At the start of every year, there’s a huge push by the design community to chat about the color of the year (COTY) pick from Pantone. But, many non-color-obsessed don’t realize that most paint and stain brands also select a color of the year. And, yes, it can be a way to create chatter about a brand and drum up some social media posts and attention, but that’s not all there is to the colors of the year. (Scroll down below to check out the 2025 Color of the Year picks by popular paint and stain brands.)
Let’s talk about the importance of color.
Color is one of the most used tools for creating a dramatic before-and-after. Whether it’s repurposing furniture from Habitat for Humanity ReStore, transforming a bakery in 48 hours for Food Network, or updating a space for a private homeowner client, the final color scheme—just like floor plan and lighting plan—is part of the initial conception.
Color affects material choice, lighting, space planning. Separating color from a house plan is like picking out your clothes while being colorblind. Yes, your clothes will functionally protect your body from weather and keep it covered, but it may seem a little off or confusing to others.
How do they even pick the color of the year?
While the color of the year doesn’t exactly influence individual color selection, it does shed light on the mood of the world in a general sense. The selection process for COTY is done methodically, weighing world events, politics, social movements, pop culture, and trends. All of the world’s influences are stirred into a big pot and then color experts step back and assess, putting a physical color to the culture cuisine. (I’ve been part of a color of the year selection process.)
Why does the color of the year matter to me?
I wrote an entire blog about this a few years back (click here to check it out). Essentially, the color of the year is an indication of what’s going on in the world. It also is a way to communicate the mood of the planet. While that’s interesting, how does COTY actually affect you? First, it’s a reminder of that color so some designers will say: “Hm, so that would actually work in this project I’m doing now.”
Eventually, you’ll also see COTY pop up in many common items like clothes and packaging. It becomes part of your daily life, and subtly influences many into picking it over time. This common-item influence usually happens after the year has substantially passed and can actually take a year or more for it to really kick in.
So what is the 2025 color of the year?
Pantone
Pantone selected Mocha Mouse (Pantone 17-1230) as their 2025 color of the year. It’s a chocolatey hue that is rich and earthy. Check out ways to use Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year in this article I wrote for BobVila.com.
Cabot
Cabot’s 2025 COTY is Burnt Hickory. A natural brown color that has charcoal undertones, it offers depth while blending tradition with modernity. It’s a stain color that is versatile.
Dutch Boy
Dutch Boy selected Mapped Blue as their 2025 COTY. It’s a yummy soft blue that can work as a neutral in a cheery living room. The color also closely resembles the traditional porch ceiling color ‘haint blue.’
C2 Paint
C2 Paint picked Raku, which is a rich color that could work well in a bedroom or a lounge that’s geared toward late night relaxing.
Minwax
Minwax is being more playful with its 2025 COTY pick: Violet. While it’s a feminine color, when paired with wood tones and deep hues like navy or black, it lends itself to a more sophisticated masculine vibe.
Krylon
Following the matte black trend, Krylon’s pick for COTY is a textured black called Hammered Black. Versatile and modern, the hue can easily adapt to a variety of home styles.
Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams went a little further than the others this year to create a capsule of COTY to celebrate is 15th anniversary of colors of the year. Its main pick is White Snow, but you can find the other colors here.
Check out the 2025 COTY article I wrote for BobVila.com
