Dive Brief:

• A spike in consumer confidence and an improving economy led Sherwin-Williams to designate the lively “coral reef”—a blend of pink, orange and red—as its color of the year for 2015. A company press release said the hue coordinates with greens and was “inspired by the trend for green urban spaces.”

• The paint manufacturer is recommending the tropical color, which its designers called “uplifting,” for healthcare facilities, retail spaces, schools, hotels and multifamily communities, especially in warmer climates.

• Benjamin Moore also recently announced its 2015 color of the year: “Guilford green,” a sage/chartreuse blend.

Dive Insight:

For homes, commercial buildings and clothing, cooler, softer colors inspired by florals and tropical landscapes seem to be on the spectrum for spring 2015. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, explained: “We live in a world today that’s full of all kinds of tensions. ... We want to choose colors that are a bit minimalistic ... taking a cue from nature as opposed to things that are mechanically maniuplated.”