Behr’s 2024 Color of the Year Is Made for Dramatic Exteriors

Stanly Ranch, an Auberge resort in Napa, California, isn’t your typical hotel. Instead of one big elevator building, a slew of modern black houses dot the 700-acre property. The sleek villas served as an inspiring setting for Behr’s annual color of the year announcement. The paint purveyor revealed today that Cracked Pepper is its top choice for 2024, and it’s a no-brainer as to where to use it. “It’s the perfect exterior color,” says Sarah Fishburne, Home Depot’s director of trend and design.  

Of course, the “soft black,” as Erika Woelfel, vice president of color and creative services at Behr Paint, describes it, would pack the biggest punch used across an entire facade—she and Fishburne suggest it can work with any style of architecture, from modern farmhouse to Craftsman. Or it can be applied in small doses outdoors. The front door is an easy target, not only because it’ll make a traditional white house pop, but houses’ with glossy black doors have the potential to sell for $6,000 more than ones without. Want to get even more creative? Fishburne has personally used it on the gutters of her brick house, in addition to swathing her stair banister and interior doors in the inky hue, too. 

While Cracked Pepper is the exact opposite of Behr’s 2023 color of the year, Blank Canvas, Woelfel and Fishburne say that the two shades make for a great combo. In general they suggest pairing it with airy shades like Chic Taupe and Offshore Mist. “Cracked Pepper is a grounding color,” shares Fishburne. “Sometimes when you have a soft palette, it’s a beautiful way to anchor it.” 

Cracked Pepper by Behr

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Cracked Pepper, Behr (available exclusively at Home Depot), $45 per gallon