Paint is a powerful tool for changing the look and feel of a room. It can be used to brighten up a space, create a cozy atmosphere, or emphasize your favorite features. If you’re looking to freshen up your home this year, here are some of the latest paint color trends to consider. Whether you’re going for a cool or warm vibe, these colors will help you achieve the look you want.
Are you curious about the latest paint color trends for 2022?
If so, you’re in luck!
I went through the trending paint color lists of all the major paint companies and pulled out the most popular paint colors they’re all predicting will be big this year.
So whether you’re looking to freshen up your home’s décor or simply want to stay ahead of the curve, be sure to read on!
Of course, I don’t recommend picking a color just because it’s on this year’s list (it’ll likely be on your wall a lot longer than it’ll be trending).
However, if you happen to love one of this year’s colors, then it’s a great time to do that painting project you’ve been planning.
And if you’re making over a room, you’ll likely find there’s lots of accessories available in your colors, too. (That’s the one benefit of following the trends.) Which definitely makes re-decorating easier.
Let’s start with a summary of the 2022 paint color trends I found.
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If you’re looking for the latest colors, read the most popular 2023 paint color trends.
Trend Summary
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Similar to last year’s trends, many brands are looking to nature for their color inspiration. So greens, blues and even browns are showing up everywhere.
But this year, the big color is green (rather than blue). So if you love green, 2022 is your color year!
But blue lovers don’t despair. While blue is taking more of a back seat this year, there are still quite a few shades to choose from.
For the warm color lovers, deep red and golden yellow are also repeating from last year.
You’ll find bigger changes in the traditional neutral colors:
- There are very few grays in this year’s selections (although many of the trending colors have a gray undertone).
- Greiges are also not as popular as they have been in recent years.
- Warmer neutrals such as off-white, beige and brown are the neutral paint colors of choice for 2022.
And finally the colors that have totally gone off the trending color list this year? Blush pink and purple. (Although Pantone has chosen a blue that definitely leans to the purple side, so all is not lost if you’re a purple lover!)
To get all the details, keep reading to see the colors of the year from all of the major paint companies and find out more about the latest color trends for 2022.
A note on pinning: The individual room pictures below were not taken by me so they cannot be pinned from my site. There are links to the original pages below each one, so please go there if you wish to pin the images.
1 | Gray green
By far the most popular paint color trend for 2022 is gray green.
Three major paint companies chose shades of it as their color of the year.
And almost every other company had at least one gray green in their trending colors list.
Benjamin Moore chose ‘October Mist’ for their 2022 color of the year.
It’s a light gray green that looks really pretty with lilac or pink.
But pairs quite well with most other colors.
And is perfect for a zen bathroom or calming bedroom retreat.
Sherwin Williams named ‘Evergreen Fog’ as their color of the year for 2022…a darker green that has a lot of gray in it. (I think it’s very appropriately named.)
It looks beautiful with other neutrals such as white, off-white and brown.
Another great choice for a relaxing bedroom. Or if you’re looking for a gray alternative that has a little more depth to it.
For a less gray version, try out PPG‘s 2022 color of the year called ‘Olive Sprig’.
They describe it as representing healing, regrowth and resiliency.
Which also makes it a good choice for any room where you want a calming influence.
Regardless of whether you want to go light, dark or somewhere in the middle, there’s a gray green to fit your needs on this year’s list.
2 | Nature inspired greens
But we’re not done with green yet!
In case you want a color that is a little more vibrant, these nature-inspired greens may be just what you’re looking for.
Glidden‘s 2022 color of the year is ‘Guacamole’.
As the name suggests, it’s a fresh, organic green with yellow undertones. A much warmer color than the gray-greens above.
It looks awesome with other nature-inspired colors such as wood tones and natural fibers (like the jute rug in the room above).
If you’ve seen any of my makeovers, you know that I love Farrow & Ball paint.
They chose ‘Breakfast Room Green‘ as one of the trending colors for 2022.
It’s a beautiful, neutral shade of green that can be paired with pretty much any color (as you’ll see in the pictures below). And can work in any room.
Note: The blue on the dresser in the picture above is another of Farrow & Ball’s colors for this year. It’s called ‘Stone Blue’ and you’ll see more of it below.
There are many other nature-inspired greens on the list as well.
Like the Glidden color above, a lot of them tend towards the yellow side of green. And all will bring more of this relaxing color to your room.
3 | Ocean-inspired greens and blues
Next up are the ocean-inspired colors. These range from mint green to aqua and dark ocean blue.
They are somewhat similar to the aqua trend from last year, but the colors tend to have less gray in them.
Leading the way is Behr. They selected ‘Breezeway’ as their 2022 color of the year.
It’s a sea glass green that looks beautiful with bleached woods, warm neutrals and other coastal colors.
If you love coastal decor in clear ocean colors, then these refreshing greens and blues may be exactly what you’re looking for.
4 | Gray blue
Similar to what we saw with the greens, blues with a strong gray undertone are popular this year.
These blues look really good paired with white. But can also be used as a neutral since they go with all other colors.
The HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams color of the year for 2022 is ‘Aleutian’.
It’s a restful color that brings relaxation to the room.
It can be paired with neutrals. But also looks beautiful with contrasting warmer colors such as pastel pink.
Farrow & Ball also has a 2022 trending color in this category, called ‘Stone Blue‘.
Use it in a gloss finish for extra pizzazz.
