Glidden’s 2027 Color of the Year Promises a ‘Reset’ Without the Remodel

For homeowners craving a change but not necessarily the price tag—or upheaval—of a renovation, Glidden is offering a timely proposition: it’s time for a simple reset.

On Monday, the paint brand named Artifact, a smoky midtone blue, its Color of the Year for 2027. But the thinking behind the shade may say as much about how people are feeling about their homes as what they want them to look like.

“Our campaign for the year is around Artifact, and it is about resetting the room, skipping the remodel,” Ashley McCollum, Glidden color marketing manager, tells Realtor.com®.

McCollum says Glidden’s consumer research pointed toward a broader desire for balance, control and smaller, more intentional changes rather than wholesale reinvention.

The broader housing economy tells a similar story: 2026 is on track to be the slowest year for home sales since 2011, while homeowner spending on improvements and maintenance is expected to slow as high interest rates and building-material costs squeeze household budgets.

Against that backdrop, a paint color pitched as a way to make the home you already have feel different without tearing it apart has particular resonance.

Why 2027 is about a ‘reset,’ not a reinvention

Glidden doesn't say the housing market or remodeling costs specifically drove its selection. Instead, McCollum says the company looks across consumer research and broader cultural and societal shifts when forecasting its colors.

Color drenching gives Artifact more impact by carrying the same shade across walls, trim and architectural details. (Glidden Paints)

For 2027, those signals converged around what Glidden calls “finding balance”—and, more specifically, a desire for smaller, intentional adjustments rather than starting over.

“People are really taking a step back, and they’re really focusing on what works for them, and figuring out what matters,” McCollum says. “Not a reinvention, not looking to start from scratch, but really looking for really thoughtful adjustments that they can make to their lives to make everything feel more balanced and calm.”

That represents something of an evolution from Glidden’s recent colors of the year.

Artifact can be color-blocked with 2026’s Warm Mahogany, reflecting the move toward mixing warm and cool tones. (Glidden Paints)

Purple Basil, its deep-purple pick for 2025, reflected what McCollum described as consumers becoming less concerned about resale value and more willing to choose bold colors simply because they liked them. Warm Mahogany followed in 2026.

Artifact still embraces color, but with a different aim. McCollum describes it as a warm, smoky midtone blue meant to feel calm and grounded rather than transformative.

And crucially for homeowners trying to make changes without triggering a much larger project, it was selected to work with what may already be in the room.

A new color without changing everything else

Although blue is generally thought of as a cool color, McCollum says Artifact sits on the warmer end of the spectrum.

That allows it to work alongside a range of existing finishes—including brushed nickel, stainless steel, black, bronze and brass—without requiring homeowners to change those elements, too.

Artifact’s warmer blue undertone makes it easy to pair with brass, bronze, black and other existing finishes. (Glidden Paints)

The same principle applies to how much of a room homeowners actually paint.

Asked how a cost-constrained homeowner could get the biggest sense of a reset without taking on a much larger renovation, McCollum suggested concentrating color where it will make the most visual impact.

“Every space is different, but I love fun, unconventional uses of color,” she says. “So, if you’re looking to really reset and make an impact, maybe you have bookcases in your space, and maybe you paint the bookcases, or maybe you paint the backs of the bookcases to give it a little bit more fun and flair to it.”

Rather than automatically repainting an entire room, she recommends identifying what the eye notices first.

“Think about where you want your focus to be in a space,” McCollum says. “Like if there’s a certain area that you want the attention to be, or you want to draw the eye immediately when you walk in. Think about that, and think about how you can apply color there, and maybe start there.”

Glidden says Artifact reflects a move away from algorithm-driven perfection toward more personal design choices. (Glidden Paints)

One color can do more than one job

Homeowners can also create more visual variation without buying several different colors.

McCollum suggests using Artifact in multiple sheens—for example, eggshell on walls, semi-gloss on trim and a matte or flat finish on a mantel or molding.

“Using that same color but having different sheens will draw your eye to different places of the space,” she says. “So adding dimension back in with sheens like that is one example.”

Painting the ceiling in Artifact turns the “fifth wall” into an unexpected focal point. (Glidden Paints)

One place McCollum does recommend investing a little extra effort is before opening the full gallon.

Lighting can dramatically change how a color appears from one home to another—and even over the course of a single day.

“Think lighting. That is your number one, like in my book, player of how a color will look in your space,” McCollum says. “So always test it first.”

Her advice is to live with a sample before committing.

“Take the samples home. Take a look at it. Live with it maybe for a couple days if you’re unsure and view it in those different lighting conditions. But lighting’s super key.”

Artifact can also work outdoors, from full exteriors to doors, shutters and covered porch ceilings.

That advice fits the larger thinking behind Artifact itself. At a moment when remodeling growth is slowing and the costs of homeownership continue to eat into household budgets, Glidden’s 2027 color isn't really selling reinvention.

It's selling the possibility that a small change can make staying put feel a little less like being stuck.