10 Once-Trendy Paint Colors That Still Look Good Today

Seeking a bold accent color or a sophisticated neutral? Look to the past for inspiration—and insurance. When you pick the best color scheme for your home, you can't go wrong with one of these 10 shades that are time-tested, guaranteed classics.

Pantone True Red (2002)

1/10
Pantone True Red (2002)

For a knockout accent color, you can’t beat red. This patriotic hue, also the color of life and good fortune, really shines on a dining room accent wall.

Related: Experts Say These Paint Colors Will Dominate in 2019

Pantone

Benjamin Moore Breath of Fresh Air (2014)

2/10
Benjamin Moore Breath of Fresh Air (2014)

When Benjamin Moore unveiled its 2014 Color of the Year, the company announced that they wanted "to be sure you’re fully in the moment.” If any paint has that power, it is this airy, pale blue. Perfect for living rooms, bedrooms, and pretty much any space that needs a dose of calm, Breath of Fresh Air lives up to its name.

Related: 12 Reasons We Love Blue Bedrooms

Benjamin Moore

Valspar Wedding Cake (2017)

3/10
Valspar Wedding Cake (2017)

You can never go wrong with white. Or can you? There are hundreds of different shades, so making a selection can be tough. Try Wedding Cake, one of Valspar’s 2017 colors of the year. This white has a tinge of warm gray, giving it a light, misty feel.

Related: The Most Popular Paint Colors in America

Valspar

Behr Black Lacquer (2013)

4/10
Behr Black Lacquer (2013)

If black paint seems too stark, choose Black Lacquer, a deep, rich gray. Part of Behr’s 2013 Color Trend Collection, this sophisticated neutral pairs well with jewel tones as well as cool whites and lighter grays.

Related: 7 Paint Colors to Avoid in the Bedroom—and Why

Behr

Pantone Sand Dollar (2006)

5/10
Pantone Sand Dollar (2006)

Sand Dollar has a shell-like luminosity that will never go out of style. With its natural, organic vibe, this appealing, organic neutral may have been Pantone's calming antidote to the subprime mortgage crisis. The name also captures the sand-like quality of money—how easily it trickles away.

Related: 19 Rooms That Prove Beige Isn’t Boring

Pantone

Sherwin-Williams Grays (2010s)

6/10
Sherwin-Williams Grays (2010s)

For the color-makers at Sherwin-Williams, 2010 was the decade of gray. In home decor, stainless steel and cooler industrial tones overtook bronze and taupe. Give your home a sleek makeover with this palette of seven ideal shades, from Snowbound to Tricorn Black.

Related: 9 Bold Rooms That Will Make You Rethink Black Paint

Sherwin-Williams

Pantone Marsala (2015)

7/10
Pantone Marsala (2015)

In today's world where it's so easy to feel ungrounded, Pantone's Marsala evokes “confidence and stability” as well as connectedness and warmth. Enhance your living room, bathrooms, or den with this spicy red-brown.

Related: 9 Paint Color Trends You Might Regret

Pantone

Sherwin-Williams Oceanside (2018)

8/10
Sherwin-Williams Oceanside (2018)

A rich blue-green that suits a Mediterranean-inspired traditional as well as a cool contemporary, Oceanside is an instant classic. Feel free to paint an entire room this vivid shade, or use it as an accent wherever you want to spark a little joy.

Related: 11 Paint Colors Designers Pick for Their Own Homes

Sherwin-Williams

Pantone Cerulean (2000)

9/10
Pantone Cerulean (2000)

Cerulean was not only the color of the year, it's the color of the millennium! Pantone chose this pure sky blue for its focus on the future, inspiring us to keep looking upward and moving onward.

Related: 10 Color Mistakes Everyone Makes

Pantone

Sherwin-Williams Studio Mauve (1920s)

10/10
Sherwin-Williams Studio Mauve (1920s)

For shades that have really stood the test of time, check out Sherwin-Williams’ historic paint collections. Studio Mauve, a dusty lavender from the 1920s, is a top choice for children’s rooms, and can be striking in adult rooms, too, especially when paired with beautiful rich browns.

Related: 11 Reasons to Reconsider Pastels

Sherwin-Williams

Don't Miss!

1pixel

If you have the money to hire a handyman for every household woe, go ahead. But if you want to hang on to your cash and exercise some self-sufficiency, check out these clever products that solve a million and one little problems around the house. Go now!