The 2018 Colors of the Year

Every year, each paint manufacturer identifies a “color of the year” that it believes will fit well with current design trends. Some of these colors are fresh and worth a look for design-conscious home owners—but others, not so much. Bottom Line Personal asked interior designer Jennifer Ott to pick her favorite colors from all the 2018 colors of the year and describe some great ways our readers can use them in their homes…

Bahia Grass. Kelly-Moore’s color of the year is this light and subtle greenish blue. It’s a great choice when you want a tone for your walls that doesn’t scream out for attention but still is much more interesting than the usual neutrals—white, beige or gray.

Caliente. This deep red (shown above), which is Benjamin Moore’s color of the year, is ideal for an attention-grabbing front door. It could add zing as a single ­“accent wall” in a room with neutral walls…or could work well for all four walls in a spacious dining room if your goal is to make the space feel cozier.

Deep Onyx. Black paints such as this color of the year from Glidden—or such as Olympic’s color of the year, Black Magic, a slightly warmer black featuring brown undertones—are rarely used for home interiors. But they can be good choices for a front door if you want the door to make a statement while still seeming classic and elegant. Or if you have a wall that’s covered with lots of art, you could paint that wall with one of these black shades—it can make the art really stand out.

In the Moment. Use this light blue, Behr’s color of the year, on a low ceiling—versions of sky blue make low ceilings seem higher. (If you do paint a room’s ceiling a color other than white, paint its walls white or some other ­neutral color.)

Oceanside. Sherwin-Williams’s choice is this deep, watery blue/green. It can work wonderfully on bathroom and bedroom walls, where calm, cooling colors often are desired.

For a slide show of the colors at ­BobVila.com, click here.