It’s time to breathe easier and celebrate AkzoNobel’s Colour of the Year 2027 – Soulful Sage™ – a serene and versatile colour that invites you to create lighter spaces for a lighter life.
WORDS & PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
Soulful Sage is an ethereal, soft silvery green that invites you to breathe easier and live lighter. Anchoring three carefully curated colour stories – Glow, Light and Lift – this versatile shade represents what consumers are yearning for in 2027: spaces that restore rather than overwhelm. The colour emerged from AkzoNobel’s comprehensive annual trend research conducted by the Global Aesthetic Center, reflecting a global shift towards simplicity and wellbeing.
“Through our annual ColourFutures™ rigorous trend research involving architects, designers, and industry experts across multiple sectors emerged Soulful Sage. What we’re seeing is a clear shift: designers are moving away from saturated, demanding palettes toward colours that support rather than dominate a space. Soulful Sage is versatile – it works as a statement wall, a ceiling colour, or a grounding base in layered interiors. For design professionals, it’s the bridge between minimalism and warmth”, says Palesa Ramaisa, Dulux Colour Expert.
“Our 2027 Colour of the Year is about creating lighter spaces for lighter lives,” explains Heleen van Gent, Creative Director of AkzoNobel’s Global Aesthetic Center. “We’re living through a time when many of us feel weighed down – by world events, by information overload, by everything demanding our attention. With Soulful Sage, we’re giving people a practical way to transform their spaces into sanctuaries where that weight can finally lift.”
Glow Colour Story
A warm and nourishing space that wraps you in comfort. Earthy and grounding, it’s where we can find ourselves and reconnect with what truly matters.
Light Colour Story
A calm and healing space that feels restorative and peaceful. Soft and serene, it’s where we can reflect, refocus, and recharge our spirits.
Lift Colour Story
A bright and uplifting space that feels energising and joyful. Optimistic and inspiring, it’s where we can embrace possibility and find the energy to dream.
All the colours, textures and special effects in the collection have been designed to light up the senses in a wide range of markets. Along with decorative paints, inspirational palettes have also been created for the aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, metal furniture, lighting, cabinetry, flooring, building products and architecture markets.
“We don’t create our colour stories in isolation. We work closely with architects, interior designers, trend specialists, and product developers – bringing diverse perspectives to our research every single year. That collaboration has produced Soulful Sage and our three colour palettes, which perfectly reflect where design and consumer behaviour are moving across different industries. For our customers in Sub-Saharan Africa, this means we can deliver solutions tailored to their specific needs, helping them create spaces that feel lighter, brighter, and more alive,” adds Nathalie Sweeney, Marketing Director for Dulux.
Designers can layer Soulful Sage across multiple market applications – from residential interiors and hospitality spaces to architectural cladding and commercial furniture, making it a versatile tool for cohesive aesthetic across diverse projects.
For more information, see here. You can also follow the #COTY27 #AkzoNobel #Dulux #SoulfulSage #LiveLightly #GlowLightLift and #ColourFutures hashtags on social media.
