Thinking of updating your home? One of the most simple and budget-friendly ways to transform your space is to give it a fresh coat of paint. But selecting the perfect color can be tricky, and you definitely don’t want to make the wrong choice. The goal is to choose a shade that both complements your space and feels up-to-date—but what’s trending now might be out tomorrow. So, you might want to avoid the following colors, which designers say are going out of style in 2025.
Gray
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Gray was a popular choice for a long time, but it’s falling out of favor—particularly cool-toned grays. “Cool grays have been a go-to neutral for years, but as designers, we’ve been guiding clients away from them,” says Carolyn Cerminara, founder and principal designer of Cerminara Design. “By 2025, they’ll be completely out of style, and we won’t be incorporating them into our designs. While some clients still like the look, cool grays can come across as cold and a bit impersonal.”
Nadia Watts, interior designer and founder of namesake design firm, shares a similar sentiment. “With all that’s going on in the world, people want their homes to feel welcoming, warm, and safe,” she says. “Cool blue and green undertones in these grays can present as stark, utilitarian, and even clinical. If you want to go with a gray wall color, choose one with warmer undertones.”
Pink
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Whether pastel pink or millennial pink, these sweet hues have trended for years, but their heyday is over, explain Virginia Toledo and Jessica Geller of design firm Toledo Geller. “We’ve witnessed the unexpected rise and reign of pink in design,” Toledo says. “We’ve embraced and reinterpreted it in beautiful shades like nude, blush, and softer tones, but now feel that pink is on its way out. The color has morphed into deeper, more grounded hues—think rich siennas, warm terra cottas, and even a resurgence of bold reds. These earthier tones bring a more sophisticated and timeless aesthetic to spaces, which is what we’re leaning into as a firm.”
Stark White
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For a long time, there was a general sentiment among designers and design enthusiasts that you couldn’t go wrong with a fresh coat of white paint, even if it wasn’t the most creative choice. But now, things have changed, according to Sara Beverin, senior designer at Eisen Design House. “People want to surround themselves with warmer, more comforting color tones like caramel and chocolate browns,” she says. “What’s great about this is that these hues can really work for anyone! These color schemes work great with both traditional and contemporary homes and can be used in bold or softer, more pared-back designs.”
Mint Green
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Green hues are very much on-trend for 2025. However, not all shades remain in style. “While mint green had its moment as a fun, retro-inspired accent, it’s now being overtaken by richer, earthier greens like sage, olive, and forest green,” says Colleen Bute Bennett, founder of CBB Design Firm. “These deeper greens are seen as more sophisticated and timeless.”
Retro Colors
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Watts says that colors inspired by the ‘70s—like mustard, peach, and teal—will no longer be in fashion in 2025. “Trendy ‘70s shades are certainly a look,” she says. “However, trendy shades are just that: trendy. They are not meant to last. Trends come and go, and although pops of these saturated ‘70s colors can work well, be wary of drenching your walls in ‘of-the-moment’ colors. Odds are, the moment will change, and you’ll end up having to repaint.”
Monotone Beige
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Here’s the good news: Beige isn’t entirely out of style. However, Bennett says monotone shades of beige are over. “While beige itself isn’t entirely out, the lifeless, single-tone version is no longer trendy,” she says.
So what’s the alternative? The designer suggests opting for deep, warm neutrals instead. “Greige and beige with pink or brown undertones are becoming more preferred for their versatility and warmth,”
Bright Primary Colors
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While bold shades like bright red, blue, and yellow were popular choices for accent walls in previous years, this look might not have the staying power it needs to carry over into 2025. “Bold primary colors, often used on accent walls, are fading in popularity as people move toward more subdued, nature-inspired palettes,” says Bennett.
So what should you go with instead? Bennett suggests muted and softer versions of these colors, like terracotta, dusty blue, and mustard yellow. These are becoming more sophisticated and preferred options.