Ditch The Gray Paint And Try These Trendy Colors For 2025

It's a new year, which means it is the perfect time to give your home that refresh you've been talking about since last winter. Typically, January is when people start to consider interior painting projects, while June is when we hit peak paint season. For early birds hoping to beat the lines at hardware stores this summer, color decisions should be locked in as soon as possible. To ensure you don't have to update your paint choice again in the near future, it's a good idea to understand color trends to identify which shades are safe and which should be avoided. 

It turns out that there are a few once-trendy colors that will make your home look dated in 2025. Topping the list are cool neutrals like mid-tone grays. Deep blacks and bright whites are also seeing a dip in popularity, while warm neutrals like beiges, taupes, and khakis are on their way to becoming the new most sought-after home decor colors of the year.

In an episode of the Color Mixology podcast unveiling the Sherwin Williams 2025 Color Capsule, HGTV designer Vern Yip explains the shift towards warmer tones in 2025. He says, "I understand why gray was so pervasive for so long, especially these grays that have these warmer undertones because they go with everything. And that's the thing about warmer undertoned colors — they are more accepting. So I definitely feel like we have moved definitively now to that warmer spectrum."

The nine-shade capsule from Sherwin Williams leans into the earthy trend that we've seen from Pantone with its color of the year pick, "Mocha Mousse," and also in Benjamin Moore's 2025 Color of the Year, "Cinnamon Slate." One paint color in the Sherwin William capsule, called "Malabar," has a khaki tone that is predicted to replace gray in 2025. As soothing and relaxing shades, khaki paint colors are perfect for creating a comforting atmosphere in the home where you can rest and unwind. Choose a khaki hue for your walls and pair this with earthy accents such as olive green soft furnishings or decor that uses natural materials like rattan. Khaki paint colors would also work on doors and trim for a subtle update to bland white woodwork. Whichever room you intend to update in 2025, you'll be sure to find a warm-toned neutral that looks simultaneously contemporary and classic.