In 2025, the name of the paint game is saturation. Bold, dark colors are being revealed in the recent Color of the Year predictions for 2025.
These bold colors are likely stemming from the color drenching trend.
This is where people paint the whole room, trim and ceiling the same bold color. Color drenching really became big in 2023, as a reaction to the all white look that pervaded design prior to that. The color drenching look gives a luxe feel to a space.
As the major paint companies both create and react to trends, it is no surprise that they are choosing deep bold shades that lend themselves to the color drenching movement.
So, without further ado, here are the 2025 Colors of the Year from Benjamin Moore, Behr, Sherwin Williams HGTV Home, and Valspar, and a surprise color capsule by Sherwin Williams.
Benjamin Moore 2025 Color of the Year
Benjamin Moore announced their 2025 Color of the Year, and it is a bit of a shocker. The popular paint company chose Cinnamon Slate, 2113-40, to be their Color of the Year.
Cinammon Slate is a luxe and velvety blend of purple and brown. At first blush, Cinnamon Slate comes off as a purple paint color. But, it carries a much more nuanced approach to leave it at that.
Cinnamon Slate has a chocolate brown undertone that gives this purple an almost neutral appeal. For someone who can’t stand purple, this is not the right paint color. But for someone who loves purple but would never paint their walls such a loud shade, Cinnamon Slate may be just right.
Cinnamon Slate would definitely work with the color drenching trend, but could also be great in small doses.
Find out all the details on Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate.
Behr 2025 Color of the Year
Paint giant, Behr, announced their 2025 Color of the Year: Rumors.
Rumors is a deep red with a pink undertone. It is a very dark ruby red shade that envelops you with warmth.
Rumors works well with other earthy shades. It can highlight a space through use as a accent wall, on cabinets, or can be used in a color drenching scheme.
Rumors looks good with light colored wood, creamy taupes, earthy greens, and saturated blues.
Rumors is bringing me back to those deep red walls that trended about twenty years ago or so. And, since other trends from that time are back in style, it doesn’t surprise me too much that Behr is choosing a color from that time period.
I don’t know that I am ready to fully embrace a red wall, but if you are feeling bold and daring, this could be a great way to create a dramatic space in your home.
HGTV Home 2025 Color of the Year
HGTV Home, which is a subdivision of Sherwin Williams, announced their 2025 Color of the Year: Quietude.
Quietude, HGSW6212, is a mid tone blue green paint color that exudes relaxing elegance. Quietude is described as a soft sage with a blue influence, but I tend to see it more as a true blue green. While it can work in traditional spaces, it fits easily into coastal and transitional types of homes.
Quietude has a playful note to it as well, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. While there is a hint of gray in it which keeps it from being too juvenile, it is definitely a color that can be used in a playroom or child’s bedroom.
Quietude bucks the trends that we’ve seen in the other 2025 Colors of the Years, in that it is lighter and less bold. This actually makes it a more usable paint color, and one that will probably trend higher in homes than the other shades that have been selected.
SW Quietude was originally found in Sherwin Williams’ Fan Deck, alongside all of Sherwin Williams original colors. While many of the HGTV Home colors were specifically made for this paint line, Quietude was brought into it from the original line, likely due to its popularity.
Sherwin Williams Quietude is very reminiscent of two of Sherwin WIlliams top selling colors from the early 2000s – Sea Salt and Rainwashed. Both were blue/green blends with a gray undertone, similar to Quietude.
Quietude has a bit more color than they do, but this is on par with all of the major paint companies moving away from neutrals in their color of the year designations.
Valspar 2025 Color of the Year
Valspar has chosen its 2025 Color of the Year: Encore.
In line with many of the other major paint companies, Valspar selected a bold, dark shade.
Encore, 8002-45G, is a rich blue with a dose of brightness to it. It is cool and saturated, with a hint of a violet undertone. It is brighter than a navy, and almost best described as a cobalt blue.
Encore is a shade that will work in a limited number of spaces and homes. Its a great color, but its brightness and hue make it one that is less user friendly.
Despite this, it is the sort of paint color that some will fall in love with, and if that’s you, I say go for it!
It will work in a color drenching scenario, and may be a great accent color to pair with coordinating wallpaper.
I could see Valspar Encore working well in a space with a beadboard accent on the bottom part of the wall painted in Encore, and a wallpaper upper with bold colors that coordinate with the lower paint color.
Sherwin Williams 2025 Colors of the Year
In a surprise move, Sherwin Williams has not announced a 2025 Color of the Year. Instead, they have chosen a paint palette to represent the colors of the times.
Sherwin Williams 2025 Color Capsule of the Year includes a mix of warm and cool colors for a perfectly balanced paint palette.
There may be an official reason that they did this, but my sense is that Sherwin Williams’ finally decided that choosing one specific paint color doesn’t actually work all that well. So, to be sure to have a color that everyone likes, they introduced 9 colors.
The Sherwin Williams 2025 Color Capsule of the Year includes the following paint colors:
- SW 6089 Grounded – a chocolate brown
- SW 9585 Sunbleached – a grayish white
- SW 0073 Chartreuse – a yellowish green
- SW 6390 Bosc Pear – a yellow and brown blend
- SW 9541 White Snow – a cool white
- SW 9639 Rain Cloud – a darker grayish blue
- SW 9605 Clove – a dark brown
- SW 9110 Malabar – a modern tan
- SW 6282 Mauve Finery – a pale purple
And I will say, the palette definitely does feel like 2025 to me.
The colors are all much more muted than the other Colors of the Year we already discussed. The whole palette feels a bit more neutral, even with its more colorful additions like Chartreuse and Mauve Finery.
Sherwin Williams 2025 Colormix Forecast
In addition to their 2025 Color Capsule of the Year, Sherwin Williams has also released their 2025 Colormix Forecast, which includes 4 paint palettes with varied focuses.
The Paradox Paint Palette contains bright and playful paint colors that can be paired with soft neutrals or deep grounding shades.
The Chrysalis paint palette is comprised of mostly earthy neutrals that can be mixed or matched to create a layered look.
The Wellspring paint palette blends warm and cool shades for a boisterous mix of eclectic colors.
The Kindred paint palette is a mix of energetic shades that feels happy.
There is no common theme between these paint palettes, and there seems to be a palette for any and every home design style.
Final Thoughts on 2025 Colors of the Year
If you like bold, saturated colors, 2025 is your year. Deep colors that give a luxe, sophisticated feel are invading the paint space.
The ever popular neutrals have been pushed aside this year, and the designers at the major paint companies are pushing COLOR.
Now, just because these paint colors have been selected as the 2025 Colors of the Year, it doesn’t mean that these paint colors are the most popular paint colors. They aren’t the shades that most people are using in their homes.
Check out this article if you want to see the 25 most popular paint colors for 2025 from Sherwin Williams.
If you are interested in previous years Colors of the Years, check out the last 10 years of Sherwin Williams’ picks.
