Every year the major paint brands name a color of the year, and every year the same question follows: should any of this change what you do in your own home?
Read it as a direction, not an instruction
These announcements are a good summary of where design is heading. The warm, earthy neutrals that keep appearing say something real about a move away from cool grey interiors, and that shift has been visible in our showrooms for a while now.
Put the trend where it is cheap to change
Paint, hardware, textiles and accessories are all easy to revisit in a few years. Cabinetry and countertops are not. If a color excites you, spend it on the surfaces you can repaint rather than the ones you will live with for a decade and a half.
Judge it in your own light
Warm neutrals behave very differently in a north-facing kitchen than in a room with south-facing windows. Always look at a sample in the actual room, at the times of day you use it most.
Our designers work with these palettes daily and can tell you which combinations hold up once the trend moves on.
