Heritage paint brand Little Greene has added twenty-seven new comforting colors to its books. Refreshingly current yet rooted in the past, each new paint feels distinct but quietly connected – responding to the color trends of the moment while drawing on palettes that have endured for centuries.
The twenty-seven new paints are scattered among Little Greene’s Colors of England and Color Scales collections. From orange-infused ochres to light-changing teal-meets-green, these timeless paints bring warmth, comfort, and gentle saturation into the home.
‘Color trends are always an evolution rather than a revolution,’ Creative Director of Little Greene, Ruth Mottershead, tells Homes & Gardens. ‘Over the past decade we’ve watched the mood move through rich blues into teals, then softer neutral greens, then bold yellows that deepened into ochres and caramels, before settling into stone-based neutrals and indulgent browns.’
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‘For the latest colors, we had really noticed consumers looking for balance,’ she explains. ‘If you imagine today’s most-loved neutrals sitting on a pH scale, they’d sit right in the middle at a five or six, neither too warm nor too cool.’
Perpetual Blue is the perfect mid-tone blue that shifts beautifully in the light.
(Image credit: Little Greene)
Six new colors feature in the Colors of England collection, a line inspired by English history and heritage. Ashes of Marigold, a retro orange, represents the defining colors of the 1970s. ‘Over the past decade, color trends have slowly drifted away from pure bright orange ‘Marigold’, whilst warm terracotta tones and burnt orange shades have become more popular,’ says Ruth. ‘Our new Ashes of Marigold carries the vibrancy of orange, yet is tempered with a subtle touch of black. It reads more as a gentle, earthy terracotta rather than a vibrant statement color.’
Shades like Perpetual Blue feel just as rooted in the past. ‘I’m particularly drawn to Perpetual Blue at the moment,’ says Ruth. ‘It’s taken from a surviving paint palette belonging to Winston Churchill, from his studio at Chartwell. It’s a mid to deep blue with a touch of green running through it, so it responds beautifully to changing light throughout the day. It would work wonderfully color-drenched in a study, or used more sparingly as a grounding note against softer neutrals.’
For those who enjoy decorating with neutrals, Parlour, a plaster hue with pink notes, is light, fresh, and enduring. Inspired by the parlour room at Dyrham Park near Bath, the pale pink paint is perfect for schemes that need an uplift. ‘There’s an appetite for fresh, gelato-toned pastels, gentle, characterful colors like Floss and Parlour that feel joyful without ever being overpowering,’ adds Ruth.
Boxington Deep is balanced by organic green and dark teal.
(Image credit: Little Greene)
Next comes the twenty-one new hues featured in the Color Scales collection. The warm neutral Barge Stone – a complex, green-infused beige is available from light to dark. Barge Stone grew directly out of the popularity of our Portland Stone, says Ruth. The citron green Boxington has also been expanded into a graduated Color Scales family, a reduced lime with a touch of red oxide of iron, elegant in dining rooms and hallways.
‘These 27 new colors sit at the next point along that story,’ says Ruth. ‘We’ve taken the red oxide and intense heat out of our caramels and burnt oranges to create gentler shades with less intensity, and we’ve moved away from the colder greens and blues that were so popular a few years ago, in favor of warmer versions like Celestial Blue, Boxington and Hammock. So yes, they very much respond to where color is heading, but they’re also simply an honest reflection of what we’re already seeing and feeling ourselves.’
A mid-brown like Marle is a clever choice for an open, light-filled space that needs a little warmth.
(Image credit: Little Greene)
‘Trends never really jump; we notice shifts, and if you look back, you can trace those changes in the use of color,’ Ruth explains. ‘In 2016 we saw a lot of blue, which had grown out of a love of gray in the early 2010s. That moved through rich blues into teals, then softer neutral greens, then into bold yellows that deepened into ochres and caramels, and more recently into stone-based neutrals and indulgent browns. This transitioned into burgundy, deep reds, pinks and aubergine, colors that bring such a lovely sense of intimacy and quiet grandeur to a room.’
‘At the same time, we noticed people pulling away from the caramels and chocolate browns that had been so loved a few years ago, wanting something with a little less heat and intensity. Marle is another favorite of mine,’ she adds. ‘It’s a luxurious mid-tone brown, heavy on yellow ochre but softened right down with plenty of black. Used all over, it creates the most cocooning, intimate feeling in a room. I love it in a bathroom paired with Mochi on the opposite wall.’
Little Greene’s twenty-seven new paint colors balance both emerging trends and what homeowners want right now, along with timeless classics that will never date. Each has its own place in the collection, inspired by either the heritage hues that defined the past or the shades that are most popular today.
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