Color is kind of my “thing.” If you’re a reader who recognizes bylines, you may already know that by now. Hi, my name is Arlyn, and having someone ask me what my favorite color is is like asking if I’d rather live without cheese or chocolate. It’s just not a possible scenario. And today, I get the privilege of downloading my thoughts about all the colors in the limelight right now and for the foreseeable future. Welcome to our 2025 Color Trends post.
Last week, the team shared their thoughts on the 2025 Pinterest Palette, which is built from increases in searches and interactions on the photo-driven inspiration platform. Some of those colors are in here (spoiler alert: butter yellow is the color right now), while others are not (Aura Indigo—a lilac for anyone who would rightfully think it’s a deep blue—is not). While I do think purples are trending and have been for a bit, I didn’t think it was big enough to showcase here.
Earlier this year, I dove into three colors I thought were entering the mainstream, and some of them are still going strong with no signs of stopping. There was this post on orange. This one covering primary colors. And this one about brown. Spoiler number 2: I was right about brown (and red, but…duh).
So, let’s dive deep into the top five prevailing colors likely to make their way into your homes in one form or another.
Chocolate & Truffle Browns
Of the five shades we will discuss today, brown (and the color that follows) is undeniable. Everyone knows it. I’d be remiss to be a contrarian and not include it. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a bit taken by surprise with this one those months back when it started to become obvious. Brown?? You mean, that color I poo-pooed (pun intended) since we all gratefully moved out of the Tuscan-everything era into the not-really-any-better gray era? Brown is so…brown. Heavy, sparkless, and not that exciting. BUT WAIT, brown has had a strange glow-up, where suddenly it was the key color in a quiet luxury palette. Creams, warm whites, taupes, rich brown. It unexpectedly felt luxurious, sensual, and powerful. It must have gotten the same PR agent as cottage cheese, cauliflower, and kale did. Brown is back, baby, so much so that the Pantone Color of the Year for 2025 is Mocha Mousse, an elegant tan brown with pink undertones. Darker, more pigmented chocolate browns with red undertones were also BIG. I mean…who would have thunk it?
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This living room by Ome Dezin shows how much a design-forward brown sofa can really ground a grand ceiling height. I think brown seating can be tricky to get right to not look instantly dated and like something you’d normally stash away in a basement, but a velvet material is a near fail-safe to get it right. It makes the brown come to life by reflecting light in varying intensities, as velvet does.
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Designed by Christiane Lemieux, this is an example of that beautiful velvet giving the brown so much depth, lightness, and texture on a large piece like a sofa.
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I have been seeing SO much brown tile in bathrooms lately, like in this space by Lala Reimagined. Similar to a sofa, I think the key is to find something with a complex texture, like these hand-glazed Zellige tiles. I love to see this mixed with rich non-lacquered, polished brass and some putty-like gray color on the walls and floors.
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See!? The bathroom tile is where it’s at, clearly. Hudson + Bloum Design went with more of a flat, glossy tile, which comes off more modern but still grounded.
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Chocolate has many degrees of depth, and this pantry by Bungalowe falls more into the category of milk chocolate. Maybe even lighter. This is what I’d call more of a truffle brown, and think the subtle red undertone is complementary to a lot of different colors. It works great with reds, greens and purples, but also plays fair with high-contrast black and white.
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Case in point, by Blanc Marine Intérieurs. This is certainly a bit darker than that previous pantry but still in the same truffle family. It’s so beautiful with dark charcoal grays and a variety of lighter wood tones.
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For anyone who can’t do brown in large doses, it really can be such a lovely touch in a compact package, like the lamp here in a shot from Lulu & Georgia.
All The Reds
Like brown, red is an undeniable force in color trends this year. It all started with the explosion of the Unexpected Red Theory, and while the chatter of that specific phenomenon has died down, using red (any shade, really) is very much alive. I mention any shade because it’s not just primary red that I’m seeing. It’s deep burgundies, cool cherries, warm bricks, and lots of pinks, which frankly could have been its own category in this post, but five felt like a more auspicious number than six so I dropped it from the lineup. I’m talking fuchsias, mulberries, raspberries, etc. Let’s take a look.
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Popping in a hue of red into a mostly neutral space is such a power move, and always works to bring in intrigue and tension without feeling overly colorful, like Neptune Home did here. If you’re opting to paint something like millwork, doors or a furniture piece, going with a matte finish will keep the red more subdued.
