The Once-Favored Paint Trend That Now Makes Your Home Look Dated

With 2025 on the horizon, you may be feeling the urge to renew your interiors. If a complicated home renovation isn't in your immediate plans, why not start out with a paint job instead? You'd be surprised at how big of a change a gallon of paint can bring to your home, or how the strategic painting of walls, ceilings, or floors can create an illusion of width, height, and depth. But when it comes to choosing a new shade for your interiors, you may want to hold off on bold, vibrant colors like reds, blues, or yellows.

Bright primary colors that were once favored for accent walls — or even entire rooms for some brave souls — are bowing out in the coming year. The same goes for the vivid neon aesthetic, the Barbiecore trend, or the maximalist color palette whose impacts were more effective in small doses rather than on large surfaces. Instead of delivering a modern look, using these once-favored paint trends risks making your interiors appear more dated. Instead, designers are predicting earthy, sumptuous colors to dominate interiors in the coming year.

Shades of brown are poised to make a subtle yet striking impact in the coming year. Pantone's 2025 color of the year, Mocha Mousse, affirms this prediction: Chosen for its richness and warmth, it ties in with the nature-inspired color aesthetics of 2025. With the ability to render a room cozy while staying neutral enough to pair with other colors, variant shades of brown are a top choice for your interiors.

Even the big paint brands are choosing shades of the hue as their color of the year, from the elder wood-inspired Elderton paint color of Graham & Brown; the almost toffee-like autumnal warmth of Dunn-Edwards' Caramelized; or the subtle complexities of Little Greene's Mochi, which references the dining room decor of the late 18th-century Calke Abbey in Derbyshire. Draw inspiration for your paint choices from terracotta slates, cinnamon sticks, coffee, spices, or caramel for a look that's on-trend for 2025.

Aside from browns, other colors are slated to influence the interior design trend. Rich reds or burgundies — like Behr's Color of the Year, Rumors — make a statement with their dramatic and emotive hues that can evoke both historical references and contemporary vibes. They also pair well with neutral colors like gray, shades of pale pink, or cream. In the same color wheel is C2's Raku, a shade of red that reflects the earthy reddish-brown hue of the Japanese pottery technique that inspired it.

Alongside reds, the luxurious tones of violet or purple are also anticipated to make a splash. Think eggplants, plums, or blackberries to imagine the richness this palette can bring to a room. Though it carries connotations of royalty, its sumptuousness and depth can be balanced by lighter or darker tones, bringing a hint of playfulness and whimsy to your space. Check out Glidden's Purple Basil or Minwax's Violet if you're considering the purple route for your interiors.