504C Benjamin Moore Silhouette · AF-655 A burnt umber with delicate notes of charcoal — a warm, grounding alternative to black. What goes with it → Official Benjamin Moore code →
- #CBBBA1 ~ Sherwin-Williams Universal Khaki · SW 6150 The essential neutral — a warm, earthy, creamy tan anchoring a tailored, timeless mood. What goes with it → Official Sherwin-Williams code →
- #5E7A72 ~ Behr Hidden Gem · N430-6A A smokey, desaturated jade — mysterious elegance that holds a full wall. What goes with it → Official Behr code →
- #98A189 ~ Valspar Warm Eucalyptus A muted, earthy gray-green meant to be restful to the eye and restorative to the soul. What goes with it → Official Valspar code →
- #7B473C ~ Glidden Warm Mahogany · PPG1060-7 A rich, grounded red-brown evoking rest, connection and creativity. What goes with it → Official Glidden code →
- #39463C ~ Dunn-Edwards Midnight Garden A deep, muted green of quiet elegance with earthy undertones and timeless appeal. What goes with it → Official Dunn-Edwards code →
- #EEE6D2 ~ Dutch Boy Melodious Ivory A warm cream with a nostalgic, elevated vibe — a base for layering bolder accents. What goes with it → Official Dutch Boy code →
- #4C2E48 ~ Graham & Brown Divine Damson A deep, saturated damson purple — luxury and sophistication with timeless versatility. What goes with it → Official Graham & Brown code →
- #D6B96C ~ C2 Paint Epernay A soft, earthy ochre-yellow inspired by craft, artistry and European interiors. What goes with it → Official C2 Paint code →
- #6B4A30 ~ Minwax Special Walnut A medium walnut wood-stain tone, riding the rustic wood-drenching trend. What goes with it → Official Minwax code →
- #4A3B30 ~ Krylon Coffee Bean A dark, natural brown spray tone inspired by elements of the earth. What goes with it → Official Krylon code →
- #2E7C84 ~ Rust-Oleum Satin Lagoon A tranquil-yet-vibrant teal that pairs with both neutrals and bold hues. What goes with it → Official Rust-Oleum code →
The 2026 meta-trend: calm earth
Read together, 2026's picks aren't fourteen different directions — they're two sides of one mood. On one side is serene, near-weightless light: Pantone's Cloud Dancer is the first true white it has ever crowned, echoed by Dutch Boy's Melodious Ivory and Sherwin-Williams' Universal Khaki. On the other is grounded, tactile earth — warm browns (Benjamin Moore Silhouette, Glidden Warm Mahogany, Minwax Special Walnut), deep greens (Dunn-Edwards Midnight Garden, Valspar Warm Eucalyptus) and smokey blue-greens (WGSN/Coloro's Transformative Teal, Behr's Hidden Gem, Rust-Oleum's Satin Lagoon).
Both camps point the same way: away from the saturated, screen-bright palettes of recent years and toward calm, nature and the hand-made — widely read as an antidote to digital fatigue. The teals carry an explicit Earth-first, regenerative message; the whites and creams make space; the browns and walnuts bring warmth you can almost touch.
Want to build a palette around a 2026 colour? Find what goes with any colour, browse the historical archive, or explore curated palettes for warm neutrals, deep greens and teals.
Library
Read more on colour
The thinking behind these picks — colour theory, forecasting and the language of palettes. Books we recommend on Amazon.
Torn between the two Wada dictionaries? Vol 1 vs Vol 2, compared plate by plate →
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Sources & methodology
Each colour's name, code and description is the authority's own. Selected references:
- Pantone Color of the Year 2026, Cloud Dancer — announced Dec 2025 (NPR).
- WGSN + Coloro Colour of the Year 2026, Transformative Teal (WGSN).
- 2026 paint Colors of the Year overview (HGTV, Young House Love, NAHB).
- Benjamin Moore Silhouette AF-655 hex reference (Encycolorpedia).
- 2026 selections design context (ArchDaily).
Swatch hexes are approximate sRGB renderings except Pantone Cloud Dancer (#F0EEE9) and Benjamin Moore Silhouette (#57504C), which are confirmed. For exact colour matching, use each brand's official code at the linked source.