‘Ultimately Gray,’ ‘Illuminating’ are Pantone’s Colors of the Year
Next year should be better. Color experts see 2021 as a year of strength, optimism and hope, and those qualities exist in the hues they are choosing for their colors of the year, the most recent of which is heavy-hitter Pantone picking two: the solid-asa-rock “Ultimately Gray” and endlessly cheerful “Illuminating.”
Pantone has named those two colors as its top picks for 2021 on the heels of other Color of the Year picks from Benjamin Moore (“Aegean Teal”), Sherwin-Williams (“Urbane Bronze”), Glidden (“Aqua Fiesta”) and PPG (“Transcend,” “Misty Aqua” and “Big Cypress.”)
Color of the Year announcements started in September, even though teams from each company had been researching and debating options for months. Each announcement came with what felt like a major exhalation from a roller coaster of a year filled with marches and calls for social justice, a contentious national election and a coronavirus pandemic that just won’t quit.
“Illuminating” is a sunny yellow that adds a splash of happiness to anything it touches, and “Ultimately Gray” would look
good on walls, furniture, pillows — or even a car.
Pantone touts the pairing as one that provides hope.
“Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combi
nation that gives us resilience and hope,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
Benjamin Moore, SherwinWilliams, Glidden and PPG are all paint companies, so their color choices are bound to show up on walls or elsewhere in the home. They often reflect runway trends, so they can make an appearance
in your closet or jewelry box, too.
Pantone, though, is a color company that influences product development, so yellow and gray could show up in nail polish or the label on its bottle, marketing colors for ad campaigns, motor vehicles or even housewares.
Wherever the colors appear, the 2021 choices do feel like a big breath of fresh air could be on its
way.
PPG’s Palette of the year pairs a fresh green with rusty terracotta and a beige with pink undertones — all earthier colors coming off of a long trend of cool grays.
Sherwin-Williams pick of “Urbane Bronze,” a deeply saturated bronzy brown, is rich and grounding and brings a comforting warmth to any space. Benjamin Moore’s “Aegean Teal” is a midrange blue-green and an attractive shift from its 2020 color of the Year, “Naval,” a classic navy blue.
“Color has a strong connection to emotion. We’re drawn to colors that make us feel good,” said Hannah Yeo, Benjamin Moore’s color and design manager.