Color And Pattern Are Back

Color and pattern are getting plenty of attention in interiors again, and the forecasts for 2027 suggest there is more to come. Luminous blue, orange, and pink appear alongside botanical greens, clay, and rich browns. Textile collections are bringing florals, stripes, checks, and graphic designs into the conversation too.

For anyone interested in Scandinavian design, this is familiar territory. Color and pattern have long been part of its history. Now there is renewed interest in using them in contemporary interiors, including rooms furnished with the simple, modern pieces so closely associated with Nordic design.

Looking Ahead to 2027

WGSN and Coloro have named Luminous Blue their Color of the Year for 2027. Their spring and summer palette also includes Energy Orange, Pop Pink, Meadowland Green, and Clay. It is a combination that leaves room for both strong color and quieter, grounded shades.

Sherwin-Williams takes a different approach with its Colormix 2027 forecast, Rewild: 48 colors, with no prescribed palette combinations. The invitation is to explore relationships between colors and make your own choices.

Pattern is receiving renewed attention as well. Homes & Gardens reports from the Focus/26 design showcase in London on botanical designs, decorative stripes, and checks in lively colors. Pattern gives those expanding color palettes somewhere to meet.

Our visit to the design shows this summer back up these forecasts with many major design brands releasing fun color and pattern combos. Expect to see these coming in the new year. Pictured is the Palo Block by Hem, coming soon in some great colors and patterns. Make sure to join our mailing list for all the new updates.

A Colorful Scandinavian Tradition

Many people's first association with Scandinavian interiors is pale wood, white walls, and neutral textiles. Those can be part of the picture, but color and pattern run through the region's history.

In Sweden, Estrid Ericson and Josef Frank built the Svenskt Tenn look around comfort and mixed prints. In Denmark, Verner Panton experimented with bright colors and various products and architectural projects. In Norway you can find colorful wool coverlets and weavings with patterns that varied by region. In Finland, Marimekko  is well known for and still brings bold prints into everyday life through tableware, bedding, and fabrics.

Today, we are seeing fresh expressions of that tradition in modern collections and contemporary rooms. A clean-lined sofa in a strong color, a patterned rug beneath a sculptural table, or printed curtains alongside modern lighting can give familiar forms a different presence.

Familiar Forms, Different Colors

Furniture and lighting offer another way to explore color. A simple shape makes its finish particularly noticeable. The same chair can have a very different presence in yellow, brown, or red, even when every line stays the same.

For 2026, Fritz Hansen brought back four colors that Verner Panton developed for Arne Jacobsen's Series 7 chair in the early 1970s. The yellow, orange, red, and brown editions mark the centenary of Panton's birth and are available through the end of 2026. They also demonstrate how much color can contribute to a design that people already know well.

Louis Poulsen has also introduced new color versions of Poul Henningsen's PH 2/1 alongside the return of Verner Panton's original Panthella colors. On the PH lamps, color appears on the stem and base beneath the white glass shades, so the lamp is a more prominent part of a room's palette even before it is switched on. The original Panthella colors have bright shades with polished chrome base. Or course all the existing shades of Panthellas a great way to introduce more color too. 

These current releases connect to the 2027 forecasts. They show how established modern designs can carry expressive color and how a new finish can change the way we see an object.

Colored furniture and lighting also work well alongside natural materials. The wood grain of a table and the solid color of a chair offer different kinds of visual interest. A patterned textile can introduce another layer, connecting the colors of the furnishings with the tones already present in the wood, leather, or stone.

Let Pattern Help Build the Palette

A patterned rug, curtain, or upholstery fabric can make choosing colors easier. Start with one you love and look closely at what is in it. A botanical print might contain olive, blue, cream, and a small amount of rust. Any of those colors could connect it to another part of the room.

They do not all need equal space. You might use olive for a sofa, cream for the walls, and rust in a lamp or ceramic bowl. Repeating a few colors helps establish a relationship between pieces while leaving room for variation. Wood, leather, stone, and metal contribute colors of their own, so include those materials when considering the palette.

When mixing patterns, consider their scale and structure. A broad stripe and a small floral offer different rhythms. A large geometric rug may work well with a finer pattern on a chair. View samples together, and step back far enough to judge them as you would experience them in the room. Solid fabrics and open surfaces give the patterns space to be seen.

A single patterned rug can give you plenty to work with. Curtains, upholstery, and smaller textiles offer opportunities to develop the palette further as you find pieces you enjoy.

Color in a Desert Home

Here in Southern Utah, we have a bold palette outside our windows: red rock, sandy soil, rabbitbrush yellow, and gray-green foliage. Several of the shades appearing in the 2027 forecasts, including clay, botanical green, and warm brown, have an easy relationship with this landscape. Blue, pink, or orange can introduce another dimension, depending on the shade and how much of it you use.

Just because the colors outside are the obvious choice, feel free to play with others. So many colors pair well with our desert palette. Try bright red, grass green, pale pink, cobalt blue, or burgundy beside red rock and sandy soil, then check your samples in the room, in daylight and under evening light.

At Ökenhem, color is part of the conversation when choosing furniture, lighting, rugs, and textiles. Many pieces have upholstery and finish options beyond those shown online. Visit us on Main Street in St. George or explore our collections online. Bring a swatch or a photo of a fabric you love, and we will help you build the room around it.