The pros explain why and when using the 2025 Colors of the Year is helpful and what it tells us about the direction of design trends.
What the Paint Colors of 2025 Tell Us About Where Interior Design Is Headed
Updated on Sep. 24, 2024
An easy and economical way to transform a room is to choose a new paint color for your walls. But with so many shades to choose from, making a selection can be daunting. If you want to narrow the field, why not take inspiration from the 2025 Colors of the Year? Many major paint companies select these annual trending tones.
I spoke with two decor professionals to find out what the 2025 Colors of the Year can tell us about where home fashions are heading, how and when they can help you make a stylish home your own, and how to introduce these trends in a way that feels timeless.
On This Page
What Are the Colors of the Year?
Every fall, many major paint brands announce their Colors of the Year. “They’re a way for interior professionals and paint companies to demonstrate leadership in the space,” Interior Designer Heather Mastrangeli says.
She believes that, to some degree, the Color of the Year announcements are a marketing tactic. However, that doesn’t mean they’re meaningless. Companies make their selections by looking at current consumer moods and desires, along with lifestyle and design trend forecasting. This means that, although the colors vary by brand, there can be meaningful emerging themes amongst the hues.
Mastrangeli explains that there’s a direct correlation between the fashion industry and the interior design industry. “Typically, fashion is a little ahead of interior design, and trends begin in Europe before making their way to the U.S.,” she says. “As we see 2025 Color of the Year announcements, we know that these shades are carefully selected based on a multitude of criteria and will make a splash in the interior design world.”
Should I Care About the Colors of the Year?
You don’t have to select a Color of the Year to create a timeless, stylish space—and sometimes, these trending shades won’t fit with your personal preferences or the aesthetic you’re aiming for. However, if you need inspiration on the best interior paint colors for redesigning a room, Mastrangeli explains Colors of the Year can be a helpful starting point. “The risk [of making a design misstep] is mitigated slightly by turning to color trends,” she says.
They can help narrow down the overwhelming number of color options and provide inspiration and focus for an overall interior design style. If you like to be ahead of the curve with trends, you can’t go wrong with selecting a 2025 Color of the Year.
Will the Colors of the Year Age Well?
The colors of the year are chosen based on current and forecasted design trends rather than on how timeless the shades are. Certain shades may become dated more quickly than others. However, Interior Designer Megan Hersch says the trends tend to last multiple years and aren’t likely to shift to the opposite extreme quickly. “So the fear of your home looking outdated if you select a color from within the trend is not always warranted,” she says.
Mastrangeli says that it’s rarely the colors on their own that create issues with aging. “It’s the combination of the painted walls, the interior design, and the furnishings that can cause a space to look dated,” she says. Thinking about how all these elements come together can help you retain a timeless appeal when you’re painting your home to sell.
Looking at the emerging 2025 Colors of the Year, the trend is leaning towards earthy, warm, soothing and comforting shades, rather than contemporary cool tones. Mastrangeli says these shades have timeless staying power when combined with the right furnishings and finishes.
What The 2025 Colors of the Year Tell Us About Where Interior Design Is Headed
Hersch says that after several years of “hygge” home style, featuring warm woods and soft neutrals, people continue to look for a welcoming respite from the outside world. “The cooler grays of 10 years ago are giving way to colors with more sophistication and depth, which is where I believe the level of design will stay while people turn back toward more human connection and warmth,” she says.
Mastrangeli also believes the upheaval of the global pandemic has influenced the warm tone trends in the 2025 Colors of the Year selections. “When there’s a crisis, people crave comfort,” she says. “They want to be surrounded by warmth after making it through such a turbulent time.”
About the Experts
- Megan Hersch is an interior designer and co-founder and COO of online design service roomLift. She has almost 20 years of experience in the High-End Residential Interior Design Business; email interview, Sept. 13, 2024.
- Heather Mastrangeli, NCIDQ, IIDA, NKBA is a Registered Interior Designer and Owner of Innovatus Design, an award-winning interior design studio; email interview, Sept. 13, 2024.
