2025 Colours of the Year: A Colour Expert’s Guide

Major paint and colour brands have begun announcing their anticipated colour trends for 2025. As a colour expert, I find the annual Color of the Year (COTY) announcements fascinating, as they offer insight into upcoming design directions. And, it’s always a fun game to see if you agree with their predictions.

So let’s take a look, I’ve rounded up all the major brand paint colours here in one spot to give you an overview!

I’ve seen a few trends come and go, so here’s my take on the 2025 colours of the year.

But first, you might be wondering, just how useful is knowing the colour of the year?

Are colour of the year predictions worth following?

Obviously, paint companies are selling colour. And it’s the marketing team’s job to get us all excited about paint colours––so we buy more paint. 

Here’s what you should know about COTY announcements. They are usually influenced by consumer decisions and product development across multiple industries, from fashion to interior design. And they can serve as indicators of upcoming design directions. BUT. . .

Here’s the thing, running out to try a new paint colour JUST BECAUSE it was named COTY makes no sense for two reasons: 

1. It’s a completely backwards to design a room by starting with a specific paint colour and decorating around it, even if you love the colour.
2. The way to choose the perfect colour is to pull it directly from your decor. And the chances that any COTY is THAT specific colour you need from a piece of art, a pillow, or an area rug you’ve already decorated with are extremely low.

Have you ever painted your room a trending paint colour only to be disappointed? Let me know in the comments 💛

Stay tuned, and I’ll show you what to do instead, if you’re falling in love with one of these colours.

2025 Paint Colours of the Year

A few years back, I got to meet the lovely colour marketing crew for a major paint brand. And that’s when it really landed for me that they don’t know the right way to choose colour.

Paint companies often create elaborate marketing narratives around colours, rather than focusing on HOW to make the right colour choice. They artfully ignore it in favor of more marketable storytelling that aligns with their sales strategies.

And that’s why they are always making up fluffy stories to sell colour. 

After all, a paint company doesn’t mind at all if you need to repaint your room a half a dozen times to get it right, do they?

And they certainly don’t want to send you back home again if they were to start asking questions like, “What colour is your sofa?” or  “What colour is your duvet cover in your bedroom?” or “What colour is the stone on your house?”

But you, my friends, know better!

Here’s a roundup of the COTYs for 2025:

This illustration is from Young House Love. The HGTV colour on the top right, Quietude, is the Sherwin-Williams colour of the year. 

And hmmmm…. can you see a colour TREND here?

Do you notice all the muted brown-leaning-plum purples and blueish blue greens?

The New Tuscan colour trend for 2025 and beyond

My crystal ball says that over the next few years we’ll land on a combination of brown and warm blues again as the colours everyone will be decorating with. Notice that fashion this fall is all about burgundy and brown, with lots of denim and blue.

And it feels familiar because we have been here before, haven’t we?

During the last major brown trend of the early 2000s, muted blue-green tones emerged as the dominant accent colour, particularly complementing the widespread use of brown furniture in home decor.

‘This color combination was particularly effective because of the natural color harmony between red-tinted browns and blue-greens, which function as complementary colors on the color wheel.

In the last brown trend, in the early 2000s, muted blues that leaned a bit green were the IT COLOUR accent for all the brown furniture people filled their homes with. Makes sense because of the natural colour harmony between complementary colours on the colour wheel––red-based browns and green-based blues.

The emerging trend I’m seeing that incorporates rustic elements like wood and stone, more embellished details and warm colour palettes is what I’m calling the New Tuscan. It covers the new English Countryside look for kitchens and earthier palettes with muted greens, warm neutrals, browns and (yes) burgundy and plum. 

@heidiwoodmaninteriors

And while muted blue greens perfectly balance deep brown, they are also lovely as the main show. 

Architectural Digest

How to use the colour of the year in your home

I recommend using the Colours of the Year as inspiration, if they appeal to you. In this sophisticated study above, I promise you that the combination of patterned fabric for the drapes and the pretty area rug were chosen first AND THEN the paint colour was chosen to coordinate.

They did not look at a paint chart and pick a specific blue green paint colour, or the colour of the year, to paint all that gorgeous millwork AND THEN start decorating. 

For instance, let’s say you wanted to try one of the plum-leaning colours of the year. You could look for a pattern for your room that has the same muted plums, blues and browns and use it as a jumping off point to decorate with this year’s colours.

I can imagine a pretty powder room in a wallpaper like this one below. Then, using your fan deck to match the colours, you could pull the perfect matching blue or plum for the woodwork. That’s how it’s done my lovelies –– and it’s part of the colour balancing method that I teach to homeowners and aspiring designers or design professionals. 

Designer Wall Coverings

Become a better decorator

Master the art of professional mood board creation with my comprehensive self-study course, How to Create Mood Boards. Access this valuable resource completely free when you become a Decorator member in the True Colour Insider Community. Join fellow colour enthusiasts and design professionals in our exclusive network, where you’ll gain insider knowledge and expert guidance to elevate your colour confidence.

So, what do you think of this year’s spotlighted colour releases? Are they colours you would decorate with? Maybe you have similar colours already in your house? Comment below!

Related Posts:

A Blue Kitchen Refresh Before & After

Trend Alert: Burgundy or Bordeaux, Yay or Nay?

DOs and DON’Ts on the Colour Drenching Trend