Are interior colors getting warmer, and is brown coming back?
I’m often asked if brown is coming back. (NOTE: This post was written in 2017, scroll down to the bottom for our 2025 update!)
This photo is my answer to that question. Yes, brown is being incorporated back into interiors, bringing some friendly warmth into a space. But notice these walls — they’re white.
(Photo from Schoolhouse, by Aleigh Townley)
Ten years ago, during the height of the “brown phase”, this same room would’ve been a fully brown interior, mostly likely with all walls and ceiling painted a medium tan. I think whites and off-whites are here to stay, as the base on which to anchor a room, but brown will show up as a “guest”, on a camel leather sofa or light wood kitchen island or earthy woven rug.
Updating your tan “Tuscan” brown interior
If you have a tan or brown home that was decorated in the 90’s, you can’t just leave it “as is” and celebrate that design trends finally came back around! (Sorry to disappoint, and all that…) Those tan walls, orange granite counters, brown furnishings and bronze drapes will still look outdated.
With most trends that cycle back into popularity, each new iteration will be slightly reinvented. We saw this with brass plumbing fixtures, door knobs, and cabinet hardware. Brass is now “back”, but it’s not the glossy, yellowy brass of the 80’s, it’s a rosier, non-glossy brass, with straighter lines and simpler shapes.
If you updated your brown interior to a fresh white, don’t panic!
Walls are not going towards browns or tans, but are staying white, off-white, or anything in a light, fresh neutral, like beige. Even a light tan is okay – but not browns or heavy tans on every surface (unless it’s an accent wall).
Case in point: I did a Pinterest search for “brown interior living room”, and here’s a screen shot of the results:
All white walls here!
Don’t reuse the limited color palettes of the 90’s
We’re seeing jewel tones again (dark red, rich green, even saffron gold), but they’re being paired with whites, light neutrals, or other saturated cool tones – not browns. And those jewel tones are less intense, less saturated than before.
We love the “color drenching” effect of jewel tones enveloping an entire room (ceiling, walls, furnishings), but that takes serious skill and vision to pull off. Our best advice: hire an interior designer! And if you’re local to San Antonio or Austin, Texas, and you want some educated input on your color choices for your living room walls or kitchen cabinetry, we offer complimentary color consulting on our paint projects.
Here’s a summary of 3 scenarios that I’m most commonly seeing out there:
- White (or light neutral) walls, with deep-but-sophisticated colors in rugs and furnishings (more muted greens or reds)
- White (or light neutral) walls, and warm but light colors in furnishings (beige, gold, pale pinks or lighter wood tones)
- Rich saturated color like green or blue on walls and matching woodwork, with coordinating furnishings
.
What I’m NOT seeing:
- Tan or brown on every surface. No all brown interiors. And very few all beige interiors (and those are usually done by skilled interior designers).
NOPE!
If you want to use more warm tones now that brown is coming back again, start small and keep it balanced.
One brown piece of furniture is enough… not the sofa, chairs, rug, and drapes. Organic materials like in a wood coffee table are great – but even stained wood is now lighter and cooler in tone than the heavy, reddish stained furniture or cabinetry of old. Study the projects of high-end designers on Houzz or Pinterest. Read classic “shelter magazines” like Veranda, Elle Decor or House Beautiful. Notice how, when brown is used, it’s very rarely the dominant player.
I’ll say this… if you truly love your Tuscan brown interior that you took great care to design twenty years ago, then I for one will not make you change it.
However, if you’re on the fence about updating and you’re just hoping that in another year or two the brown tones will come back in force, I will probably be the bearer of bad news.
Design constantly cycles, but never truly repeats itself.
Even with the increase of more saturated, cozier colors and beige interiors, a 1990’s Tuscan-brown living room will still seem outdated.
The good news? If you really don’t like white, then updating brown rooms to the lighter earth tones like beige will feel much friendlier to you, rather than just painting everything a stark white.
You can keep the brown leather sofa, just paint the tan walls in a beige or cream. Keep the gold armchair – but please get rid of the burgundy-and-tan drapes! Selectively decluttering is important!
You can do this!
UPDATE – the return of earth tones in 2025
We recently wrote about how to achieve “modern Tuscan” interior design, with a “then and now” look at how the older 1990’s Tuscan phase compares to now. Take a look, and save yourself from making some of the same mistakes of the past!
