NCS Colour and its Colour Forecasting committee are predicting a major shift in colour preferences in 2026 and beyond. After years dominated by neutral tones, the world is ready to embrace a wider range of color systems. 2026+ Color Trends reflects this shift, highlighting the addition of vibrant colors while maintaining a refined approach to color selection.
Projections show a continued shift away from the neutral color palette of the past. Colors after 2026 will gradually incorporate mid-tone and high-chroma colors, dominated by red, blue, and carefully selected yellow variations. While the contrast between light and dark tones in 2024 is striking, the return of the middle tone in 2025 reintroduces balance, a trend that will continue in 2026. Red and blue variations take center stage, marking a new era in expressive color use.
NCS Color Trend 2026+ divided into four directions
The four main colors represent global color trends for 2026 and beyond. Each anchor color is paired with five complementary colors to form a selected palette for interpretation by design professionals around the world. The colors filled in the NCS system show a clear pattern:
Soft white with low chromaticity tones, subtly separated from pure white, marks a quiet shift in color preferences. Earthy warm browns offer tones of natural style to lay the foundation for the space with tones that promote kinship and shared experiences. Deep red blue creates a mysterious, introspective hue that inspires innovation and exploration. Finally, high-chroma red is a bold, striking transformational color that exudes energy and urgency.
The NCS color system ensures that design professionals have the tools to translate emerging color directions into precise, high-quality color applications in any industry.
Quietude
A range of imperfect whites and noble neutrals that transcend tradition take us into a realm of timeless elegance – a luxury that transcends convention and soothers the soul.
Palette
People are turning to blend traditional luxury with modernity. People are increasingly appreciating the exquisite materials, which symbolize the fusion of traditional and modern aesthetics. The use of warm white marble rather than pure white suggests a desire to soften luxury into something more down-to-earth and approachable that resonates with the values of sustainable luxury. This reflects an era in which “local” and “natural” luxury takes precedence over glitz or man-made materials.
The main color NCS S 1010-G90Y is a limestone white, marble white, with mineral vibration. It is also an imperfect white, a white beyond the norm, beyond the standard, and its light comes from this imperfection. It is a subtle low-chroma light with a greenish yellow tinge. Daylight will enhance the green of this color.
During the day, it will embrace your ecological sense. At night, under yellow lights, it will become a statement of luxury. This imperfect white transcends standards and gives us a sense of timeless elegance and well-designed luxury. The dominant tone is used on larger surfaces, but is best combined with one or more auxiliary tones. Secondary tones are low in color, soft and warm, and should be used to frame and/or integrate with the main tone in detail.
Homecoming
A set of warm, earth-warming colors reminds us of the new luxury and human connection. There is a cultural desire for nostalgia, to move away from the long-held white and apathetic minimalism towards a strong sense of local luxury.
Palette
Homecoming is all about decorating our interiors with color, making us nostalgic for our homes of years ago, when we were allowed to use color to bring us warmth and comfort. Red and green bring us into a perfectly friendly space, bringing us back to our origins and most important values. The refreshing details are accentuated with a light blue-red color that breaks down the comfort and brings fresh highlights that wake us up and make us realize that we need contrast to feel good!
NCS S 3040-Y30R is the main color, it is a rich leather brown, the perfect blend of traditional and avant-garde design. This deep warm brown blends with an earthy undertone that evokes the rich texture of aged leather, the depth of natural wood, and the organic warmth of clay. It embodies craftsmanship and timeless authenticity, bringing out the tactile beauty of old materials while subtly alluding to the bold, exploratory spirit of the Martian landscape.
This color needs space – it’s good for growing on larger surfaces rather than small embellishments. To balance and support its depth, it matches perfectly with nostalgic natural tones that enhance its earthy, tactile nature. It is a color that is both familiar and forward-looking, providing designers with a unique bridge between traditional stories and the escapism of the future.
Symbiosis
Deep blue embraces and intertwines several lighter colors for collective growth and coexistence – mutual empowerment, with human intelligence, artificial intelligence, and nature united toward a brighter tomorrow.
Palette
The palette emphasizes the coexistence and interdependence of us, humans, nature, and technology. We have long emphasized the importance of co-existing with nature and have introduced biophilia into our designs. Starting with biophilia, we move to embracing nature and being one with it – completely immersed in it. Our design is increasingly focused on creating designs that treat nature as an established element.
The main color NCS S 6030-R70B is dark blue with a hint of red, which reminds people of the vast space and the mysterious deep sea. This deep blue is very beautiful on larger surfaces, with more detailed borders and details, lower chroma and lighter colors that remind us of all the elements of life that surround us in these environments.
The focus should be on immersing us in this blue and making us feel relaxed and optimistic. The supporting color palette is enhanced by vibrant color dots, perfect for Spaces designed to inspire exploration, cultivate collective strength, and drive visionary innovation. We admire the faint colors around us. They make us smile and bring us happy feelings.
Renegade
Awakening creative rebellion, this peak of the Crimson age ignites fearless expression, with bold, high-hued hues and deep hues boldly challenging the ordinary. A defiant, fearless, anti-conformist rebellion that challenges the status quo in a dysfunctional world! We want to feel that we are seen and heard!
Palette
We see the use of high-chromaticity red reaching its peak, both as a signal of change and a signal to stop! Traditionally, high-chromaticity red was only applied to details. However, we saw the need to increase the size and use this red on a larger surface. But not too big! We balance the use of red with dark or low-chromaticity browns, which are like the base we place red on. In this space, red is not enough for the expression we want to achieve. We need other high chroma elements and details, deep red, orange and/or very importantly almost neon yellow.
NCS S 0580-Y90R is an energy color, a high-chrominance deep red that cannot be ignored, NCS S 0580-Y90R is the ultimate expression of fearless creativity and bold personality. It’s a color that stands out, ignites passion and challenges convention. Inspired by revolution, energy and change, this vibrant red is not just a design choice, it’s a statement.
This strong hue is perfect for decorative walls, personality furniture or architectural highlights and can inject an undeniable presence into any space. It evokes bold self-expression and pushes the boundaries of interior and product design. Traditionally, this high-chrominance red was only used for small details, but Renegade redefined the rules – this color works on larger surfaces, but always maintains a strategic balance.
Looking ahead, the world of color is about to usher in a major change. Color trends in 2026 and beyond will move away from neutral and embrace colorful. Together, the four NCS colors will create a new color palette and guide the design field, allowing us to witness the arrival of a new era of color.
Disclaimer
① Material source | NCS color;
② Copyright belongs to the original creator and his company;
③ If this article or picture infringes on your rights, please contact us to delete it. Thanks.