Announcing Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year 2024
Explore the Extraordinary
Blue Nova 825
Elevate the everyday and expand horizons through juxtaposed color that is sure to inspire, with Blue Nova leading the way.
How Did Benjamin Moore choose the 2024 color?
New and old, day and night, light and dark, warm and cool, near and far – we are surrounded by contrasts and opposing forces at every turn. From simple opposing relationships to the most thought provoking and complex, these juxtapositions shape our surroundings.
For 2024, Benjamin Moore conversations and research findings centered on contrasts and opposing relationships. The discussions and trend workshops focused on the questions: we say opposites attract, but is it more a story of things that are seemingly different complementing one another? And do those differences come together for results that are unexpected, exciting, or compelling while taking us on a journey filled with new adventures?
These questions set the stage for the exploration that brought us to Color Trends 2024.
Two main themes emerged, shaping the narrative for 2024.
The first theme centers on the relationships between complementary and contrasting colors.
When combing through research, images and in discussions, there was a strong story coming forth around complementary pairings as well as contrast used in color schemes. In our travels this theme reoccurred through art installations where the works of master colorists were observed, exhibits focused on various cultures where textiles and other artifacts
filled with color and pattern, architecture. We noted through our travels, as well as smaller moments that made us stop and snap a picture. Whether something was modern and new or dated back hundreds of years, these color relationships captured our interest and triggered our thoughts on opposing colors on the colors wheel, and other diametric relationships.
This brings us to the second theme that stood out not only in its congruence to macro trends* but also its connection to our personal relationships with color – the need for new experiences. We’ve noted a need for adventure and breaking away from the everyday for something new and different. This may bring us to far flung places or just a drive away. In either instance it’s the idea of finding a change of scenery to enrich our lives. Even as a team, we found that some members are yearning to fly thousands of miles to exotic places, while others love the ability to hop in the car for an escape that is closer to home.
The interest in travel and getting away helps us collect memories or “color mementos” that influence our color choices. When we think about a trip and the pictures captured in our memories, often the character of a place is shaped by the geographic colors of that region, in addition to the culture and history that makes that place unique.
Collecting color moments whether near or far is part of the color trends process each year. For 2024 this was a key influence that brought us to our Color of the year and the process of building the Color Trends palette. We would like to share this journey with all of you to provide a look into our approach and thought process today.
*Key macro trends include a strong sense of nostalgia, sustainability as a key part of everything we do, the interest in making meaningful connections and enriching our lives with new experiences, as well as a newfound value for time.
It’s always the first question we’re asked – How was this color of the year selected?
There were several color contenders that the team discussed. Some hues fell to the warm side of the color wheel, while we saw a number of hues that were cooler but had a quality that was captivating and inviting. Much like assembling a puzzle, the team worked through various options that brought us to the Color of the Year for 2024 – Blue Nova 825.
Violet and blue join to form Blue Nova, an elevated, sumptuous color that balances a sense of depth and intrigue with an undercurrent of reassurance. Inspired by the brilliance of a new star formed in space, Blue Nova beckons us to unknown places for new experiences. The otherworldly quality of Blue Nova is enchanting, combined with a classic appeal.
Blue Nova continues the move started in 2023 to use eye-catching color with a true presence in the home, while expressing personality and a willingness to explore color. This is an intriguing hue because it falls in the blue
color family, but it has a hint of red in its makeup that creates an appealing violet cast. Through this touch of warmth, the Blue Nova is alluring and comforting all at once. Since this is a mid-tone hue, Blue Nova does not blend into the background, rather it holds our attention and invites our gaze.
It is also interesting to follow the progression that brought us to this color. Starting with 2022, we featured the deep navy hue Mysterious AF-565 in our palette. Then in 2023, we brought the saturation to a completely new level with Starry Night Blue 2067-20. This is an impactful color that makes a very confident color statement that is not for those who are timid in their color selections. Then for 2024 we moved to a portion of our color offering that still makes a color statement, but is toned down to make it approachable yet captivating while serving as an alternative to classic navy. We continue to see consumers wanting to step outside of their comfort zone and experiment with more saturated hues, making Blue Nova the right fit.
