“If you want something that’s a little more feminine or botanical, you can lean into the purple side by pairing Mauve Finery with Chartreuse, a beautiful white, or maybe Bosc Pear,” suggests Wadden. “If you’re trying to go for a more sophisticated, ’70s-inspired vibe, pairing it with a deep brown like Clove creates a totally different interpretation.”
While the capsule makes no claims to predict the colors we’ll still be loving 15 years from now, Wadden believes Rain Cloud’s blend of teal with notes of muted gray is most likely to stand the test of time.
“The brightness of a jewel tone sometimes bothers me, but Rain Cloud has just a little bit of muted gray that I think could be really sophisticated,” she says. “Blues do tend to last and have staying power, so I would lean into Rain Cloud for its longevity.”
Sure, one can see the selection of nine hues in the Sherwin-Williams 2025 Color Capsule of the Year as a way for the paint company to avoid hitching their wagon to any one color. But by presenting nine colors capable of working in concert, there’s much more space for creativity without the guesswork.
“A palette gives you flexibility to pull colors in and out. Maybe in one room you want something moody and deep, and in the adjacent room you want something bright and airy,” says Wadden. “We’ve shared the palette with some designers to get their take, and they’ve told us they’d just use this palette as is because it takes a lot of the guesswork away.”
