Why Brown Is Poised to Be the Most Popular Color of 2024
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Brown paint is back. Cast aside as dated with other 1970s earth tones, this versatile color is now being championed by paint companies on both sides of the Atlantic.
This month Little Greene, headquartered in Manchester, U.K., launches a warm palette ranging from honey to chocolate. “The earthy yet refined nature of brown shades makes them the perfect backdrop to natural materials currently being incorporated in contemporary interiors, including wicker, rattan, warm woods, and stone finishes,” the brand’s creative director, Ruth Mottershead, tells ELLE DECOR.
The inspiration for the capsule—named after confections such as madeleines and affogato—is actually derived from the walls, woodwork, and furniture at historic properties across the United Kingdom, as part of Little Greene’s partnership with the National Trust. “Chocolate Colour has been long-standing in our offerings and is a heritage paint shade found on Benjamin Franklin’s London door,” Mottershead explains of their bestselling brown.
Simultaneously, Farrow & Ball, established in Dorset, U.K., is showcasing a spring color scheme by in-house curator Joa Studholme. The palette is dominated by a variety of browns, including Broccoli Brown and Cardamom, both steeped in historical significance. “Broccoli Brown is inspired by the color referenced in Werner’s Nomenclature of Colors, first published in 1814, and is akin to a color that was used extensively in the Georgian period,” Studholme says. “The significant green in the base of Cardamom creates a color that is similar to shades used in many Victorian homes,” she reveals.
Traditional British interiors have certainly played a part in the shade’s popularity on today’s mood boards. “British design has always forged a path in color, texture, warmth, and layers, and with those elements, there needs to be a grounding color, like brown,” observes interior designer Mandy Cheng, whose firm is in Los Angeles. “There’s been an evolution of how we work brown into contemporary interiors. We’ve seen an increased use of ‘brown furniture’ antiques, more millwork featuring natural wood tones, and even brown upholstery,” Cheng continues. Brown paint, it seems, is the logical next step.
Stateside, the approach to brown paint nods more to nature than to heritage. Jamie Davis, cofounder of Portola Paints in L.A., cites the work of “established designers, such as Jake Arnold or Amber Lewis, who feature tones of brown throughout their projects,” as part of a larger trend toward design that connects us to the natural world. L.A.-based designers Arnold and Lewis have mastered the art of the tonal brown interior. On TikTok, Arnold shares his go-to warm paint colors, including Farrow & Ball’s Broccoli Brown and London Stone, which is also a favorite of Drew Scott’s, founder of L.A.’s Lone Fox Home. “It’s just such a stunning, versatile brown that could find a place in almost any home,” Scott states.
“Muddy hues are definitely trending,” says Kristine Renee of the West Coast firm Design Alchemy. “In our practice, we look to the natural California landscape for a big source of inspiration.” The idea that decorating with the color of the earth can, in fact, bring us closer to the earth feels distinctly Californian. But it works. “Brown has become a new neutral that pairs well with complementary earth tones, such as sage, terra-cotta, and mustard,” Renee explains.
“A carefully selected brown hue works organically with tonal schemes,” says interior designer Carrie Moore of Durham, North Carolina. “Brown walls are an impactful way to shake up an otherwise prevailingly neutral interior.”
And consumers are catching on. For Nicole Gibbons, founder and CEO of Clare, the direct-to-consumer paint company operating from New York, brown paint sales are already booming. “In the past year, we’ve seen a distinct gravitation toward the color,” Gibbons shares. “Our shade Coffee Date saw a huge sales increase in 2023.”
The allure of brown paint lies in its versatility, asserts San Francisco interior designer Lindsay Gerber. Whether paired with traditional prints and brass for an elevated look or with linen and ancient stone for a rustic charm, brown represents “the color of the quiet luxury movement,” Gerber believes. “My theory is that post-pandemic people don’t want to give up their tether to nature and the outdoor elements that have become such an integral part of their day to day,” offers L.A. interior designer Kishani Perera.
Whether it is rebranded as “Quiet Luxury Brown” or “British Brown” or “California Coastal Brown,” it is time to rethink brown paint’s role in our interiors. The next time you pick up a paint fan deck, consider the sophisticated possibilities that brown offers.
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