WHAT COLOURS SHOULD I USE FOR 2025?
LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION TO UPDATE YOUR INTERIORS? Nothing works quite so well as a colour refresh and sometimes inspiration comes from unusual sources.
Fans of the Netflix series The White Lotus are, possibly subconsciously, already soaking up the colour palette that is shaking up the interiors world at the moment. The atmospheric opening sequences, created by Seattle-based studio Plains of Yonder are painted in the perfect dusty pink/terracotta palette soon to be seen in room designs everywhere.
Described on the cover of the April edition of Livingetc as “a new warmer, softer, richer side” to decorating today, this palette comprises of blush pinks, dusty peaches, soft terracottas and sandy yellows combined with neutrals such as putty or chalk and lowlights of deeply pigmented blue or green. If you’re looking for something clean and crisp or fresh seaside blues, this is probably not going to work for you.
Used judiciously, however, it can integrate into a modern farmhouse or contemporary interior with sensational results. In the hallway below, for example, Farrow & Ball’s Marmelo provides a warm background to a chalky neutral used to highlight the interior architecture.
The desired effect is hazy, nostalgic, a result that feels as though it’s been there forever.
How do I use the new colours?
It takes a skilled colourist, such as an interior designer, to combine these colours successfully. Used together they create a finished result that is dramatic and comforting at the same time and are perfect for, for example, a snug, a small cloakroom or a cinema room.
However, if you’re working with contractors or planning to do the work yourself, there are ways to do so.
Firstly, consider a dramatic colour-drenching of walls and ceiling using a shade such as Naperon from Farrow & Ball, below – but remember this has greater longevity and practicality with the more neutral tones from the palette, which can be updated at a later date, should you so wish.
However, for most, this will mean working with a favourite shade or two. For the kitchen below, Etruscan Red a classic Farrow & Ball colour recently revived from the archives is used.
If you’re looking for drama, pick a neutral – clay, putty, or a soft blush – as your base and add one or two other shades, such as Etruscan red or Farrow & Ball’s Douter, shown below colour drenching a snug and predicted to be a best seller, to pick out detail and co-ordinate fabrics for example.
Select individual shades and use them to update a minimalist room that is feeling in need of a refresh. Paint a hero item of furniture or highlight panelling; wallpaper an alcove (such as that below, covered in Alta from Arte’ new Icarus collection), a bar or coffee station or the doors of bespoke cabinetry. The result is an update that feels as though it’s always been part of your design project.
|Quick summer update design solutions
If you’re looking for a quicker fix or loving the look but slightly nervous about whether you can live with it, a new “plump” of cushions, preferably in delicious textured fabrics, might do the trick (shown below are cushions from Romo’s Aubin and Elson collections); alternatively seek out a rug or throw or invest in new bedlinen.
In a cold winter, these colours will create a warm hub to retreat to, while in the summer they smoulder and resemble the dusty, shaded interiors more familiar in equatorial regions.
Looking for more colour inspiration? You might also like to read:
Blue skies coming our way
Colourful interior inspiration
Or visit Mocha Mousse on our Pinterest pages
