According to a recent consumer trends survey conducted by Behr Paint Company, 76% of Americans would consider painting a room or accent wall in a shade of red, or perhaps a front door.
Behr’s July survey revealed a positive response to its 2025 Color of the Year—a dynamic ruby-red named “Rumors.” More than half of the survey respondents agreed that Rumors generated a feeling of a high-end hotel or luxurious hospitality space.
“We’re seeing people embrace color like never before,” said Erika Woelfel, vice president of color and creative services at Behr. “Rumors is a modern take on the timeless red that creates an energetic appeal to make a lasting statement in a stunning way.”
Behr’s survey also revealed that 70% of participants felt a pop of red can make a space feel more elegant and cohesive.
With a velvety, muted undertone, “Rumors is undoubtedly a color that inspires creativity while being versatile enough to transform a space through large and small projects,” added Andy Lopez, senior vice president, head of marketing at Behr.
Rumors provides a vibrant focal point when partnered with the brand’s 2025 Commercial Color Forecast themes: Limitless Whites, Bleisure mid-tones, earthy Renew-trals, AI-sthetic’s pastels and punchy brights, and the deep hues of the Grand-Luxe collection—which includes the crimson shade.
The sophisticated red treads a line between warm and neutral, with its hints of brown delivering a plush and professional aesthetic to residential and commercial spaces alike. As Behr noted in a June blog, a shift toward designing spaces that “offer both productivity and pause” has driven a trending color palette that hovers between timeless and modern, is influenced by technology and nature, and reflects the blurred lines between home and work comforts.
Designers can learn more about the inspiration behind the 2025 Commercial Color Forecast and Behr’s 2025 Color of the Year at behr.com/2025colorforecast.
