Table of Contents
Sherwin-Williams announced its Color Capsule of the Year for 2025, marking its 15th anniversary of choosing the trending home color that will dominate the home space. For the first time though, the brand went all out by choosing a capsule of colors rather than just one hue.
Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams, says that the idea behind the decision was simple: More is more, and if there is one thing homeowners are always looking for more of, it’s color inspiration for their homes. By expanding the trending color selections, Sherwin-Williams gives designers, homeowners and all of its customers more of what they want, rather than sticking to one hue that may not fit every home or project.
“We wanted to have a breakthrough moment,” Wadden says. “We always get feedback like people love Color of the Year, but they want more, like, ‘What if I don’t love that color? or ‘How could I use it?’ … And so because it’s 15 years, because we want to talk about it more, because we wanted to be breakthrough, it was the right time for Color Capsule of the Year.”
“I’m super excited about the palette,” she continues. “We have a big audience, so we talk to designers, we talk to homeowners, we talk to professional painters, and within this palette, we feel like there’s something for everybody—that’s the moment we wanted to have.”
Explore the Sherwin-Williams 2025 Color Capsule of the Year
Sherwin-Williams
The capsule is full of trending hues that consumers can use for inspiration and to create a custom color palette that suits their home. Nine shades are included, spanning from clean neutrals to pops of color.
Grounded
Sherwin-Williams
This color (SW 6089) is a brown shade that exudes versatility. It makes sense that it’s part of the brand’s 2025 Color Capsule because we’ve seen warm colors take center stage all year, and designers expect these cozy tones to have serious staying power.
Sunbleached
Sherwin-Williams
This tone (SW 9585) is proof, though, that homeowners are still embracing a mixture of cool and warm tones. Homeowners can have the best of both worlds with this adaptable neutral that lives in a stunning place between white and gray, beige and taupe.
Chartreuse
Sherwin-Williams
This hue (SW 0073) has been such a hit that it’s appeared on three of the brand’s most recent Colormix Forecasts. While pops of color have made a serious splash in the design world, they can be a bit intimidating for every day. Enter this joyful but still very chic yellow-green color that’s perfect for a bit of brightness.
Rain Cloud
Sherwin-Williams
This shade (SW 9639) is perfect for those who want a steely blue hue that is just as at home in modern homes as it is in classic builds. Wadden suggests this color for those looking for a beachy vibe and we could see this one on everything from kitchen cabinets to a home exterior.
Clove
Sherwin-Williams
True to the spice that inspired its name, Clove (SW 9605) is a brown that’s nearly black but still gives all the warmth you could want in a deep and rich hue. Pair this one with any of the warmer neutrals on this list and we think you have a winning combination.
Malabar
Sherwin-Williams
One look at this color (SW 9110) and you’ll see why the sandy color is known for its versatility and ability to turn any room into a calming spot. This easy-to-love tone would go great just about anywhere.
Bosc Pear
Sherwin-Williams
With this color (SW 6390), Sherwin-Williams evokes a vintage feel. This “cinnamon-dusted golden hue” pairs perfectly with so many other colors in the capsule and makes a beautiful choice for an accent wall or even to go all in on the warm trend as a base color.
White Snow
Sherwin-Williams
This hue (SW 9541) is a favorite among designers and for good reason. The clean and crisp color is a pure white that is anything but boring. Since so many colors go well with white, it’s easy to fit this into nearly any color combination.
Mauve Finery
Sherwin-Williams
Mauve Finery (SW 6282) is another color worthy of expanding your horizons. Even if you typically lean towards neutrals, the purple hue is just subtle enough to make accent walls pop without feeling overwhelming.
Some themes that emerged with this capsule? First off, there’s nostalgia. As Wadden pointed out, many of the timeless colors can feel a bit ‘70s inspired, and this design style has found its way back into the hearts of homeowners over the last few years. Similarly, she pointed out that the home and fashion designs of the ‘70s and today share a love of nature-inspired warmth, which you certainly get in this collection.
Quiet luxury was another theme, which we’ve seen appear often in home decor recently and can be seen in the brown and white hues of some of this collection.
You can explore this capsule in full here.