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It’s funny how comfortable people are with painting the exterior of their front door red, but then choosing white for the interior. We’re only seeing the exterior here in a home by Bespoke Only but based on the trimwork inside being red, I’m going to take a not-so-wild guess that it’s also red inside. And it’s so special!
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Need a color for a vintage casegood find that could use some new life? Claire Champion went with this bright red and doesn’t regret it for a second. It’ll completely transform whatever room it’s placed in.
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Don’t forget that red can be a design cameo, not having to take over a whole wall, cabinet or furniture piece. Sometimes, just some hardware, for instance (thanks for the idea Zoe Feldman Design), is all it takes to zip some energy into a room.
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Ryan Lawson pairs a garnet velvet bed with rich brown bedding, which is a color combination I wouldn’t traditionally go for but works as a way of bringing life to the brown, but toning down the red.
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Not into brown and red? Maybe try pink and red, like Summer Thornton Design. The red here is more of a brown-tinged cinnamon, so it feels less like intense color blocking against the rosey wallpaper and more like two sisters mingling.
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A daring ruby velvet TOGO sofa in the home of Coleman Domingo makes the wood paneling on the wall feel both retro but fresh when paired with the electric blue artwork above it. A play on primaries with just a shift in hue can be a bit less playful (in a good way).
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While I love a jazzy punch of primary red, I think I love a slathering of deep burgundy more. Especially on cabinetry like Sarah Sherman Samuel did above. This is almost plum or purple in the right light, and I’m not mad at it one bit.
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Lisa Staton Interior Design kept the burgundy kitchen from feeling over the top by keeping the bosom of the space a creamy tone. That shade of red practically begs to be paired with warm neutrals and a dose of black and gold.
Sky Blue
Okay, we’ve entered the less obvious area of this year’s trending colors. While blue is essentially neutral at this point, never going out of style in any capacity, it’s been used so thoroughly in a chalky, grayish shade for the better part of a decade. While that Swedish or French variation is gorgeous, I’m putting my money on a brighter, clearer sky blue.
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Something like the color a NABER DESIGN used in this kitchen reno is just so happy without feeling juvenile. It doesn’t have the cloudiness of muddy blues but still feels easy on the eyes. Marrying it with serious wood tones (think oak and walnut) keeps it squarely adult.
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Here’s another example of sky blue with grounding wood tons, by Yond Interiors.
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I have always loved the combo of sky blue and bright or brick red, so I love to see this sweet room from Sarah Peake. It’s a kids’ room, sure, but feel free to add my name to the sign-up list if one were to ever pop up. 🙂
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There were a handful of comments from my bathroom trends post that everything was too dark, too moody, not light enough. Well, STUDIO DUGGAN is here to show us that a sky-blue tile is an express ticket to a gorgeous shower stall without all the drama.
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Unsurprisingly, sky blue works wonders in a colordrenching application. This one is maybe a bit more on the chalky side but still feels bright enough to be appropriate in this category. (This one is by NINA CARBONE inc.)
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A pretty formal room by Lisa Henderson shows that a peppering of sky blue in some small accessories is a great palette completer (the door shade is a bit more serious, so I’m not counting it). If you feel like your room is missing one more layer of color, give it a try.
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Take a cue from ROMANO and use sky blue as a complement to anything orange-toned in your space. Here, the beams are actually orange, but the same applies if you have woods with orange undertones, too.
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Kate McElhiney, I’m obsessed with this photo of a room you designed. That sky blue banquette is like a cool breeze cutting through a warm humid day. Crisp, cool and welcoming.
Buttery Yellow
Have you ever had a situation where you had someone in your life who went from friend zone to lover kind of out of the blue? Like, they were always there, always around flying under the radar but then BOOM, you noticed your feelings for them and then it was like your life flashes before your eyes and it was them all along?!? No? Not you? Well, I’m about to change that, because that is how butter yellow has been. It was a bit of a sneak attack but yes, butter yellow is touching everything right now, and in the homes, it’s especially fond of the kitchen. So much so that I dare declare that yellow is the new blue or green cabinet.
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Example #1 also happens to sport red and sky blue. Finch Studio is out here checking allll the boxes. Is this not just so sweet? Sure, the specific style isn’t for everyone, but it sure is fun to look at.
