ANTHOLOGY: THE EVOLVING COLORS OF COLORMIX®

Each year, the colors unveiled with our Colormix® Forecast act as a crucial reference points, establishing the color-trend universe from which our Color of the Year and Colors of the Month are selected. Each hue and color group has meaning and together they awaken modern aesthetics and become a resource to professionals who choose and use them to thoughtfully design.

For 2024, we're delivering something different. We call it Anthology: Volume One, a biennial color trend report organized by color family. The essential color reference will alternate each year with the style and trend storytelling you've come to know and love.

With the help of this year's designer-exclusive lookbook or through color samples, you can discover and decide what the future holds for these four groups: blues and greens, reds and purples, deeps and darks, and delicate tints. Let's explore how each of these groups evolved in recent years.

BLUE AND GREENS: A STORY OF SYNERGY

Our Colormix® forecasts have predicted the rising popularity and significance of hues ranging from pale green to teal to deep navy - and many shades in between - for the past several years. The cycle resumes with a sometimes softening, and other times strengthening, evolution for the future of this color family, representing a maturation of nature-inspired colors in design. Wellness-boosting blues in smoky or more saturated tones bring calm and mental clarity, greens continue to be favored in a diverse range of values, and blue and green have begun to converge as we examine our relationship to the natural world.

ENRICHING REDS, PURPLES, AND THE RISE OF BROWNS

Our forecasts included mineral reds ranging from deep to midtone in value, with energy-boosting corals and pinks since 2020. Before, warmer-undertone reds, cooler pinks, and magenta were emphasized. This hue group is likely to evolve from now on beyond these looks, with more muted and soulful clay pigments, pink-beige neutrals, true purples, and nostalgic brights taking the lead.

Design aesthetics have trended toward warmer colors recently, coinciding with the rising popularity of earth-aligned browns- rather than the cooler, grayed-out browns from earlier in the decade - as well as a carefully stylized mix of hues from the red and purple family to create atmospheres of grounded balance.

THE GROWING POPULARITY OF DARK COLORS

Over the past few years, rich and mysterious colors have not so much changed as they have continued to gather momentum and power in design.

In response to global challenges and uncertainty about the future, chromatically intense colors are poised to remain a key element in design. The experts on our Color Forecast team theorize that deep tones are on the rise because of rapid societal change, and that their ability to produce a comforting effect will be instrumental in creating soothing, modern spaces. This value range will help to balance the increasing radiance of bright tones in 2024 and beyond.

THE ONGOING EVOLUTION OF WHITES AND TINTS

This color palette plays a pivotal role in contemporary designs, offering a starting point for the perfect foundational white or near-white for projects. The subtle shifts in this color group signify broader acceptance of less-is-more aesthetics. Transitioning from the stark whites, in 2024 we'll see the emergence of more richly nuanced and affective whites and tints.

By examining related colors and individual hues, we can trace the rise and fall of their popularity across decades. As we embark on a new year, we'll delve into this color continuum to chart the trajectory of colors over the next 24 months. 

Bring the complete forecast to life with color samples and order your designer-exclusive lookbook through your account executive now.