AkzoNobel names Soulful Sage its 2027 Color of the Year

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AkzoNobel Automotive and Specialty Coatings has named Soulful Sage its 2027 Color of the Year, introducing a soft, warm grey-green shade designed for automotive, consumer electronics and aerospace cabin applications.

Developed using insights from AkzoNobel’s Global Aesthetic Center and its Specialty Coatings color experts, Soulful Sage reflects a growing desire for simplicity, calm and clarity in product design. The colour forms part of the company’s ‘Live Lightly’ theme, offering inspiration for vehicles, consumer products and interior spaces.

For automotive manufacturers and refinishing specialists, Soulful Sage can be adapted across a range of finishes, from textured and soft-touch surfaces to matte, high-gloss, metallic and special-effect coatings. These variations provide designers with opportunities to create distinctive visual effects and surface characteristics.

Three supporting colour palettes

Alongside Soulful Sage, AkzoNobel has developed three complementary colour stories, each designed to express a different mood:

Glow – To Warm the Heart: A warm, tonal palette combining light shades and soft metallic finishes with cool sage tones.
Pure – To Cleanse the Soul: A balanced neutral palette designed to convey space, simplicity and lasting appeal.
Lift – To Spark the Spirit: A more expressive combination of botanical brights and pastel shades, paired with energetic finishes.

Together, the four colour directions offer designers a range of options for automotive, consumer electronics and aerospace cabin interiors, from the understated calm of Soulful Sage to the warmth of Glow and the optimism of Lift.

Developed using AkzoNobel’s coatings technology, the collection incorporates tailored effects designed to provide depth, durability and visual movement. The shades are intended for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) design studios, concept development and custom refinishing applications.

Gareth Bryant, colour design lead for Automotive and Specialty Coatings, said: “In an oversaturated world, it is time to reconnect with what makes us human, reclaim the meaning of life and let our spirits brighten. Soulful Sage offers a pathway to healing, clarity and inspiration. It is a soft, ethereal tone that cleanses the soul and lifts the spirits. Associated with simplicity, tranquility, harmony, peace, positivity and elegance, it brings the ‘Live Lightly’ theme to life.”

Green is also gaining momentum in automotive colour trends. Industry experts describe it as the ‘most dynamic chromatic mover worldwide’, with the overall share of coloured automotive paints reportedly increasing by almost two percentage points in recent years.

Rob Lagendijk, commercial marketing and product management director for Automotive and Specialty Coatings, said: “With green’s popularity on the rise, we are proud to offer Soulful Sage to the automotive value chain. Whether for a concept car or a custom refinish project, a consumer electronics product or an aerospace cabin interior, these new shades give our customers the confidence to define their own rhythm and style.”