A Focus on Trending Colors That Stand the Test of Time
Sherwin-Williams
While Sherwin-Williams may have more than one “Color of the Year” on its plate for 2025, Wadden notes that the curation of the capsule was very intentional. The team took time to meticulously choose on-trend colors from several of its collections including the Colormix Forecast palette, the Timeless Paint Color Collection and the Designer Color Collection.
“This curation really represents on-trend colors and people can feel good about that no matter what they pick,” she says.
“The idea of a capsule is that they’re the essentials,” she continues. “They’re the colors that you love. And that’s kind of what we wanted to pull together.”
While these hues are meant to be a look ahead to what’s next for 2025, Wadden points out that the capsule also was designed to have real staying power. The colors were chosen to feel current but still focus on everlasting favorites rather than temporary trends.
“We also wanted it to be timeless because that is really important,” Wadden notes. “It’s a big investment to paint your home. So people can feel good that this palette looks very modern and fresh, but it also will stand the test of time.”
Colors That Go Beyond Paint
The biophilic trend, or home design that brings the inspiration of the outdoors inside is still going strong. And it’s clear from this collection that it won’t be going anywhere soon. With this trend, Sherwin-Williams is collaborating with East Olivia, a female-founded floral design company renowned for a Forever Floral arrangement inspired by the capsule.
The Sherwin-Williams x East Olivia arrangement consists of custom-painted gypsophila and craspedia, troll hair, bunny tails, eucalyptus and miscanthus. Together, these dried blooms create a palette of yellows, browns, lavenders and soft neutrals, much like you’ll see in the collection.
“Sherwin-Williams and East Olivia both aim to enhance the world’s beauty–whether through intricate floral arrangements or vibrant paint colors. I’m thrilled to collaborate with Sherwin-Williams to craft this distinctive, custom forever floral bouquet,” Kelsea Olivia, founder and creative director of East Olivia, shared in a press release. “At East Olivia, we continually strive to innovate within the floral industry. What better way to achieve this than by featuring Sherwin-Williams 2025 Color Capsule of the Year in a bouquet?”
The bouquet is designed to last up to a year with proper care, meaning you can still enjoy this 2025 color palette on your walls and in a vase well into 2025. You can purchase the bouquet now on the East Olivia site.
How to Find Color Combinations That Work for Your Home
Sherwin-Williams
As Wadden points out, the beauty of a color capsule is that there are endless possibilities for getting inspired and tons of ways to combine shades to get the right look for your home. While the capsule itself and the Sherwin-Williams site certainly provide plenty of inspiration, if you’re ready for a change but are still stuck on what the color change looks like, Wadden shares some tips on how to create a home color palette you love.
Look at Your Surroundings
As we mentioned above, biophilic principles are not a new design trend, but unless you are familiar with the concept, you may not automatically think to seek inspiration for your home simply by looking outside.
“We always seek inspiration outside,” Wadden says. “All people have to do is look out their window. You see color constantly in the natural world and that’s why we have such strong, positive associations with the natural world.”
In addition to painting your rooms nature-inspired colors, Wadden also recommends bringing in plants or changing lampshades to natural materials to capture the biophilic look you’re going for.
Choose a Primary Color
Wadden explains that choosing one color you naturally gravitate toward can help you build a larger palette more easily. Focusing on one color to dominate a room can feel more like one decision and help you choose colors that go well alongside it more easily.
“If you are feeling like a deep blue, start with Rain Cloud and then pull in doses of a coordinating color,” she suggests. “Maybe you have White Snow as your trim and ceiling and then you pull in a pop of accent, maybe with the sofa or some pillows in a color like Chartreuse.”
“We wanted the versatility, like no matter what you were looking for, you could start with one color and build a palette from there,” she continues.
Remember the Rule of Three
Wadden points out that the capsule has nine shades for a reason, as working with odd numbers is a good rule of thumb in design. As evidenced in her suggestions above, once you choose your primary color you can employ the rule of three with your colors. While the rule of three has many meanings in design, as far as choosing colors, this means choosing a primary color, a secondary color and then an accent color. Once you do? You have your own personal color capsule.
“That’s a great way to play with a palette,” Wadden says. “So I would say maybe brown’s your favorite color. Maybe you pick Clove and then you pair it with Sunbleach. So you’ve got this beautiful natural color scheme. And then maybe you pull in Mauve Finery, for a purple. That’s a nice accent color.”
