The 2025 Colors of the Year Are Wildly Different, Yet They All Have This in Common

Consider this the decor equivalent of fall’s dark cherry and burgundy fashion trends. Rumors is a deep shade of ruby-verging-on-maroon that’s meant to add warmth to a home without being jarringly in-your-face. Yes, red is a polarizing color to coat your walls (in 2021, a Zillow study found it made homes sell for $1,500 less on average), but it seems people are opening up to it. In Behr’s research, 76 percent of Americans would consider painting a room or wall red, with 73 percent believing it can add depth and character to the space.

Rumors is a darker, more wine-like color than your typical red. It’s richer and easier to live with than brighter hues, yet if you’re thinking of reselling soon, you may want to play it safer with something a little less moody.

More arresting than navy, with more depth than a classic blue, Valspar’s Color of the Year evokes a coastal vibe; one that’s more old-money Hamptons than playful Jersey Shore. (To that end, it feels all too fitting that it’s practically Garten’s signature chambray.) The shade was chosen because it emulates “both the elusive luxury of Old World design and the futuristic blending of our physical and digital world,” according to Sue Kim, director of color marketing at Valspar. All that to say, it’s the kind of versatile color that, depending on what you pair it with—say, ornate, gilt-framed paintings and burlwood furniture or light wood and modern pieces—it can skew traditional or modern.

Rather than release a single color of the year, Sherwin-Williams launched a "capsule" of the year, offering a palette of nine colors instead of just one. Out of the bunch, however, Grounded is the standout. Why? Dark brown furniture has been a slow burn, gradually building in popularity over the past few years, but now, it’s extending well beyond your dresser and coffee table. Suede and maple brown have taken over the fashion and decor worlds, and while this color is technically in the red family, it’s about as close to it gets to bringing those lush shades to your walls. As the name suggests, it’s a color that’s designed to help you feel grounded, a respite from the stresses of everyday life. Consider it an easy way to create an elegant-yet-cozy escape in your bedroom or den. (In an office or kitchen, it could make things feel too cave-like for such productive spaces.)

The clearest outlier of the Colors of the Year (so far), Quietude is the brightest, airiest color of the bunch, but it was still chosen for its upscale-yet-relaxing feel. It’s part of the brand’s “naturally refined” color collection, a set of ten shades designed to complement each other (making it that much easier to decide what accent colors to use as you go about your room refresh). It pairs well with warm browns and oranges, and the sage hue is ideal for anyone who wants to add color but isn’t too crazy about dark, moody spaces. It’s a shortcut to giving your bathroom a resort spa aesthetic, even if it’s barely larger than a broom closet.