Color and finish can be one of the most important design decisions you can make when working with architectural metals. Design objectives, clients, and building location can all influence which colors are most suitable, making definitive trend guidance difficult, especially given the long life span of architecture. With the hundreds of conversations we have with architects, we wanted to share some of our color observations that we believe will stand the test of time, as well as share some other color forecasts from outside of AMICO for your enjoyment and inspiration.
Architectural Color Trend #1: Near-Natural Fluoropolymer Finishes:
Natural patina and oxidation finishes like Corten or Copper are beautiful, and commonly discussed during our architectural consultations. As projects progress, however, implementing these natural finishes is difficult because of cost, color consistency, or complicated oxidation (rust-like leaching) on surfaces around the material. Often, our conversations then shift to fluropolymer paints that can provide appearances near to these types of desirable finishes. In this pivot, you are sacrificing some variability in the surface, but are gaining a cost-efficient solution that is easier to implement. Click here to view the complete Sherwin-Williams Fluropon Metal Trend Collection. Many of these more earthy tones fit in with the sentiment shared from several different architectural color trend forecasts.
Practical Project Example:
This City of Hope project in Los Angeles would have looked beautiful with a corten finish; however, with the concrete landings and surrounding sidewalks, the corten steel would have stained many surfaces, making the project appear poorly planned or even fail. Instead, a warm fluropoloyer paint was used to give that same inviting tone, but without the complications of owning and maintaining the sunshade building facade.
Architectural Color Trend #2: Anodized Appearances:
Many architects request anodized finishes, and it is a beautiful finish with a great sheen and depth. However, when it comes to adjacent grids of metal panels like those manufactured by AMICO, anodizing typically cannot hold the necessary tight color consistency needed to avoid unsightly checker-boarding. In this case, we recommend customers shift over to powder coating that provides surfaces that look precisely like anodizing, but with greater color consistency, longer surface warranty, and better durability. Click here to view Interpon’s Anodic Series of finishes.
Architectural Color Trends from Other Sources:
Color trend forecasting can be a difficult task. Many designers from different market niches create their own palettes every year, and their authority definitely has some wisdom behind it – but at the end of the day, no one has a magic crystal ball. Regardless of how you feel about the art of color trend forecasting, these palettes can offer some great inspiration for exploring new colors. Here are a few color palettes that are standing out to us in 2025: