These Are the Best-Selling Sherwin-Williams Paint Colors

It's been said that the color of a room defines its energy, and we certainly agree. Consider the difference between painting the same space first a cheerful, buttery yellow, then a brooding black. The room's tone will undoubtably change with each shade, as will your mood. Both colors are uniquely fit for their own spaces: perhaps yellow for a bedroom, and black for a study (and black paint is having quite the moment as of late), but the two shades cannot be interchanged.

Of course trends come and go over the years, with certain colors reigning in popularity for years while others fade into oblivion. According to Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams, “color does tend to go in cycles and key colors tend to re-appear in a new form. For example, some of the vibrancy we’re seeing in interiors now could be a reaction to 80s style design. Gray was very important in the 80s, and the same with hunter green. Now 35 years later, they’re both back with a slight twist. Once we start talking about maroon, we’ll know that we’re back to the 90s. The new generation of designers are experimenting with these colors because to them, it’s fresh and they haven’t lived through it already.”

Sherwin-Williams has compiled color through the decades,-- a collection of historical color palettes from different eras dating back to the 1830s Early Victorian period. Decades like the 1980's are represented by pastel hues like Flattering Peach, Cooled Blue, and Rosy Outlook, which nod to the Miami Vice effect that swept the nation, while 1990's shades reflect the Tuscan trend with earthy reds, rustic golds, and lots of terra cotta. As for the more un-expected choices designers have been making lately, Wadden offered: "Warmer neutrals are becoming more popular. We’ve tracked gray for years. Consumers are in love with gray, and designers are now preferring camel tones and warm greiges. These warmer colors and deep browns are emerging to become the new neutral." The paint company has a dedicated team of global color forecasters who predict these palettes by traveling the globe to identify what colors are trending around the world.

Recently, Sherwin-Williams identified the paint trends we'll be seeing a lot of in 2018. Among the 36 shades are three palettes named Affinity, Sincerity, and Connectivity, which are inspired by politics, culture, fashion, and more. The palettes feature both bright colors as well as toned-down hues, which gives a nod to the future as well as what is currently on trend in the paint world. As grays and neutrals continue to define the 2010's zeitgeist, it comes as no surprise that Sherwin-Williams's top 10 best-sellers of the past year are a range of whites, grays, and beiges. Of course, there are a plethora of ways to decorate with the neutral shade, as well as many ways not to. The nuanced shades below provide the perfect, minimalist backdrop to build upon with other neutrals, or a pop or color.