While we don't advocate starting every new year by repainting your house in the latest on-trend colours, there are times when you look around your rooms and realise that it's time for something new. At these moments, it's helpful to know what the experts are enjoying and what feels current. The colours that everyone was using five years ago can start to feel a bit tired (this writer's millennial pink sitting room is a case in point), as a new raft of hues enter the general consciousness. We asked some of the best colour consultants around for the shades that are feeling relevant to them at the moment, and there were undoubtedly some themes to emerge. Warmth and nostalgia are the moods that are informing our colour choices for next year – there still seems to be the general sense that we're living through a difficult period of time, and our colours should be comforting, enveloping places to be.
“Colours have a profound ability to evoke visceral emotional responses in us,” says Tash Bradley, colour consultant at Lick. “They can trigger cosy memories tied to childhood experiences, family gatherings and cherished traditions. In the last year, the interest in and craving for nostalgia has been particularly evident in the resurgence of rich, cosy, retro colour palettes inspired by past decades, specifically the 1970s. We are seeing a significant shift in decorators moving away from the ‘safer’ neutrals, and feeling more confident to embrace warmer, cosier, and darker tones."
Simon Hutchinson, a colour consultant at Little Greene, agrees. “We’ve seen over the last few years, a distinctive shift in attitudes towards colour with strong, rich colours having a little renaissance. People are recently much more aware of the ‘power to bring change’ that colour can have both architecturally and of course emotionally. Many of the ‘old guard’ stipulations such as ‘white ceilings’ have been questioned and broken, bringing a new age of coloured ceilings, bright woodwork, and colour drenched rooms. I think 2025 will see a continuation and even a development of these attitudes. Bolder combinations, juxtaposed colours, and a more creative outlook on colour will continue to shine next year. We can look now at the ‘Age of Grey’ in the rear-view mirror and continue along the journey into a warmer palette for our homes."
Yellow
With that in mind, warm yellows are increasingly on our radar, and are appearing more and more on the pages of House & Garden. “Warmth will come from yellow in 2025,” says Patrick O'Donnell, colour consultant and brand ambassador at Farrow & Ball. "The right shades will be more sophisticated, less obvious. Some will have a little red in them, giving them an amber or membrillo note – a glorious addition for a hallway with a soft white on your ceiling and woodwork. ‘Wet Sand’ or the more muted ‘Cane’, both from our archive, will add plenty of warmth in light starved interiors but glow with generosity in sunnier spaces.
Terracotta and yellow-pinks
Soft reds that shade into pink and orange are very much on our radar for 2025. Nothing could be more warming and comforting. Tash Bradley points to Lick's ‘Red 01’ as a key part of their new colour palette. “Like red, orange has been a shade that's only getting more popular,” says colour consultant Emma Diaz. “I have seen more and more clients recently opt from shades of orange from softer corals to deeper terracotta shades, which can be especially suited to cosy living rooms or snugs, throughout every season. I'm really excited to see more of this throughout 2025.” Patrick O'Donnell also is in favour of "soft terracottas and yellowed pinks. Think 1950s Sibyl Colefax interiors, like Nancy Lancaster’s beautiful hall at Kelmarsh. These gentle but joyful pinks are moving away from the earthier tones we have all lusted after of late. They love sunshine and will soften out to a blushing neutral in brightly lit rooms- use on kitchen walls with a muscular cabinetry colour to add weight to the space such as Tanner’s Brown.
Burgundy and merlot
“Red has been around in a big way this year,” says Emma Diaz. “The unexpected red theory has given us a chance to bring this colour family into our homes in smaller doses - but I predict that 2025 will see many of us growing bolder, with deeper, rich tones of reds. Think deep burgundy's and wine shades that will bring depth and atmosphere to a room rather than being bright and garish.”
Coffee and biscuity browns
We first started noticing the prevalence of biscuit and coffee shades last year, but we're pleased to report that they are very much still on an upward trajectory. As Simon Hutchinson at Little Greene says, “embracing warmer stones, creams, rich ochres, and browns such as ‘Bassoon’, ‘Middle Buff’ and ‘Affogato’ which we saw at the tail end of last year - will, I believe, also continue into 2025.” The designers who decorate with these kinds of tones (see also ‘Biscuit’ by Farrow & Ball, ‘Clove’ by Edward Bulmer and ‘Caddie’ by Paint & Paper Library) refer to them as the new neutrals.
Earthy purple
Five years ago we would have sworn that purple would never make a comeback, and yet, here it is. One of the standout colours from Lick's 2025 palette is ‘Purple 03’, a rich aubergine shade. “Purple 03 lends itself particularly well to being layered with cord sofas, dark walnut woods and marble countertops,” says Tash Bradley. “The result is a cosy and nostalgic space that feels stylish and elevated.” Benjamin Moore, meanwhile, have named ‘Cinnamon Slate’ their colour of the year for 2025, a heathery brownish-purple that fits beautifully into their ‘quietly colourful’ palette. “Cinnamon Slate, our Colour of the Year 2025, encapsulates this idea of embracing colour but with a beautiful, muted quality, “ says Helen Shaw, Director of Marketing at Benjamin Moore. "This nuanced hue has a delicate mix of heathered plum and velvety brown that brings a smooth familiarity to any design. It is also a surprisingly versatile colour, making it an unexpected yet sophisticated choice for a variety of rooms.”
Dirty greens
Khaki and olive green are having a serious moment in the fashion world, and interiors are heading in the same direction. “Think mud encrusted welly boots,” says Patrick O'Donnell. "We’ll all be hankering after a little bit of khaki and muted greens, especially on woodwork such as kitchen cabinets or wall panelling. Farrow & Ball's ‘Treron’ will fit the bill but for something a little more blue-toned our archive shade ‘Castle Gray’ is a must.
Warm neutrals
While straight-up grey is definitely off the cards these days, there is still plenty of room for a genuine neutral that combines green, grey and white. Freelance colour consultant Harriet Slaughter recommends “those green-based, creamy, slightly muddy grey-ish tones that evoke Georgian interiors, such as ‘Off White’ and ‘Old White’ by Farrow and Ball or their slightly warmer archived counterpart, ’Fawn’. They work especially well on woodwork, think doors, panelling (if you’re lucky enough) and tongue and groove boards. And for a more causal and contemporary look, skip the white woodwork and paint everything in the same tone, from ceiling to walls and woodwork. They also look wonderful with the introduction of a bold colour, such as Edward Bulmer’s ‘French Blue’, perhaps on a cupboard or dresser - but just make sure this accent has a smokey undertone so that it doesn’t shout too much against these greyed neutrals.' Emma Diaz agrees. ”Those of us who are drawn to neutrals have seen a shift this year away from cooler tones to warmer shades. Whether it's warmer whites with yellow or red undertones, or moving towards delicate clay or taupe colours, the warmth will stay within neutrals for 2025."
