Trend Forecast: 2020 Colors of the Year

In 2019, we floated through the year with lively Living Coral (16-1546), but now we’re building a stable threshold with Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year Classic Blue (19-4052) — a rich, dreamy, dark and beautiful shade of azure. “We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on,” says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. This particular shade of blue is reflective, anchoring and self-assured. It’s relaxed and restful, and meant to offer us all a sense of needed tranquility.

Creative confidence abound, as Classic Blue can transform almost any space into the perfect protective refuge. Use it on the walls of your living room or bedroom for a bolder look, or incorporate it more subtlety with accessories — couches, chairs or lamps — for a more elegant feel. Want to go monochromatic? Muted blues may be best. And, of course, corals and blush pinks will bring out Classic Blue's more feminine side. The good news is, blue is timeless; pair it with white and you truly can’t go wrong.

Like Juliet’s bloom of first love in Shakespeare’s classic tale, Romance (HGSW2067) evokes both timelessness and infinite possibility — and HGTV’s editors have already fallen hard. “Romance is a beautiful soft blush tone with a slight apricot influence,” says Ashley Banbury, Senior Color Designer at HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams. “Romance was inspired by our desire to bring elegance and luxury into the home while maintaining serene balance. This colorful neutral is a gorgeous backdrop to jewel tones and gold accents, pairing perfectly with all the colors from our Simply Blissful Color Collection.”

Romance sets the stage for nine complementary tones in the Simply Blissful Color Collection, a palette that includes both delicate neutrals and seafaring shades like Finian Blue (HGSW2384) to lend interiors the feel of a restorative getaway. Tumbled together like the sand and surf where the shore meets the pull of the tide, these mix-and-match colors celebrate the elegance of equilibrium.