Every year, paint company color experts develop trending hues for consumers and industry. Ever-changing variables affect the direction of yearly color design. Trends develop over time: Demographics, changing consumer desires, social and economic changes and technology all converge, or come together, to influence color themes. This culminates in a Color of the Year which is supposed to be the most appealing color moving forward. These Sherwin Williams hues are the most unpopular colors. Rather than spotlighting what’s popular, The Loneliest Color challenges us to reconsider what has been overlooked.
Offbeat Green: The Loneliest Color of 2026
This year’s loneliest color spotlights Sherwin Williams’ least tinted shade and encourages a more instinctive, personal approach to color selection. Offbeat Green shows how an unexpected hue can evolve into a grounded, versatile choice when viewed through a new lens. When someone chooses a color like Offbeat Green, they’re embracing nuance. The most meaningful spaces are the ones that feel authentic to the people living in them. It’s brighter, bold quality can appear outside of people’s comfort zones, but its warmth makes it livable and grounded – showing how color confidence can be built and how an overlooked shade can become approachable and versatile in the right setting.
Radiant Lilac: The Loneliest Color of 2025
Nodding to tradition and the unconventional, this energetic lilac infuses any space with an undeniable warmth that inspires and uplifts. This mauve-violet is an unapologetic statement maker. The color of confidence.
Kingdom Gold: The Loneliest Color of 2024
In addition to showcasing its color of the year, Sherwin-Williams announced its least popular color, which they’ve officially titled “The Loneliest Color.” Sherwin’s bean counters figured out what their least purchased hue is, and the color is… Kingdom Gold SW 6698. It’s a vibrant shade with elements of goldenrod and mustard. They created a palette of nine other harmonized, least popular colors to compliment Kingdom Gold.
Kingdom Gold can be challenging due to its intensity and potential for visual overstimulation, which can alter the perceived size and ambiance of a room. How unpopular is it? It’s pretty unpopular. Each year, Sherwin-Williams tints millions of gallons of paint, but when it comes to Kingdom Gold, less than 11,000 gallons of it have been tinted in the last 14 years.