We gave a panel of seven accomplished designers a sneak preview of the 2026 Colormix^® Forecast, Anthology Volume Two, and we asked them to share how these ever-evolving color families are inspiring their designs.

Colormix is our annual trend forecast that predicts future color directions across industries and surfaces. Every two years, the report focuses on the evolution of specific color families. In 2024, Anthology Volume One explored the emerging hues of that time, while our latest installment, Volume Two, highlights the frosted tints, rich reds and golds, restorative darks, and complex neutrals that are soon to expand their reach across home interiors, commercial environments, and beyond.

The forecast is curated by our expert Trendsight Team, a group of expert color professionals with over 200 years of combined experience, led by Director of Color Marketing Sue Wadden and Color Marketing Manager Emily Kantz. Countless hours of research, analytics, and trend tracking go into each forecast, resulting in a comprehensive designer resource that anticipates global changes in the design and color space.

For Baton Rouge–based designer Arianne Bellizaire, color forecasts are a crucial link to what her clients might be craving. “It helps me stay tapped into cultural shifts and client desires,” the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition star tells us. “I use forecasts as inspiration and to guide strategic design choices that feel both relevant and timeless.” 

Leah Alexander, owner and principal interior designer of celebrated studio Beauty Is Abundant, feels a similar symbiotic connection between the designers and color visionaries paving the way forward. For her, “color forecasting is a dance—an organic collaboration between daring, trendsetting interior designers and our favorite color forecasters. The risks we take as designers can contribute to future color outlooks. We are inspired by forecasts, then we implement and elevate them to honor our clients’ varying tastes.”

At Diane Rath’s firm, The Rath Project, she says her team uses forecasts as a lens to understand how clients are responding emotionally to color in the world around them. Forecasts like Colormix allow designers to get a first glimpse into the next era of color—and can give them valuable insights into the fashions and feelings homeowners want to express.

Betsy Berry of B.Berry Interiors in Charleston says she views the lookbook as a helpful resource for keeping herself attuned to current movements in color and to help her clients choose color more confidently. “The way the palettes are curated makes it easy to translate trends into real, livable spaces. It’s a helpful way to bridge inspiration with practicality.”

Leah Alexander sees potential for creative exploration in each palette’s flat lay images, which feature a variety of materials and finishes available through Full Spectrum Possibilities. “The flat lays in each collection are great visuals that I think will encourage designers, design enthusiasts, and DIYers alike to incorporate more colors than they normally would.”

Of the complete 48-color forecast, Rasheeda Gray, founder of Gray Space Interiors, identifies how carefully measured this mix of hues is. “The collection feels refined, intentional, and grounded,” she says. “There’s a great balance between what’s known and what’s new, with a heavy influence from the 1970s that still feels fresh. I will use this trend report as a design tool. This sparks inspiration for me in a way that feels practical for client projects.”

Our palette of lavenders, greens, and blues is a sophisticated selection of pastels with poise and personality, “like the grown-up version of spring pastels,” according to Rasheeda Gray. “I’m seeing them used in wallpapers, upholstery, and even cabinetry. They work really well in residential and commercial wellness-driven spaces, elevated nurseries, and contemporary homes that want color without intensity. Their subtle nature allows them to be both a neutral and a statement.”

Softened tones like the ones found in this palette are springing to life as an all-over wash of gentle color in kitchens like one designed by New Jersey and New York designer Beth Diana Smith. “I see frosted tints in spaces that are to be light and airy,” the designer opines, and Rasheeda Gray agrees, saying that she sees frosted tints in kitchens often. “They feel like a departure from deeper navy tones and green jewel tones that gained popularity a few years ago. It’s a solution for the color curious who may have otherwise gone with white or gray.”

Meanwhile, at The Rath Project: “We love working with frosted hues like lavender and mint for the sense of softness and subtle sophistication that they bring to a space. These colors have an airy, almost translucent quality—cool and calming, but never cold. In children’s spaces, these tones offer a playful spirit without being overly bold, striking a balance between whimsy and polish.”

