21 Designers Share Their Color-Trend Predictions for Spring
Blue-green, berry, and more.
Updated Oct 11, 2018 10:55 AM
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No other time of year necessitates a bold decor update quite like spring. After months of dreary grays, we’re in desperate need of some cheering up, courtesy of a bright pop of color. This can be as simple as painting the entryway a punchy hit of pink or piling emerald green pillows on the living room sofa. Before we all officially turn over a new leaf, we tapped some of the leading voices across various creative industries to get their predictions for the coming season’s biggest color trends. From the bold to the demure, there’s a shade to suit every design aesthetic. Consider this your spring mood board.
Dusty Purple
Bearded iris, lilac, and wisteria are inspiring Melissa Colgan. “When a purple has a bit of gray in it, it becomes a super-earthy color that can ground a room,” she says. The Washington, D.C.–based designer suggests using it in concert with natural materials like burl wood and rattan, then mixing in faded jewel tones such as tourmaline or alexandrite. “The natural materials keep it humble, while the careful inclusion of the others adds sophistication,” notes Colgan.
Neon Green
Harry Nuriev, founder of Crosby Studios, is leaning in an unconventional yet completely electrifying direction. “Neon green is a very special color, one that I associate with hope and youth,” he says. Nuriev’s recommendation: Invest in a verdant sofa. With risk comes reward, right?
Indigo
Sarah Lavoine’s pick is in it for the long haul. The French designer is surrounding herself with timeless tones she sees every day in nature, like clean, deep blues. “Color should be everlasting,” she says.
Lavender
From bed linens to curtains to carpeting, Simone Haag is ready to embrace this pale purple across all types of textiles. And she has an unlikely partner in mind: lemon yellow. The choice was inspired by a pair of sunglasses she recently spotted at a shop in Berlin. “It was such a foreign combination to me—it’s breathtaking,” she notes.
Cornflower Blue
Mark D. Sikes’s ideal hue is a lighter cobalt with a touch of lilac, in other words, as he puts it, “the color of the sky on a chilly spring day.” Recently the designer has been using it alongside coral and robin’s-egg blue, but he likes it best when it makes a saturated splash in a white room, either on a sofa or an occasional chair.
Berry
Holly Waterfield, lead designer at the Brooklyn Home Company, is bidding adieu to millennial pink. “It’s worn me out,” she says. She’s moving onto much moodier shades by bringing quince branches and vintage Morrocan rugs into her home.
Bright Orange
Anthony D’Argenzio of Zio & Sons was inspired by a recent trip to Morocco, which he says spawned his latest obsession: tangerine. “It’s a stimulating yet chic color that promotes a sense of warmth and joy,” he explains. This high-energy tone is the perfect option to transition into the warmer months. Given its potency, a small amount makes a big impact.
Blue-Green
Who said you had to commit to one section of the spectrum? Clare founder Nicole Gibbons is spicing things up by embracing adjacent families. “It’s reminiscent of the Caribbean Sea and feels calm and tranquil, just like the ocean,” says the designer.
Canary Yellow
Don’t let it’s lively rap fool you. Sasha Bikoff loves this hue for its calming abilities. “In feng shui, yellow is a symbol of the earth, and for me, that’s happiness,” she says. This sunny shade beckons thoughts of birds chirping, flowers blooming, and bees roaming.
Burnt Orange
Leanne Ford is steering clear of her go-to all-white palette. Her choice comes courtesy of a personal project: the house she and her husband recently renovated. “I am being drawn to all things rusty red,” says the designer. Her Los Angeles home, which she says is a cross between a ’30s bungalow and a ’70s groove shack, is prime for these rich, old-world colors.
Citrus
Like the refreshing zing of a slice of lemon in your gin and tonic, this zesty hue is just the pop you need to perk up your decorating scheme, according to U.K.-based designer Sophie Robinson. She favors using it on subtle accents, like piping or a table lamp. “It looks sensational against more well-established color trends, such as deep blues or blush pinks, as it instantly gives them a pick-me-up,” she says.
Beige
Emily Henderson is sticking with a classic. “I know it’s probably not the ‘cool’ answer,” says the designer. She leaned into the neutral while designing her mountain house, but she was sure to avoid drab 2000s-era tones and instead opted for a lighter look that isn’t too yellow.
Mint
Artist and textile designer Dee Clements of Studio Herron is feeling inspired by Dorothy Liebes’s textile samples from the 1940s. For Clements, the power of mint is all in the clash. She’s a fan of mixing patterns and utilizing asymmetry in her designs, so she recommends charging it up with its complement: a powerful orange or a vibrant yellow.
Rustic Red
Emulate Justina Blakeney’s signature style by going the ombré route with red. The Jungalow founder loves pairing it with ochre and lighter shades of pink. “It feels rich, earthy, and warm all at the same time,” she says.
Sage
Chasing Paper founder Elizabeth Rees is shifting away from the moody iterations of green we loved in autumn and winter. “When used well, sage almost feels like a more interesting neutral and can be applied in a space with so many different combinations,” explains Rees. She has her heart set on swathing kitchen cabinets in the zen color.
Pale Yellow
Photographer Tekla Severin appreciates this one’s timeless appeal (it reminds her of something you would see on a vintage car). “My dream would be to buy a porcelain sink in this color for my bathroom, but since I live in a rental apartment, I might paint my walls in it and be sure to accompany it with tableware for sunnier breakfasts,” she says.
Royal Blue
Sunday/Monday founder Nisha Mirani is advocating for a saturated hue, inspired by her trip to the Chhavi Niwas in Jaipur. “It packs a punch with its brilliance, while also adding depth and a sense of tranquility,” she says, noting that it works well with sandstone pink and mustard.
Terracotta
Textile designer Aelfie Oudghiri is loving this desert option, which she says can lend earthy drama to an interior through something as small as an unglazed pot. If you had something large-scale in mind, though, try it out by using a sponge-painting technique on a wall—it will amplify the texture.
Daffodil
Angela Blehm is letting this color inform her fashion choices and her seasonal decor refresh. “It’s sunshine and bananas and flowers, all telling me winter is almost out the door,” says Blehm. Take a note from the artist’s bold, maximalist home and test it out on a sculptural chandelier.
Fuchsia
Joy Cho of Oh Joy is a believer in this underrated hue, calling it a sassy alternative to the ubiquitous blush trend of recent years. “I love it as a burst of energy that you can take into any outfit or space,” she explains. It’s sure to add a spark that will make everyone smile, be it in the form of a floating shelf or nightstand.
Goldenrod
Somewhere between yellow and orange sits this pretty, warm hue. Minna founder Sara Berks was influenced by various shades when designing one of her latest collections. “I imagine using it as an accent for a pop of color—whether it’s the kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom—paired with warm neutrals,” she says.
Which craze will you side with this spring?
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