Color is one of the most powerful tools in home design. The right color can create warmth, comfort and a feeling of nostalgia and really feel a room at home.
“Many underestimate Paint's ability to remember a feeling of feeling,” says Paula Taylor, chief stylist and trend specialist for Graham & Brown. “We have minimalist sterile spaces that have promised to promote the addition of light, and instead decided on tones that can still brighten rooms, but can also lend heat into our interior schemes.”
That is why we take a page from the decoration of our mother's playbooks and grandmother to bring some cosiness and love back that we remember from every room in their houses. “To create inviting houses that promote the feeling of security, warmth and relaxation is of crucial importance. We have to escape the overstimulating world psychologically when we return to our sanctuaries, ”says Taylor. A dose of these nostalgic colors promises exactly that.
Meet the expert
Paula Taylor is the chief stylist and trend specialist from Graham & Brown.
Burned tone
In the 1990s, terracotta colors ruled as a favorite for saturation of rooms in heat. In order to give this nostalgic color a new life in 2025, Taylor recommends a burned tone choice like Graham & Brown Arizona Sky to create a warm and inviting room. “The orange-red color goes well with deep colored forests and black metal hardware.
Try these colors:
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Benjamin Moore warmed Cognac AF-235
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Benjamin Moore Rust 2175-30
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Farrow & Ball Bamboozle No. 304
cocoa
The rich chocolate tones popular in the 1970s are ready for an updated setting with coconut inspired colors such as Graham & Brown Elderton, says Taylor. She explains that the cozy and decadent shadow fits well with secondary colors with taupe tones and, when used, can effectively create a cocoon-like feeling when used in living rooms. It also creates a wonderfully old feeling when it is used in smaller rooms such as an office or a study. Consider using a colored technology when you apply this color to your room to offer a more modern feeling.
Try these colors:
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Benjamin Moore Kocao Brown 2101-20
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Sherwin-Williams Caraïbe SW 9090
Green blue
While color tones inspired by nature never seem to go out of fashion, the right tone can return to the 1940s and 50s if the calm shadow was not only popular in houses, but also in car line, says Taylor. “A timeless, but traditional green, blue color is a real chameleon that changes in the light during the day and shifts from green to blue,” she explains. “Integrate this color into the entrance halls of traditional properties or add a sophisticated allusion to restaurants or living rooms.”
Try these colors:
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Farrow & Ball Inchyra Blue No. 289
Pastel blue
If you are looking for a nostalgic color to coat a room with a lot of warm light, says Taylor, a soft blue could be exactly the ticket. You are on the right track when you suddenly have visions of your child's pool with light blue tiled walls and worktops. Although we certainly appreciate the nostalgia of a good bath from the middle of the century, they have this loose shadow with Graham & Browns rowboat distorted to a very modern setting. “The soft, steamed pastel blue with the green undertone from the Aegean is perfect in rooms with a lot of warm light,” says Taylor. “The cooling undertone makes it a quiet color that is perfect for relaxing in areas such as bedrooms or bathrooms.”
Try these colors:
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Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue HC-144
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Sherwin-Williams Sleepy Blue SW 6225
peach
“In 2024, interiors saw a revival of staple 80s Magnolia in the form of an orange peach,” says Taylor. To use this color in your house, you advise a paint color like Graham & Brown Peach Pit with red under tones that offer a very playful tone. It works particularly well if it is used as an accent color in the bedrooms, be it in furniture, trim or as an accent wall.
Try these colors:
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Sherwin-Williams Peach SW 6336 Fast
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Benjamin Moore Antique Coral 1198
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Gips No. 231 by Farrow & Ball Setting No. 231
Read the original article about Southern Living