The white on the walls in this picture is another of Farrow & Ball’s color picks for 2022 called ‘School House White’. You’ll see more of it later in the list.
As with most Farrow & Ball paints, the color can look totally different in different light. (It looks like a teal in this living room).
So make sure to test it in your room
Speaking of British paint colors, Dulux also chose a blue for their 2022 color of the year, called ‘Bright Skies’.
It’s a lighter blue that will brighten up a room, while still providing a relaxing vibe.
Pairing it with warm neutrals will make the blue stand out, while combining it with gray will keep it looking more muted.
5 | Periwinkle
Periwinkle is the next color on the latest 2022 color trends.
This one comes mostly from Pantone who created ‘Very Peri’ for their 2022 color of the year. (The first time they’ve ever created a new color rather than choosing an existing one from their collection.)
Pantone isn’t a paint company, but they are one of the leading color forecasting companies in the world, so their selections hold a lot of weight.
They say this color is courageous and encourages personal inventiveness and creativity.
It’s a blue that’s as close to purple as you’re going to find on this year’s trends list.
As someone who has decorated with periwinkle in the past (my whole house used to be painted this color), I can say that it actually is a neutral. It looks beautiful with every other color!
So if you’re looking to paint your house with a color that’s a little different, this may be your chance.
There are a couple of paint companies that had periwinkle tones on their trending list, so Pantone isn’t totally alone in this prediction.
If you’re looking for paint colors that are similar to Pantone’s ‘Very Peri’, try Sherwin Williams ‘Forget Me Not’ or Benjamin Moore ‘Waterdrop’.
6 | Earthy brown
Continuing with the nature-inspired colors, earthy brown is the next entry on the list.
Dunn-Edwards chose ‘Art and Craft’ as their 2022 color of the year, calling it a ‘warm and earthy shade that evokes feelings of stability and calm while allowing for a large range of play with creativity and change’.
In other words, they think it brings together calm and adventure, kind of like hiking a nature trail through the mountains.
Since brown is a neutral, it works with most other colors. But looks especially stunning when paired with other light-colored neutrals. Or orange if you prefer to add some color.
While only one paint company chose a brown as their color of the year, many of them had at least one on their trending colors list.
So you have a lot of options to choose from if you want to add brown to your color palette.
7 | Off White
For those of you looking for traditional neutral colors, off white along with some lighter beige colors were the most represented shades in the 2022 paint color trends.
While none of the paint companies chose one of these neutrals as a color of the year, Farrow and Ball had ‘School House White‘ as one of their 5 trending colors for 2022.
It’s an off-white that has a lot of depth to it, and has been on many interior designers’ favorite paint color lists for years.
So there’s a reason that it’s trending.
Being a neutral, it pairs with everything. Even white (as you can see from the baseboards in the picture above.)
While none of the paint companies selected one of these neutrals as their color of the year, there were many shades included in their trending colors lists. Including the ever popular ‘Accessible Beige’ from Sherwin Williams.
So if traditional neutrals are up your alley, take a look at the list of colors above for good paint color selections.
8 | Crimson Red
With the rest of the list consisting of cool, gray-based or neutral tones, the last two colors are for all of the warm color lovers.
Like the off-white selection above, these were not selected as “Colors of the Year” by any company.
But they were included in Farrow & Ball’s 5 trending colors for 2022. And a lot of the other paint colors included them in their trending lists.
So I added them to my trend list, too.
If you like these reds, but can’t imagine painting a whole room in them, consider using them as an accent, painting a door this color or updating a piece of furniture.
Farrow & Ball’s trending red is ‘Incarnadine‘.
It’s a bold, crimson red that will breathe life into any room.
Like the ceiling in the picture above. (I love decorated ceilings!)
I love how the red and white stripes look like a canopy, which is emphasized even more by bringing them down onto the wall a few inches.
The headboards and wall are painted using other Farrow & Ball trending colors (‘School House White’ and ‘Breakfast Room Green’) so you can get an idea of how they all work together.
Did you notice that the headboards are just painted on the wall? (I had to look at the picture a couple of times to figure that out).
If ‘Incarnadine’ isn’t quite your style, there are a few other trending red paint colors that you may like better.
9 | Golden Yellow
Finally, the last color on our list is golden yellow.
The yellows on this year’s list range everywhere from a pale sunshine yellow all the way to a bold golden yellow.
As with the red, these can be used to paint the whole room, create an accent wall (or ceiling), or highlight a door depending on how much yellow you want.
The last of Farrow & Ball’s 2022 trending paint colors is ‘Babouche‘, named after the soft slippers traditionally worn in Morocco.
It’s a bright yellow that can make any room feel full of sunshine. And would be perfect for a cheerful kitchen or welcoming front door.
Pair it with white to tone down the yellow a bit while still maintaining its cheerfulness.
Or if you like a little more contrast, it would look very pretty combined with blue or the periwinkle mentioned above.
For a less saturated yellow, try one of the other trending shades selected by the other paint companies for this year’s list.
Well, that’s it for the latest trending paint colors in 2022. Hopefully, you found some inspiration for your next painting project.
Other paint color ideas you might like
- How paint colors affect the way a room feels
- How to choose paint colors
- How to choose a whole house color scheme
- The most popular neutral paint colors
- The best living room paint colors (that are not neutrals)
Have a favorite (or not so favorite) 2022 trending paint color? Tell us in the section below.
This post was originally published on January 10, 2022 but was updated with new content on August 15, 2023.
