When Sherwin-Williams introduced its Colormix Trend Forecast Anthology: Volume One for 2024, the storied paint brand strived to frame its collection as objectively as possible. How else can you explain such straightforward-named palettes like Blues and Greens and Reds and Purples? It may sound reductive in a vacuum, but at the time this pared-back approach to storytelling meshed perfectly with our post-(post-?)pandemic desire to use color as a vehicle for creativity and self-actualization.
Now that Sherwin-Williams’ Trendsight Team of forecasters has had two years to see how those colors show up in the real world, their 2026 Colormix Trend Forecast Anthology: Volume Two is a “refined evolution” of Volume One’s open-ended celebration of color, organized into four expressive palettes that indicate both a softer gaze and a sharper focus.
“It’s centered around the whole idea of constant evolution,” Sherwin-Williams color marketing manager Emily Kantz says when discussing the differences between Volume One and Volume Two. “Even minor nuances influence color in a big way.”
Frosted Tints
The 12 colors in the palette Frosted Tints articulate that notion clearly thanks to their playful separation of blues and greens from any biophilic context. Eschewing nature, these shades, which span from the near gray of Modern Lavender to the dusty green of Celery, feel sweeter and more pastel.
But when applied independently, and especially in minimalist contexts, Watery, Grape Mist, and Lite Lavender read less as Easter Sunday, and more as sophisticated elegance. To integrate these Frosted Tints into existing design trends, Kantz advises applications in the kitchen. There, a softly colorful cabinet can stand out from any cool, chromatic neutrals without raising the temperature.
“If you take a minimalistic, pared-back aesthetic and you inject one of these softer colors like Halcyon Green, it instantly elevates that space and brings a dose of life to it.”
Sunbaked Hues
Despite its arid appearance, the Sunbaked Hues palette represents another sort of reaction to blues and greens—or at least their hegemonic rule over the boundaries of “biophilic” color aesthetics. Indicative of influences such as Georgia O’Keefe’s 1930s paintings and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesen, Sunbaked Hues argues that sun, sand, and fire are just as worthy of a place in those design conversations alongside watery blues, floral greens, and grounding earth tones.
Indeed, within the palette itself, warm shades abound: from the terra-cotta of Coral Island to the full-bodied passion of Heartthrob. Lemon Chiffon and Sundew, Classic Yellow and Armagnac—all evoke dusty landscapes and hazy sunlight. Sunbaked Hues encourages us to find more nuance within sunlight throughout the day. That makes these colors a brighter alternative to Frosted Tints, capable of letting light into a cold space.
Restorative Darks
Much less of a radical reconception, Restorative Darks is, Kantz admits, the palette that most closely resembles its Volume One predecessor. But rather than just reaffirming a trend, Volume Two explores the deepest depths of our continued love affair with rich, robust colors.
To do that, Kantz and the Sherwin-Williams team decided to break down one of their most beloved colors, Carnelian, to explore new avenues.
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