As the calendar turns toward 2025, a clear mood has taken hold in interior design: the world wants warmth, grounding, and authenticity. Earthy tones — clay, terracotta, ochre, warm taupe, soft olive, chalky beige, and muted rust — are quietly reshaping the way homes look and feel. This isn’t just another seasonal trend. It’s a cultural shift toward colours that calm, comfort, and connect us back to something essential.
Interior designers, paint companies, and architects across the UK are all pointing to the same palette. Earth-inspired colours are dominating this year’s forecasts not because they shout, but because they whisper — softly, steadily, and with a timeless kind of confidence.
A Palette Born of Stillness
The past few years have seen a global craving for spaces that feel more rooted. Homes are no longer just backdrops for busy lives; they’ve become sanctuaries, workplaces, and places of reflection. Designers say this emotional shift has played a major role in colour trends for 2025.
“People are looking for a sense of stability,” says an interior colour expert from Farrow & Ball. “Earth tones give that. They feel familiar, tactile, almost like a warm hug.”
Gone are the stark whites and hyper-minimalist greys that dominated a decade ago. In their place, richer and more organic hues are returning — think clay walls, terracotta accents, muted greens, and deep sandy neutrals. These colours evoke soil, stone, wood, and sun — the quiet constants of the natural world.
The Science Behind Warm Neutrals
While trends often start on moodboards and magazine covers, earthy tones are also backed by psychology. Numerous studies in environmental design suggest that warm, nature-inspired hues can reduce stress, improve focus, and create a sense of comfort.
In living spaces, muted browns and soft ochres tend to lower visual contrast, which helps rooms feel more harmonious. Warm taupe and beige reflect light gently, avoiding the harsh glare that pure white walls often create. “It’s less about making a design statement,” explains London-based architect Amelia King. “And more about creating an atmosphere that holds you.”
This is why many designers describe earthy tones as “slow colours” — they don’t demand immediate attention, but they reward it over time.
Terracotta Takes the Lead
Among all the earthy shades, terracotta has emerged as the standout hue of 2025. Its warm, sun-baked quality makes it both inviting and versatile. Whether used on walls, tiles, or textiles, it lends a quiet confidence to interiors.
Paint makers are taking notice. Dulux recently released its “Harvest Clay” as part of its 2025 trend palette, describing it as “a soft terracotta with a grounded, human warmth.” Similarly, Little Greene has highlighted muted ochres and warm browns as their defining shades of the year.
Terracotta pairs effortlessly with off-white plaster, rustic woods, and modern ceramics. Designers are using it not just as an accent colour, but as a full wall tone — wrapping entire rooms in its soft glow. It’s particularly popular in kitchen-dining spaces and hallway entrances, where warmth and welcome matter most.
Green Returns in Softer Shades
Green, too, continues its quiet dominance — but with a softer hand. Rather than the bold emeralds of past seasons, 2025 is favouring mossy, olive, and sage tones. These greens act almost like neutrals: easy to layer with wood, stone, linen, and clay.
In British homes, these greens often echo the landscapes outside: misty moors, moss-covered walls, olive leaves, and woodland shadows. “There’s something deeply comforting about these greens,” says interior stylist Jacob Muir. “They don’t try to impress. They just feel right.”
Designers are also blending green with warm earthy browns, creating layered, tonal spaces. It’s a shift away from contrast and toward subtle harmony.
Texture as Part of the Colour Story
Earthy tones don’t work in isolation — they come alive when paired with texture. Natural materials like limewash, clay plaster, unpolished stone, linen, jute, and unfinished timber amplify the warmth of these hues.
In 2025, we’re seeing a rise in “tone-on-tone” interiors: rooms where colour and material blend rather than clash. A terracotta wall with a raw oak floor. A taupe linen sofa against a clay plaster finish. A soft olive kitchen paired with handmade ceramics.
This tactile approach makes spaces feel lived-in, layered, and human — a quiet rebellion against cold, high-gloss minimalism.
Earthy Tones in British Homes
The embrace of earthy tones isn’t confined to rural cottages. In fact, many of the most striking applications are happening in urban flats and townhouses across cities like London, Manchester, and Edinburgh.
In London, warehouse conversions are swapping their industrial greys for rust and ochre palettes. Victorian terraces are adopting warm plaster tones to soften their sharp architectural lines. Even sleek new-build apartments are embracing muted clay and chalk finishes to counterbalance their clean geometry.
For many homeowners, these colours bring a touch of countryside calm into fast-paced city life. It’s a quiet reminder of seasons, soil, and slowness.
How Designers Are Using the Palette
Interior designers are applying earthy tones in creative, layered ways. Some are wrapping entire rooms in soft clay or beige for a cocooning effect. Others are using them strategically — on feature walls, cabinetry, or textiles — to warm up cooler spaces.
-
Kitchens: Terracotta tiles and oak cabinets are replacing high-gloss white surfaces.
-
Living rooms: Olive green sofas paired with warm cream walls create a grounding, timeless look.
-
Bedrooms: Linen in soft browns and muted sand tones evokes spa-like calm.
-
Bathrooms: Clay plaster and sandy stone give a natural, tactile finish.
What unites these choices is restraint: earthy tones work best when they’re not overcomplicated.
The Return of Brown — Softened, Not Stuffy
For years, brown was something of an interior design taboo. Associated with outdated decor, it was often avoided in favour of cooler greys. But in 2025, brown is back — softer, sandier, and paired with elegant, understated textures.
Think mushroom tones, warm taupe, and camel rather than heavy chocolate. These shades create gentle depth and pair beautifully with black metal accents or antique brass fixtures. Brown has quietly become the new neutral: less clinical than grey, less stark than white, more forgiving than black.
