For 2023, new neutrals shifted towards warmer, nature-inspired tones, with beige and greige gaining prominence over cool grays, exemplified by Sherwin-Williams' blush-beige Redend Point and Behr's warm white Blank Canvas, while greens like Krylon's Spanish Moss also emerged as popular nature-based neutrals, moving away from stark whites for a cozier feel.
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.
Black, white, and gray: are the most neutral colors because they are made of every other color mixed in perfectly equal proportions of significance.
Beige is emerging as the new go-to neutral, adding warm and inviting tones to interiors. In this article, we'll explore why beige is taking over and how to use it in your home. Beige is replacing gray as a popular interior color, offering warmth and versatility for various design styles.
EXPLORE MORE Neutrals
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.
Dulux Colour of the Year 2025 True Joy™, is an uplifting yellow that fills a room with optimism and joy. This bundle gives you three yellow shades to choose from, all guaranteed to bring a positive vibe to your space and a smile to your face.
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%.
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. “While gray had a long reign as a neutral, it's time to step aside," Will Brown, principal designer of Will Brown Interiors, says.
The 3-color rule in fashion is a guideline to create balanced, cohesive outfits by limiting yourself to a maximum of three colors, typically a dominant color, a secondary color, and a small accent color, with neutrals like black or white often not counting towards the total, making it easier to look put-together and avoid clashing combinations. This rule helps achieve visual harmony, whether you're wearing bold hues or mostly neutrals, by establishing a clear color palette for your look, notes this Instagram reel and this YouTube video.
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How to add interest and depth when decorating with a softer...
According to Tash Bradley, highly saturated pastels are already starting to feel outdated. "Pastel blues, lavenders, and sugary pinks had their moment in the dopamine decor wave," she says. "They were joyful, playful, and full of energy, but they were never going to be long-term players.
The most popular color is blue. The second favorite color is green, followed by gray, white, pink, terracotta, and beige.
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.
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.
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).
The neutral colors, including light gray, off-white, taupe, and light brown, are ever-lasting and look versatile to every age group. These neutral colors are calming and provide a smooth and sleek vibe to your room. Moreover, these colors allow other dark colors to pop up in balance.
While specific shades vary, the three paint colors that consistently remain stylish are classic white, warm beige/greige, and deep navy blue, offering versatility from bright backdrops to rich accents, with soft greens and grays also being perennial favorites for their calming, sophisticated feel.
BM Edgecomb Gray can make a room feel dark and or dingy if your home doesn't have proper lighting. Be careful when pairing BM Edgecomb Gray on the exterior of your home if you have exterior stones that are earthy and muted with strong orange beige, cream beige, and taupe undertones.
It belongs to the white colour family but has warm undertones, which sets it apart from stark whites. One of the reasons Alabaster is so popular is its ability to adapt to various design styles. Its soft and creamy appearance looks beautiful in both traditional and contemporary interiors.
Dulux's most popular colors are overwhelmingly warm whites and versatile neutrals, with Natural White™, Antique White U.S.A.®, and Lexicon® Quarter frequently cited as top choices for their brightness and ability to suit diverse interior styles, though other favorites include Vivid White™ for crispness and shades like Tranquil Retreat and Terrace White for popular greiges.
The Best Warm Neutral Paint Colors (That Don't Feel Beige)
For 2026, Dulux has chosen "The Rhythm of Blues," a family of three soulful indigo shades: Slow Swing (a deep, meditative navy), Mellow Flow (a soft, uplifting sky blue), and Free Groove (a vibrant, expressive royal blue). This marks the first time Dulux announced a colour family instead of a single shade, offering versatility for creating calming, balancing, or exciting spaces to suit different moods and needs for connection and well-being.