Perhaps you’ve been made aware of this, but if you haven’t heard already, Benjamin Moore has announced the 2014 Color of the Year: “Breath of Fresh Air.” The color is a lovely powdery pale sky blue.

There has been a shift in recent years toward hues with a “lighter touch.” Pastels with depth. While grey has been the go-to undertone for some time, now those undertones encompass more blues and greens, even lavenders and pinks.

According to Benjamin Moore: “Pastels, softened and filtered, to lift the spirit but not shout too loud… colors that can make a room happy, flatter your possessions and your art. We call these the new neutrals.” In other words, Breath of Fresh Air blue is among the new neutrals.

This color is, indeed, very light. Very fresh. Very serene.

Although some disagree that a color as soft as this should be named Color of the Year – is it too subtle? Too underwhelming? Too shy to hold its own on the color spectrum? – the color has a definite sense of place. An understated presence, almost a maturity (if colors could have maturity?) and ability to bring out the best in whatever the surroundings may be.

Although the color itself – like all colors, really – changes due to the amount of natural light in the space, it always remains a calming presence. It’s somewhere between sky blue and robin’s egg blue. It’s quietly warm and icily fresh at the same time. Hence the name, Breath of Fresh Air.

As for me, I think it’s a beautiful blue neutral. Which, at least for 2014, should maybe be known as a bleutral. Maybe.

You know a color is a winner when it can envelop a room as a wall color or stand on its own merit on any style, type, and size of accent piece.

What about you? Do you think Breath of Fresh Air is a worthy Color of the Year?