The Dulux Colours of the Year 2026 are three versatile blues: light Mellow Flow, dark Slow Swing and vibrant Free Groove. They were chosen following the company’s extensive annual trend research and provide architects, specifiers and designers with a selection of shades that reflect the mood of every environment.

Whether housebuilders are looking to create a show home that really pops or find that little edge to their luxury new development, Dulux’s 2026 winning pallete has been selected to help in every way.

AkzoNobel’s Global Aesthetic Centre has been translating trends into desirable colours for more than 30 years. Its annual ColourFutures trend forecast meeting brings together in-house experts, international architects, designers and journalists to share insights into how people’s reactions to the world impact colour choices.

For the first time, three colours were selected which all have common ground, but each bring a unique quality. From the timeless, soothing qualities of Mellow Flow to the meditative, calm and grounding nature of Slow Swing, and the vibrant, exciting and uplighting Free Groove there is a shade to suit any brief.

Used individually or in combination, the Colours of the Year 2026 offer professionals the flexibility to create multiple expressions of energy, mood and pace. The Rhythm of Blues collection is also complemented by interior and exterior palettes, making it easier than ever for housebuilders to find the right colours for their project.

Marianne Shillingford, Dulux Creative Director and Colour Expert at AkzoNobel, explains: “Blue has been the world’s favourite colour for years – but it’s far from one note. It delivers a sense of fluidity, relief, stillness and freedom, which is exactly what’s needed in today’s fastpaced world.

“It’s roots in nature give us something to connect to, as well. When we see light blues like Mellow Flow, we might think of soothing springs or sunrise skies, for example, or be reminded of the deep ocean’s chilled stillness with a dark blue like Slow Swing. Whereas Free Groove offers a more intense heat, like that of summer pool parties. Some of us are slowing the beat to recharge and find balance, while others are looking to crank up the volume and create spaces that are simply fun. “Rhythm of Blues gives us the opportunity to do both – it’s a family of colours that can soothe, steady or excite, depending on how you play it. This collection offers colours you can find peace in, and colours you can dance to, centred around three distinct rhythms to offer endless possibilities for changing the pace of your space.”

To support architects, specifiers and designers and provide additional guidance on the use of the Rhythm of Blues collection, Dulux has created the Dulux Trade Colours of the Year 2026 Specifier Guide. This includes inspiration that can help create the perfect space across any sector.

For more information, go to www.rdr.link/dbg036

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For 2025, Dulux is asking architects, specifiers and designers to embrace yellow and infuse a sense of optimism, pride and imagination into their projects. As a guiding light to introduce these bold, positive shades to clients, the paint manufacturer has announced True Joy as its Colour of the Year for 2025, which is complemented by three versatile ColourFutures palettes.

Over that last two decades, the Dulux Colour of the Year has been chosen through extensive trend research by Dulux colour experts and international design professionals. The 2025 selection, True Joy, is a bright and positive yellow that reflects people’s desire to break free, reset, and create something new and exciting. As well as embracing True Joy, Dulux is also encouraging designers to share the joy of yellow and help clients to leap out of their comfort zone – and feel confident in doing so.

Yellow shades like True Joy can be used as a bold statement colour or an accent hue. However, to help designers advise their clients on the best colour pairings, Dulux has created three supporting ColourFutures palettes.

• Bold Colour Story: Inspired by the thrill of adventure, these bold colours bring spontaneity and energy to any space. Bright blues and oranges contrast beautifully with accent yellow, making them ideal for educational and office environments where inspiration and creativity are key.
• Human Colour Story: Celebrating artisanal craftsmanship, these shades of wood and clay reflect the raw materials used in handmade processes. Perfect for educational and healthcare settings, these colours add a touch of authenticity and warmth.
• Proud Colour Story: Drawing inspiration from diverse cultures around the world, these deep, rich and earthy browns and greens celebrate the rich heritages that make us unique. Ideal for hospitality and residential spaces, they create a welcoming atmosphere where everyone feels at home.

Dawn Scott, Dulux Trade Senior Colour Designer, said: “True Joy and its accompanying palettes offer a fresh perspective on colour’s role in shaping our built environment. These colours are not just trends but tools for architects and specifiers to craft spaces that resonate with the values and visions of their clients, improving our experience within the spaces we inhabit.

“One of the most impactful applications of True Joy is within healthcare environments. Paired with the earthy, natural shades of our Human Colour Story, True Joy can transform waiting rooms, corridors, and communal areas into uplifting and calming spaces. This combination not only brightens the atmosphere but also connects patients and staff to a sense of warmth, creativity, and well-being.”

Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director and Colour Expert at Dulux, explains: “It may be difficult to immediately picture where yellow paint could seamlessly slot into your home, but it’s actually much more versatile than you may first think. The decision to choose the most uplifting hue in the spectrum is to spark inspiration and instil confidence to leap into the unknown and endless possibilities of what could be. Whilst yellow is one of the bolder colours on the spectrum, True Joy is complementary to a vast range of palettes, it brings out the positivity in even the most neutral of shades and is the figurative glue that binds more daring colour stories together.”

