Curating Your Vision: How We Bring Color Research to Sherwin-Williams Coil and Extrusion Coatings
Color can inspire, motivate and transform. A new coating in an office complex can spark forward momentum. A bright refresh on a hospital can uplift those walking through its doors. A revitalized residential space can set the scene for families to form memories together. This is the power of color.
Each year, Sherwin-Williams brings together a panel of color-minded experts who combine research, analytics and trend tracking to conceptualize not only what people want, but also what the market truly needs. This methodical analysis provides a chromatic touchstone to unite people across generations, industries and locations.
For 2025, our experts curated our first-ever Color Capsule of the Year. The inspiring palette embraces the ability to create stunning combinations with key industrial colors: Grounded, Sunbleached, Rain Cloud, Clove, Malabar and Bosc Pear.
Reflecting both where we’ve been and where we’re going, the flexibility of the capsule allows these hues to be paired together or featured individually with a lineup of other Sherwin-Williams colors – perfect for long-term use in coil and extrusion coatings.
Delivering Color Expertise
Color forecasting is thoughtfully researched across our organization. Experts representing each of our business units gather throughout the year to share updates on their research of trends and color. The Sherwin-Williams color ecosystem stretches far beyond house paints, and our color forecasting expertise takes a dedicated and thoughtful approach to industrial markets.
Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Sherwin-Williams DesignHouse is a first-of-its-kind facility that brings collaboration, thought leadership and color inspiration to the industrial market through the skills of key color experts – including Global Color, Materials, Finish & Trend Manager Kiki Redhead and Architectural Color Designer Brynn Wildenauer.
Bringing Color Capsule of the Year to Coil and Extrusion
To adopt a color or palette to the industrial market, color experts like Redhead and Wildenauer establish that it will endure in the market — and on the side of a building — for years to come. Longevity is key when considering how the 2025 Color Capsule of the Year will be used in factory-applied coatings.
Since various industries and segments approach color differently, they are independently considered when determining where a color or effect will be applicable. With the help of a color expert like Wildenauer, customers can better understand their options.
The six colors in the 2025 Color Capsule of the Year – Grounded, Sunbleached, Rain Cloud, Clove, Malabar and Bosc Pear – set the groundwork for design inspiration. The capsule is perfect for a range of applications and is available in standard, low gloss, high gloss, texture, Fluropon® Classic II, Kameleon™, Nova, WeatherXL™ and WeatherXL™ Crinkle.
The DesignHouse color team expertly guides customers to push their expectations. For example, the cinnamon-dusted, golden-hued Bosc Pear finds a perfect match in Fluropon Classic II, while the warm-brown Grounded further encapsulates the versatility of the collection’s finishes and effects.
Identified as a key industrial color, Grounded complements various different product lines, including our Emulate™ collection of architectural print metal coatings. Emulate is designed to mimic the natural appearance of wood, metal and stone. Like Grounded, Emulate captures the aesthetic of nature. The versatile neutral brown hue serves as the base color for the collection’s Walnut Cognac colorway. Even the other patterns in the collection can serve as a starting point for inspiration, exhibiting a fun and unique way to curate color that we haven’t seen before.
“We strive to inspire people to consider other options,” said Wildenauer, who explores how to bring effects to an application people don’t typically expect.
Shaping the Possibilities With Longevity
With the 2025 Color Capsule of the Year, our color experts are focused on a few goals. The first is to inspire people to think about all the opportunities of color and paint. Secondly, they aim to educate people across the coil industry about the opportunities available to them within our effects. Third, they work to translate a sea of inspiration into real-world designs.
“Let’s put this on a building and bring this vision to life,” explained Wildenauer. “We are taking a trend forecast and bringing it from inspiration to application – seeing it on a building, a house or a home appliance.”
One attribute of our 2025 Color Capsule of the Year is its flexibility to work long-term in many different segments within the coil market – including agricultural, commercial, residential and monumental. The Coil Coatings team also explores how the color complements the existing products around it, from gutters and siding to appliances and more.
Executing Your Vision
Our team at the DesignHouse is skilled at hearing a vision and conceptualizing how customers can successfully incorporate the 2025 Color Capsule of the Year into their projects. Understanding the longevity of color trends – in addition to the range of effects, technologies and resin systems available – is important while developing a custom coating. Through collaboration with our team of color-minded experts, customers can find the perfect inspiration to curate their vision.
To start a consultation and bring your next project to life, contact the DesignHouse today!
