Interior Design

Farrow & Ball’s color curator reveals the shocking paint shades predicted to be big news into 2022

Are these hues set to dethrone gray as the most popular color? Color master Joa Studholme shares everything we need to know

Farrow & Ball's blue and pink paint
(Image credit: Railings No.31 Full Gloss Cinder Rose No.246 Estate Emulsion by Farrow & Ball)

While gray has endured as the most sought-after shade for several seasons, its previously unequaled power may be coming to an end. Instead, Farrow & Ball’s chief color curator, Joa Studholme, has shared the hues that are on track to be the biggest shades of the year, and her predictions involve an indulgence of pure, playful color. 

In an exclusive interview with H&G, Joa shared the colors we should use across our walls to get ahead of the upcoming paint trends.

The latter half of 2021 – and all of 2022 – is looking beautifully bright.

2021's biggest colors – according to Farrow & Ball's color curator

Farrow & Ball paint in living room


(Image credit: Cinder Rose No.246 Estate Emulsion Black Blue No.95 Estate Eggshell by Farrow & Ball)

Has gray finally met its match? Joa suggests so. ‘There certainly has been a seismic shift in the ways we are using color in the home – grays hold less allure, although still have a place in many homes, and bolder colors are becoming more and more popular,’ she explains. 

While we’re certainly not turning away from grey living room ideas entirely, Joa’s predictions are reshaping our interiors. But which shades should we experiment with first? 

‘Over the last two years we have been drawn to the pink rooms that make our homes feel like sanctuaries and the blue rooms that create moody rooms to relax in, alongside green rooms which root us with nature. However, I think we will increasingly see the use of uncomplicated brighter colors,’ Joa says.

Farrow & Ball paint in living room

(Image credit: Cinder Rose No.246 Estate Emulsion by Farrow & Ball)

In Farrow and Ball: Inside the Posh Paint Factory, which is airing across the UK today, July 8th, Joa shares her excitement at the rise of these tones as they showcase the brand’s paint in all their kaleidoscopic glory and ‘come alive’ differently in all homes.

‘My world is all about color – but I am more than aware that those colors are only part of the magic of a Farrow & Ball paint,’ Joa explains. 

‘It never fails to amaze me how alive the colors look in different light conditions – and this is what makes them so very special,’ she adds. 

Kitchen painted in green paint by Farrow & Ball

(Image credit: Bancha No.298 Modern Emulsion Bancha No.298 Full Gloss by Farrow & Ball)

For future living room paint ideas, we’re looking towards the new color trinity: pink, blue, and green. You heard it here first. More about the new show, including a preview, is available here.  

Megan Slack
Head of Celebrity Style News

Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes, before becoming H&G's News Editor in April 2022. She now leads the Celebrity/ News team. Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US while studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site. She currently lives in London with her antique typewriter and an expansive collection of houseplants.