3 ways to use colour in a living room that still feels calm, explained by an interiors editor

The resurgence of bright colours is a big living room trend for 2025, but there are ways to use them that still feel calm, soothing, restful and make them ideal for both entertaining and relaxing.

Design journalist Pip Rich, editor of interiors bible Livingetc, explains the ways designers get it right.

Call it Dopamine Decor, call it Colour Drenching, but designers are enjoying playing boldly with strong colours, using them to cover whole walls and sometimes ceilings, too.

It's so uplifting and mood-boosting to go for a richer palette, yellows, pinks and even oranges starting to take over from grey. But the current trend is to ensure they have hints of the earth in them, to go for mustards instead of bright yellow, a peach rather than a hot pink.

As Farrow and Ball's Colour Creator Joa Studholme recently told me, the joy of these shades is that you walk into the room and instantly your shoulders drop - there is a familiarity to earthy tones that feels exactly right for now. It pulls back these otherwise overpowering hues, making them both energising and peaceful, a backdrop to both curling up with a book and cocktails with your favourite friends.

Of course, grey living rooms are going nowhere. It's still a go-to shade for designers and homeowners alike, a goes-with-anything colour that can be dressed up with brights or pared back even further with neutrals.

The brilliance of bright furniture against a grey wall is not to be overlooked - a standout shade like this turquoise couch, above, becomes an instant focal point, truly making people gravitate towards its invitingly comfortable form. But so as to avoid it seeming plonked in an otherwise scaled back colour scheme, ensure that the colour of the hero piece is picked up elsewhere.

Here, the hint of blue in the art creates a sense of cohesion, just enough of a through-line that the room looks like it's been thoughtfully and meticulously curated.