This Color Combination Will Warm Your Home Up Just In Time for Winter

Move over, plain walls—we’ve been welcoming colorful hues with open arms these days, and we’re not alone. Paint retail giants PPG and Benjamin Moore released their 2021 trend forecasts, and both companies predicted that beautiful blues paired with terracotta tones will continue to be a winning combo.

PPG chose three shades specifically for its 2021 Color Trends Palette: Big Cypress, Misty Aqua, and Transcend. The combination is reminiscent of desert vistas filled with sand and blue sky. Additionally, Benjamin Moore chose Aegean Teal as its 2021 Color of the Year.

These desert shades have already started to fill our Instagram feeds, and we’ve been loving their calming, yet eye-catching hues. Such colors look lovely paired with sculptural white bouclé furniture, which is having a major moment right now, but they also shine alongside midcentury modern wooden pieces. So no matter your style preferences, you really can’t go wrong if you’re looking to refresh your walls for 2021. 

Instagrammer Jessie Ruane has incorporated many similar desert tones in her spacious Brooklyn loft apartment, although she says the mixture of shades she used was unintentional. “I found myself attracted to certain colors, and when you step back and see them all together, they all work,” she explains. “I can’t speak for everyone, but this trend seems to be serving people who love color, but still want the soothing feel of neutrals.” 

If you don’t want to go all out and envelop your space with one specific hue, consider painting an accent wall or even a sculptural shape—Ruane is a proponent of both. “It’s about defining a space and giving it a feel,” says Ruane, who painted a daffodil-colored arch in her living room and an aqua circle in her kitchen. “It’s the easiest thing to change out if your style evolves.” 

Plus, if your space features an open floor plan like Ruane’s, various accent walls can help create specific zones—no room dividers needed. “Adding these pops of colors and shapes around the space helped define different areas of my loft, as well as different vibes,” Ruane notes. “The kitchen and entryway are bright, and then the colors deepen as you make your way through to the dining room, living room, and bedroom.” Better yet, this means that you don’t need to choose just one favorite shade and can instead use a bit of Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal here and a little PPG Big Cypress there. 

Feeling inspired? As we enter the chilly winter months and our time at home amplifies once again, we feel like these earthy hues may just be the perfect solution to help bring a bit of the outdoors into our spaces.