There are some old favourites, and a few surprising entries
Green, grey, and blue are the most popular living room colours for 2024. Search data analysis has found that we are making bolder choices in our living spaces, embracing bright and rich shades, as well as some more unexpected colours.
It is no surprise that so many of us are choosing a neutral living room colour scheme – classic grey, cream and white are all in favour – whilst three shades of versatile blue appeared on the list.
The top 12 most popular living room colours for 2024 are:
- Green
- Grey
- Blue
- White
- Black
- Cream
- Teal
- Navy
- Beige
- Pink
- Yellow
- Red
Read on for our take on the top 12.
1
Green
The ultimate in nature-inspired decoration, green is the most popular living room colour for 2024. The versatility of green makes it a bit of a gift in interior design, but doesn't make it easier to narrow down your choice of colour combination – as a general rule, paler shades can desaturate rooms with lots of warm oranges and pinks, and deep greens are a great accent for neutral rooms.
Pictured: Belton Scenic Wallpaper and Ambleside paint, both at Little Greene
2
Grey
There is always an argument for not fighting the natural characteristics of your home. If you have little natural light, or particularly low ceilings, it can be worth leaning into the cosiness of it all with a wash of grey on your walls.
Read more: Design tips and tricks for decorating a small living room
3
Blue
The first of three blue shades on our list. If you introduce a heavy dose of blue into your living room colour scheme, there can be a tendency to pare back decoration elsewhere. It's certainly not the only design route however, as you can see here, adding rust reds, warm mustard shades and piles of pattern makes for a warm and inviting space.
Pictured: Country Living Kirkton Sofa at DFS
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4
White
A much-maligned colour for parents and pet owners, but one that is hard to beat in a country living room. White can look stark or overly pristine, which can be offset by introducing warming elements such as painted wood, and a sumptuous off-white carpet.
5
Black
Despite being one of the boldest of design decisions, black living rooms are proving more popular than classic cream. Decorating with black will naturally take a bit more consideration, but as a general rule of thumb, we would always be inclined to use an off-black – one that leans towards graphite grey, or mixed with a softening blue – with a subtle sheen to better catch natural light.
Read more: Warm and cocooning rooms to inspire
6
Cream
Classic cream came in sixth place, perhaps indicative of a move away from neutrals. Cream certainly doesn't have to be plain, however, if you just consider it a base from which to build a richer living room colour scheme. We love the letterbox red used here on the room partition – a clever design device for rooms that lack natural light
Read more: Colour therapist reveals 5 interior colours to boost wellbeing
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7
Teal
Green-toned blues offer a bit more warmth than mid or light blues, an effect that can be further pronounced with the use of burnt orange or shades of reds. Teal is a particularly good choice if you tend to decorate with antiques as it sits so well with traditional woods such as mahogany or walnut.
Pictured: Tidworth Chair at Darlings of Chelsea
8
Navy
If you're decorating with a rich navy, take your design cues from this characterful country living room with bespoke bookshelves. A rich navy can look inky or even black without adequate natural light, but an abundance of bright accessories helps. Note too that the paint is taken up onto the ceiling and even matched in the sweet velvet curtain – a case for colour drenching smaller rooms for a cocooning effect.
Read more: The best paint colours to make a small room look bigger
9
Beige
The warmest neutral on our list, beige is a great choice if you want a light but cocooning colour for your living room. Pale pastels may not be an instinctive colour pairing here, but we love how fresh and uplifting this room looks.
Pictured: Crumpet sofa at Loaf
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10
Pink
Pink has been slowly creeping back into interiors – Dulux’s colour of the year 2024 is a soft blush – hastened only by the popularity of the Barbie movie. But the real-world take is far more moderate, favouring a whisper-soft rose, natural clay or reddish mauve.
Pictured: Country Living Charlbury Sofa at DFS
11
Yellow
The most cheerful entry on our list of most popular living room colours, and a deceptively versatile one. Cooler variants of yellow with undertones of green look fresh and citrusy, whilst natural materials – like the wooden furniture, stone fireplace, and wool carpet shown here – soften the shock of yellow on the walls.
Pictured: Country Living Hartland Carpet at Carpetright, and Country Living Charlbury Sofa and Footstool at DFS
12
Red
The final colour on our list is a rich and warming red. This living room uses a quilt as a lovely alternative to paint or wallpaper, and a gentler approach to using bold colour on living room walls.
Read more: Alternatives to art: clever and creative ways to fill empty walls
Rachel Edwards
Style & Interiors Editor
Rachel Edwards is the Style & Interiors Editor for Country Living and House Beautiful, covering all things design and decoration, with a special interest in small space inspiration, vintage and antique shopping, and anything colour related. Her work has been extensively translated by Elle Japan and Elle Decor Spain. Rachel has spent over a decade in the furniture and homeware industry as a writer, FF&E designer, and for many years as Marketing Manager at cult design retailer, Skandium. She has a BA in French and Italian from Royal Holloway and an MA in Jounalism from Kingston University. Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelaed