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Another butter yellow kitchen but in more of an English style, by Lucy Cunningham.
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The caption for this YSG Studio bathroom is “Golden wheat shades cast this bathroom in the glow of an eternal summer escape,” and I agree that it feels like the warmth of an eternal summer. So inviting.
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Aaaaand yet another butter kitchen, this time by Meta Coleman. This one is more of a whipped butter, lighter and almost daring to be cream. Soft yellow as opposed to simply going with a true white or even a warmer white feels like something that might have always been there. Like a place where pies are cooled on window sills, and people call the fridge the crisper or ice box. It’s a vibe, but one I’m inclined to sign up for.
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To drive the point of the yellow kitchen home, here’s a charming little spot by Uns Hobbs Interiors.
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Aaaand one more for good measure! Via Guild Anderson.
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Okay, leaving the kitchen now, Sarah Sherman Samuel strikes again in her Grand Rapids Tudor home. Depending on the light, this yellow can come off mustard or butter, and either is fine by me. I love the detail of the yellow window frame and baseboard, especially.
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For the contemporary folks out there, yellow still works for you. Here, Folk Studio used it on the bench seat of the dining area, and the soft mint it’s seated next to is a happy little companion.
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Yellow isn’t just alive and well in paint and accessories. Peter Pennoyer Architects used a golden-hued wallpaper that lends such a friendliness to the room. (Yellow wallpapers are also having a moment, especially any with floral block prints, FYI.)
Grass Green
Finally, number five on the list is in line with the Pinterest report I shared at the start of this post. They’re calling it “Dill Green” but to me, it’s just a grassy green. A shade with warm, yellow undertones, rather than the cool-toned greens that have dominated in previous years. Grass green is straight-shooting, drama-filled but natural.
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Here it is along window frames and on the millwork/door, by Sarah Brown. To my eye, it comes off more contemporary than a softer green, with a lot of determination.
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Of course a green like this is a perfect pair to red, but Kate Guinness Design avoids Christmas vibes with—would you look at that—buttery yellow and a touch of sky blue.
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You could use it to great dramatic effect like in this head-to-toe green space by Bradshaw Designs or…
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…just a teeny tiny moment, such as a striped lamp shade in an otherwise Earth-toned palette like Reath Design did here.
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Grass green works really well in small doses, too. Thea Speke brings it in via a small stool as a cheerful moment amongst the chalky green on the walls and moldings.
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Same here, by Studio Bosko, who clearly has a thing for grassy green, because they used it to tremendous effect as a stain (yes, really!) on this large cabinet and shelving in a super cool, punchy home they designed:
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And finally, a friendly breakfast nook (by Jill Macnair Interior Design) made that much more energetic by bright green dining chairs.
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Alright, so, we’ve reached the end of today’s post. Thoughts? Concerns? Comments? Of course, like everything else in design, color is subjective, but everything doesn’t have to be for everyone. Should these trending hues make you run to the store to buy something in the shade just to feel “now”? Heck no. But if you’re after a small moment to freshen up a vignette, or maybe your room has felt like it’s been missing something in terms of color palette for a while, there could be something here to help round things out. Or you know…you’ve been waiting for just the right inspiration for your kitchen cabinet painting project (DO IT!). May these colors spark joy, intrigue, and conversation.
Until next time…
Opening Image Credits: Design by Yond Interiors | Photo by Malissa Mabey
“…I think I love a slathering of deep burgundy more” is a delightful sentence. Great post with so many fun, unique examples.
Is it just me or are these colors (not the brown) the British color palette that often see in some combination ? Especially sky blue and red but buttery yellow and green too…interesting.. The brown is just not me-most of the time. I don’t like yellow but couldn’t be happier than a buttery kitchen. Perfection there!
I know this is going to make me sound like an old lady, but I don’t have Instagram (shocking, I know), so would you consider varying the examples on your blog posts to include non-Instagram ones as well?
We do try really hard to not only post Instagram photos, but I think a lot of readers don’t understand how much as changed in recent years with photo usage rights. In summary, we used to be able to post any photo we wanted as long as it was credited, but now every image that isn’t owned by us needs individual permissions granted by the designer and photographer, and occasionally there are also fees attached (sometimes, very high fees). It’s a tricky thing.
I would like to second this request – none of the Instagram photos in this post would load for me, so I feel very much like I missed out on this post.
