The First Major 2023 Color of the Year Announcement Is Here

The quest for the perfect white paint is a never-ending one. Some homeowners will spend a whole year testing out swatches, weighing the pros and cons of cool versus warm tones; creamy versus chalky. It seems like it should be easy, and yet even us editors find ourselves asking every interior designer and renovator we talk to: What white paint do you swear by? So we were excited when we found out that Behr set out to make this decision a little less tricky. The company just announced Blank Canvas as its 2023 color of the year. 

“White paint colors are our top sellers. With so many options to choose from, we wanted to spotlight the one that we believe is most versatile,” says Jodi Allen, global chief marketing officer for the brand. While the choice to deem white as the next greatest hit goes against what many of these forecasts are based around (ahem, trends!), the classic pick does strike a timely note post-pandemic. 

“We know that people are looking for rejuvenation,” Erika Woelfel, vice president of color and creative services at Behr, shared at Shou Sugi Ban House in Watermill, New York, a fitting backdrop for the reveal. “They’re creating at-home yoga studios, meditation spaces, and spalike bathrooms.” In a recent survey conducted by the paint manufacturer, its team found that 92 percent of U.S. homeowners want their home to be a place where they can completely unwind, and that 57 percent prefer a minimalist space. This hue’s brown undertones also feel supernow, as Sarah Fishburne, Home Depot’s director of trend and design, notes. “We’ve seen a huge shift away from cooler, clearer whites and we’re seeing these more complex whites,” she says. 

While there’s no limit to where you can use Blank Canvas (on your kitchen cabinets, on your baseboards, etc.), Woelfel points out that it’s especially suited for the outdoors. “For exteriors, it creates a clean aesthetic for both modern and traditional architectural styles,” she shares. Allen recommends pairing it with Cracked Pepper on the front door and window trim for a dramatic look, and Fishburne suggests going with Jungle Camouflage, a taupe-y beige, if you want your lush landscaping to be the star. You heard it here: It’s time to hit the reset button. 

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Blank Canvas, Behr