9 Vintage Paint Colors Currently Making A Comeback, According To Designers

We asked Southern designers to share the retro shades that feel just right for the modern home.

What's old is new again! From baby names to recipes and home decor, all things vintage are swinging back into style—and color palettes are no exception. We tapped a group of Southern designers to share their thoughts on old-school paint colors that are well-suited for the modern home. "The trend of painting an entire home white is shifting, with a return to traditional rooms painted in a variety of colors," notes Atlanta designer Gabriela Eisenhart of Silo Studios. If you're looking to create an on-trend, but timeless space that you'll cherish for years to come, try these designer-approved vintage paint colors.

Pretty Pastels

"The pastel pinks and blues of the 1950s are coming back into favor, especially in kitchens," says Bethany Adams of Bethany Adams Interiors. "In my own kitchen, I painted the lower cabinets in Benjamin Moore's Wales Gray (1585), a lovely, soft greenish-blue. I paired it with pink accents ranging from the palest petal pink to a deep burgundy and it is at once comfortingly familiar, like your grandmother's kitchen, but also surprising and modern." But the pastel love extends beyond the kitchen: Above, designer Lila Malone swathed a Houston living room in glossy coats of Benjamin Moore's Milk Shake (1165).

Jewel Tones

"In the Victorian Era, saturated, jewel-tone colors were all the rage and they are certainly making a comeback," says Debbie Matthews of her Nashville-based Debbie Mathews Antiques & Designs. Teal and emerald green (like the high-gloss hue designer Elly Poston Cooper chose for this bar and pantry) are specific shades that Matthews' clients are currently loving.

Lively Blues

While there will always be a place for quieter, more serene blues, Eisenhart is noticing a return of those shades on the more vibrant end of the spectrum, like Benjamin Moore's Summer Nights (777), designer Alaina Ralph's bold choice for this South Carolina family room.

Mauve

Several of our design experts mentioned this delicate shade as being a top pick for infusing your home with a bit of vintage flair. This versatile color can lean red, purple, and even pink, and Atlanta-based designer Clary Bosbyshell says she’s currently using Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster to lacquer a client’s home bar, as she says the shade is very flattering on the skin—especially in candlelight—which is perfect for the consummate host looking to refresh an entertaining space. Charlotte-based designer Gray Walker is also a big fan of mauve and says she loves working with Jasper’s Grace wallpaper that combines the shade with red, light blues, and beige to bring a bit of historic charm to projects.

“Mauve is a color I’m thrilled to see return to the limelight,” says Birmingham-based designer Jeremy Clark. “Its moody undertones are both powerful and subtle. I’d like to see this in a British-inspired cupboard with iron accents and found glass storage jars.”

Chartreuse

While this color certainly isn’t for the minimalists out there, we love this punchy yellow-green hue that’s named after the eponymous French liqueur. Clark says this throwback shade is just the color to bring into a home built for hosting and is fond of Adelphi Paper Hangings’s Hermitage Maple Leaf in the chartreuse-forward Patrick Mele colorway that brings a sense of convivial yet elegant French flair to any space.

“No longer secluded to pile-high carpets and roller rinks, this color makes me eager to place it on a ceiling, a wet bar, or the walls of a powder room,” he says. Benjamin Moore's Chartreuse 2024-10, pictured above, is the perfect shade to incorporate into your home.

Brown

“Many proclaim brown is having a resurgence, but did it ever truly leave?” poses Clark. “Brown’s ability to be elegant and warm while simultaneously providing a decadent mood is one of the keen senses that allow it to work in various applications.”

We’re major fans of this earthy, grounding shade that pairs swimmingly with a host of other colors—neutrals and bolder shades alike. Test it out in a sun-drenched home office space to create a sleek yet stylish spot for getting your best work done.

Terracotta

“We are seeing a big resurgence of design nostalgia,” says Palm Beach-based designer Ellen Kavanaugh. “The neutral palette that has captivated the design world over the past years is being outshined by a wave of bold, retro, ‘70s-inspired colors.”

Kavanaugh says she’s especially leaning into rich earth tones like terracotta and has a penchant for Farrow & Ball’s Red Earth, which she recently used on kitchen cabinets and paired with a retro-inspired wallpaper by Bob Collins & Sons.

Creme de Menthe

Another retro-inspired favorite of Kavanaugh’s, the designer says she’s leaning into muted green shades such as Benjamin Moore’s Fresh Dew that brings a soothing element to any space. While green has seen a major resurgence in the design world over the last few years, Kavanaugh loves leaning into colors of the past that can be paired with clean, transitional, and modern pieces to make it well-suited for your home’s future.

Sunny Yellows

Bosbyshell says she’s also working on a project where the laundry room cabinetry is swathed in a cheery yellow shade. She opted for Farrow & Ball’s Dayroom Yellow, a popular Regency era shade, to make doing chores much more appealing. This color would also look beautiful in a gender-neutral nursery or a cozy kitchen.

For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Southern Living.