Love this post, so many great examples!
Nothing – and I mean NOTHING – is more difficult than finding the right shade of buttery yellow. Could you provide some BM/SW/FB color names to fit? I’ve seen mustard and sunny yellows named on this site before but not the soft, buttery ones. The paint swatches are chameleons.
Ohhh interesting…Let me think on it.
Obsessed!
Boomer here, I love all the colors EXCEPT I cannot live with 70s brown again. My apartment had shag brown carpeting, and the furniture was a brown and beige pattern. Yikes.
I absolutely love most of these, but I cannot get behind butter yellow— I had a tiny bathroom painted in butter yellow and it gave me so much anxiety every time I had to spend time in there, so I painted the walls and ceiling sky blue and I feel so much more relaxed in there now! I also remember having a design teacher telling us “yellow rooms make babies cry” haha.
My buttery yellow bathroom will become a pale dusty aqua or seafoam when we renovate. My daughter can attest to your design teacher’s mantra. Her room is now blue-green. 🙂
That is hysterical. I like it best in the kitchen, but I think the light needs to be very specific and warm to make it work for the long haul. Otherwise, I’m sure it’ll come off kind of sad and dingy.
I love these and love seeing how they can bring loads of energy into the room with just a small pop. Thanks for the examples! BUT I feel that you have been remiss in not mentioning Molly Baz’s kitchen which was one of the first instances the I saw of the butter yellow situation: https://www.domino.com/digital-issues/molly-baz-home-altadena-california/ (RIP butter kitchen bc her home sadly burned down in the fires). I was not convinced when I first saw it, and I’m still not 100% sure I’m sold… I think it’s a “good for her, not for me” moment. I’ll stick with mustard but it is fun eye candy.
It’s so funny you bring this up because it was my intention to include Molly Baz’s amazing kitchen (which yes, sadly burned down) but certain permissions got in my way. So thank you for linking to the Domino house tour!
I picked up a couple of wood furniture pieces at goodwill the other day, and this post gave me so much inspiration for fresh ways to update them. Thanks arlyn!
P.s. is anyone else having trouble with Instagram pics in posts lately? I usually read in Feedly and all the pictures worked fine for a long time, then around Christmas i started having to open in chrome to have Instagram pics display, and now in chrome they are sad gray boxes with a sad face, but work in opera. What the heck? I’m on an Android phone.
Yes, I have the same problem with IG pics in the Feedly blog reader app on an Android phone.
Am I the only person who enjoyed both the Tuscan influence and the silver grey years and doesn’t now sneer at them? I get that they are/were over-exposed but I still like both and think they can be done well.
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On to today and I’m enjoying the brown immensely (but can almost read the content creators recoiling in horror and railing against it 18 months from now), love the yellow and absolutely adore the sky blue.
Lucy Williams’ blue kitchen is a great example to me of the blue:
And this one here from The Block winners Kyal and Kara:
Maybe slightly softer than sky blue I will also forever love Velinda’s basement kitchen!! One of my favourite kitchens ever.
Like the green although there are other greens I like better and while I don’t mind the burgundy or splashes of red at all, by and large, I don’t like red rooms. They are just too aggressive and give me high blood pressure (exaggeration) and bordello vibes.
I totally agree that Tuscan and grey can be done well, but also I know how bad it was done in most homes haha. I remember some doooozies, but that’s just how the design cookie crumbles! Ain’t no shame! We may look back in 10-20 years and think “My GOD can you believe we used sky blue and pops of red. Blegh!” I hope not, but you know, such is life of trends.
These fears kept me from doing the yellow kitchen. White cupboards for the safe win.
I’d love a Velinda update! I enjoyed her design work.
I have a house full of buttery yellow. I knew it would come back (after 20 years)!
HAHA everything always does!
Arlyn, you have the best posts!!
You should take a look at the Sept 20, 2024 insta of UK Designer , Matilda Goad. She sums this up in one perfect photo
Wow, yes she does!
As always, I love your posts. Would you consider a freeing some recommended paint colors? Getting it right is so so hard!
Sorry— meant to say a post recommending paint colors. Thanks!
Does anyone know of a good butter yellow paint color for the walls I’m considering painting my stark white bathroom this color after seeing all these pics.
Wow this is banquette heaven- I would love a post on how to make banquettes work in every space.