If one is the loneliest number, Radiant Lilac is the loneliest color.
Paint company Sherwin-Williams announced Radiant Lilac as its least popular paint color, with fewer than 1,000 gallons produced last year, also deeming it the “loneliest color.”
It’s the second annual loneliest color selection from the brand. Last year, the inaugural loneliest color was Kingdom Gold, a highly saturated yellow with green undertones. In the past 14 years, fewer than 11,000 gallons of Kingdom Gold were produced, according to the company.
Sherwin-Williams said its celebration of the least popular color helps to inspire homeowners and paint buyers to embrace the unconventional.
"At its core, color is about making fearless decisions and finding beauty in the unexpected,” said Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams, in a statement.
Wadden suggested using Radiant Lilac in small doses, for accent walls, furniture or decorative textiles.
As a rare paint choice, Radiant Lilac emphasizes confidence and self-expression, said Sherwin-Williams. The paint brand partnered with WNBA player Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings to emphasize going against the grain.
“Much like Radiant Lilac SW 0074, women's professional sports have long been overlooked. But the tide is changing and the next generation of athletes are continuing the work the legends have started and are helping to ignite attention and inspire new fans,” the brand wrote in a statement.
According to the company's top 50 paint color collection, most opt for neutral, white-based colors, such as Pearly White, Origami White, Incredible White and White Flour.
The loneliest color is a digression from Sherwin-Williams' well-known Color of the Year choice, a hue that predicts home design trends and personal sentiments for the new year.
Its choice for 2025 was not to choose one at all. Instead, the brand selected a capsule of the year with nine colors, including neutrals with a pop of chartreuse and mauve. Sherwin-Williams included a similar shade to Radiant Lilac in its Colormix Forecast, a collection of 48 shades packaged into themed palettes.
That color, Euphoric Lilac, was chosen to connect to “dopamine decorating," which Sherwin-Williams saw rising in popularity with homeowners.
The term describes the shift of homeowners to infusing their homes with design choices that make them happy, using colors and bold patterns. Some even go as far as drenching their homes in one vibrant color in a trend aptly called color drenching.