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Benjamin Moore recently announced its 2021 color of the year, Aegean Teal, but how exactly should you use it in your projects?
Along with the singular, stand-out shade, the paint company released its 2021 color palette, which they say makes a home feel even more like a home. The 11 other shades in the palette feature three off-whites, three grays-browns, two pale yellows, and two oranges.
“Aegean Teal is an exceptionally balanced color,” says Andrea Magno, director of color marketing and development. “It has this really beautiful blend of blue and green, and it has a touch of gray to it that makes it have this softened, casual elegance that’s really, very inviting. And we felt really strongly this year about having a mid-tone as our color of the year.”
The color development team at Benjamin Moore started its color selection process in December 2019 and finalized the list in January. Together, each team member brought together different colors, inspirations, and knowledge from different trade shows before landing on this Aegean Teal.
What really guided the team’s choice was the concept of the home going into a new decade. Just as the kitchen remains the source of nourishment, it is also the area for entertaining, and now, homeschooling or working from home. Aegean Teal’s dynamic and versatile nature leans into this idea.
“It was thinking about these small, simple moments that happen in the home and being able to use that for color inspiration,” says Magno. “We’re looking to bring these moments of color, whether it’s in a big way or a small way, and we feel like the color we’re seeing with that organic nature really felt right for the year to come.”
As for the rest of the palette, each color is a warmer hue, providing ambiance, more versatility, and organic aspects, according to Hannah Yeo, color and design manager. These mid-tone palettes offer a feeling of lived-in comfort while remaining casual and grounded.
Here are some ways you can incorporate the hue in your projects next year.
Kitchen Cabinets
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Due to the inspiration stemming from kitchens, this mid-tone teal shade emerges as a nice complement to recently popularized dark blue and green kitchen cabinets. Using the shade in kitchens is a personal favorite choice of the Benjamin Moore team.
“One of my favorite places to use it is on millwork and cabinetry,” says Magno. “I think it makes for an unbelievable cabinet color just because we’ve seen a lot of people go with the deep blues or greens, and this is almost a happy medium. It’s a little bit unexpected.”
Tile
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Tennessee-based Mission Stone & Tile offers a subway tile-inspired hexagon tile in a glossy, light teal color. The company says their Shore Thing tile is a perfect complement to subway tiles but features irregular edges, giving it a natural, more artisan look. As the Benjamin Moore team discussed nature and organic colors grounding people into the Earth, this pan-glazed ceramic tile fits right into the theme.
Ovens and Ventilation Hoods
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Kitchen designed by Elena Eskandari and Elle Hunter
If Aegean Teal kitchen cabinets are a no-go, appliance manufacturer BlueStar offers its ranges and ventilation hoods in more than 1,000 colors. The versatility of Aegean Teal allows for it to complement a wide array of colors, making it a perfectly fitting accent color.
Bathroom
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Fantini Rubinetti’s Nice Collection reflects the water it controls: translucent and fresh. These minimalist remote control taps come in a variety of colors, including one that looks much like Aegean Teal. The color and the design of the bathroom sink knobs stand out while remaining subtle.
“Aegean Teal really hit the right note,” says Magno. “We found it was really a hidden gem in our collections. We fell in love with it for its complexity, its depth, and even its versatility in that you can use it in so many different ways in the home.”
Doors
Front doors have long been a simple way to throw a dash of color into a home. Teal evokes a restfulness and spiritual balance, so what better time to feel balanced than walking into a home? Aegean Teal itself is a balanced color as well, the company says. It’s a mix of blues, greens, and some gray, which provides more interest than a typical teal.
“To me, it was that, really having the quality of that balance,” says Sharon Grech, spokesperson and color and design manager at Benjamin Moore. “It’s rich in color, it has a certain amount of saturation that we know it’s going to appeal for the people who typically love color, but the gray undertone and the earthy quality that this color has makes it so much more usable in a home environment. I think it’s really going to appeal for the people who typically shy away from some of those darker colors.”
