Interior Design · Colour

Choosing a palette that lasts longer than a trend

29 September 2026

Colour is one of the first things people ask me about, and one of the easiest things to get wrong if you're chasing whatever's trending rather than what actually suits your home.

I love a strong colour moment as much as anyone. But when I'm working with a client on a full room or a whole home, I'm always thinking further ahead than this year's shade. A palette should still feel right when the trend has moved on, not because it's safe or boring, but because it was chosen properly in the first place.

Start with the light, not the paint chart

Before I even think about colours, I look at how light moves through a room across the day. A north-facing room and a south-facing room can take the same "sage green" and produce two completely different results: one warm and grounding, the other flat and a bit cold. I always test a colour in the actual room, at different times of day, before it goes anywhere near a wall.

Build out from what you already love

Trend-led palettes tend to start with a colour and work outward. I do the opposite. I start with what a client already owns and loves: a favourite fabric, a rug passed down from family, even a piece of art they can't imagine living without. The palette grows out from there, which is exactly why it tends to feel personal rather than borrowed from a moodboard.

Neutral doesn't mean boring

A lot of the "timeless" palettes I put together lean on a quiet neutral base, but that's just the starting point, not the whole story. Pattern, texture and a considered accent colour (often through upholstery or soft furnishings, which is where my love of fabric really comes in) are what stop a neutral room from feeling flat. It's a much easier place to introduce colour confidently, too, since you're not repainting a whole room to change your mind.

My rule of thumb

If I can't picture a colour still working in a room in ten years, I don't use it as a foundation. That doesn't mean playing it safe; it means being honest about whether something is a passing enthusiasm or a colour you'll genuinely still love once it's no longer new. Trends are a lovely place to visit (through cushions, a lampshade, a single statement chair), just not necessarily somewhere to build your whole room around.