Color Trends For 2018

January 29, 2018 (updated July 23, 2023) | By SCOTT EASTON | 0 Comments

Bold. Bright. Eye Catching.

Move over neutrals, there are some new kids in town and they are ready to turn up the fun! If you love bright colors, 2018 is going to be your year to go crazy.

First, Pantone has announced its color of the year for 2018, the aptly named “Ultra Violet” – a contemplative color that is intriguing, inspiring, and pushes boundaries.

“The Pantone Color of the Year has come to mean so much more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of design; it’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today.” – Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute.

If you find the violet hues to be a challenge to work into your décor, or maybe purple just isn’t your thing, there are plenty more fresh options to choose from this year. Think fun, think colorful, think audacious. Pantone also revealed 8 palettes for home and interior at the International Home & Housewares Show, with color choices for just about any taste.

There are loads of great options for changing up your look, and though the theme this year is certainly colorful, not ALL of them are super bright.

Resourceful: A complementary palette of blues and oranges, bringing together warm and cool tones that just feel good.

Verdure: Earthy, nature-inspired hues like celery green, robin’s egg blue, and a lovely violet is characteristic of health and new growth.

Playful: Bright yellow, lime popsicle, and all things fun come together in this palette. Perfect for a kid’s playroom, or if you are daring, a sunroom? It’s a sunny, happy mashup of color that you can’t help but smile at.

Discretion: Subtle, desaturated hues such as Elderberry and Hawthorne Rose offer an alternative to bold and bright. It’s a strong and positive palette.

Far-fetched: Warm and vibrant, this palette creates a feeling of happiness, comfort and vitality.

Intricacy: Neutral metallics (AKA, the “new neutrals”) create a foundation for bringing out dramatic red and bold yellow, for a truly unique statement.

How to Pick Your Perfect Palette

If you love many of colors like we do, it can be hard to decide where to start when considering an update to your look. Here are few tips to get the creative juices flowing.

Base your color palette on the largest things in the room. If you have a large piece of furniture, a large area rug, a fireplace, etc. look at those elements and start choosing colors from there.
Decorating with color from dark to light and from bottom to top, is a great way to get a solid look that you love without much risk. Interior rooms that go from darker to lighter mimic nature – as the earth is dark under our feet and the sky light and bright – which feels “right”.
To tie rooms together, start with a formal room first, then take the dominant color from that room, tone it down and use that toned-down version in the next. For example, if using a dark, bold blue in your dining room, it can be toned down to a medium, sky blue for a sunroom or den.
Use the color wheel to easily discover the right contrasting or complementary color combinations.
Take a look through your closet. What colors are your favorite clothes? Colors that flatter you, can also flatter your home!
Use the 60-30-10 rule of design. Your dominant color would be 60% of the room such as walls, your secondary color would be 30% percent of the room, so furniture or carpet, and the 10% is for accent colors.
Use neutrals. Yes, we know this is all about the bright, bold colors of 2018, but neutrals are perfect to compliment any vibrant, rich color.