48 hues that will define 2026: Inside Sherwin-Williams’ new color forecast

CLEVELAND – Sherwin-Williams has named its 2026 Colormix Trend Forecast, the second iteration of its biennial approach to the annual color trend report. This iteration will focus on color evolution and will dive deeper into specific color families that the company believes will shape the future of design.

The trend forecast features four curated palettes developed with both residential and commercial design in mind.

With a total of 48 hand-selected hues, including pastels, retro-inspired reds and golds, soothing darks, and modern neutrals, this curated selection is organized by color families, shifting the emphasis away from traditional style and trend storytelling.

“We’re continuing to evolve how we tell the story of color,” said Emily Kantz, color marketing manager at Sherwin-Williams. “This forecast goes beyond aesthetic trends to explore the emotional impact and practical beauty of color families that stand the test of time. These palettes are designed to inspire creativity while offering designers, professionals, and homeowners grounded, usable color direction across every space.”

Palette No. 1: Frosted Tints
The color experts at Sherwin-Williams believe that hazy lavenders, gauzy blues, enchanted aquamarines, and refreshing greens will breeze into a new era with a chill, a hush, and a deliberate dose of near-weightless color. An evolution of the delicate tints from previous forecasts, milky pastels are making their magnificent return, unfolding in spaces defined by effortlessly clean lines, artful accents, and elevated styling.

Modern Lavender SW 9688
Grape Mist SW 6548
Lite Lavender SW 6554
Upward SW6239
Breathtaking SW6814
Samovar Silver SW6233
Tradewind SW 6218
Livable Green SW 6176
Halcyon Green SW 6213
Watery SW6478
Celery SW 6421

Palette No. 2: Sunbaked Hues
Kindling a warmth that recalls the radiance of midcentury design, glimmers of yellow, earthen mauve, pink sandstone, and blushing adobe flicker and flow as the reds, oranges, and golds of the future, according to Sherwin-Williams. The poetic reds and purples of the past make way for buttery yellows and intensely fiery hues—a collection of colors aglow with incandescence.

Lemon Chiffon SW6686
Sundew SW 7688
Straw Harvest SW 7698
Sociable SW6359
Henna Shade SW 6326
Classical Yellow SW 2865
Armagnac SW 6354
Peppery SW 6615
Pennywise SW 6349
Cajun Red SW 0008
Heartthrob SW 6266

Palette No. 3: Restorative Darks
Sherwin-Williams color experts believe the selection of deep hues from past forecasts will build a quiet strength, with depth-defying tones like shadowed gold and coppery red, dark plum, alluring burgundy, and nocturnal blacks and blues. This group will retain longevity into the future, continuing to ground and reassure with a blanketing, blissful depth, the serenity of night, and the kind of comfort worth sinking into.

Sable SW 6083
Rojo Morron SW 9182
Roycroft Copper Red SW 2839
Relic Bronze SW 6132
Dark Auburn SW 6034
Garden Gate SW 6167
Rock Bottom SW 7062
Black Bean SW 6006
Tarragon SW 9660
Sea Mariner SW 9640
Plum Brown SW 6272

Palette No. 4: Foundational Neutrals
Clean white, light taupe, silvery gray, and crisp khaki are poised in perfect balance with inky blue-black, toasted spice, and the deep shades of a distant storm in this intricate mix of modern neutrals, said the experts at Sherwin-Williams. Seasonless, sumptuous, and unparalleled in their ability to invite layered loveliness, today’s essentials suggest a shift from divinely delicate to a future of curated contrast and complexity.