Chilled by the Never-Ending Gray Wall Trend?

Get Excited Because Warmer Tones Are Trending Up

Gray Fatigue: Why This Trend Has Overstayed Its Welcome

You want a home that feels like a sanctuary. A space that reflects your warmth, your history, your life.

But for years, we’ve been told to strip that away and paint everything gray.

Enough already.

Can you even feel genuinely warm and cozy when surrounded by weak, wan, cool-toned grays? Real estate agents called it a “safe” neutral. Designers deemed it “modern.”

“Millennial Gray” (yep, that’s what it’s called) has been everywhere. Walls, floors, and furniture have displayed the color since the 2010s. Some home improvement centers stocked entire aisles with variations of the washed-out gray of the day.

Does walking into a gray-washed room make you feel less at home? Maybe, like me, you’re scared to admit you find the color cold, lifeless, and uninviting.

Well, for those who naturally gravitate toward warmer hues, I’m happy to tell you that our preferences are no longer outdated.

Those yummy warmer hues like rich browns, deep terra cottas, and inviting creams are making a comeback.

Gray is no longer the only way to make a space feel appealing and modern.

Revel in the warmth and get ready to get cozy.

The Cold Reality of Millennial Gray

Let me tell you how I learned that gray made my nerves fray.

We renovated our home to sell a couple of years ago and had to follow the gray guidelines.

Our realtor recommended painting the walls gray. Potential home purchasers in our market simply loved gray walls.

So, we caved in and had the walls painted a trendy shade of gray.

It was a Behr dupe for some popular Sherwin-Williams paint color.

As soon as the paint was dry, I could barely stand being in my own house.

It felt like living in a waiting room. Sterile. Cold. Uninviting. Even my warm-toned furniture and accessories didn’t lessen the effect.

And then came the blue-gray debacle.

While we were selling our home, we were also buying a condo.

We were buying it without ever setting foot in it.

The photos looked fantastic, and it was in the same condo community where my son and his family lived. He knew the sellers and trusted them. Our son toured the unit — it was just the right size, clean as a whistle, and well cared for.

We knew the walls were gray and were prepared for that, but the gray we saw in the photos had morphed when we stepped inside.

You know how sunlight transforms paint as the sun moves across the sky?

In-person, the sun shifted the color into a cold gray blue, giving the place a distinct prison vibe. Ick! Before my bags were unpacked, I was itching to paint.

Millennial Gray doesn’t always stay put. In a different light, it can pull in blue, purple, or even green and create a totally unintended mood in a space.

Let’s be honest: all paint can shift in the light, but to my mind, Millennial Gray is pretty sneaky and never feels snug and cozy.

So, did we have a choice in this graying of our homes?

Or did we get swept up in a trend pushed by the design industry and HGTV? And then realtors got on the bandwagon and encouraged sellers to go gray.

The Warm Color Renaissance is Here

Darker, richer grays continue to be used in modern design; however, the once de rigueur pale grays are fading into the background.

Homeowners crave warmth, deeper colors, and a connection to nature.

Paint companies have begun shifting toward warmer, richer hues. Browns, terracottas, creamy neutrals, and even deeper reds are becoming more popular on palettes.

👉 Benjamin Moore’s 2025 Color of the Year? Cinnamon Slate — a heathered plum-brown that feels cozy and inviting.

👉 Behr’s pick? A bold, saturated ruby-red called Rumors.

👉 Sherwin-Williams? They’ve ditched the all-gray palettes for a warmer, earthier collection featuring clove brown, golden neutrals, and soft sage.

After being sidelined for so long, warm tones are getting their moment. It’s about time, too.

Have you felt like you had to conform to the gray trend? Well, let this be your permission slip to break free and warm up.

Nah, don’t design your home for some hypothetical future buyer or follow the trends you see on House Hunters.

Choose the colors that feel good to YOU.

Still worried about resale? Keep in mind that trends will shift.

Those all-gray interiors everyone just had to have are already beginning to feel dated.

Buyers are turning to warmth, depth, and personality, which gray alone cannot provide.

If you’ve been excitedly anticipating the right moment to reclaim color, well, ✨ your time has arrived.

Say bye-bye to Millennial Gray and give color a big welcome home.