October 8, 2015

Benjamin Moore, the paint, color and coatings brand, announced its highly anticipated 2016 Color of the Year – Simply White OC-117. The company also unveiled Color Trends 2016, a corresponding palette of 23 colors to illustrate how white works within the color spectrum. 

“The color white is transcendent, powerful and polarizing – it is either taken for granted or obsessed over,” said Ellen O’Neill, Benjamin Moore creative director. “White is not just a design trend, it is a design essential. The popularity of white, the necessity of white, the mystique of white is quantifiable in our industry. Of the top ten best-selling Benjamin Moore colors, variants of white occupy five spots. It was inevitable that we would ultimately recognize white as our Color of the Year.”

The Benjamin Moore Color Studio forecasts color trends after a year of research attending major industry shows around the world, while also taking cues from standouts in architecture, fashion, textiles, home furnishings and the arts. White transcends style, and is seen in traditional, transitional and modern interiors. The color also presents attractive exterior looks for the home, from colonial to contemporary and virtually everything in between. 

The Color Studio arrived at Simply White OC-117 after careful review of the company’s more than 250 white selections. According to the Color Studio, it was the most neutral, level and constant in the various light sources used in today’s design environments. The 22 colors of the Color Trends 2016 palette include the following:

Simply White OC-117, Paper White OC-55, Ice Mist OC-67, Mascarpone AF-20, Ballet White OC-9, White Heaven 2068-70, Morning Sky Blue 2053-70, Gray Owl OC-52, Lemonade 2024-60, Cream Puff 2174-70, Enchanted 2070-50, White Satin 2067-70, Kittery Point Green HC-119, Banana Yellow 2022-40, Ravishing Red 2008-10, Gentle Violet 2071-20, Luxe AF-580, Blue Echo AF-505, Weimaraner AF-155, Royal Flush 2076-20, Patriot Blue 2064-20, Black Ink 2127-20 and French Press AF-170.