2024 promises to inspire professional painters and dedicated renovators with various new colour trends. The emerging colour trends are guaranteed to excite the earthy naturalist, the clean minimalist, and the bold, expressive maximalist.

Many trends are already emerging with clear winners that will take the forefront, with several palettes already emerging above the rest.

Natural Earthy Shades

With a combination of greens mirroring the light, natural tones of olives, fresh summer blues and greys, sweet lemon yellow and the earthy tones of freshly dug soil, nature's calming sense and aura can now be brought into your home.

Minimalist Pastels and Soft Fresh Hues

Home offices and living areas will benefit from the stress-lowering properties of these peaceful palettes, allowing homeowners to create a fresh but comforting atmosphere. Turn your home into a calm retreat with shades of white, low tide crystal blues and subtle earthy pinks to bring the gentle ambience of relaxation and tranquility to your home. Create a home that feels like a cool summer breeze by indulging in the palette of peace.

Expressive Cool, Dark, Deep Maximalist Trending for 2024

Although calming colours will be popular in 2024, the cool, dark, and deep colour combinations suit the maximalist moody expressions. From the attention-seeking Mediterranean flavours of sunflower yellow, terracotta orange and deep, passionate reds to the moody romance of dark grey, velvety purple and thunderstorm blues. Combining these creates an explosion of colour that can create anything from joyful, creative interior spaces to a sophisticated and elegant exterior.

Outstanding Exterior Trends That Need Further Consideration

Although grey has long been thought of as a classic colour for home exteriors, the popularity of steel grey is set to rise to the top in 2024. The drama of a dark colour coupled with the bright contrast of a light, crisp, bright trim is appealing for those who want to give their home an eye-catching finish. Don’t be surprised to see Mediterranean orange making its presence felt on home exteriors in 2024 too!

However, there are some things to take into consideration before choosing colours for the exterior of your home.

Dark Colours May Need More Maintenance

Australia's harsh sun can fade dark colours faster as they absorb more sunlight, causing greater expansion and contracting, which can lead to the blistering and cracking of paintwork. This can happen even more quickly if your painting preparation is poor.

Dark Colours Absorb the Suns Heat

Darker exterior colours may need repainting more often in the hotter climates of Australia. Remember also that darker colours will absorb the heat, unlike lighter colours which reflect it. So, a dark coloured house will result in a hotter interior than a white or blue-coloured house.

Will You Still Love It Tomorrow?

Mediterranean orange highlights will trend in 2024, but will 2025 or beyond still feel the love? While some may constantly delight in the bright, joyful colours, for others, it may fall flat. So, if resale value is a consideration, professional painters advise choosing less of an attention-seeking colour and keeping it to little accentuating features.

This contribution is by Stephen Cochrane, a family man and expert painter based in Perth, Western Australia.

As principal at one of the country’s longest-running painting companies, Stephen brings a lifetime of industry experience and expertise. Passionate about quality and impact, Stephen Cochrane is proud to deliver excellent painting services for Australian residential and commercial properties. He shares his painting, property, and business insights as part of his ongoing commitment to the industry.