Pittsburgh Paints Announces 2027 Color of the Year

The Pittsburgh Paints brand has named Artifact (PPG10-16) the 2027 Color of the Year. A warm, smoky blue, Artifact brings a steady sense of calm to both residential and commercial spaces, emphasizing authenticity over perfection.

“Artifact invites reflection and calls us to pause, reassess and reconnect with what’s essential and gives meaning to our lives,” says Michelle Vincent, Pittsburgh Paints color and design manager. “Artifact creates balance without feeling flat. It is nostalgic, but not regressive, by pulling forward what was good from the past and reshaping it into something newly personal and curated. This color feels rare not because it is loud, but because it is used intentionally.”

Hardware Retailing sat down with Vincent to gain more insight into this year’s selection of Artifact for the company’s 2027 Color of the Year and the trends the paint and decorating industry can expect going into 2027.

Hardware Retailing: What led to the decision for this year’s Color of the Year?

Michelle Vincent: The Pittsburgh Paints team keeps a steady pulse on consumer and societal sentiments that lead to emerging colors trends. We collect and identify insights year-round, culminating in an annual forecasting workshop at the start of each year. Our team of color professionals and industry experts, along with customers, gathered to forecast the direction of color going into the year ahead. We select one stand-out color that encompasses our overarching theme and curated our color trends palettes according to our research and experience.

For 2027, we named Artifact, a warm, smoky blue as the color of the year. Homeowners and professionals are opting for colors that give them authorship over their own personal spaces. Artifact calls on them to draw on authenticity over perfection. We identified three core collections to compliment Artifact: Foundations, In Motion and Resolution. These color palettes were curated for different spaces based on their intention. The Foundations collection returns to the basics, helping to create spaces that feel grounded, clear and purposeful. The In Motion collection introduces contrast and expression for spaces that are changing and signaling an active, ongoing process. The Resolution collection moves toward thoughtful curation to create cohesive, intentional and lived in spaces.

How does this year’s color compare to past Colors of the Year?

Vincent: The 2026 Color of the Year, Warm Mahogany, is a warm, rich red rooted in nostalgia and tradition. It was selected to answer the call of human connection and promote intentional togetherness. Artifact builds off this sentiment by helping us reset and find balance amid the fast pace of life. Feeling steady and familiar, it still leans warm but invites us to recalibrate
our spaces toward calmness and comfort. Warm Mahogany pairs nicely with Artifact and is on the 2027 design palette. The pair encourages consumers to mix colors that lean on the warmer side with others that lean cooler. Artifact serves beautifully as the main focal point of a wall and pairs nicely with Warm Mahogany through color blocking as an accent color and within the overall design aesthetic.

What rooms or spaces do you expect this color to show up in most?

Vincent: Artifact shines on cabinetry, in bedrooms, office spaces, restaurants and exteriors of homes or hospitality projects. In a bedroom or office, it strikes the perfect balance between focus and comfort. Artifact can stand alone on a single wall, give a pop of color on the ceiling, or create a protective cocoon in a color drenched space. It pairs well with a variety of finishes
from gold and silver to black and brown, letting homeowners and professionals personalize their space in a way that feels intentional. Integrating Artifact throughout your space in furniture, wallpaper or appliances can create a calm, unified feeling of balance. Artifact also provides a foundation for public spaces and invites additional colors to be introduced, whether that be brights, pastels, neutrals or mood hues. Artifact is a multi-space hue and can be incorporated throughout a variety
of spaces.

What color trends are you expecting for 2027?

Vincent: In 2027, we see homeowners and professionals looking for colors that reconnect them to what brings their lives meaning. Consumers are looking to reset their spaces, and there is a collective desire to return to what once felt steady and familiar. The 2027 Color of the Year, Artifact, invites consumers to pause, reflect and recalibrate. It helps create balance
without feeling flat, allowing for personal style to shine through to create intentionally curated spaces. For our 2027 color trends palette, we’ve also selected warm neutrals that pair perfectly with Artifact like soft browns, muted greens, and rusty reds. On a broader spectrum, color trends also include designing a space that promotes individual personality and the
overall feeling you want to achieve in that environment.