We're always keen to know what audiences are searching for, partially so we can cater to your interior design whims and worries, queries and quandaries, but also because we're genuinely curious (read: nosy) about the ever-changing tastes of the interiors world. This year, we've collated your most searched-for paint colours of 2024, a list was formed with the help of some major paint brands' popularity reports, along with trends from Google, social media insights and some other handy data from retailers.
So, what did all this data digging say about your colour consumption? The top ten is dominated by neutrals, which is unsurprising given the persistent popularity of white, beige, grey and cream for walls and ceilings, interiors and exteriors. But further down the list we found some pops of colour, with green and dark blue both cropping up throughout the top 50. So, let's take a look at what you're looking at, and talk to the top paint retailers about what they're seeing too.
- White
- Light Grey
- Cream
- Magnolia
- Hague Blue (Farrow & Ball)
- Pale Oak (Benjamin Moore)
- Gray Owl (Benjamin Moore)
- Elephant's Breath (Farrow & Ball)
- Setting Plaster (Farrow & Ball)
- Ammonite (Farrow & Ball)
Warm whites and magnolias
The top four most searched-for paint colours in the UK this year (in order) were white, light grey, cream and magnolia. Recently considered the nadir of the paint chart and firmly associated with 1960s wood chip effect walls and three-piece suites, 'magnolia' is number four on the most searched-for paint colours in the UK this year. So why are we seeing such a resurgence in creamy neutrals?
That popularity no doubt partially comes from traditionalists who have maintained their magnolia allegiance over the years. But we've seen warm whites and ‘butter' tones explode in a whole new way this year too. “Whites such as ‘Stock’ and ‘Clay Pale’ that feel warmer and cosier whilst still feeling expansive, fresh, and uplifting are growing in popularity,” explains Ruth Mottershead, Creative Director at Little Greene, “I think the searches for ‘magnolia’ and ‘cream’ are indicative of this yearning for warmer whites with umber, ochre or red oxide undertones which soften white shades and make them much easier to use, creating a gentle, calming and inviting environment.”
“While colour is becoming ever more popular, neutrals like ‘Pale Walnut’, ‘Linen White’, ‘Powder Colour’, and ‘Pebble Grey’ [the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 8th most clicked-on colours on the Dulux Heritage website] still remain magnetic," agrees Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Dulux. "Seemingly simple on the surface, these hues can do wonders to add warmth and comfort to any room, with ‘Powder Colour’ and ‘Linen White’ particularly offering tinges of cosy pink. Each act as great grounding shades to hero bolder colour choices in décor – so while they may not take centre stage in the maximalism movement, there’s certainly room for them in the supporting cast.”
Farrow & Ball's much-loved Colour Curator Joa Studholme celebrates the end of the ‘grey mania’ that took hold of interiors around 20 years ago, when minimalism was king and scatter cushions were still fairly scandalous. So, despite a resounding move towards much warmer whites and pops of experimental colour, why does light grey remain in the top-searched colours of this year? Probably because it's still seen as a very ‘safe’ and ‘calm’ colour that provides a neat and neutral backdrop in a variety of house styles. Also called ‘Millennial Grey,’ that generational group seems to be keeping the search term buoyant, along with Taylor Swift and Pumpkin Spiced Lattes.
Peak green
Thanks to Wicked, Brat and a bizarre UK-wide obsession with Lime Bikes, green is undoubtedly having a cultural moment. And we're seeing the same thing in paint colours in houses, though these are a little less slime and lime, and a little more sage and olive. Green searches pop up all the way through the top 50 most searched-for colours, with ‘Green Smoke’ from Farrow & Ball at number 12, ‘Refreshing Green' at number 23, ‘Natural Greens’ at at 27, ‘Sage Green’ (which is both a generic colour reference and a specific Little Greene colour) at 30, ‘Mint Green’ at 39, ‘Seafoam Green’ at 45 and (have all the Brat references have even got us considering acid green kitchens?) ‘Lime Green’ at number 50. “Greens have definitely been having a moment this year, with ‘Vintage Vogue’ and ‘Forest Green’ both ranking highly," says Helen Shaw, Director of Marketing at Benjamin Moore. “These darker hues offer a grounding yet sophisticated presence within the home, whether used across all four walls or as an accent colour in a scheme.”
