At first glance, the 2020 Color of the Year grinds the vibrance of previous year selections to a slower pace, if nothing else, by name alone.
Pantone’s choice, Classic Blue is just that: classic. But read between the lines, and this may well be exactly what the highly regarded color institute aimed to accomplish going into the new decade.
In a world that wakes up daily to dinging on multiple devices, a throwback to pre-internet interior design in a calming hue isn’t only implied in the selected wording for marketing (“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith…” “…this enduring blue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation…”), it is also visualized in the logo with one human reaching a helping hand out to another.
Sherwin-Williams, jumping on the blue bandwagon is taking a similar approach to its 2020 color of the year. Sherwin-Williams selection is NAVAL, a darker approach to Classic Blue, “focuses on bringing your best self into the new decade … mind, body and soul.”
And the deep-sea color it is named after is poised to be paired with other natural colors for both interior and exterior.
Behr, although embracing and placing a shade of blue (Bluebird) in the center of its color palette, selected Back to Nature—a moss green hue reminiscent of 2019 Behr earth tones—as its Color of the Year. Oddly, last year the paint company had multiple blue options. Perhaps they are ahead of their time.
Let’s take a look at Benjamin Moore. The longtime giant came to the palette party on the other end of the spectrum, but equally as traditional and calming. FIRST LIGHT is a pink hue that softly gurgles simpler times and blends well with nature colors.
Looks like the options are plenty this year for kinder, gentler, relaxing tones.
