This Year’s Spring Paint Trends 2021
As the weather has been warming and the colors are becoming more vibrant outside, it may be time to start updating the colors inside your house too.
Every spring there seems to be a new trend or recommendation, and this spring, the trending colors are a mix of bright pops of color, tropical blues, red tones, neutrals, and grays.
The Pantone Color Institute is at the forefront of the guessing game for every spring’s home color palette, and their colors this year are more exciting than ever.
"Infused with a genuine authenticity that continues to be increasingly important, colors for Spring/Summer 2021 combine a level of comfort and relaxation with sparks of energy that encourage and uplift our moods,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
To find out the spring paint trends for this year, I looked at the Benjamin Moore Color of the Year 2021, Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year 2021, HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year 2021, Glidden (Accent) Color of the Year 2021, Behr Color of the Year 2021, and Pantone Color Institute’s Spring 2021 Colors.
While recently, the trend for home interiors has shifted to minimalism with the emergence of a clean, modern style, this spring’s trending colors are bright and vibrant.
Trend number 1: The Bright's: Marigold Orange and Illuminating Yellow
Images from Pantone Color Institute
This first color is one that may seem like a big risk to put on your walls, but used sparingly and in the right light, Pantone’s spring paint trend “Marigold Orange” can make any accent wall pop. The pigmented color goes well with most neutrals and even some blue shades. Pair it with a few patterned pieces and accent pillows, it can make the room vibrant.
Image from Laurel Home
Orange creates a refreshing backdrop that looks great in dining rooms and kitchens and the color beautifully complements blues and greens. This shade of orange brings life to a room without being too in your face. And although the shade is bright, it still brings warmth and an earthy tone to a space.
Image from Windermere
Pantone introduced the color Illuminating Yellow as a complement to its other color of the year Ultimate Gray. This yellow is an electric, cheery color that exudes energy. This is a color that can easily overwhelm a space, though, so it is important to be sparing with your use, combining different neutrals with the eccentric color to create a compelling design for a bedroom, office, or living room. Besides paint colors, this yellow works great for accent pillows and area rugs to brighten up a space.
Trend number 2: The Blues: Crisp Cerulean Blue, Aegean Teal, and Aqua Fiesta
Images from Pantone Color institute and Benjamin Moore
Another bold trend for this year are bright, tropical blues. Blues are reminiscent of the sky and the sea that feel right in all seasons. Like art imitates nature, design does too, so pairing these colors with sea grass greens and coral makes a perfect match. Any kind of blue can be a bold choice for paint, but with the right décor it can be refined and beautiful. Chicago-based designer Summer Thornton says when using bold blue colors like these, it is better to let the color shine than to tame it: “When you use a color this vibrant you have to fully go for it and let the color shine as the hero of the room—go big or go home! If you try to tame it, you end up with a space that lacks drama and edge,” Summer said.
Image from One Kings Lane
Each of these shades of blue brings a different tone to a room. This fist color, Crisp Cerulean Blue, is more subtle than the others. While still bright enough to open up a room, this blue is reminiscent of the ocean, and it radiates a tropical vibe.
Image From Pinterest
Aegean Teal, on the other hand, is more of a modern shade that complements white trim beautifully, bright enough to open up a room and dark enough to create a unique contrast with the trim.
Image From Home Depot
This color, Aqua Fiesta, is a nice mix of the two previous colors, bringing the bright tropical vibes of the Caribbean with a modern tone. The blue works great in a room with a lot of windows, creating a happy, bright vibe.
Trend number 3: The Reds: Rust and Passionate
Images from Pantone Color Institute and HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams
Darker shades of red and orange have been commonly used as accent wall colors for a while, and this is because they provide a great contrast with any white or neutral paint color and go with many decor styles, especially traditional ones.
Image From Houzz
This rust has an orange undertone, but is still dark enough to create a rustic vibe that goes great with the farmhouse design trend used in many homes.
Image From Southern Living
The color Passionate works great with almost any color, although it does have more of a cool undertone, which can make it look purplish in certain lightings.
Trend number 4: The Neutrals: Buttercream and Canyon Dusk
Images from Pantone Color Institute and Behr
The most subtle colors of the bunch, these neutrals bring a calming aura to any room, which can be great to help slow down the fast pace of modern technology. Behr calls it the “calm and inspiration in urban chaos.” These earthy, neutral tones are great for bringing you back to nature.
Image From Home Design Lover
This buttercream paint color is a yellowish-cream often called a “near-beige” that goes great with white and pastels to create a soft, light environment. Mostly used for a minimal and sophisticated design scheme, this paint color looks great in dining areas.
Image From PR News Wire
Canyon dusk is an interesting earthy tone, much like clay or terracotta, that creates a great contrast with black trim or a calming blend with whites. Behr calls this paint color a “tawny, raw, earthy hue” that gives an atmosphere of warmth and grounding.
Trend number 5: The Shades of Gray: Ultimate Gray and Urbane Bronze
Images from Sherwin-Williams and Pantone Color Institute
Probably the most conservative picks of the bunch, these paint colors work well in any setting, and they especially compliment mid century or modern styles with any type of trim.
Image From The Turquoise Home
Gray has been the “in” color for a while now, and the shade Ultimate Gray is one of those colors that can go with almost anything. Pair it with some fun patterns in any room of the house for a clean, modern look.
Image From House Beautiful
Urbane Bronze is a much darker type of gray with a golden undertone that looks great with all grains of wood, metals, and black. Make sure to use this paint color in a room with a lot of light so as to not darken up a space too much. Also, it looks great with all types of live greenery and plants.
These spring paint trends are all fresh, new colors to help you spice up any room after a cold Wisconsin winter. For more design tips, click through our website, or check out our home Stage 'N' Style page.