Every building should be designed with people in mind. That’s the foundational principle behind Dulux Trade ColourFuturesTM, the annual international trend forecast that translates colour experts’ global insights into palettes for the built environment.
This year’s forecast found people feeling weighed down by world events and overwhelmed by digital overload. The answer is interiors and exteriors that lighten hearts, brighten souls and lift spirits, using colour to counteract the sense of institutional heaviness in the spaces we share.
Enter Soulful Sage™, Dulux Trade’s Colour of the Year 2027. A silvery, soft green, it sits between the vividly verdant and the subtly pastel: rich but understated, and associated with wisdom, healing, clarity and inspiration. It’s a versatile mid-tone, equally at home in traditional or modern settings, that can read as warm, cleansing or inspiring depending on how and where it’s used.
Three supporting Colour Stories
To help turn this year’s Colour of the Year into ready-made inspiration, Dulux Trade has developed three colour stories built around Soulful Sage™: Glow, Light and Lift. Each draws on complementary tones from the sage family, giving you maximum flexibility while maintaining a consistent thread throughout a project. The palettes lean towards light tones overall, with stronger accent shades adding definition and identity where needed.
Tailored for every sector
Soulful Sage™ and its three supporting colour stories have been developed with five key sectors in mind:
Education
Research shows that engaging students starts with design that stimulates the senses. Joyful, uplifting colour helps create inspiring learning spaces.
Offices
With staff retention high on the agenda, organisations are turning to sensory design to create workspaces that look and feel good for the people who use them.
Hospitality
Hotels, libraries, galleries and restaurants thrive on real experience and human connection. A warm familiar palette helps create a light, welcoming feel.
Healthcare
Providers are prioritising healing architecture, using colour and design that support wellbeing rather than focusing solely on function.
Residential
Clay, terracotta and stone-inspired tones add warmth and authenticity to the home, helping people feel grounded and connected.
Whichever sector you’re designing for, Soulful Sage™ and its supporting colour stories provide a starting point for human-centric interiors and exteriors that feel fresh and contemporary.
Get the full picture
Soulful Sage™ is just the starting point. The Dulux Trade ColourFutures™ 2027 colour guide reveals the thinking behind the hero colour and supporting Colour Stories, and offers sector-specific guidance to help you apply them with confidence.
Download the Dulux Trade ColourFutures™ 2027 guide to inspire your next project.
Discover Dulux Trade Colour of the Year 2027 – Soulful Sage™
Getting a FREE specification is easy when you work with Dulux Trade The Dulux Trade Ireland portfolio has a broad offering of high-performance products, which address the Irish construction industry needs for low VOC and sustainable solutions ensuring award winning finishes to projects across Ireland.
Dulux are the leading innovator in this space with a dedicated Trade and Specification resource, collaborating closely with Architects and Construction companies to deliver sustainable and bespoke solutions for client projects along with delivering CPD’s on relevant industry standards through our Dublin-based Academy.
For all queries on Colour and Products for your projects, please contact duluxtradespecirl@akzonobel.com
