Picking paint colors is one of the most enjoyable parts of decorating, and also one of the most important, since color sets the mood for an entire room. Browsing swatches online or at the store is easy. Figuring out how they'll actually look in your home is the hard part. To help, here are this year's most talked-about colors, along with ideas for using them indoors and out.

1. Valspar Blissful Blue

This soothing blue is designed to brighten your mood. Outside, try it on a patio chair topped with a yellow pillow. Inside, it makes a lovely accent wall, and it doubles as a great backdrop for video calls. It really shines in rooms with plenty of natural light.

2. Farrow & Ball Sap Green

Created in partnership with the Natural History Museum, this earthy green has a strong connection to the outdoors. It's well suited to cozy, lived-in rooms and smaller projects. Paint your front door with it to echo the landscaping around your home, or bring it into a guest bathroom on the vanity or a full wall.

3. Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal

A mix of blue-green and gray, Aegean Teal feels confident without overpowering a space, and the gray undertone keeps it calming. Use it on trim or cabinets alongside whites and creams, or give built-ins a fresh look. Outdoors, it's striking on shutters against white or stone siding.

4. Farrow & Ball Tanner's Brown

Named after the process of tanning leather, this shade looks like a soft black in low light and shows its brown side in bright light. An accent wall in a home office or living room gives the space a deeper, more modern feel. It's also a nice way to revive tired patio furniture.

5. Sherwin-Williams Urbane Bronze

Sherwin-Williams named Urbane Bronze its 2021 Color of the Year. It's a nature-inspired neutral that manages to be bold and understated at once, and it pairs beautifully with wood, stone, and mixed metals. Use it as a main color or an accent on walls, window trim, or a fireplace mantel. Outside, it looks sharp on front doors and trim, especially next to white.

6. Behr Canyon Dusk

Behr's pick for 2021 is a warm tan-pink inspired by desert scenery, chosen to evoke comfort, togetherness, and a grounded feeling. It works in a bathroom for a relaxing retreat, in a dining room to encourage connection, or on an accent wall. Pair it with browns, greens, blues, neutrals, wood tones, and white countertops.

7. HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Passionate

This rich red blends modern and traditional style. It belongs to HGTV Home's Delightful Daring Color Collection, a group of nine nature-inspired shades sold only at Lowe's. Use it to energize a living or dining room, or paint your house numbers so they stand out from the driveway.

8. Pantone Ultimate Gray and Illuminating

Pantone chose a pair for 2021: 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and 13-0647 Illuminating. Pantone describes the combination as a message of strength and hope, with Ultimate Gray standing for resilience and Illuminating for optimism. Together, they represent partnership.

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