It's 2021! And it's time to give you my overview of the 2021 Colors of the Year as chosen by various decor and paint companies, most notably Pantone. Whether or not you follow trends, I thought it would be fun (and maybe useful?) for you to see some of these all here in one place, with samples of how I've used them in my own pattern designs. Not surprisingly, most colours were chosen for their uplifting, comforting, calming, soothing, harmonious, optimistic and hopeful properties. If you're a designer looking for ideas and trends, or just someone wanting a 2021 re-fresh (don't we all?), see below. And scroll down to see summaries of how each company describes their 2021 color picks!

PANTONE: They say "Illuminating" ("warming and optimistic") and "Ultimate Gray" ("practical and rock solid") are "A marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting".

GLIDDEN PAINTS: They chose not a Color of the Year, but an ACCENT Color of the Year, "Aqua Fiesta", which they describe as: "Happy and muted, this beautiful color makes a sweet space that is not overly vibrant".

BENJAMIN MOORE: They say, "Take a moment to reflect and reset. Intriguing, balanced and deeply soothing...Aegean Teal creates natural harmony".

GRAHAM & BROWNE: This is how G&B describes "Epoch": "This rich, deep amethyst" is "associated with royalty as the cost of pigments were so expensive--the color has a calming effect on both the mind and nerves, and it can be uplifting and trigger creativity".

HGTV by SHERWIN-WILLIAMS: They say, "Rich and empowering, Passionate is a bold red, that's steeped in history, merging modern design with traditional charm".

SHERWIN-WILLIAMS: They say, "Tap into nature with a hue whose warmth and comfort breathe down-to-earth tranquility". 

And there you have it! If you have a favourite (or not?!), leave a comment here and let me know!

I love the limited colour palette design challenges put on by Spoonflower! This week’s “Classic Blue Limited Color Palette” Design Challenge includes the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year "Classic Blue" (which I really, really like!) and 3 other blue shades. I re-coloured my “Mahal” pattern design which was inspired by my travels in India using only the 4 gorgeous shades of blue, and may inspire me to re-colour more of the designs in my "Palace Walls" pattern collection! If you would like to see this week’s entries, be sure to check out the Voting Page!

Pantone is not the only one to announce a Color of the Year (their "Classic Blue" is getting a lot of buzz though!) Many paint and wallpaper companies also make their trend predictions. I researched a bunch of them and it looks like blue, blush and green are the colours to watch in 2020. Then I couldn't resist raiding my pattern design archive to find matching designs for each colour! Enjoy! Do you have a favourite??!

Pantone just announced its choice for Pantone Color of the Year 2020: CLASSIC BLUE! Here is how they describe it: "Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era". I must admit a soft spot for blue and have designed many all-blue patterns and illustrations over the years. So I couldn't resist, I had to dig into my pattern archive and see what I could find! While I don't always get the choices for Color of the Year, this one I do like! I have many, many ideas now...stay tuned!