Why green is having its moment
For 2027, Dulux has chosen Soulful Sage™ as its Colour of the Year, and we can see exactly why.
Green has always had a strong connection to nature, calm and wellbeing, but Soulful Sage feels more sophisticated than a typical botanical green. It is soft, elegant and versatile, with enough depth to make an impact while still sitting beautifully in the background.
Dulux describes it as a colour that evokes the senses, with references to the feeling of a healing herb garden, a taste, a scent and a sense of restoration. That makes it especially relevant for interiors designed around comfort, connection and atmosphere.
For hospitality and commercial interiors, that is incredibly useful.
A colour that works hard
One of the most interesting things about Soulful Sage is its ability to behave almost like a neutral.
It can take centre stage, or it can sit quietly behind natural timber, upholstery, stone and metal finishes.
That versatility makes it ideal for:
- Restaurants
- Pubs and bars
- Hotels
- Workplaces
- Education
- Healthcare
- Leisure spaces
It gives designers the opportunity to create interiors that feel calming and considered, without becoming bland.
The 2027 colour stories
Soulful Sage sits at the heart of the wider Dulux ColourFutures™ 2027 collection, which has been developed around three distinct emotional directions: Glow, Light and Lift.
Glow
The Glow colour story is all about warmth and familiarity.
Dulux combines clay, terracotta, stone, earthy browns and soft pinks with Soulful Sage to create spaces that feel grounded, authentic and comforting.
For hospitality, this is probably the most naturally inviting palette.
Think:
warm timber
tan leather
terracotta
aged brass
soft sage walls
warm neutral upholstery
This is the sort of palette that works beautifully in pubs, restaurants, hotel lounges and boutique hospitality interiors.
Light
The Light story is quieter and more understated.
Neutral browns, soft greys and muted blues are combined with Soulful Sage to create calm, visually balanced schemes.
This lends itself particularly well to workplaces, hotels, wellness environments and more minimal hospitality interiors.
The overall effect is pared back, soft and uncluttered.
For furniture, we would pair this with pale oak, neutral fabrics, soft grey upholstery and simple silhouettes.
Lift
The Lift colour story is much more playful.
Yellow ochres, soft pinks and Soulful Sage work together to create a more expressive and energetic interior.
This palette is ideal for cafés, casual dining, creative workspaces and leisure environments where there is more freedom to introduce personality.
It feels cheerful without becoming overpowering, and gives designers plenty of opportunities for colour blocking, upholstery accents and feature furniture.
Why this matters for commercial interiors
The Dulux 2027 story isn’t really about one paint colour.
It is about how colour can affect how people feel within a space.
The themes behind the collection focus on:
feeling grounded
reducing visual clutter
creating room to breathe
bringing warmth and comfort back into interiors
That direction feels particularly relevant right now.
Commercial interiors are increasingly moving away from spaces that feel overly styled or visually noisy. Instead, we are seeing more emphasis on calm, natural materials, softer palettes and interiors that feel comfortable and human.
Soulful Sage fits perfectly into that movement.
The furniture connection
From a HIGH Contract Interiors point of view, this is where the palette becomes really exciting.
Soulful Sage works beautifully with many of the finishes already being used across commercial furniture, including:
natural oak
black timber
cane and rattan
tan leather
soft beige upholstery
rust and terracotta fabrics
muted blue-grey finishes
brass and bronze metals
It also pairs particularly well with mixed-material furniture schemes.
For example, a sage backdrop with oak seating and tan upholstery creates a completely different feel to sage paired with black metal and darker timber.
The colour stays the same, but the atmosphere changes entirely.
A strong direction for hospitality
For restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels, we think Soulful Sage is particularly strong because it feels timeless.
It does not rely on being bold to make an impact.
Used well, it can create warmth, softness and depth without overwhelming the interior.
And because it works across the Glow, Light and Lift palettes, it gives designers a lot of flexibility.
A pub could take it in a warm, earthy direction.
A café could make it playful.
A hotel could make it calm and sophisticated.
A workplace could make it light and restorative.
That versatility is exactly what makes it such a useful commercial colour.
Our view
Soulful Sage feels like a natural progression from the greens, warm neutrals and earthy tones we have already been seeing across hospitality interiors.
But the 2027 palette pushes it further.
It is softer, more emotional and more connected to how people actually experience a space.
And when paired with the right furniture, finishes and lighting, it has the potential to create interiors that feel genuinely warm, calm and memorable.
At HIGH Contract Interiors, we’re looking forward to seeing how Soulful Sage and the wider 2027 palette start appearing across hospitality and commercial projects.
If you’re planning a refurbishment or new interior and want help sourcing furniture to complement your colour scheme, we’d love to help.
