The Washington Post - USA (2021-11-11)

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it kind of makes sense.”

For Manhattan interior design-

er Nina Blair, the green-gray

sweep reflects a renewed appreci-

ation for the outdoors, specifical-

ly the sense of harmony and relief

it brings. “We’re in this moment

of cherishing nature and wanting

to transfer that inside,” she said.

Each of the wistful green-grays

that were chosen have just a hint

of adventurousness. “Wild, but

not risky,” she said.

The selection process for

choosing a Color of the Year is

exhaustively thorough. Most

brands spend a full calendar year,

if not more, studying lifestyle

trends, analyzing search engine

data and attending trade shows

before sitting down to debate the

final few chips. There’s pressure

to permeate the zeitgeist a bit,

too, because the winning hue

must anticipate more than just

sales. These “it” colors reflect our

political climate, economic

health, social behavior and gener-

al collective mood, thus connect-

ing color trends with what’s hap-

pening in the wider world.

For design buffs, the reveal can

be a thrill. Last year’s selections,

chosen during a period of extraor-

dinary political and social up-

heaval, were wide-ranging, unex-

pected and wrapped in all sorts of

heady symbolism. Benjamin

Moore chose a rich, nautical teal

(“to reflect and reset,” the brand

said) while Valspar featured a

palette of warm, dusty neutrals

inspired by the earth, mindful-

ness and meditation. Pantone,

the leader in color trend forecast-

ing, split the 2021 title between

two contrasting colors — a bright,

hopeful yellow and a safe, classic

gray — to make a statement about

togetherness. “A message of posi-

tivity supported by fortitude,” Le-

atrice Eiseman, head of the Pan-

tone Color Institute, said in a

statement. “This combination

gives us resilience and hope.”

Unsurprisingly, after two chal-

lenging years, the messaging for

2022 is focused on wellness and

regrowth. PPG’s pick, a mellow

shade called Olive Sprig, symbol-

izes “new beginnings in a post-

pandemic era.” Behr’s, a refresh-

ing mint called Breezeway, repre-

BY MEGAN BUERGER

Every autumn, the major paint

brands predict which colors will

be most popular with consumers

the following year. Using the

awards-style designation “Color

of the Year,” they announce their

winning hues one by one, reveal-

ing a rainbow of paint-swatch

inspiration from grounded,

earthy terra cottas to preppy ma-

rine blues. At least, that’s how it

usually goes.

This year, something funny

happened. Many brands — in-

cluding heavyweights Benjamin

Moore, Sherwin-Williams, PPG

and Behr — landed in the same

corner of the paint deck: a leafy,

muted green-gray. Commonly as-

sociated with healing and sereni-

ty, the blended gender-neutral

hue draws on natural elements

such as pebbles, grasses, succu-

lents and sea glass to achieve a

certain restorative balance.

“In all the years I’ve been work-

ing on this program, this is the

first time anyone else has even

come close [to picking the same

shade],” said Kelly Sinatra, a rep-

resentative for Benjamin Moore.

The company’s pick, October

Mist, is a meditative sage green

inspired by the stem of a flower.

“We find out what the other

brands chose when everyone else

does,” she added. “And yeah, we

were shocked.”

Sue Wadden, director of color

marketing for Sherwin-Williams,

heard whispers over the summer

that a competing brand had end-

ed up in the same territory as

their selection, a Zen shade called

Evergreen Fog. But she didn’t

expect it to spread much further.

“At first, we were like, ‘Dang it,

come on! Why does it have to be

so close?’ ” she said. “Then, an-

other rolled in, and another, and

we were like, ‘Oh, wow, so this is

actually happening.’ ”

Although there are always

common thematic elements —

most of the 2021 colors shared a

certain reserved optimism, for

example — rarely is there any real

overlap. So what inspired so

many companies to go green for

2022? The prevailing theory is

that a prolonged period in which

we all followed similar routines —

working from home, eating out-

side, swapping long-distance va-

cations for long, scenic drives —

ignited a global conversation

around the importance of mental

health.

“To me, the fact that there’s

consensus like this speaks to our

shared experience,” Wadden said.

“It’s like no other time in history.”

Sinatra agreed: “I really feel

like everybody’s singing from the

same songbook. When you think

about where we’re at in the world,

sents “spiritual reemergence.”

Glidden’s Guacamole, a dense

and slightly retro hue, was chosen

for its “spirited yet soothing”

qualities that can turn a bedroom

into a retreat. Valspar and Farrow

& Ball opted for palettes instead

of single colors this year, but both

brands included nature-inspired

greens in their selections (Val-

spar’s Blanched Thyme, Farrow &

Ball’s Breakfast Room Green).

But perhaps the strongest ap-

peal of misty green-gray is its easy

versatility. For many designers

and color experts, it is essentially

a neutral.

Sherwin-Williams’s forecast-

ing discussions included emer-

alds, olives and sage greens, but

all were too verdant or loud for

the average consumer. “The touch

of gray makes it feel restrained

and timeless,” Wadden said. “For

us, lighter and softer made sense.”

Executives at Benjamin Moore

had similar conversations. “We

knew from our data that people

want to bring more color into

their homes, and October Mist is

a safe choice,” said Andrea Mag-

no, director of color marketing

and development for Benjamin

Moore. “It’s balanced, everyone

loves it, and it goes with every-

thing.”

Is there a risk of being too safe,

though? With so many big brands

getting behind the same hue,

some are predicting green ex-

haustion.

“Green-gray just doesn’t feel

forward-thinking to me,” said

Natalie Ebel, who founded the

Los Angeles-based paint start-up

Backdrop. “It feels like where

we’ve just been. I would encour-

age people to look for brighter,

more atmospheric colors that

gesture at something different.

Be a little provocative.”

Ebel doesn’t participate in

naming a Color of the Year, be-

cause she worries it’s a fast-track

to making colors feel dated. In-

stead, she suggests looking for

colors that express your own indi-

vidual style. “Why preemptively

time-stamp your home and

make it look like everyone else’s

when you could make it look like

you?”

Still, for more color-shy con-

sumers, gray-green is a perfect

place to start — a subtle, adapt-

able palette for art, plants and

lighting that feels rooted and

stable. Magno encourages shop-

pers to think of it less as an entire

look and more as a canvas.

“Green-gray allows you to go in

any direction,” she said. “The

question is: How will you make it

your own?”

[email protected]

Megan Buerger is a freelance writer

in New York.

It’s hue-nanimous: 2022 colors of the year are very much alike

SHERWIN-WILLIAMS

Sherwin-Williams chose Evergreen Fog as its 2022 Color of the Year. Normally a study in contrasts,

paint companies’ 2022 colors of the year mostly revolved around shades of g reen-gray.

BENJAMIN MOORE

Benjamin Moore’s pick was October Mist. “We were shocked,” said

a Benjamin Moore representative of seeing brands’ similar choices.

BEHR PAINT COMPANY

Behr’s Breezeway represents

“spiritual reemergence.”

PPG

PPG’s mellow Olive Sprig

symbolizes “new beginnings.”