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For the past four years, Behr has leaned into neutrals with its color of the year announcements, ranging (in order) from earthy terracotta and pale blue-green to warm white and charcoal black. Those days are over. The company just revealed that Rumors, a deep ruby, is its 2025 color of the year.
“Red is having a moment, but it’s always been a very historical color,” says Sarah Fishburne, the director of trend and design at Home Depot, Behr’s exclusive retailer. Along with Erika Woelfel, the vice president of color and creative services at Behr Paint, and a whole team of trend forecasters, they weed through the rainbow to dub “the one” that’ll take off in the coming year. “With decades coming back, we were like, what is the red of the ’90s and how are we going to make it better?” adds Fishburne.
Turns out, most people are more open to using the bold swatch in their home than we thought. When Behr surveyed 1,000 Americans earlier this summer, it found that more than three-quarters (76%) of them would consider painting a room or a wall a shade of red. The real stamp of approval, though, comes from the designers who have been using similar red-maroon hues lately, from Sarah Sherman Samuel and Studio Keeta to Beata Heuman and Jenna Chused.
4 Ways to Use Behr’s 2025 Color of the Year
The Kitchen
Whether it’s a sliver of your pantry or entire island, the kitchen is a no-brainer. Earlier this year, we asked designers what color they wanted to see more of, and dark reds were their number-one pick. Airbnb owner Karie Higgins topped her maroon island with a merlot-tinged marble; designer Melissa Lee used it in combo with fluted glass doors; and DIYer Renee Bruner swathed her walls in a matching limewash after seeing Kirsten Dunst’s all-red kitchen.
The Laundry Room
Because bold colors tend to have a bigger impact in tight quarters, Rumors lends itself to small areas around the house. Most recently, we saw DIYer Valeria Jacobs try out a rich almost-chocolate tone in her laundry room.
The Closet
It’s also pretty perfect for a walk-in closet, as RHONY star Brynn Whitfield showed us in a glam glossy finish.
Little Upgrades
Test it out on your trim. Washington, D.C.–based designer Zoe Feldman elevated this white dining room by just painting the moldings. And don’t forget about furniture. When we saw how DIYer Jenna Sue reimagined an old IKEA dresser with this shade, we started looking at the Malm line in a whole new way.
Other Colors to Pair It With
Along with announcing its color for 2025, Behr curated a palette of other trending hues—many of which are intended to be used in combination with Rumors. Woelfel suggests leaning into Oxford Street, a golden brown, or Nutmeg Frost, if you’re looking for a softer accent. And remember what we said about Rumors working wonders in a kitchen? We’ve seen dark red uppers look right at home with light blue lowers (like in this tiny galley), so add Spring Storm and Cabana Blue to your swatch list while you’re at it.