How to Incorporate Moody Lighting and Design with Behr's 2026 Color of the Year

Moody Lighting for 2026

Modeled after Pantone’s color of the year, Behr has also started releasing their own favorites. Many designers, architects, and trade professionals use the Color of the Year as inspiration for their interior aesthetics, drawing a variety of light fixtures, furniture, and accessories together with a singular hue.

In 2026, Behr’s color of the year is called Hidden Gem. You can use this deep hue to color-drench your entire space, or just as an accent in a few prime locations. Learn more about our design perspective with this moody color and how you can use it to elevate your space.

What Color Is Hidden Gem?

Described as a smoky jade color, Hidden Gem blends hints of green, grey, and blue to create a rich yet gentle color that’s sophisticated and elegant. Behr recommends using their color of the year for the interior walls of your living room and dining room, as well as accenting your space with it in furniture, baseboards, and doors.

At Color Cord Company, we have even more ideas for using Behr’s color of the year to amplify the character and personality of your space. Take a look at our favorite light fixtures that complement, contrast, and match Hidden Gem for moody lighting that grounds your space while making it feel vibrant and alive.

2026 Color Trends 

Behr’s color of the year can be used in many different ways to decorate your space, but we like to follow the color trends for the coming year. Explore the top color combinations you can expect and discover how they can transform the energy in your home.

Eclectic Decor

For eclectic decor using Hidden Gem, you want to embrace grounding neutrals, saturnine mid-tones, and provocative accents to evoke something nostalgic. Consider blending Behr’s color of the year with terracotta, beige, and greys that have purple undertones. Brass hardware for your light fixtures and accents is the perfect finishing touch.

At Color Cord Company, you can find these hues in a variety of places, including beige, brown, and other earthy neutrals in our fabric and woven shades. We also feature Hidden Gem in the Boutique Collection, using it on its own in a single-color fixture or with other colors in dual- or tri-color designs.

Traditional Decor

Traditional design heavily features pale peach and pink hues contrasted by taupe and dark grey colors. Infusing traditional decor with Behr’s color of the year allows you to replace the dark grey with this smoky gem tone that offers a unique evolution of classic options.

We love using a blend of traditional and contemporary light fixtures to infuse a room with just the right balance of mid-century design. You may prefer the sleek fixtures from the Boutique Collection in Palisade to keep your decor light and bright. 

Or, you can combine Hidden Gem hues with the pale peach colors of traditional decor in a single fixture, like those in our collaboration with Modern Science Project. These whimsical designs feature a gradient that flows from blue through purple to orange and yellow, the ideal blend of dark and light, moody and bright.

Modern Decor 

Contemporary design is all about contrast, white walls tempered by deep brown furniture or gem-toned paint modified by pale wood accents. 

For those who want to make Hidden Gem work in bold modern decor, we recommend using the color to paint the walls for a grand, sweeping gesture while accenting the space with pale light fixtures, furniture, and textiles in pine, white, or beige. Choose copper accents from the Bend Collection to add chic wall sconces, chandeliers, and pendant lights. Or, consider the muted elegance of the Flux Collection with its Wabi-Sabi-inspired take on Mod globe lighting.

If you’re interested in contemporary design that’s a little more understated, Color Cord Company can help you elevate neutral spaces with moody lighting that contrasts the beige, white, or peach of your space. Infuse any room with character when you balance a handspun industrial fixture in Slate against a pale backdrop for our version of Behr’s color of the year in a light fixture.

Casual Decor

Fresh and airy, casual decor brings to mind the pastoral style of French Farmhouse interior design. So how does Hidden Gem fit in with all that sage, Adirondack blue, and taupe? Keep the addition of bolder colors subtle and quiet when you use them in accents, like shades and cages. You can also imbue your space with Behr’s color of the year in textiles, highlighting Hidden Gem in a throw blanket, accent pillow, or curtain.

Customize Your Decor at Color Cord Company 

While we’ve given you plenty of inspiration for what to do with the Behr color of the year, it’s time to bring your ideas to life with unique accents and accessories. Whether you choose to use Hidden Gem as the bold centerpiece of your interior design or as an accent in a light fixture or piece of furniture, we’re here to help your vision shine. Shop Color Cord Company collections to discover the moody lighting of your dreams, or create your own when you customize a fixture from the ground up.

And if you have any questions about your specific ideas, our team is always here to help. Reach out to us online for personalized guidance and support.