Color Trends 2024
As we looked through the color research collected by each member of the color team, we found many examples of complementary or contrasting color relationships. Interesting combinations came through that related back to
basic color relationships on the color wheel, but done in ways that played with saturation, value, and undertone, making them memorable. Beyond complementary color schemes, we also considered the play between warm and cool, light and dark – this sparked several great discussions on how this duality can deliver beautiful results in the home.
By exploring hue, saturation and value, we can find inspiration from paint color pairings that are as diametrical as they are compelling. The energy that is created through the push and pull of colors triggered the notion to showcase complementary and contrasting relationships in a way that may be unexpected but demonstrates how looking at color from this perspective can be a fresh take. This palette urges us to play with mood while blending traditional and modern styles to find the right balance of paint color.
Next, let’s walk through the palette with examples of complements and contrasts used in interiors, paired with images from our travels that helped to inspire the 2024 palette.
Beginning with our Color of the Year 2024 alongside an image from an airplane seat, we take a deep dive into Blue Nova in this bedroom. The walls, trim and cabinetry are painted in Blue Nova, demonstrating the presence of this color. To create a complementary scheme, vibrant terracotta bedding provides high contrast, energizing the overall look of the room. This combination is not unlike the colors in the sky at sunset with clouds that take on a blue-violet cast with a last look at the fiery orange of the sun.
In another example, Blue Nova acts as an anchor with White Dove on the upper section, divided by a shelf painted in Topaz. This complementary scheme is furthered by the red-orange sofa positioned against the mid-tone blue hue, which is both unexpected and dynamic. A complementary scheme can take on a vibrant look as shown here, or it can be done with just a small hint of the opposing color for a look that is a bit more subtle. Through our travels, this building in Singapore stood out with the earthy orange stripe against inky blue walls.
This living room takes the accent in the prior room and makes it the main event with Topaz. Here, the room is drenched in lively color, not unlike the opposing travel shot of a dynamic floral display in the Mayfair section of London. By painting the walls, trim and ceiling in the same color, the entire space is enveloped in this jewel-toned hue, following the interest in color drenching. This impactful color is sure to be both warm and memorable.
For a softer play on complementary color, the red and green relationship is re-interpreted. The hallway is painted in Pristine, a very pale pink, which is adjacent to a room painted in Antique Pewter, a grayed mid-tone green. There is a pleasing level of contrast in this combination, but there is a softness that makes this combination very approachable and sophisticated. This combination is not unlike the image from a trip to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston with its soft pink courtyard walls that are enhanced by botanicals that are part of the original Frederick Law Olmstead design.
Onto a playful vignette that features the violet and purple complementary color combination. Hazy Lilac creates an ethereal backdrop for this whimsical bow chair painted in Honeybee. The softness in this combination is not unlike the photo brought back from a sunset at Ayers Rock in Australia. The soft violet and blue hues of the sky accentuate the last yellow light of the sun before setting.
Next, the pairing of White Dove and Regent Green is dramatic with its high level of contrast, which feels appropriate in a room with exceptionally high ceilings and opportunities to highlight architectural details. White Dove is a mainstay color and is exceptionally neutral, while being just the right step away from a bright white. This quality makes this variation of white very easy to pair with other colors, making it a top color year after year. Regent Green is a gripping color with its depth and gorgeous green undertone. In some lighting Regent Green can appear black, while when light hits a wall painted in this color the undertone shines through for a rich, classic color. High contrast combinations can work very well to highlight architectural details and other elements in a room that deserve our attention. This combination is reminiscent of this image taken in Costa Rica, where the deep green of the trees stands out against the billowy white clouds.
Here are two more examples that uses contrasting colors but in more subtle ways. The staircase in White Dove highlights the beautiful curve of this home’s architecture, while Topaz grounds the space underneath the stairs creating balance.
Contrasting colors can also work well in adjoining rooms. Drench yourself with color by painting walls, trim in ceiling in a rich Antique Pewter as shown here. Then step outside of the hallway painted with Pristine, a delicate shade of rosy off-white. The contrast from cool earthy hue to a warm light shade creates a unique color experience in a home.
Finally, our palette features a balance between warm and cool, rounding out our study of contrasts. In both images shown here, Polar Sky plays against Honeybee on the left and Teacup Rose on the right. In both images pastel hues are used to create playful spaces filled with personality. On the left travel image line the doorway, while the stairway on the right becomes a gallery with prints and artwork collected on adventures. In both images, color brings personality to small spaces.