To support specifiers and provide additional guidance on the use of True Joy, Dulux has created the Dulux Trade Colour of the Year 2025 Specifier Guide which includes mood boards that can be used to help create the perfect space across any sector. Architects, specifiers, and designers can also use the Dulux Trade Colour Schemer for colour inspiration or to create specifications for projects. They can also speak with the Dulux Commercial Colour Services team for additional advice on how to use the Colour of the Year 2025.

Dulux is proud of its ongoing efforts to produce durable solutions in a more sustainable manner. By focusing on reducing carbon emissions and increasing the circular use of materials, Dulux ensures that products like True Joy not only enhance spaces aesthetically but also contribute to a greener future. With initiatives such as using up to 70% recycled content in packaging and developing water-based paints with lower VOC content, Dulux is dedicated to helping professionals create beautiful, sustainable environments.

Dulux Colour of the Year 2025 True Joy and the accompanying palettes are available for purchase now. For more information, visit duluxtrade.co.uk/cf25 and follow #CF25 on social media.

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Adding a splash of colour to roofline and cladding installations can transform a property, providing a home that’s bang on trend, says Colin St John, Commercial Director at Freefoam.

Over the past two years, there has been a significant uplift in demand for cladding and roofline products over the past two years. Last year, sales of cladding products increased more than 20% when compared to 2019. This was a function of the pandemic with its increased focus on the home and, last year, an estimated 66% of homeowners were planning home improvements, while 22% wanted improvements that added value to their home.

It is also driven by a desire to personalise the home and create bespoke environments which is something that obviously also increasingly applies to the new build sector.

Apart from the aesthetic benefits of quality roofline, there is necessarily a practical dimension too and being durable and stylish, PVC exterior goods can include roofline and deep flow gutters to protect homes from increasing volumes of rainfall and more violent storms while boosting curb appeal. Cladding and roofline can also add value by complementing windows and doors, alongside offering colour options as part of a complete house look.

Where we are seeing most growth potential is in sales of coloured cladding and roofline products. In 2021, sales of colour and woodgrain fascia increased significantly in comparison to 2019. This is a hot trend that housebuilders can continue to capitalise on.

Grey expectations
In the past, popular shades for cladding and roofline fittings have been largely confined to natural wood finishes as well as more traditional white. Before the pandemic, we were seeing a real interest in our grey product lines, such as the Fortex cladding which includes four contemporary grey shades. And this has continued – more than 60% of all such cladding sales in 2021 were in grey.

Grey cladding and rooflines can be a straightforward upsell to those wanting to complete the contemporary look of a property. In response to customer feedback, the company announced the addition of a new grey shade to the roofline range in summer 2022. Agate Grey is soft grey with tones of green and offers a lighter alternative to the ever-popular Anthracite Grey.

A splash of colour
More recently, there has been a shift to an even wider colour palette in the UK and this has been largely driven by trends in Europe. The market for cladding and roofline products is well established in Europe, and countries such as France, the Netherlands and Belgium strongly influence the trends we see here. Domestically, there is definitely a growing appetite for colour products in the UK, particularly off the back of the strong trend to colour in windows and front doors.

Colour of the Year
One of the biggest colour trends for this year is blue. At the start of 2022, Dulux announced its chosen Colour of the Year 2022 was Blue Skies, a light, airy and optimistic shade of blue which felt like a breath of fresh air for a new year. Similarly,  PVC cladding now comes in a variety of colours including Pale Blue and a deeper Colonial Blue.

Upcoming shades for 2023 will continue the pastel theme, with experts predicting ‘Digital Lavender’ to be named colour of year for next year. These shades are proving popular, giving builders the opportunity to enhance new and existing properties with a modern, fresh look.

Choosing lasting, vibrant colour
When offering coloured cladding, fascia and soffit boards, it’s important to be able to confident it will not fade over time. To ensure the colour of cladding and roofline products remains vibrant for years to come, technically advanced proprietary
colour technology uses a unique selection of highly colourfast stabilisers and pigments which allows us to offer a wide range of long-lasting colours from subtle gold and soft grey to striking black and anthracite grey. This technology is so effective that leading manufacturers, such as Freefoam, should offer a 50-year extended guarantee on white products and an industry-leading 10-year guarantee on all other colours.

The colours are added to products through a co-extrusion process which gives them a coloured top coating of rigid PVC-U, that is smooth, strong and hard-wearing. The process is quick and easy and it means that standard colours can be offered with no lead time, which is an advantage for those working to tight deadlines.

The majority of colours have a RAL equivalent which allows for exact colour matching, so housebuilders can exactly match the colour of the cladding or roofline products to other elements of a home’s exterior. With such products, builders can create properties with a choice of coloured roofline and cladding, offering a splash of individuality and the perfect finish for any home.

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