Color of the Year

Design is an important aspect of my job, so I am always interested in color trends. These days, various companies, especially paint companies, annually announce one or more color(s) of the year. You can see a selection of these for 2024 here.  (There are lots of interesting blues among them.)

The most impactful color of the year is chosen by the Pantone Color Institute, which forecasts global color trends. They have been designating a “color of the year” since 1999, and they were the first to do it. Pantone’s color of 2024 is Peach Fuzz, which they say “captures our desire to nurture ourselves and others. It’s a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body and soul.” You can see it here.

Why do we care? These color selections definitely impact the retail and design world. You’ll see clothing, housewares, packaging, and lots more, in some form of Peach Fuzz this year.  For real estate, you might see stagers adding accents to their inventories in similar colors, and there might be a shift towards compatible colors. It can be fun to update some home accents to follow a current trend, but always keep in mind that there will be a new “it” color next year, so I recommend sticking to something more classic for big, long-lasting items (exterior house color, major appliances, etc.).