2025 Colors of the Year: Every Major Brand Compared

Every year, the biggest paint brands announce their Color of the Year — a single shade they believe captures the cultural mood. For 2025, the picks range from warm earth tones and rich browns to bold reds and deep blues. Let's break down every major selection and find the closest matches across brands.

Sherwin-Williams: Grounded

Grounded(Sherwin-Williams) is a warm, earthy brown that evokes natural clay and weathered wood. Sherwin-Williams chose this rich, grounding shade to anchor their 2025 palette — reflecting a broader cultural shift toward organic, nature-inspired tones. It works beautifully on accent walls, cabinetry, and exterior trim.

Looking for this shade from another brand? Use our color search to find the closest Delta E match from any brand. Explore the full brown color family for more warm earth tones like Grounded.

Benjamin Moore: Cinnamon Slate

Cinnamon Slate(Benjamin Moore) is a delicate mix of heathered plum and velvety brown. It's warm and sophisticated, landing in a space between chocolate and plum. This is a color that works beautifully on accent walls, cabinetry, and exterior doors.

Browse all Benjamin Moore colors to find complementary shades for a full palette.

Behr: Rumors

Rumors(Behr) is a dynamic ruby red that makes a bold statement. Behr's pick is warm and alluring — think accent walls, front doors, kitchen cabinetry, and dining rooms. Three quarters of Americans would consider painting a room red, and Rumors delivers drama without being overwhelming.

Compare it against the full red color family to see how it stacks up against thousands of similar shades.

PPG: Purple Basil

Purple Basil(PPG) is a deep, moody purple-brown that straddles the line between plum and chocolate. It's rich and dramatic — perfect for accent walls, front doors, and cabinetry. PPG's pick adds depth and sophistication to any space.

Valspar: Encore

Encore(Valspar) is a deep, saturated navy blue with an LRV of just 6.0 — one of the boldest Color of the Year picks in recent memory. It's a statement-making shade that works on accent walls, front doors, and cabinetry where you want drama and depth. See the blue color family for the full range of navy and blue options.

The Common Thread

The 2025 picks are remarkably unified — warm earth tones and rich, grounded hues dominate. From Sherwin-Williams' warm brown to Benjamin Moore's heathered plum to Behr's bold ruby red, the era of cool grays is officially over. Whether you go subtle or dramatic, 2025 is the year to embrace warmth and depth.

Want to see how all these colors compare scientifically? Use our color compare tool to calculate the exact Delta E 2000 difference between any two shades. Preview any of these trending shades on your walls with our room visualizer. For a broader look at which colors dominated 2025 beyond the official picks, see our most popular paint colors of 2025 roundup.