Color is one of the fundamental cornerstones of any interior design scheme, and flooring is the groundwork on which the entire scheme unfolds. Choosing the right color and the perfect finish for the floor is imperative and often starts and ends with natural wood flooring. That’s not surprising, given that it continues to be the most popular flooring choice for homeowners in North America. But the hardwood floor sector never stands still because color trends are always evolving.
When it comes to interiors, our experience shows that inspiration continues to be drawn from the natural environment for a host of colors and hues that help to bring the beauty of the outside into our internal spaces. Recent trends have been pushing wood floor colors to become lighter and softer. The preference for less gray continues, and so does the growing popularity of natural finish designs that maintain good clarity and grain definition. There is demand for light natural oak, for example, as well as bleached oak with white overtones, and warmer mid-tone browns. Those venturing into dark natural tones have been pairing them well with accents of blue and green for consumers who are drawn to more bold color options to personalize their space.
Identifying the next emerging color trends, however, is not guesswork. It is an art that is grounded in science and respected research. AkzoNobel’s Global Aesthetic Center has been translating trends into colors for homes for more than 30 years to create its annual ColourFutures trend forecast. Our Color of the Year is the result of extensive research into the color, design, cultural, economic, and social trends that shape our society, and it draws on the skill and experience of our team, as well as international architects, designers, and journalists.
AkzoNobel’s Color of the Year for 2025 is True JoyTM – a sunny yellow shade that brings optimism, pride and a splash of vibrant color. The color is intended to inspire customers to celebrate their roots and their creativity. It is for those who wish to embrace the optimism of moving forward and bringing certainty to an otherwise uncertain world. True Joy™ is a recognition that change also can be an opportunity for reimagination and for creating something better. It is a color that embodies a desire to embrace the unknown, celebrate craftsmanship, and accept who we are.
There are three supporting color stories for wood coatings to inspire designers and manufacturers to differentiate their products and provide colors and finishes that reflect a variety of moods and match their customer’s design preferences:
Bold – an invitation to leave your comfort zone and inject adventure with bright and uplifting colors.
Human – a reminder to bring creativity with unique touches and finishes that exude craftsmanship to help people to feel connected to the natural world around them.
Proud – a celebration of personality and giving your customer the opportunity to embrace their identity and have the confidence to create a home that’s just as unique as they are.
We know that different wood products require specially crafted finishes, and flooring coatings often are used to highlight and play with the natural beauty of the wood rather than to cover a blank surface. It’s important to create coatings that combine on-trend colors with natural finishes that maintain good clarity and grain definition.
Great color is just the beginning. Innovative solutions that align with future trends help shape the future of the hardwood flooring sector with products that inspire optimism and bring joy to customers’ spaces.
For additional information about wood flooring finishes, check out the NWFA’s Technical Guidelines at nwfa.org/technical-guidelines/.
Bryan Hodges is the color and design manager for wood finishes at the global paints and coatings company AkzoNobel. For more information, visit akzonobel.com.
