Every year, PPG’s global colour experts select a Colour of the Year to guide architects and designers in creating relevant, future-oriented spaces. For 2026, that honor goes to Secret Safari (PPG1110-4), a nuanced shaded yellow-green that anchors the overarching trend theme called Parallels.
A world in transformation
The Parallels concept explores how shared global challenges, from societal instability to climate urgency, spur multiple, parallel design responses around the world. Secret Safari captures this spirit of convergence and diversity: it is an organic yellow-green with a mineral quality, reflecting a world in transformation, yet searching for roots. In practice, this subtle mid-tone can recede or stand out depending on the light, texture, and function of a space, making it an extremely versatile neutral.
Such adaptability is key in today’s design climate, as we face rapid change, designers value colours that provide both comfort and flexibility. Secret Safari delivers a calming, grounded presence in low light and a fresh, energising effect in brighter settings, seamlessly complementing natural materials and warm tones.
Its emergence also underscores a broader cultural shift: green hues have dominated colour trends over the past decade, evolving from bold accents to foundational neutrals that bridge humankind and habitat. In fact, a green has been named Colour of the Year five times in ten years – a testament to how our collective focus on nature and sustainability is shaping design. Against this backdrop, Secret Safari stands out as the green that accompanies many narratives, harmonizing with multiple design approaches under the Parallels theme.
Authentic: A return to lasting values
One key Parallels palette is Authentic, which embodies a return to essential, lasting values in design. This trend celebrates honesty in materials and craftsmanship, favouring high-quality, tactile finishes and comforting colours that evoke timeless elegance. Grounded, nostalgic hues – yellow-greens, warm neutrals, earthy browns, organic greens, even deep chestnut tones – define the Authentic palette. Together these colours create a sense of natural balance and enveloping warmth in interiors, encouraging spaces of comfort and familiarity.
The philosophy is rooted in heritage and sustainability: designers are invited to design with care, choose mindfully, and live authentically, emphasizing long-term quality over short-lived trends. In architectural applications, an Authentic scheme might translate into using raw woods, natural fabrics, and artisanal ceramics – materials that reinforce a connection to the earth.
By promoting simplicity and craft, this palette responds to cultural shifts toward sustainability and the desire for calm, reassuring environments. The result is interiors that feel calm, genuine, and intimately human, addressing a practical need for spaces that ground us in an uncertain world.
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Visionary: Designing the Comfort of Tomorrow
Another trajectory within Parallels is the Visionary palette, which looks ahead to the comfort and safety of the future. Visionary explores the intersection of protection and progressive design, proposing a refined yet forward-thinking aesthetic geared toward personal safety and well-being. The palette’s colours span cool neutrals, deep oceanic blues, soft lilacs, and muted greens, a spectrum that creates a sophisticated interplay of light and shadow in a space.
This balanced contrast (ethereal light against immersive dark) adds intrigue and a modern, high-tech character to interiors. Inspired by technology and resilience, Visionary design schemes aim to create spaces that feel safe, innovative, and immersive. Architects might express this through sleek materials like glass walls, polished metals, and engineered surfaces that convey both cleanliness and cutting-edge style. The optimistic yet pragmatic tone of Visionary directly addresses contemporary needs: as global challenges drive demand for healthier, smarter buildings, this trend offers a palette to imagine efficient environments without sacrificing comfort. In essence, Visionary is about future-proofing design, making spaces adaptable, secure, and calming by means of elegant modern colours and finishes that reassure occupants of their safety and sustainability.
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Expressive: Unbounded Creativity
The third palette, Expressive, strikes a very different chord. It represents unbounded creativity and optimism in design. This trend is all about pushing boundaries and celebrating individuality, almost as a bold counterpoint to the restrained hues of the other palettes.
Expressive brings together vibrant reds, energetic oranges, lively purples, and bright blues, often in unexpected combinations. The effect is dynamic, joyful, and eclectic – an infusion of energy that can transform a space into a stimulating experience. By embracing such vivid tones, the palette acts as a bridge between humanity and artificial intelligence, suggesting that creative design is key to humanizing our increasingly digital world. In practical terms, this could mean using bold accent walls, colourful furnishings, or playful patterns to spark imagination in a room. Glossy, experimental materials – think lacquered finishes, graphic textiles, or patterned surfaces – fit naturally into the Expressive style.
The guiding philosophy here is one of creative freedom: this palette draws from arts and self-expression to infuse spaces with personality and a sense of adventure. Culturally, Expressive aligns with a widespread craving for positivity and personal expression, offering designers a toolkit to create interiors that inspire and uplift. It addresses the practical design need for uniqueness and engagement, especially in creative workplaces, educational environments, or any setting that benefits from a dose of colour and character.
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Parallel Paths, Shared Direction
Importantly, this framework is designed to be adapted to specific environments and sectors rather than applied as a one-size-fits-all solution. Whether in healthcare settings that require calm and reassurance, educational spaces that balance focus and stimulation, residential projects centered on comfort and identity, or commercial and hospitality environments seeking distinction and experience, these colour directions offer a flexible starting point.
The result is a contemporary and practical guide to colour that responds to both cultural shifts and real-world design demands, enabling architects and designers to translate global insights into meaningful, future-ready solutions for their local context.
Read the 2026 Design Trend Book