Yes, for 2023 and beyond, the trend is moving away from cool, blue-toned "millennial gray," making way for warmer, cozier neutrals like beige, cream, and "greige" (gray-beige mix) for a more welcoming feel, though gray isn't entirely gone, just evolving into warmer variations.
Here, designers, decorators, and color experts reveal why beige is replacing gray for 2023, and how to decorate with beige for a beautiful scheme every time.
Beige is a warmer alternative to gray, making it a great choice for designers who want to create a more cozy and welcoming space. Not quite as warm as tan, beige is beautifully bright and airy. Jump on this sand-inspired trend and watch how beige can transform your home.
Yes, gray is outdated (in most cases) for walls, cabinets, flooring, and other interior finishes. In fact, there are only two situations where you should consider gray… Your room ONLY SUITS gray, not any other color (doubtful).
Cool Grays: The Once-Ubiquitous Neutral
Gray prevailed in home design for years, offering a neutral backdrop for any decor style. However, experts agree this trend is finally losing its appeal as 2025 approaches.
Timeless wall colors focus on versatile neutrals and classic hues that offer longevity, including soft whites (White Dove, Alabaster), warm grays and greiges (Revere Pewter), soothing greens (sage, moss), calming blues (navy, pale blue), and warm beiges/taupes (Accessible Beige, Jitney). These colors serve as adaptable backdrops, easily coordinating with diverse decor styles and enduring beyond fleeting trends, creating a classic and sophisticated feel.
Leave overused, cool neutrals in 2025 and take advice from interior designer Marianne Jones and embrace warm, earthy, and saturated color palettes. "Hello rich browns, dusty olives, tobacco tones, warm yellows, deep teals, plums, and moody reds and burgundies," the designer says.
Joanna Gaines has a new favorite paint color: Cottage Grove. It's a moody navy-green blend from her Magnolia Home collection. Inspired by a historic castle renovation, the shade has been used throughout her kitchen and butler's pantry for a cozy, cocooning effect.
The first color is your main color, the second color is still prominent, but not as much as the main color. The third color is your accent color that you use sparingly or sprinkled here and there. If you're into numbers you could break this down into 60%, 30%, and 10%.
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Beige is replacing gray as a popular interior color, offering warmth and versatility for various design styles. Sandy beige is ideal for creating inviting atmospheres in kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms, enhancing overall decor without overwhelming the space.
Whether you're looking for something that's light and airy or boldly beautiful, our top five shades of gray give you a little bit of everything.
Popular Greys for 2025
With an increase in demand for shades that bring warmth to a modern interior theme, grey beige, or greige, is currently a shade that's winning in the popularity stakes. It's a timeless trending colour that's well suited to a serene living room, a child's nursery or a contemporary kitchen space.
The most popular color is blue. The second favorite color is green, followed by gray, white, pink, terracotta, and beige.
A lighter icey grey works well to instantly lighten a space when it is able to work with natural light. 'In this case, soft grey accentuated the natural light provided by the windows and instantly made the space feel larger,' says interior designer Katie Orr.
What's the general rule for the number of colors? One of the most commonly used rules in interior design is the 3-3-3 rule, also known as the three-color rule. It's based on a simple but effective scheme that suggests dividing color use into three categories: a dominant color, a secondary color and an accent color.
What are the foundational principles of interior design often termed as the 3 F's? The 3 F's of interior design are Function, Flow, and Feeling. These emphasize the room's purpose, the movement within the space, and the ambience, respectively.
The 60-30-10 Rule for Color Harmony
A practical application of the Golden Ratio in interiors is through the 60-30-10 rule: 60% Primary Color: The dominant shade (walls, large furniture pieces). 30% Secondary Color: A contrasting or complementary hue (upholstery, curtains, rugs).
In 2025, warm neutrals like beige, taupe, and creamy off-whites are replacing gray as the go-to base color in interior design, bringing warmth and coziness, while bolder colors like earthy browns, rich greens, and even purples are also trending for accents, moving away from cool grays for more inviting, character-filled spaces.
While opinions vary, experts often suggest avoiding bright red, dull cement grey, and olive green, as these can deter buyers or look uninviting, with black and some neons also discouraged for heat absorption or jarring intensity, according to insights from real estate sites like Zillow and designers.
A light color on cabinets tends to offer the space with an immaculate and open feel, while darker shades provide a much more dramatic look. Light shade cabinets are a far better choice in smaller areas or cooking areas, especially when there is less natural light.
We want softer, more welcoming spaces that feel filled with character and warmth – something that cool gray can't always offer. So the ever-popular gray is being replaced by warmer neutrals, more specifically the once shunned as 'boring', beige.
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