For many, September is about back to school, or doing pumpkin-themed photoshoots. For us, it’s about obsessively tracking paint companies’ colour predictions.

Like spawning salmon, each year, paint manufacturers are compelled to return to their desks to speculate wildly about what hue will define the year to come. Last year, most of them insisted it would be dusty rose. But this year? Things are less in sync. The pros are throwing what seems to be the whole spectrum of colour out there—the Colour of the Year for 2024 has been predicted to be everything from beigey beige to a sophisticated twist on Millennial pink.

What does this mean for you? Pure freedom. No more colour-theory overlords bossing your around! You pick the Colour of the Year that fits you. And in a society that increasingly is realizing that life is a spectrum, not a binary, perhaps having no prescribed It Colour is actually the most 2024 choice of all?

Behr’s Colour of the Year: Cracked Pepper

They say: “Cracked Pepper elevates your senses.”

We say: Trends are on a pendulum—and Cracked Pepper is a true indication that minimalist whites are out. For any of us who dreamed of painting our teenage bedrooms black, Cracked Pepper is finally our chance to shine… though this charcoal-rich colour is soft, versatile and inviting. Hang your art on this, not your Blink 182 posters.

Dulux’s Colour of the Year: Sweet Embrace

They say: ”Sweet Embrace is a delicate and optimistic colour, inspired by the softness of feathers and evening clouds.”

We say: Millennial Pink is growing up. This muted variation on the ever-present pastel is pink without being pink, you know? It brings the flavour, but doesn’t throw it in your face. No need to stick with a feature wall with this one—embrace wall-to-wall colour in your home office to create a space that’s at once soothing and cheery.

 

Sherwin-Williams’s Colour of the Year: Upward

They say: “A breezy and blissful shade of blue that evokes the ever-present sense of peace found when slowing down, taking a breath and allowing the mind to clear.”

We say: It’s a shade of blue that’s got real Grandma connotations, in our humble opinion, so use with care. In traditional spaces, it might look musty alongside florals or frills—but vintage-inspired colour can be surprising and appealing when found in more modern contexts. Pair with crisp white furniture and clean lines for space like no other.

Graham and Brown’s Colour of the Year: Viridus

They say: “Viridis is a complex yet flexible hue, adding depth to a space and blurring the lines between the outside and inside, it is a natural and uplifting shade, providing an inventive alternative to the greige interior schemes.”

We say: It’s a green that’s also a neutral! The dream for when you need to compromise with your boring husband! There’s something appealingly moody and sophisticated here, the epitome of the ‘quiet luxury’ trend. A full-on paint job in the bedroom (we’re talking walls and ceiling) with matching drapery and bedding might be the coziest thing we can think of.

Valspar’s Colour of the Year: Renew Blue

They say: “With a touch of greyed sea-green that focuses on wellness and comfort [Renew Blue sets] a restful and meditative mood in any room of the home.”

We say: It’s nice to see Valspar finally willing to commit after naming 12 different colours their colour of the year for last year. And this balanced blue is a nice way to cleanse the chaos of 2023: a balanced, comforting blue. Use this crowd-pleasing hue to colour-drench your entryway and set the tone for your restful, meditative home.

Glidden’s Colour of the Year: Limitless

They say: “With the power of a primary color and the essence of a modern neutral, this fresh honey beige colour is as versatile as it is beautiful.”

We say: And with this celebration of beige, we find ourselves truly in the thick of late ‘90s nostalgia. But instead of pairing this one with a floral wallpaper border, use it to warm up too-cool spaces. Pair this honey-coloured neutral to accent a an otherwise crisp white-and-black palette.

 

Benjamin Moore, Farrow and Ball and Pantone are still being coy about their COTY choices, but we’ll update this space when they finally reveal their big 2024 predictions.