4 paint color trends to ditch in 2025
Love them or hate them everyone is influenced by trends to some degree. In today’s post we’re talking about color trends you need to leave behind in 2024 and what to replace them with.
Picking the it neutral for your home
The number one mistake I see homeowners make is picking the ‘it’ neutral for their home with complete disregard about whether or not said neutral will work in their space.
Case in point, from 2010-2020, cool gray-blue walls were what everyone wanted. As a result, homeowners rushed to add this color to their walls without any regard to the simple question: “Do my hard finishes/decor require a cool gray color on the walls?”
Unfortunately, far too many homes were left with many walls looking icy in relation to the overly warm decor and fixed element choices.
Below is a great example of when a room can carry a cooler blue-gray tone like Benjamin Moore Gray Owl.

Do you see how the cool gray tone is reflected in the rug, chairs and shades? Blue gray is timeless in this room.
Right now, the hottest neutral is beige.
Spoiler alert, beige isn’t for every home and every fixed element. Beige has either an orange, pink, green or yellow undertone and is tricky to get right if you don’t know what you’re doing. I’ve seen far too many beige walls that ended up looking pink because the walls didn’t mirror any of the fixed elements or furniture.
in 2025 I am on a mission to help homeowners discover the correct neutral for their homes based on their fixed elements and if you need help here, I do have a video to get you started.
All white walls
White walls took over when everyone got fed up with the cool-gray/blue wall colors and wanted a fresh start.
Now, I know I just said beige was the it neutral of the moment, and it is, and I see that continuing into 2025.
That said, stark white walls have been trending for several years now and the reason beige is now emerging as the neutral of the moment is because you can only stare at white walls for so long before you start to crave some warmth.
Stark white walls are hard to pull off, and unless you live in an ultra modern home and have the furnishings to echo the white walls, these cool white spaces can end up feeling sterile and cold.
Instead of washed out white walls, opt for pale neutrals that compliment your fixed elements and decor for a warmer, cozier look.
Over using black
You’ll notice I didn’t say to avoid black completely. If you have followed me for a while you know I’ll never dismiss one color entirely, but what I will dismiss is the overuse of something and that’s what I’m doing with the color black.
Just like cool gray tones were way too overused in years prior, black is now the color that is overused.
You’re seeing black pop up everywhere, like range hoods, garage doors, gutters, windows, appliances, accent walls, fireplaces, you name it, in some homes, if a color decision or plumbing or light fixture has to be selected, the only option is black.
When you are considering a harsher color like black for your home, moderation is key.
Now if you really feel strongly about a black wall color, that’s one place hwere I say, go for it, because you can always repaint.
However, when you are picking out colors for items that are expensive to replace, this is where you really need to think about the color choices you’re making and whether or not you can live with a color like black for the long haul. I promise you, all the black that we’re seeing everywhere will fade really quickly and then you’ll be left thinking your home is outdated.
I’m already hearing rumblings of brown is the new black, which is just a testiment to how much everyone is craving warmth.
If you’re wondering how I feel about black countertops, If you’re going with a soapstone or a leathered/honed granite or quartz I love it!
Make sure you balance out the rest of the room with timeless finishes so you need to be looking at mixing in brass, chrome or polished nickel and feel free to mix your metals.
Cool grays
I know most of you are over the cool grays, but let me tell you, I’m still seeing this pop up on exteriors and in new construction.
Just like stark whites, cool grays are hard to pull off. The cool gray color often makes your walls look blue which is great if your decor echos that color like you see in the photo below.
So, now you know. Are cool grays a complete no, no? Not if you’re repeating the tone in a room.
And I much prefer them in dedicated spaces, rather than an open concept space, as that really does steer the ship too much in terms of the color palette you can have as a result.
Stumped with paint colors? Download my neutral paint color cheat sheet, or get in touch for a color consult. As always, you can find many tips and tricks on my YouTube channel.