Incorporating earth tones through materials, paint, art, or textures in a living room, kitchen, bathroom, or home office is a simple way to bring a warm, natural feel to your home design. We often see homeowners in Northern Virginia, especially in compact and historic communities, incorporate earth tones during their home remodeling to bring a natural, outdoor feel into their homes, where lot space may be limited. Read on for inspiration from the team at Sun Design on how to bring earth tones into your home and to learn more about this trend.
For visual inspiration, explore some of our previously completed projects, like this Clifton, Virginia, kitchen remodel or this Oakton, Virginia, remodel, where selective design choices let natural light lead the way.
The Resurgence of Warmth: Why Earth Tones are Trending Now
Gray and white hues have been popular in interior design due to their ability to make spaces feel more open and cleaner. Their neutrality also makes them easy to pair with most interior design styles. However, for many of our clients, those cool undertones come off cold and unwelcoming.
Earth tone colors have warm undertones, which appeal to homeowners who want to soften and brighten their homes while staying within the neutral color range that gives them the same flexibility of grays and whites, but without the coldness.
Popular Earth Tone Colors for the Home
The label “earth tone” in interior design encompasses a rich range of colors. The essence of earth tones, as given away by their name, is that they are colors you would find in nature.
Eggshell and sandy off-whites are commonly used in homes with an earth-tone palette. As are sage and mossy greens, sky blue, wood- and soil-inspired browns, and mineral shades like royal night blue and plummy purples. Even soft, stony grays have their place in the earth-toned color palette.
The above doesn’t encompass the full range of earth tones you can use to create an indoor-outdoor connection in your home that feels natural, stylish, and timeless. However, it can give you a sense of what colors are available to you. During the design process of your home remodel, our award-winning design team can help you find a color combination that feels like you.
Every client of Sun Design works with a dedicated interior designer who guides the selection process, including mixing and matching tones, textures, and finishes to create a cohesive, personalized look for their home and style.
The Synergy of Earth Tones and Natural Materials
Bringing the trend of earth tones and warm colors into your home doesn’t have to be as drastic as painting your walls chestnut brown; it can be as simple as opting for more wood flooring, choosing a ceramic or limestone backsplash for your kitchen, or installing brass or bronze hardware instead of zinc or stainless steel.
The earth tone palettes naturally complement and are drawn towards organic materials and finishes. It is common, during the design phase, that earth tones are first introduced while selecting materials and hardware. Our clients rarely start out with a request for an “earth tone kitchen,” but they may be drawn to white oak cabinetry, warm quartz veining, natural stone tile, or brushed honey brass hardware. At Sun Design, our interior designers help guide you in these choices to ensure the final design is cohesive and harmonious.
Some examples of interior design styles that can be blended seamlessly with earth tones include mid-century modern, Spanish Revival, French or English country, Colonial, and coastal. That is to say, the flexibility and potential within the earth tone color palette can not be overstated.
Bringing Warmth into Your Home Design
While it is a trend, the rise in popularity of earth tones reflects a much more enduring and human desire: comfort in colors and nature. Earth tones can make your home feel timeless, elevated, luxurious, or simple. It offers homeowners an opportunity to develop an interior design style that feels unique to them, their interests, and their lives.
Ready to create a home that is uniquely yours? Sun Design can help you bring thoughtful color palettes and inspired design choices to life. Learn more about our design process and expertise here.
