As the calendar gets closer and closer to 2027, interior designers are starting to share their top predictions for the year ahead. One hot topic that’s always worth keeping on your radar? Paint colors!
While we’re always curious to ask pros about the specific paint colors that will soon be all the rage, we’re eager to find out what’s starting to fall out of favor, too. Here, several designers speak to five paint colors that are on the decline, as well as the shades they’d recommend embracing instead.
Highly Saturated Shades
Color lovers will want to take note of Melissa Couture’s paint color predictions for the year ahead. “I don’t think we’re necessarily moving away from color as much as we’re changing the way we use it,” says the senior designer at Designs of the Interior. With that, she pinpoints a key change. “Highly saturated shades are giving way to softer, muddier versions with warmer, earthier undertones,” Couture says. “Think moss instead of emerald, smoky blue instead of navy, and muted clay instead of bright terracotta.”
Cool Grays
Go ahead and say goodbye to cool grays. “The cold, gray-based neutrals that defined the last decade are giving way to warmth,” says Jeremy Harnish, the founder of JH Wall Paints. “They started to feel sterile, and people are craving the opposite.” Designer Lori Weitzner shares this view, too. “Cool grays are still not in vogue,” she states. “Only warm grays are in demand.”
Designer Emily Hodge adds that once you introduce a cool gray into a space, “the entire palette has to shift to cool tones,” which isn’t the most inviting setup. Like Weitzner, she’s all for embracing warmer gray tones instead. “Warm gray sets the tone for the warmth of deep browns, burgundies, ivories, and soft whites,” she says.
Stark Whites
It’s time to move past stark white, notes Janie Hungerford, who says that “it can often feel very impersonal.” The founder of Hungerford Interior Design adds, “In climates with limited natural light, it was an easy color to reach for.” Generally speaking, though, Hungerford is partial to warmer whites, such as Benjamin Moore Simply White (OC-117) and Sherwin Williams Shell White (SW 8917). “They can brighten a space just as easily, with the added benefit of feeling welcoming and calming.”
Pastels
It’s time to trade soft pastels for rich jewel tones, according to Lauren Robbins, the founder of Lauren Robbins Interiors. “I’m drawn to shades with depth, warmth, and a little more drama,” she says. “Colors that feel layered and timeless rather than light and muted.” The designer’s top picks? Rich emerald greens, sapphire blues, deep burgundies, and amethyst purples.
“My trick for incorporating jewel tones is to start with one rich color and let it be the focal point, balancing it with softer neutrals, warm woods, or complementary textures,” Robbins says. “You don’t have to commit to a room full of bold color; even a single accent or a few thoughtful layers can bring depth and personality to a space.”
Black
While drama is in, all-black spaces are not, notes designer Andrea Sinkin. “Black is out—not as an accent, like a handrail or a front door,” she clarifies. “But painting a room moody and black, like we were doing 10 years ago, is not in vogue anymore.”
What to turn to instead? Burgundy, Sinkin suggests. “It’s rich and textural and lingers with a warmth you do not get from black,” she says.
Sarah Lyon is a New York City-based freelancer who produces interior design, travel and lifestyle content. Her work is featured in outlets including Apartment Therapy, Architectural Digest, MyDomaine, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Country Living. Plus, her personal spaces have appeared on Apartment Therapy, The Everygirl, Houzz and more.