“Sunbaked hues are back!” says Leah Alexander about this stunning palette in Anthology Volume Two. Here designers can find warm clay tones, cheerful buttery yellow, and dramatic, nostalgic reds to stoke their creativity and invite clients to start conversations with color. “I welcome a client who is open to a Pennywise SW 6349 (125-C6) kitchen with a stunning, expressive stone, and chic hardware. Pennywise, Cajun Red SW 0008, and Heartthrob SW 6866 (101-C5) may make appearances in our portfolio soon. They are so luxurious, adventurous, and bold!”

While Leah looks to the future for these vibrant hues, many of Kobel + Co’s clients are actively seeking them out today. “We continue to see clients harkening toward warm, enveloping tones,” say partners Mallory Robins and Elizabeth Bennett. “These hues not only offer an immersive feel and sense of nostalgia, but they can be incredibly flattering as well. We are thrilled with the growing popularity of sunbaked hues and the possibilities coming to life within this palette.”

Beth Diana Smith perfectly captured the exuberant essence of Gleam/Glow: “I love this palette! It reminds me of elevated earth tones and shades of the desert. I can see this palette everywhere: in living rooms, bathrooms, and patios. My clients love unexpected color stories that are well curated, like this palette and especially the organic and earth-toned Henna Shade SW 6326 (114-C5). It’s a color with a lot of depth and moodiness and a tone that will change from day to night.”

In the spirit of shifting from day to night, we now turn to our next palette, which features deep, nocturnal colors that inspire “comfort, refined elegance, and drama all at once,” in Rasheeda Gray’s words. “Whether used on walls, millwork, or textiles, these colors create intimate environments that feel grounded and luxurious,” the designer says. “They’re also versatile and can work for most styles from modern to traditional.”

“There’s something timeless and confident about deep colors,” adds Betsy Berry. “They lend a sense of intimacy and grounding—especially in rooms where we want to create a mood. What keeps them fresh is how they’re being balanced with contrast—matte textures, unexpected pairings, or crisp architectural detailing.”

Arianne Bellizaire names this palette as her favorite in the forecast. “These rich, grounded tones create emotional impact and lend themselves well to soulful, nature-inspired design. They add a sense of drama and depth that feels both timeless and current. This palette reflects my love for soulful, dramatic spaces and aligns with what my clients are loving right now.”

“Neutrals are evolving into more layered, nuanced tones that stand strong on their own,” Arianne remarks, referencing our palette of complex neutrals. “These updated versions bring warmth and complexity to a space without overwhelming it.”

This final palette is unique, in that it encompasses a broad range of shades and tones that are all neutral, but each highly nuanced. The three distinct shades of black, for example, were carefully selected by our Trendsight Team with the understanding that this deepest, darkest color is never one size fits all. At times a blue-black is appropriate, and at others a deep charcoal or a hypnotic brown-black. For Beauty Is Abundant’s Leah Alexander, the pitch-dark navy of Inkwell SW 6992 (251-C4) stands apart: “I love Inkwell because it says, ‘how inky, daring, and epic of you.’ It’s such a bold choice that not everyone is willing to make.”

“The evolution of neutrals is one of the most exciting shifts in recent years,” adds Rasheeda Gray. “What once felt basic now feels deeply layered. This palette’s inclusion of khakis, soft grays, and whites proves that neutrals can be just as expressive as any other color family.”

Reports like Colormix Anthology Volume Two are intended to inform and inspire, never to insist on using specific colors. In Leah Alexander’s opinion, sometimes trends can tempt people to pay closer attention to what’s popular rather than what they personally love. 

“But it’s so much fun to see how beautifully the current moment we’re in can be captured in collections that set the tone for the next big thing in color. And what better way than to learn about where color is headed than from Sherwin-Williams? These forecasts help take a lot of the guesswork out of choosing a few of what feels like a zillion colors out there.”

Design professionals can learn even more about the latest forecast from our Trendsight Team’s own Emily Kantz at our upcoming accredited webinar on October 14th, 2025, and your exclusive Designer Sample Kit for the 2026 Colormix^® Forecast is available now, complimentary with your PRO+ account.

Top Image: Design by B. Berry Interiors, photo by Brie Williams.