Every year Pantone unveils its Colour of the Year setting the tone for upcoming design trends. Using data from Instagram, we’ve analysed the most popular colours from the past decade.
Together with Amthal Karim, Head of Design at Furniture And Choice, we take you through Pantone’s most popular colours.
Over the past 25 years, Pantone’s Colour of the Year has significantly impacted fashion, interior design, marketing and pop culture. To analyse the Colour of the Years that have made the most impact, we calculated the number of posts on social media for each Pantone colour and divided it by the number of Instagram users to get a popularity score for each colour from the past decade.
At the top is Classic Blue with a popularity score of 100. With 165,272 shares on Instagram and coverage of over 9,500 articles, it’s easy to see why this timeless colour is the favourite. Aside from social media, it has also had over 75,000 searches for Classic Blue over the past four years.
“Classic blue is popular because it’s a versatile, timeless colour,” Amthal says. “If you want to immerse an entire room in this shade, then the bedroom is the perfect choice. If you want to introduce it as an accent or background colour only then it’s ideal for the living or dining room.”
“The colour blue is traditionally associated with the midnight sky as well as the ocean and sea. Choosing to drench your bedroom in this hue surrounds you with a calming, cocoon-like feel. Dark colours usually evoke feelings of security and protection so Classic Blue is a relaxing shade.”
“The choices are endless if you want to use Classic Blue as a background. The colour blue is authoritative, and grounding so it’s effective as a feature wall or on wall panelling. Classic Blue provides a rich backdrop for complementary colours such as yellow, orange or pink or simply pair it with white for clean, traditional design.”
“If you’ve chosen Classic Blue as an accent colour, opt for a blue velvet sofa or blue dining chairs against a modern dining table. Depending on whether you combine Classic Blue furniture with wood or metallics you can achieve different looks. Styling a blue sofa with oak provides a warm, rustic feel whereas if you accent blue with silver or brass accessories you can make a bold, fashionable statement instead.”
Living Coral is second on the list with a popularity score of 80, featured on 11,764 Instagram posts and 33,000 Google searches over the last four years. ‘It’s a vibrant, energetic colour but also warm enough to make any space feel instantly cosy,” Amthal says. “However, out of all the Pantone Colour of the Years on the list it had the highest negative sentiment at 7.8% despite coming in at number 2. Its feminine energy and peace-orange combination make it a ‘love it or hate it’ choice which has divided many people.”
Ultimate Grey and Illuminating were the Colours of the Year for 2021 and are third on their list with a popularity score of 77, featuring in over 9,000 articles and 149,487 Instagram posts.
“This colour combination has been only one of the two dual colour pairings by Pantone ever,” Amthal says. “Its popularity is due to their contrasting qualities. Grey is a safe, recognisable colour that grounds any room while yellow injects personality and warmth when used as an accent.”
Compared to the top 3, 2024’s Colour of the Year Peach Fuzz didn’t get as much traction. With only 46,000 shares on Instagram and 2,800 articles since its reveal, Peach Fuzz despite its vibrant and fruity appeal did not resonate as strongly with the public. Peach Fuzz’s popularity is only above 2015’s Marsala and 2014’s Radiant Orchid.
“With the announcement of 2025’s colour just around the corner, the question arises: What will it be this year?” Amthal says. “With several fuchsia-toned shades making the list over the years, we wonder if this theme will continue or break the trend. The anticipation is building, and we can’t wait to see which colour will inspire the next wave of home décor trends.”
For more analysis on Pantone colours, read our article on Pantone’s most popular colours of the year.
