C2 Paint Chooses Pueblo as 2027 Color of the Year

Homeowners are looking for a sense of tranquility and nature in these recent times. With its selection of Pueblo as its 2027 Color of the Year and Rural Renaissance as its 2027 color theme, C2 Paint is perfectly tapping into these sentiments.

“For 2027, we were interested in what comes after several years of seeking calm, comfort and retreat,” says Philippa Radon, C2 Paint color specialist. “We’re seeing a desire to re-engage with the things that make us feel alive – the things that excite us, bring a flush to our cheeks and reconnect us to our senses.

“Rural Renaissance represents a way of being closer to the source of things: closer to the land, the seasons, food, materials, making and the sensory experiences that modern life can distance us from,” Radon adds. “For us, Rural Renaissance is bigger than a single color. It reflects a renewed desire to participate in the physical world, to notice the light, work with our hands, grow and gather things, make things, cook, create and surround ourselves with materials that engage the senses.”

With that in mind, Radon observes that Pueblo is an ideal expression of that idea.

“It connects us to the landscape and to materials made by hand without feeling nostalgic or overly rustic,” says Radon. “Most importantly, it’s a color you experience. Pueblo responds dramatically to changing light, shifting from rosy and botanical in daylight to deeper, warmer and more earthen in the evening. The color itself behaves almost like something living in the landscape. It changes with its environment. In daylight, you see those surprising rosy, plum notes. As the light disappears, it becomes darker and more earthen.”

Radon points out that Pueblo takes on different personalities depending on the light which adds to its sense of charm.

“Pueblo has a remarkable relationship with light,” Radon says. “In natural daylight, its pink and rosy undertones come forward, giving it an almost botanical quality. As daylight fades and artificial light takes over, it becomes deeper, browner and more earthen. That transformation is part of what makes the color so compelling.

“What fascinated us about Pueblo was how difficult it was to pin down,” Radon adds. “In daylight, we saw this beautiful rosy, floral quality. By evening, it had transformed into something much deeper, warmer and more earthen. That sense of discovery is at the heart of Rural Renaissance—paying attention again to light, materials, nature and the connection we have in observing the sensory world around us.”

Its relationship with light allows Pueblo to be ideal for both interior and exterior settings.

“Inside, we love Pueblo anywhere you want warmth and personality: dining rooms, kitchens, entries and living spaces, as well as on cabinetry or used more immersively across the walls. It’s particularly beautiful alongside wood, stone, plaster, woven materials and other tactile finishes,” Radon notes.

“Outside, Pueblo feels equally at home,” she adds. “It can be striking on a front door or architectural detail, but it has enough presence to be used more expansively depending on the architecture and surrounding landscape. It’s a color that rewards you for living with it throughout the day.”

In many ways, Pueblo continues the movement toward colors drawn from nature, but Radon sees it as an evolution of that story.

“For several years, the conversation around home has centered on sanctuary, restoration and retreat. Pueblo brings energy and engagement back into the equation,” Radon observes.

“Our thinking was simple: You rest so you can re-engage,” she notes. “Rural Renaissance is about reconnecting with the sensory experiences of life, and Pueblo embodies that beautifully. It changes as the day changes…rosier and more botanical in natural light, then deeper and earthier at night. It isn’t a static color; it creates an experience of color, reflecting a renewed desire to feel more connected to our surroundings.”

Radon notes that Pueblo works beautifully with chocolate browns, warm grays, oatmeal neutrals, muted greens and other colors with an earthy quality.

“Our Rural Renaissance palette explores those relationships through colors including Death by Chocolate (C2-805), a rich brown with violet undertones; Element (C2-685), a soft, muddy green; and Ambrosia (C2-529), a muted, blushy coral,” she adds. “What makes the palette interesting is that these colors don’t simply coordinate with Pueblo; they reveal different sides of it. Greens draw out its botanical character, while deep browns and warm neutrals emphasize its earthier side.”

Last year, C2 Paint selected Epernay, an earthy soft ochre, as its 2026 Color of the Year. Radon points out that Pueblo and Epernay come from two very different color worlds, and that distinction reflects the evolution of C2 Paint’s thinking.

“Epernay looked toward tradition, craftsmanship and the restorative quality of colors rooted in history and the natural world,” says Radon. “Pueblo asks what comes next.”

“If Epernay was about restoration, Pueblo is about re-engagement,” adds Tia Clarida, creative & marketing director for C2 Paint. “It’s more saturated and more visceral. Together, they trace a progression from retreat and reflection toward a renewed appetite for experience, creativity and connection.”