Is brown replacing black? Interior designers weigh in
Comforting, cozy, and super on-trend – brown, an often underrated hue, is making waves and melting hearts in interior design this year. And for good reason.
Our homes and wardrobes have long been dominated by monochrome, black-and-white room color ideas. Black is easy to work with, inoffensive, and timeless. But it can also feel a little stark. So to help you make your spaces feel grounded, calm, and good-enough-to-eat, we’re officially declaring brown as the new black.
If you’re looking to warm up your interiors in time for fall with some brown room ideas, here, TikTok’s Taylor Simon shares her favorite ways to decorate with brown.
@intayriors
♬ original sound – Taylor Simon
Taylor Simon of @intayriors, a Brooklyn-based interior designer known for her eclectic style and viral unexpected red theory video, has taken to TikTok this week to share her love for chocolate hues.
‘I’m recently obsessed with brown interiors,’ she explains. ‘Especially a dark rich chocolate tone. Brown is a great tone to incorporate in your space. It’s moody, it’s cozy and it looks good in both neutral rooms and colorful spaces,’ Taylor continues.
(Image credit: Cathy Nordström, Fanny Radvik)
Unlike the starkness of black, brown offers a more natural alternative that provides depth in a softer way than black. With a nod toward 1970s nostalgia, it can feel delightfully retro yet sit just as lovely in contemporary spaces as it does in more traditional interior design styles.
Using contrast in interior design is a clever, expert-approved technique to ensure your palette never falls flat. After explaining in another recent video why you should add black to every room, Taylor recommends adding a splash of black to command attention and provide contrast in a space.
But in softer schemes, this can also be achieved with brown tones. ‘It provides a deep, moody color without being too stark like black, while still providing great contrast against lighter walls,’ Taylor explains.
(Image credit: Little Greene)
‘If you want to go all the way and paint a room chocolate brown, try French Press by Benjamin Moore,’ says Taylor, suggesting the best brown paints in her video. It’s a stylish brown-black that evokes the hue of freshly roasted espresso beans.
Alternatively, we love Córdoba and Purple Brown by Little Greene, seen in the doorway vignette above where they have used the double drenching paint technique to elevate the scheme. In the background, the dining spot is painted in the muted stone-brown Scullery.
Another popular brown shade beloved by interior designers is Salon Drab by Farrow & Ball, which despite the name, is anything but drab.
(Image credit: TROVE by Studio Duggan)
Brown is also incredibly versatile. There are a variety of brown tones to work with, from chocolate hues to rich caramel tones, deep browns with ruddy red or rich purple undertones, and muddy neutrals that feel like a fresh departure from popular grays and greiges.
‘If you want a feeling of sumptuous warmth, brown shades are going to be your best friends,’ agrees interior designer Benji Lewis. ‘Consider blends like golden oak, tan linen with bitter chocolate mohair velvet, chestnut leather, buff-colored cashmere, and bronze sisal,’ he suggests.
(Image credit: deVOL Kitchens)
If you’re wondering what colors go with brown, the possibilities are pretty endless. Take the butter-yellow kitchen seen above, designed by deVOL Kitchens. The walls are kept warm yet bright while a deep purple-brown kitchen island takes center stage. The iroko wood countertop compliments the dark tones which is then offset with some unlacquered brass hardware.
Alternatively, you can also make brown work with cool color schemes too. ‘I absolutely love how chocolate brown looks with chrome,’ says Taylor in her video. For a more contemporary take, the popular chrome decor trend really shines against rich, edible tones.
Brown with blue and brown with pops of red also make for great color combinations for rooms. And of course, it makes the most sense in neutral spaces surrounded by lots of wood tones.
(Image credit: Obradov Studio / Mosiac Factory Photography Riet Debruyne)
Whether it’s a simple picture frame, an entire piece of furniture, or a glossy tile, brown brings warmth and richness to spaces that black simply can’t. Speaking to an earthy color palette, it offers an ideal backdrop for natural textures, materials, and organic shapes that reflect a more relaxed aesthetic.
‘You can incorporate through a sofa, daybeds, cabinets, tile in the bathroom, and even paint,’ Taylor suggests of ways to introduce brown into your home. ‘Soho Home always has the coziest looking furniture and color tones and the Garret Armchair is no exception.’
Shop Taylor’s Favorite Brown Buys
‘I love this brown pleated sofa from Lulu & Georgia,’ says Taylor. ‘I love the detail on the bottom.’ Complementing both traditional and modern schemes, the skirted bottom is a huge trend right now.
Arvin Olano x Rugs USA Tara Striped Wool Area Rug
‘I would also highly recommend the Tara striped wool rug from the Arvin Olano x Rugs USA collection. This chocolate brown color with the texture is so beautiful,’ Taylor suggests.
Colin King Ceramic Table Lamp (14″–17″)
‘I actually have two of these in my bedroom and it’s such a perfect tone,’ she continues. ‘It’s the Colin King x West Elm collaboration table lamp.’ Smooth and organic, there are two sizes available so you can choose the right size for your nightstand.
Whether used on walls, furnishings, or decor, brown is proving to be the color to decorate with in 2024 and beyond. Not only is it timeless, but it feels particularly fresh right now. You can go all in with a fully drenched space or use it as an accent to allow other colors to shine thanks to its ability to both calm and enrich a space.
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