“We are certainly seeing increased searches for mid-tone hues such as ‘Hopper’ and ‘Mid Azure Green,'" concurs Ruth at Little Greene, who also enjoys watching as search terms emerge for a specific colour in a specific place. “I love to see ‘Hopper Kitchen,' for example,” she says, “which would look fabulous, and which indicates confident and inspiring design schemes to come.” We're certainly seeing a lot of gorgeous green kitchens in House & Garden this year, like the 'Invisible Green’ kitchen in Martin Brudnizki's house (published in the December issue), Phoebe Clive's lively kitchen in the same shade, or the unforgettable sea-foam green cabinetry in the kitchen of this wild and wonderful Georgian country manor.
Interestingly, the only red on the most searched-for colours list is ‘Coral Red’ at number 40, with more clear, pure, shades of pillar box reds nowhere to be seen. We believe this is indicative of a wider trend away from bold, bright reds and towards softer, more organic shades or ‘muddy’ shades of terracotta. Indeed, 'Tuscan Red' and ‘Nether Red’ are Little Greene's third and fourth most searched-for colour, whilst 'Red 03' is Lick's most searched-for and purchased colour which, according to their Director of Interior Design Tash Bradley, is “super unusual for a red paint, and that's indicative of its versatility."
Jet black's more approachable pal, navy blue has long been loved by the most stylish interior and fashion designers. Farrow & Ball's ‘Hague Blue’, a beautifully dusty and deep blue with gentle green undertones, is number five on the most searched-for line-up. Versatile and forgiving, we often see this classic F&B shade picked for kitchens, as in the kitchen of the Arts & Crafts house designed by Ben Pentreath and the uplifting Yorkshire home of textile designer Natasha James. 'Railings' is an even more dramatic offering from F&B: dark, and theatrical, this almost-black shade of blue is number 11 on the most-searched list.
“Deep navy shades are a classic, timeless and always popular,” reports Dominic Myland, the CEO of Mylands, “for example our bestselling Bond Street™ No.219 is often used for kitchen cabinetry and front doors, bringing both elegance and character to the home.” Marianne has seem a similar move at Dulux, with ‘Midnight Teal’ and ‘DH Oxford Blue’ emerging as the 6th and 9th most clicked-on shades on the Dulux Heritage website respectively. “These deeper, more statement blues have the ability to cloak us in their splendour and separate us from other areas in the house,” she adds, “which has become particularly important as our spaces have become increasingly multi-purpose, and we need rooms that act as an escape.”
The last few years have been all about plaster pink tones (and 'Setting Plaster' is still ranked at number 9 for 2024), but this year we've noticed more of a move towards beige/pink hybrids, with ‘Pale Oak' (Benjamin Moore), ‘Gray Owl’ (Benjamin Moore) and 'Elephant's Breath' (Farrow & Ball) ranking at number six, seven and eight respectively, whilst Edward Bulmer reported that his top searched-for colour was 'Jonquil', which ‘hovers between pink and yellow/beige.’
We've seen a big rise in ‘biscuit’ or ‘caramel tones’ in our pages, and ‘Biscuit Beige’ was number 43 in the top hitters list. We think this chimes with a wider move towards brown (a colour we expect to see everywhere by 2025, with the spicy brown ‘Cardamom’ already at the top of Farrow & Ball's search list for this year) and other 1970s clay-inspired tones. Whilst less overtly feminine or fleshy than plaster tones, biscuit shades remain deliciously sumptuous whilst also remaining quite neutral and architectural.
