By Kristin Vining | The Vining Group at eXp Realty | Fort Mill, SC

I get asked about paint colors more than almost anything else in my line of work. And honestly, one of my favorite conversations every year is when Sherwin-Williams drops their Color of the Year. But here's the thing most people don't realize — this isn't some random executive pointing at a paint swatch and saying, "That one." The process behind how they arrive at their Color of the Year is fascinating. And as someone who builds custom homes in Fort Mill, SC, I pay very close attention to where color trends are heading — because my clients are living in these homes for decades, not just one season.

How Does Sherwin-Williams Actually Pick Their Color of the Year?

Behind every Color of the Year announcement is the Sherwin-Williams Trendsight Team — a global group of color experts, designers, and forecasters with over 200 years of collective experience. These aren't people sitting in a boardroom guessing. They are in the field, tracking color movement across the globe, and they have been doing it for well over a decade.

So where do they go? Everywhere. Fashion shows in Milan. The International Builders' Show. High Point Market right here in North Carolina — which, if you've never been, is the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world. They're studying runway collections, furniture design, architectural finishes, textile trends, and even automotive colors. They're looking at what's happening in culture, what's going viral, what's shifting in politics and social movements. And here's something I think is really interesting — during election years, they tend to keep things more neutral, because the cultural mood is already so charged. Smart, right?

All of this research funnels back to Sherwin-Williams' headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, where the committee comes together to synthesize everything they've seen. And from that work, they develop their annual Colormix Forecast — 48 hand-selected hues organized into carefully curated palettes — and from that, the Color of the Year is drawn. (I did a deep dive into the hottest colors in the 2026 Anthology forecast if you want to see the full palette breakdown.)

For 2026, that color is Universal Khaki SW 6150 — a warm, earthy, mid-tone neutral that Sue Wadden, their director of color marketing, describes as an ultra-usable hue tailored for timeless sophistication. And I have to say, when I saw it, I immediately thought of several projects we've done with OZ Custom Homes where this color would have been perfect. It's the kind of warm neutral that works in a Fort Mill farmhouse and a modern build in Indian Land.

Photo source: suiteminded

And Then There's the Nail Polish

Okay, this is my favorite part. For the last eight years or so, Sherwin-Williams has been turning their Color of the Year into an actual nail polish that they distribute at industry events and trade shows. I'm not kidding. You're walking through IBS or a design event and they hand you a little bottle of nail polish in the exact Color of the Year shade. I have collected several of them over the years and they are honestly adorable.

Think about it — Evergreen Fog on your nails. Redend Point. Upward. They've done it for years and it's become this fun collector's tradition in the design and building world. My daughter Addyson thinks they're the coolest thing. She's been eyeing my stash for her own collection.

It's a small thing, but it tells you something bigger about how seriously Sherwin-Williams takes the cultural moment of color. It's not just about walls. It's about how color shows up in every part of our lives — fashion, beauty, interiors, even the way we feel when we walk into a room.

A Quick Look Back: The Last Eight Years of Color of the Year

If you line up the last several years of Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year picks, you can actually see the cultural mood shifting in real time. Here's the recent history:

2019: Cavern Clay SW 7701 — A warm terracotta with a bohemian, earthy vibe. This was all about renewal and simplicity.

2020: Naval SW 6244 — A deep, dramatic blue. Bold, confident, and grounding — which we all needed that year more than we knew.

2021: Urbane Bronze SW 7048 — A sophisticated, warm brown-black. Cozy, protective, nesting energy. Sound familiar?

2022: Evergreen Fog SW 9130 — A green-meets-gray chameleon color. Nature was calling, and we all answered.

2023: Redend Point SW 9081 — A soulful beige-pink. Connection and warmth, but subtle about it.

2024: Upward SW 6239 — A breezy, blissful blue. Calm, optimistic, a little bit dreamy.

2025: The Color Capsule — For their 15th anniversary, Sherwin-Williams selected nine colors instead of one, featuring everything from the rich, dark Clove to the crisp White Snow.

2026: Universal Khaki SW 6150 — And here we are. Full circle back to a warm, grounded neutral that honors simplicity, functionality, and timeless design.

See the pattern? We went from earthy warmth, to deep drama, to nature-inspired greens, to soft blush, to dreamy blue, and now we're landing on a foundational neutral that says, "Let's get back to what matters." As a builder, I love that progression. It tells me that homeowners are craving spaces that feel intentional, not trendy.

What This Means If You're Building or Renovating in Fort Mill

Here's the reality — when you're building a custom home, you're not picking colors for this year. You're picking colors you'll live with for ten, fifteen, twenty years. That's why I follow the Colormix Forecast so closely. It's not about chasing trends. It's about understanding where trends are going so we can make choices that feel current now and still feel right a decade from now.

At The Vining Group, my husband Ken and I work with our clients on every finish selection — and color is a huge part of that conversation. When we're building with OZ Custom Homes and Scott NeSmith, we're thinking about how the exterior palette relates to the interior, how the trim color plays with the wall color, and how natural light in Fort Mill — which is generous, by the way — will shift those colors throughout the day.

If you're curious about how the 2026 color trends might work in your home — whether you're building new, renovating, or just refreshing a room — I'd love to talk. This is the stuff that genuinely excites me.

How Does Sherwin-Williams Actually Pick Their Color of the Year?

How Does Sherwin-Williams Actually Pick Its Color of the Year?

By Kristin Vining | The Vining Group at eXp Realty | Fort Mill, SC