Secret Safari: The Versatile Neutral Shaping Tomorrow’s Design

At Johnstone’s Trade, colour is more than a finish. It is a philosophy that shapes the way we design, build, and experience the world around us. Colour influences mood, enhances wellbeing, sparks creativity, and sets the tone for every environment, from high performing commercial spaces to quiet residential interiors.

Every year, our Colour of the Year acts as a catalyst for new conversations and bold thinking. It inspires architects, designers, and specifiers to reimagine what is possible and encourages the creation of spaces that reflect the evolving needs, values, and aspirations of our time. Beyond introducing a new shade, our Colour of the Year invites the industry to explore a new perspective.

Behind the Scenes: Global Expertise, Local Impact

Johnstone’s Trade is proud to be part of the PPG family, a global leader in paints, coatings, and colour innovation. Our colour storytelling is shaped by insight from 35 specialists across 11 countries who meet annually to examine the forces influencing colour and design. Their cross-sector expertise, from architecture and interiors to automotive and consumer behaviour, ensures our forecasts are robust, relevant, and truly future focused.

This unique blend of global research and local understanding enables Johnstone’s Trade to translate international design influence into practical, sector ready guidance for specifiers across the UK.

Introducing Colour of the Year 2026: Secret Safari

Secret Safari (PPG1110-4) is a nuanced yellow‑green with an organic, mineral quality that blends natural warmth with contemporary sophistication. Soft yet purposeful, this olive‑lime tone brings grounded optimism to any project. Its calming character suits residential spaces, while its fresh, uplifting energy delivers impact in commercial settings.

Guided by a soft mineral warmth, Secret Safari enhances spatial wellbeing while remaining quietly impactful. Its versatility allows it to support pared‑back palettes or more expressive design directions.

A Shade for Resilient, Future Focused Design

Secret Safari reflects the emotional landscape of today. As society navigates rapid change and growing pressures, designers are turning to colours that offer stability, renewal, and connection. Secret Safari embodies this need.

It supports biophilic design, helping create restorative, human‑centred spaces. Its balanced character promotes clarity in education, encourages tranquillity in healthcare, introduces ease in hospitality, and brings grounded comfort to residential interiors.

Dynamic Versatility in Application

Secret Safari’s adaptability makes it remarkable. The shade shifts subtly with changing light, adding depth throughout the day. It pairs naturally with materials such as timber, stone, clay, and textured plasters, as well as contemporary finishes including brushed metals and woven textiles.

Whether defining zones, highlighting architectural details, supporting wayfinding, or enriching full room schemes, Secret Safari brings both aesthetic beauty and functional versatility.

Elevating Interiors Through Intentional Colour

As designers prioritise human experience, intentional colour is becoming vital. Secret Safari works beautifully in botanical‑inspired spaces but also lends elegance to minimal, modern schemes. It softens large areas, introduces tonal contrast, and encourages layered materiality.

More than a colour, Secret Safari offers a framework for designs that feel grounded, emotionally balanced, and future ready.

Parallels: The Trend Direction for 2026

Secret Safari sits at the centre of Parallels, our overarching trend direction for 2026. Parallels explores how designers around the world are responding to shared global challenges - from climate urgency to digital transformation to shifting social values, each in different but interconnected ways.

At its core, Parallels recognises that although our paths may differ, the collective design goal remains the same: to create meaningful, resilient, human centred spaces.

Parallels is built on three design stories: Authentic, Visionary, and Expressive. Each offers a distinct response to the moment we are living in.

Authentic – A Return to What Lasts

Authentic celebrates the enduring value of craft, heritage, and material honesty. As society leans towards simplicity, durability, and mindful living, this palette brings together warm browns, grounded neutrals, heritage greens, and naturally weathered tones.

Secret Safari sits comfortably within Authentic, pairing beautifully with raw woods, handmade ceramics, natural fibres, and stone. Together, these elements create buildings that feel comforting, timeless, and deeply connected to nature.

This palette is well suited to residential design, hospitality spaces, boutique retail, wellbeing environments, and any project seeking calm, warmth, and authenticity.

Visionary – Designing the Comfort of Tomorrow

Visionary looks ahead to future facing environments shaped by innovation, resilience, and wellbeing. Cool neutrals, oceanic blues, muted greens, and soft lilacs come together to create spaces that feel refined, clean, and technologically attuned.

This palette supports spaces where clarity, safety, and performance matter. Think engineered surfaces, glass partitions, metallic accents, and streamlined architectural lines. Visionary offers balance — light and shadow, softness and strength — making it ideal for workplaces, healthcare, education, and high-performance commercial environments.

Secret Safari acts as the grounding natural note, balancing Visionary’s cooler, more technical elements.

Expressive – Unbounded Creativity

Expressive is bold, joyful, and full of personality. This palette reflects a global appetite for individuality and positivity, blending saturated reds, vivid oranges, energetic purples, and playful blues.

It invites experimentation: graphic textiles, lacquered finishes, contrasting colour blocks, and unexpected combinations that energise a space. Expressive is perfect for creative studios, learning environments, entertainment venues, and projects seeking to spark imagination and emotional impact.

Secret Safari provides a steadying presence within this palette, helping anchor brighter tones and maintain cohesion.

Flexible Guidance for Real World Projects

Parallels is intentionally adaptable. Rather than prescribing a single aesthetic, it offers a spectrum of creative possibilities that can be tailored to sector, client, and context.

Whether your project requires calm reassurance, dynamic energy, focused intent, or a balance of all three, Secret Safari and the Parallels palettes provide direction that is grounded in insight and designed for flexibility.

Want to know more?

Go to Johnstone's Trade to download our trend book or book onto our webinar on 6 February.