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27th Dec 2020

Pantone has revealed their Colour of the Year for 2021 – and it’s a rather unusual choice

Trine Jensen-Burke

New year, new wall colour?

We spent more time inside our homes than ever before this past year, and so it’s no wonder that many are itching to update the interiors and colour schemes a little for the new year.

If you are keen to follow trends, you might care to know that Pantone, the global colour authority that standardizes swatches for the design industry, recently announced its 2021 colour of the year. In fact, breaking with tradition, they actually announced not one, but two colours of the year for 2021.

Ultimate Gray (described as solid and dependable) and Illuminating (a cheerful yellow) are the winning hues that the company says reflect what people are looking for after the roller coaster of a year that was 2020.

“This is a combination that gives us resilience and hope,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; that is essential to the human spirit.”

Interestingly, this is only the second time two colours of the year have been chosen by Pantone, and also the very first time an achromatic shade (grey) has been selected.

To be fair, though, you’d kind of expect something really different to come out after this year we have had – and there is no denying that both of these are just that. Grey can be tricky to get to look good without being boring, and yet yellow – especially such a bright, lemon-y hue, can quickly go from fresh to far too out there, so designers looking to use these two together sure have their work cut out.

Although – here is how Ideal Home magazine envisions it – which we kind of like:

Or how about this bright and cheery living room we found on Pinterest:

What do YOU think? Would you decorate with these two colours together? Let us know in the comments.