Throughout Canada, householders are diving into customized home-improvement initiatives to raise their dwelling areas and maximize their funding. However usually, the most important problem comes earlier than the primary brushstroke:  determining the place to start out. In actual fact, a survey commissioned by BEHR® discovered that almost half (46%) of Canadians lack confidence of their house design skills1.
Whether or not you’re planning a significant renovation or just including a contemporary coat of paint, taking that first step can really feel overwhelming. That’s the place BEHR is available in—with curated color palettes, useful instruments, and skilled steering to make selecting the best shade simpler and extra intuitive.
A fantastic place to start? BEHR lately introduced the 2026 Color of the 12 months — Hidden Gem — alongside The 2026 Color Traits Palette. These thoughtfully chosen hues provide inspiration and route to assist householders select colors that really feel proper for his or her house. In any case, a contemporary coat of paint is among the best, most-affordable methods to refresh your house.
How Selecting the Proper Paint Color Can Increase Your Confidence
Should you’re one of many many Canadians who don’t really feel assured of their house design expertise, choosing the best paint color is a good place to start out. A survey commissioned by BEHR reveals that 86% of Canadians consider that paint colors can “make or break” a house’s enchantment. And it’s not nearly aesthetics — 78% of Canadians say the paint color of their house has the ability to affect their confidence.
So why does color matter a lot? Thoughtfully choosing a paint color helps form how a house appears to be like, feels, and capabilities. The result’s an area that feels purposeful, grounded and expressive.
The BEHR 2026 Color of the 12 months: Hidden Gem
For householders uncertain the place to start out with inside paint color, the BEHR Color of the 12 months often is the proper match, and the numbers agree. Primarily based on survey outcomes, Canadians say Hidden Gem would make an area really feel distinctive (62%), make a robust impression in a house (57%), exude quiet confidence (56%), and stand the check of time (56%). Let’s dive into what makes Hidden Gem a trending color of the 12 months.
Equally Impressed and Inspiring
BEHR selected Hidden Gem because the 2026 Color of the 12 months for its potential to seize the grounded sophistication and quiet confidence that householders are more and more looking for. This smoky jade hue affords a way of stability and depth, feeling each timeless and contemporary. It’s additionally a color stuffed with surprises — every time you see it, it reveals one thing new.
Its versatility shines whether or not it’s overlaying 4 partitions or serving as a placing accent. With its wealthy, layered tone, Hidden Gem encourages householders to reimagine their environment in a method that feels elevated, intentional and galvanizing.
What Makes Hidden Gem Stand Out
Placing the right stability between trend-forward and timeless, Hidden Gem lives as much as its title. This blue-green hue reveals magnificence within the on a regular basis, providing an understated magnificence that matches into any design model.
What makes Hidden Gem actually distinctive is its duality. It brings depth with out drama to a room, and class with out pretense, for a glance that’s refined but gorgeous.
Greater than only a color, Hidden Gem may be seen as a mindset shift — an invite to pause, reset, and uncover magnificence in surprising locations. It evokes a way of calm, confidence and quiet expression, making it the right selection for anybody looking for to vary the temper or redefine their house with intention and affect. And with its wealthy, layered tone, this versatile shade affords a brand new dimension every time you see it, making certain it at all times feels contemporary and galvanizing.
The BEHR 2026 Color Traits Palette
Hidden Gem is part of the BEHR® 2026 Color Traits Palette—a set of trend-forward colors that completely complement the 2026 Color of the 12 months. This curated assortment options shades for each model from informal and conventional to trendy and eclectic.
With 81% of Canadians saying they wish to deal with house enchancment initiatives that make their houses really feel extra customized, this versatile palette arrives on the excellent second to fulfill the rising demand for self-expression via color.
Uncover the surprising appeal of the BEHR® 2026 Color Traits Palette – a set of heat neutrals, vibrant accents, mushy pastels and funky mid-tones:
- Grounded, pure look: Earthy neutrals and mushy browns like Smoked Tan and Baronial Brown create a serene, inviting ambiance.
- Refreshing distinction: Lighter, soothing hues like Watery or City Nature present stability and a way of calm.
- Daring, dramatic model: Deep jewel tones like Curtain Name or Rumors ship an opulent, statement-making really feel.
- Heat and lightness: Smooth pastels like Dainty Lace or Beehive complement Hidden Gem’s richness with a playful but subtle contact.
Instruments to Assist You Select with Confidence
Should you’re hesitant about committing to a brand new color, BEHR® affords instruments that make experimenting easy and stress-free. The BEHR Color Visualizer lets you add a photograph of your individual room or select from pre-loaded rooms to digitally preview how totally different colors will look in your partitions.
The BEHR Color Sensible software goes a step additional, offering customized color suggestions, coordinating palette concepts, and detailed product data. These instruments take the guesswork out of color choice, serving to you discover your choices confidently earlier than making a last determination.
Color as a Instrument for Personalization and Worth
Canadians are looking for customized and confidence-boosting house enchancment initiatives that make them wish to spend extra time at house and elevate their house. Inside the subsequent 12 months, 81% say they wish to deal with initiatives that make their houses really feel extra customized, whereas 78% wish to spend extra time at house. Many are additionally prioritizing updates that may elevate their house (78%), create a livelier ambiance (75%), increase their confidence (73%), and assist them really feel extra grounded (73%).
Color is among the most cost-effective and impactful methods to realize these objectives, serving to householders specific their personalities whereas elevating their house’s worth. For instance:
- Daring entrance door: Provides immediate curb enchantment.
- Recent wall color: Creates heat and makes visitors really feel welcome.
- Coordinated palette: Offers a refined, buyer-ready end.
The 2026 Color of the 12 months, Hidden Gem, together with the 2026 Color Traits Palette, was designed to fulfill these wants, providing shades that may elevate an area, inject power, and create a chilled, grounded ambiance in any room.
Able to Get Began? BEHR Has You Lined
You don’t have to be a designer to create a gorgeous house you like, all you want is the best instruments and inspiration. With BEHR Color Visualizer and Color Sensible you possibly can experiment with confidence and see your imaginative and prescient come to life.
With the 2026 Color of the 12 months, Hidden Gem, and the 2026 Color Traits Palette, you’ve got every part you have to remodel your house. Whether or not your eager to create a livelier ambiance, or create a peaceful, grounded house, these timeless shades transcend traits; they’re designed to encourage for years to return. So, whether or not you begin small or dream large, BEHR  you possibly can create a house that’s not solely stunning, but in addition uniquely yours.
1Â Behr Paint commissioned a web based survey amongst n=1,000 common inhabitants Canadians 18 years of age and older. Knowledge is nationally consultant by age, gender, race/ethnicity and area. The survey was fielded between June 13-18, 2025. The margin of error (MOE) for the whole pattern is +/- 3 p.pts.
