Asian Paints announces its 2025 ColourNext forecast

Colour of the Year 2025: Cardinal

Cardinal, the Colour of the Year (COTY), is all about the feels. It urges us to embrace everything and anything that we feel—joy, contemplation or thoughtfulness. A dusky, soulful shade, it is a reminder of what it means to be human and to fully understand the complex matrix of emotions. Cardinal is about surrendering to feelings without judgement and discovering the joy of unfiltered authenticity. Profound and poignant, the colour of 2025 brings with it a sense of inner harmony.

Wallpaper of the Year 2025: ‘Spring Tune’

All about slowing down and pausing, ‘Spring Tune’ evokes feelings of serenity and peace. The Wallpaper of the Year distils the sensorial experience of quiet afternoons spent sheltering under a tree with the scent of flowers wafting around. The colour, motifs and seamless texture echo that similar sense of calmness. It embodies the contentment of a still and silent spring day, with only nature to keep you company.

Finding #1: Salt

It is such an inherent part of the world we inhabit that we tend to take it for granted. Until recently. Salt, that omnipresent, health-giving mineral, has been rediscovered as the biomaterial of the future. It is abundant in nature, has a delicate strength, is carbon-neutral and even helps us breathe better. Its use and influence are across industries, from hospitality and cooking to architecture and design. In fact, technological advancements are offering opportunities to explore salt as a medium to create eco-friendly and efficient spaces with visual appeal.

Finding #2: India Everywhere

Indian design has finally come out of the trappings of exoticism and is earning a rightful place on the global stage. Its previous avatar of ancient crafts and exotic everything is morphing into a mature contemporary aesthetic with a global design language. It does so while reimagining its heritage, not overexplaining it and confidently showcasing its many paradoxes. From movies to design to art, Indian cultural cache has grown with creative professionals from the country earning international acclaim.

Finding #3: Bad Taste?

If you have something to say, shout it from the rooftops. ‘Bad Taste?’ is a call to wear your maximalist preferences on your sleeves. What was once dismissed as bad taste is now in a bold rebellion against restrained elegance. Flamboyance is the catchword for design this year, so be audacious and unapologetic while expressing yourself. And while going overboard is always fun, this finding has deep roots. ‘Bad Taste?’ is a reaction to a world where there is a lack of trust in traditional power structures and eroding generational wealth. In this new world, luxury too is being redefined. It is warm, playful and most importantly, inclusive.

Finding #4: Feel More

This finding of the ColourNext Forecast, much like the Colour of the Year, advocates wearing your emotions on your sleeve. In a tech-first world that has led to an almost robotic sameness, ‘Feel More’ is a defiant rejection of that sense of indifference. This finding rises from a yearning to go beyond the pursuit of Instagram perfection or the numbness that results from digital saturation.

This means confronting our darker feelings, accepting them as part of one’s identity. The upside is being open to spontaneous experiences, embracing unpredictability and the feelings it will invoke. It also means accepting what may seem different from the norm and allowing things to resonate emotionally. This year is about being brave and open to authentic experiences that evoke strong feelings.