Welcome Back, Sage Green — Here's Why Dulux's Color of the Year Feels Surprisingly Perfect for 2027

Over the last few months, the interior design world has been hinting at an earthy revival. Moody olive greens have emerged alongside warm terracottas and calming light blues, shaping how we interact with our homes heading into the new year — we want our spaces to feel grounded, lived-in, and stylish but ultimately comfortable. That said, I must admit I was still slightly shocked to read Dulux call 'Soulful Sage' its Color for the Year for 2027.

But when you really think about it, and after the initial surprise wears off, Soulful Sage starts to make a lot of sense. Rather than strictly analyzing quantifiable color trends and cyclical styles, Dulux chose its color of the year based on a common theme or attitude: to bring joy despite the turmoil of the modern world, and to 'live lightly'. Soulful Sage is a soft green, with grayish undertones that further promote that sense of serenity and calmness. However, it's also bright and joyful, and has deep-rooted ties to the natural world.

It may look like a simple pastel, but there is a lot of nuance. Especially when paired with Dulux's three color stories, it's not the dull, tired sage green of years past; it's the light-hearted base of the more contemporary earthy color palettes that we will see dominate 2027's interiors.

Honestly, I shouldn't have been surprised to see a reinvented sage green slated for 2027's color of the year. So far, every color-of-the-year prediction has pointed to some new version of earth tones, with greens taking the lead. The central theme is that we're still decorating with color, but we want our homes to feel grounded — exciting, saturated, or joyful earth tones scratch that color itch while still acting as a neutral in most scenarios.

As for Soulful Sage specifically, the Dulux team explains that the decision was made after consulting design experts from every continent during the brand's Trend Forecast brainstorm. This year's overriding insight was, unsurprisingly, that everyone feels weighed down by world events and swamped by digital overload. A rebalancing is needed, and Soulful Sage was created to give people the opportunity to create lighter spaces for a lighter life.

No color in the color wheel or in the natural world is as timelessly grounding as green — decorating with green represents healing, growth, and wisdom. And the slight silveriness of Dulux's Soulful Sage makes it that much more radiant and 'light'. Plus, a palette comprised of green color trends is one of the most soothing color combinations, as it echoes the shades of the natural environment around us.

However, decorating with sage green on its own is a fast track to a 'flat' palette, so to help people bring the shade into their own homes, Dulux created three curated color stories — Glow, Light, and Lift. Each palette offers a different way to decorate and create a home that feels a little lighter.

Glow

Image 1 of 2

Glow explores how paint palettes and decorating ideas that feel more 'real' can help balance the dominance of the growing digital world. In the Grow color story, Soulful Sage is paired with a warm color scheme. It's the most saturated of the color stories, but again, still very rooted in earth tones.

The main colors are clay, terracotta, and stone — classic colors that feel authentic, familiar, and comforting. "Glow is the warm hug of the three palettes. Earthy shades like Clay Walls, Cinnamon Sprinkle, and Spiced Honey bring that familiar, grounding quality, while Violet Storm and Soulful Sage add a slightly unexpected freshness that stops the scheme feeling too heavy," says Marianne Shillingford, creative director and color expert at Dulux.

"I love it for living rooms, dining spaces and bedrooms — anywhere you want to settle in, get comfortable and feel really at home," adds Marianne.

Light

Image 1 of 2

Light is the color story for those who want to lean into the airy, sensory-conscious color side of things. It's the most neutral, muted, and gray-toned. It's also the most classically nature-inspired palette and feels very spa-like. The idea with this story is to 'declutter' through color.

"Light is all about creating visual breathing space. Quiet shades like Whispered Blue, Ashen White and Arctic Pebble sit beautifully with Soulful Sage for something soft and restorative, while deeper colors can be used to add definition and depth," says Marianne. And although the overall mood is light and airy, colors like Faded Indigo and Double Espresso bring that much-needed contrast.

As for where to use it, "It would work wonderfully in a bedroom or bathroom, but equally in a busy kitchen or home office where you want the surroundings to feel simple, calm, and uncluttered," adds Marianne.

Lift

Image 1 of 2

Dulux's Lift color story leans back into a more energetic vibe, but with a softer application than the deeper, more saturated shades of Glow. Lift was created to give your interior a truly lighthearted feeling that 'leaves space to dream'.

A mix of yellow-y ochres and soft pinks, alongside Soulful Sage, of course, Lift is optimistic and, well... uplifting. Marianne says, "Lift is where we get a little more light-hearted. The soft warmth of Taupe Pink alongside the sunny optimism of Honey Bear brings out a much more joyful side to Soulful Sage, while shades like Fern Forest can add a richer hit of color."

Dusty pinks are, after all, another favorite choice for the upcoming year, so combining them with Soulful Sage and yellow-tinted khakis might just be the new way to do pink and green. "It's brilliant for sociable spaces such as kitchens and living rooms, or anywhere you want to introduce color in a way that feels joyful, positive and full of personality," says Marianne.

In an interesting turn of events, it looks like we will be deciding between olive and sage green when decorating our homes in 2027. Luckily, shades like Soulful Sage invite those feelings of freedom, serenity, relaxation, and familiarity associated with nature indoors.

For more inspiration, be sure to subscribe to the Livingetc newsletter.