Is Your Paint Poisoning The Planet?

Following the announcement of Dulux’s colours of the year for 2026 – a trio of indigo shades dubbed The Rhythm Of Blues – we were left questioning how anybody could possibly narrow down all the infinite shades of the rainbow to a few defining hues. And how on Earth do they predict what’s going to define the cultural zeitgeist in the coming annum? Looking for answers, we got the low-down from to the people who choose.

Who Gets To Choose?

Colour marketing manager Lisbeth Parada (who knew job titles could be so fun?) is in charge of choosing the colour of the year for Dutch Boy Paints, Minwax and Krylon. As a colour and design lead, she is thinking about colour ‘all the time!’ – ‘It’s second nature at this point. When I walk down the street, I’m looking at window displays; when I walk into a clothing or furniture store, I’m observing the colours and finishes the brands are manufacturing; or when I travel, I take inspiration from new sceneries and landscapes.’ Taking ‘tons of photos’, saving magazine clippings and collecting anything that sparks her imagination (whether it’s product packaging or a cool napkin) these real-world moments will often feed into her research for the next colour of the year, grounding her concept in something tangible and relatable. 

How Do You Narrow Down The Colours?

Parada explains that whilst most people assume that the colour comes first, it’s actually the story: ‘I always begin by crafting a narrative, which becomes the foundation, and then, colour naturally follows.’ While one may assume that you would want to hold off from picking the colour until close to the year at hand, the process can actually start up to 12 or even 18 months in advance. ‘I’m constantly tracking macro trends across design disciplines like interiors, fashion, architecture, and art to name a few,’ she explains, ‘and pairing that with insights into consumer behaviour.’ Avoiding fleeting microtrends, rather she analyses everything from social and sustainable factors to economic, political and technological movements to figure out what’s defining our current zeitgeist. 

Similar to Parada, the team at WGSN take two years to settle on colours, while Lick take over a year. ‘We travel to trade shows across Europe, speak with experts and designers globally, and listen closely to what our community is gravitating towards,’ says Lick’s director of interior design Tash Bradley. ‘It’s actually really funny – we often start the year excited about one set of colours, and by the end we’ve landed somewhere completely different.’ 

Once Parada has mapped out the emotional and cultural landscape of the coming year, she will then use colour psychology to guide her towards a specific colour family. While the process may all sound a little wishy-washy, Parada is careful to include supporting data in her research, looking at sales figures to see which colors consumers are leaning towards. ‘Lastly, I consider overall trending colour families – what are those trending or up and coming colours and do they fit my narrative? From there, I narrow down the thousands of colours to a few hundred that align with my story and serve as a starting point. It’s a mix of intuition, research, and a lot of visual exploration.’

Read on to find out more and discover the full round-up of 2026 colours of the year here.

While you may not realise it, most of the paints we buy are made-up of petrochemicals. Plastic by another name, the manufacturing process often produces toxic waste products which are both harmful to people and the planet. We caught up with founder of plant-based paint company Edward Bulmer to learn more.

What dangers can paints pose to people and the planet and what makes your paints comparatively eco-friendly?

Regular paints like 'conventional' farming are highly reliant on energy intensive processes and artificial chemicals. Some people are made ill by the petrochemicals in paint but the majority of us are suffering because modern paint making relies on 'externalising' the negative effects of manufacturing processes – in other words – pollution. This pollution is in the form of poor air quality, microplastic residues and carbon emissions.

You describe your paints as plant-based and petrochemical free, what are they made of?

Largely minerals and water. We do not need petrochemicals as our binder is made from plant materials, our pigments are mineral rather than synthetic dyes and we do not use multiple chemical additives to achieve good application performance.

Tell me about your origin story, when did you first realise you needed to react in response to the climate crisis.

In my early twenties I could see that organic farming balanced nature, animal welfare and human nutrition far better than agri-tech. It was a short step to realise we were doing the same thing to the biosphere by pumping it full of greenhouse gases through our energy systems and our addiction to plastic. A concerned interior design client gave me the opportunity to try out natural paints (they have been around for millennia) and I have never looked back – not least because the finish is so much more beautiful!

What is one thing you wish more people knew about most modern paints? 

That they are just plastic by another name and they will always remain that – they never fully breakdown, they just become microplastic.

Should we be wary of green-washing when choosing paints and how can we separate the fakes from the real deal?

Yes. See if the paint maker has signed the Anti Greenwash Charter. See if they have nothing to hide and declare all their ingredients. See if the binder is acrylic, alkyd or vinyl resin – they are all plastic.

What do you do to ensure full transparency as a brand?

By declaring the ingredients on the tin and being the only paint company with knowledgeable people on the end of the phone who REALLY want to help you.

How do you try to encourage biodiversity through your paints?

By raising awareness and using plant derived ingredients. Our factory is in the centre of a farm that is practicing regenerative agriculture.

Are you concerned about the lack of urgency across the rest of the paint industry?

Yes. We may no longer be seeing so much climate denial, we are still seeing massive urgency denial!

What Else Is Happening In The World Of Interiors?

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