- Design Inspo
The Joy of Almond: Embrace This Decade’s “It” Hue in 12 Delicious Shades
Roxanne Robinson
This versatile shade is named for the highly popular nut. Given the recent rise in demand for products like almond milk and almond butter, have our eyes gravitated toward this hue based on our love for the oval-shaped nut? Almond encompasses a range of tones, which are inspired by the nut’s hard shell, meat, and skin. Think of the way that blue ranges from sky to navy. Almond has a similar scope.
Recker suggests that using almond as an accent could be the best route. “Incorporating almond colors into home styling is done best when their nonchalance comes forward,” he advises. “The relentlessly monochromatic approach taken by modern designers with gray shouldn’t be replicated.” He recommends pairing almond with pops of color: “Toss in a strand of avocado-pit pink and a stripe of gilet jaune neon yellow. Work in a bit of azure and a patch of celadon and a lovely bit of chocolate. Be colorful in your neutrality. Let the warmth of the almond colors relax you into worrying less about style and more about pleasure and comfort.”
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This light almond is reminiscent of another popular neutral: taupe. (Indeed, taupe has also been popular in the last ten years.) This shade also resembles the new furniture shade from affordable design giant IKEA. It also resembles this Farrow and Ball shade in particular light and pairs well with this Dedar bouclé fabric.
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This shade is also closely related to Farrow and Ball’s California paint color Sand.
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This hue is slightly more profound and yellow in tone.
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If you’re a fan of the almond milk brand Califia Farms, this color will undoubtedly appeal to you. Its smooth, rich hue is reminiscent of this popular almond milk’s coloring. The Farrow and Ball paint color Jitney is a close cousin.
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Moving down the intensity scale is this rich shade of almond. It almost tastes like almond butter—or, black tea blended with smooth cream.
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Even deeper in hue is 2312C, which pairs well with shades of cream and brown. These wooden walls and ceiling are made with stained wood for an antique finish that showcases the color nicely.
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Similar in mood to 2312C but with more red. The natural shade is popularly found in fine woods or antique leathers, like this stunning butterfly chair.
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Remember those brown paper bags that transported your school lunches? This hue is reminiscent of those—or, of the hard, dotted nutshell that protects the almond.
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An almond’s taste intensifies when toasted. 2317C corresponds nicely with the Sherwin-Williams paint color, Toasted Almond. Or this cozy velvet sofa made from Pierre Frey Paris’s Teddy Mohair fabric built by Pierre Augustin Rose.
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This profuse shade of almond is sure to please caramel lovers with its lush medium yellow-brown hue.
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This shade of almond could be mocha’s close cousin: a deep brown with a tinge of taupe.
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Pantone 7532C is almond at its darkest and smoothest. It’s a deep brown shade, but it could never be confused with chocolate as it maintains its gentle, chalk-like essence.
