Autumn is an exciting time of the year (at least for me) largely because it’s the time all the colours of the year (also known as COTYs, for short) - or colour palettes in some brands’ cases - are announced by major paint brands, painting the picture of what our homes will look like in the new year. The overall colour palette for 2025 already has a much clearer direction than previous years.
When it comes to the various COTYs, it’s sometimes difficult to find a commonality between the paint companies’ proposed shades, they all have the potential to be a big paint trend for 2025. Yet, this year, I can see a common thread running through the shades and colour schemes – something I struggled with last year when picturing the colour palette of 2024.
The defining colour palette of 2025 is that of darker almost autumnal shades paired with occasional pops of lightness – whether that’s Dulux’s colour of the year for 2025, True Joy, used as a brightening accent or the soft Blue 04 from Lick’s colour palette 2025 paired with earthy browns or the rich purple colour trend.
Here's everything you need to know about the colour palette for 2025, and how to use it in your home.
Start with moody shades and earthy tones
‘There is currently an eclectic mix of colours of the year and paint palette predictions for emerging colour trends,’ says Mandy Rippon, product manager at Frenchic Paint. ‘Without doubt, there is increased interest in bolder colours and a yearning for self-expression and individuality. In 2025, we will see neutrals getting warmer and earthier and deeply serene, nature inspired colours continuing to grow in popularity.’
Earthy tones are already one of the biggest living room trends – and they will continue to be in 2025. And they are set to only get darker with earthy browns leading the way - much like Graham & Brown’s colour of the year 2025, Elderton, which is a rich cocoa brown - but they’re also joined by rich jewel shades like purple as seen in Lick’s colour palette 2025 and Valspar’s 2025 colour of the year, Encore – a true sapphire blue.
‘Our community have become more and more confident with colour and have been decorating their homes in our deep Purple 03 more and more,’ says Tash Bradley, director of interior design and colour psychologist at Lick. ‘This, and earthy brown, are the two key colours that we predict will be huge in 2025, influencing consumer design preferences and finding their way into more of our homes. Over the past few years, within our own community we’ve noticed this growing colour confidence, and have seen a significant shift in them moving away from ‘safer’ neutrals and towards the deeper, richer colours that they’d always wanted to try.’
Lick’s colour palette for 2025 includes both dark jewel tones and earthy tones – as does Benjamin Moore’s colour palette accompanying its COTY of 2025, Cinnamon Slate.
‘For 2025, we’re seeing a trend towards “quietly colourful” hues,’ says Helen Shaw, international director of marketing at Benjamin Moore. ‘These more nuanced colours are rich with undertones that make them dynamic and intrinsically liveable. Our 2025 colour of the year, Cinnamon Slate, perfectly encapsulates this idea of a ‘quietly colourful’ hue. It is a delicate mix of heathered plum and velvety brown and has a beautiful, muted quality that feels warm and inviting in any room.
'Cinnamon Slate sits as part of a wider Colour Trends palette we’ve chosen for 2025, featuring nine relaxed hues. They are all extremely versatile, ranging from neutrals to moodier colours, and have been specifically chosen to work together – so much so that they can be used as a complete home palette.’
Add touches of brightness
At first glance, Dulux’s colour of the year of 2025, True Joy, a vibrant, sunny yellow, might seem out of place when compared to the directions other paint brands have taken. But even Marianne Shillingford, creative director and colour expert at Dulux, says that she doesn’t expect most to paint entire rooms in the colour yellow – but rather use it either as an accent colour or as part of a wider bedroom, kitchen or living room colour scheme.
‘Whilst yellow is one of the bolder colours on the spectrum, True Joy is complementary to a vast range of palettes, it brings out the positivity in even the most neutral of shades and is the figurative glue that binds more daring colour stories together,’ Marianne says.
That’s why Dulux released three colour stories alongside its new COTY this year to show customers how to use True Joy in a home. And The Proud Colour Story filled with earthy terracottas and dark jewel hues of green and blue fit right into the overarching colour palette for 2025.
‘With creamy butter yellow leading the way, yellow has found its own “safe” space. Expect to see richer and more vibrant yellows stepping confidently into the spotlight. Bold yellows are now set to become the next trend for uplifting, cheerful spaces,’ Mandy at Frenchic Paint says.
Similarly, Lick’s colour palette of 2025 features eight different shades where the aforementioned dark purple and browns were joined by an uplifting baby blue, a vintage shade of pink and a neutral creamy hue.
‘The cultural mood we are seeing as the most powerful one is nostalgia, which has trickled down into interiors, impacting how we decorate our homes. To capture this mood, we knew we had to create a palette of 8 colours that decorators would be familiar with, that would encapsulate that feeling of nostalgia and inspire decorators to think about the colours of their childhood, the ones that brought them the most comfort and trigger the most positive memories. We think these colours will be defining 2025 because they’re both nostalgic and contemporary, meaning they are incredibly versatile, but most importantly, they’re comforting,’ Tash at Lick says.
She adds of the championed dark purple colour trend which is set to be big in 2025, ‘It pairs well with so many colours - burnt oranges, mustard yellows, fresh blues and pinks all look particularly stunning when paired with deep purple, making it a very versatile colour for your home.’
My top paint picks for 2025
You'd be hard pressed to find a richer colour shade than Lick's Purple 03, created in collaboration with the ever-so-stylish Soho House. And perhaps the best part about it is how well it goes with lighter colours, especially baby blue.
I've been obsessed with earthy red terracotta shades for the past year and I'm so glad it's not going anywhere in 2025. Farrow & Ball has a host of terracotta shades on offer but I think Book Room Red is the earthiest.
Baby blue on its own is a sweet shade often used in nurseries, as the name suggests. But pair it with a more daring colour like dark purple or deep red and you're onto a winning colour combo.
There is something very cosy and cocooning about surrounding yourself with a cocoa shade of brown. And as already mentioned, Graham & Brown's colour of the year 2025, Elderton, does it best.
If you're up for brightening anything from a window frame to a ceiling with a vibrant yellow hue, Frenchic's ready-mixed Oopsy Daisy paint shade is the perfect one to go for. So is Dulux's True Joy, of course, but that one needs to be mixed at one of the brand's specialised retailers or on the brand's website.
Little Greene might call this shade affogato after the Italian coffee and ice cream dessert, but I think this paint shade also screams delicious caramel. Either way, it's a perfectly yummy hue!
I think 2025 is set to be one stylish year for our homes as far as colours go – filled with ambient moodiness and cosy vibes. I for one cannot wait to see how people are going to use this bold colour palette in their homes come new year.
