Colour is one of the most inspiring and impactful tools in interior design. It has the unique ability to shift your mood, evoke emotions and create the ideal atmosphere in your home! I’ve talked about the impact of colour a lot in my blog and social media, as I believe in the transformative power of colour and the influence it has on how we feel in a space. That’s why it’s such an essential element in every designer’s toolbox!
Each year, the design industry eagerly anticipates the launch of the Dulux colour palettes, which serve as a beacon for current trends and emerging styles. These palettes offer a chance to explore fresh and exciting colour combinations that resonate with our evolving tastes and needs.
Dulux invests heavily in research to understand the current societal mood and macro trends that shape our lives, and these insights reflect how we perceive and use our interiors. Their latest research shows that the world currently feels like it’s in a state of uncertainty – thanks to the lingering effects of the pandemic (yes, still!), the economic challenges, and our ever-present connection to the digital world.
So, with many of us feeling a tad overwhelmed, we’re seeking joy and comfort from our surroundings. This yearning for positivity and security is the catalyst in the Dulux 2025 Colour Forecast.
And if you’re wondering ‘How can I use these palettes in my home?’ we’ve included our tips below, so enjoy, and I hope they resonate with you.
Overall
The palettes in the Dulux 2025 Colour Forecast are driven by our continued desire for positivity and the need to have spaces that nurture and comfort us!
This year’s palettes continue to feel sophisticated with deeper, earthier, mid-tone shades that evoke feelings of warmth, security, and cocooning… and a touch of luxe!
This year’s forecast dabbles in two very different ends of the spectrum – with a very neutral, calming palette to a more vibrant and uplifting palette. The commonality is that they all feature mid-tone colours, and these continue to dominate Australian homes and interior design for 2025!
The continued emergence of warm colours and tones remains, and these all work to make spaces feel a sense of grounded cosiness.
The Dulux 2025 Colour Forecast comprises three palettes – Still, Emerge and Recollect.
Still Palette
Dulux Still is predominantly a neutral palette – with nurturing, cosy, warm neutrals such as tans, warm greys, soft clay, sage green and muted blues. The shift towards neutral shades aligns with consumer’s being drawn to tones that represent comfort and security.
The Still Palette brings a sense of tranquillity, calm and warmth that creates cocooning and nurturing vibes.
Our Pro Tip – this is my favourite of the 2025 palettes because it’s calming, earthy and grounding… plus it’s a very versatile and an easy-to-implement palette because its mid-tones are very neutral.
The blue, green and pink tones in particular, can be used to create an intimate and cocooning vibe or for a more dramatic striking statement. Ideal for those spaces where you want to evoke a nurturing feeling and really feel relaxed – such as a bedroom, media room or even a living space.
Emerge Palette
WOW, what a happy, vibrant palette this is! Dulux Emerge is about a spectrum of joyful, uplifting, almost-pastel shades combined with grounded, muted and dirtier tones. Examples of the ‘dirtier tones’ in this palette includes the muted purply blues. They’re stepping us away from clean and bright shades, and add lovely contrast to the pastels.
Our Pro Tip – ideal for more playful and punchy spaces, think of a powder room, kids’ rooms or even a dining banquette. Don’t just think about this palette in terms of painting walls – use the more vibrant colours and tones for your accent colours in décor, furnishings and artwork create a more light hearted atmosphere.
Recollect Palette
Dulux Recollect is a moody and luxurious palette that feels nostalgic and broody, and definitely works to create a cosy and intimate feeling in interior spaces.
Influenced by furniture and decor from the 1950s to the 1990s, it features rich red tones, lush deeper tans and dark muddy greens… it blends newness and classic vibes! This colour palette is a great way to add a touch of modern glamour and intrigue to your interiors.
Our Pro Tip – this fabulous colour palette is actually quite grounded and earthy and can be used to create a wow factor in your home! Spaces that really lend themselves to this palette are a more formal entertaining space, a bar area or an intimate reading nook.
For a bold approach, you could wrap the entire room in one colour and layer with furniture and textural accents from the rest of the palette. And again – you don’t have to paint all the walls in this palette – you can introduce these colours with accent pieces, think cushions and throws on your sofa or a striking floor rug or a console!
So, which of these Dulux Colour Palettes do you love the most?
- Still Palette, perfect for nurturing, cocooning vibes.
- Emerge Palette, to create uplifting and happy spaces.
- Recollect Palette, for a grounded, luxe, sophisticated atmosphere.
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Anna x
Credit: Dulux Colour Forecaster and Stylist, Bree Leech. Photographer Lisa Cohen.