We Asked 8 Color Experts What the “It” Color Is (Their Answers May Surprise You!)

Highlighting extraordinary homes bursting with color is one of my favorite things to do. This year, I’ve seen small spaces absolutely doused in rich hues, rentals that were incredibly colorful despite all-white walls, folks who went all in on just one bold color, and everything in between. I even saw excellent examples of some of the hottest color trends in these homes, like color drenching and cocooning. 

While it’s always fun to hear what paint professionals and interior designers think the most popular colors are going to be, I personally get so much inspiration from real people living in real homes. From how color is incorporated into their homes to which colors are resonating with them, I find their insights to be grounded yet aspirational. The ways in which they use color in their homes are so intentional, I actually consider all these renters and homeowners to be color experts in their own right! 

Beyond just getting to see how they’ve used color in their homes, I also asked these color experts for their thoughts on color trends, from what this year’s “it” color is to what their favorite paint color of all time is. Here’s what they had to say.

Mikei Huang had a strong answer when asked what he thought the trendiest color this year has been. “Orange is making a huge comeback!” he said when interviewed for his stunning Bushwick apartment tour. “Orange furniture and home decor are popping up everywhere, and it’s a super-cute color. I see it in IKEA’s reissued SKÅLBODA armchair and Artemide’s Nesso table lamp (the mushroom lamp), and Giotto Stoppino for Kartell’s stacking side table are everywhere on Instagram and in people’s homes.”

Interestingly, when asked what his very favorite color is, he had a different answer than orange, albeit a complementary color that I also love: Backdrop’s “Blue is the Coolest Color.” 

Author Brandon Andrew Robinson has owned this incredibly colorful one-bedroom Los Angeles loft for three years and got color-choosing help from interior designer Michelle Fahmy of Haus of Meeshie. “I’d like to think that pink is still in! From Barbie last year to now Chappell Roan’s ‘Pink Pony Club,’ pink continues to be everywhere. And I am obsessed,” they replied in their house tour when asked about the trendiest color this year.

Their answer tracks nicely with what they also say their favorite paint color in their home is: Sherwin-Williams’ “Cherries Jubilee” (SW 6862).

Rian, who painted her entire two-bedroom apartment in Amsterdam a bold hot pink, wrote that she doesn’t pay much attention to what’s trending, but said she’s been “happy to see a lot of orange/coral in interiors and fashion.” I’m personally very happy to see all the coral-esque pinks in her home! As for her favorite paint color, she picked Histor’s “Rose Glory,” which she used on her living room and kitchen walls.

“The color has so many shades in it itself, throughout the day as the light changes the color changes with it and it’s gorgeous every time!”

Angela Hysen, who is a social service manager with a nonprofit organization, lives in a corner condo in the Lowertown neighborhood in Ottawa, Ontario, and said she’s seen bold colors like teal becoming trendy this year. This is perfect, as she’s filled her home with a brilliantly bold teal, her favorite color, Benjamin Moore’s “Jade Garden.”

There’s an absolute rainbow of colors in the Philadelphia rental apartment of jewelry designer Alex Danko. Full of hip elements like fringe, fake cakes, cute patterns, and more, she has an absolute mastery of color. When I asked her what her favorite wall paint color of all time is, it’s a beautiful, calming blue, but has an honorable mention: “I’ve only ever painted cloudy sky murals in my homes (with ‘Bliss Blue’ from Behr) but it would be my dream to have ‘Barbie Dreamhouse Pink’ in every room.”

When I asked Sofia, who lives in a stunningly colorful townhome in Skärblacka, Östergötland, Sweden, what she thought the trendiest color of this year is, she said that in Sweden, it’s “burgundy/dark red for sure.” So does Sofia’s Swedish home feature this popular hue? It sure does — actually right when you walk in. Her entryway features an IKEA ’Nordli’ painted in Beckers’ “Barolo 924.”

Melanie Porthun, whose apartment is located in Hamburg, Germany, agrees with Sofia about this year’s “it” color, saying that she thinks “a dark brown or a Bordeaux in combo with something bold” is the trendiest hue. Melanie used a gorgeous reddish-brown shade (Farbhaus Malerhandwerk’s “FK-302”) to paint the ceiling in her office loft and says it looks stunning. 

Cocktail and lifestyle content creator behind Taste & Tipple, Yvonne Langen, clearly has an eye for what’s trendy. Her favorite paint color of all time is Farrow and Ball’s “Brinjal,” a deep and rich brownish burgundy color that covers her home’s beautiful dining room. But when I asked her what she thought was the trendiest color this year, her answer had a slightly different hue. “I’ve seen a lot of content about ‘unexpected red theory‘ online and so I would say red — specifically a high-gloss, lacquered red — is the trendiest color of the moment.”

While there are some similarities between some of these color experts’ choices — it seems like orange and pink are super hot, and there are two votes for a deep wine-colored hue — there’s not one favorite pick across the board. And yet, I can’t help but notice that they do all have something in common — they’re all super bold, deeply saturated colors! 

Neutrals, soft pastels, and other water-downed hues weren’t on the radar for these color-lovers this year. Will the same apply in 2025? Do you agree with their picks?