The Biggest Design Trend This Fall and Winter Is Anything But Neutral
Homeowners are taking a more expressive approach this season.
Courtesy of Thumbtack
What will homes look—and feel—like this fall and winter? Thumbtack’s latest trends report points towards bolder patterns and richer earth tones. Drawing on homeowner surveys, insights from home professionals, project data, and Sherwin-Williams paint trends, Thumbtack highlights a shift toward more expressive, personal spaces. Two trends in particular—”Printplosion” and “Dirtcore”—showcase unique ways to refresh your home this season.
“This shift leans into emotions as much as it does palette planning,” says Kendra Sinclair, Thumbtack’s Design Trends Expert. “Homeowners are thinking about how a room feels, as well as how the room makes them feel.”
Thomas J. Story
Printplosion: Maximalism’s New Best Friend
Patterns are moving beyond traditional boundaries. Think layered designs, wallpapered ceilings, or prints that go over multiple surfaces. Thumbtack reports that 61% of homeowners would consider incorporating at least one pattern into their home in the next year.
Florals and botanicals were the most popular choices, followed by mixed or layered patterns, then stripes, checks, or plaids, and abstract patterns last. To keep pattern-mixing cohesive, Sinclair recommends the following: choose two or three colors that appear throughout the patterns, and vary the scale of prints, smaller stripes with extra-large flowers, for instance.
When it comes to placement, 46% of homeowners considered an accent wall; “the most approachable entry for experimenting,” says Sinclair. It was followed by a powder room or bathroom (27%), all four walls of a room (23%), and a hallway or entryway (22%).
Sue Wadden, Sherwin-Williams’s Director of Global Architectural Color Marketing, sees paint as having a supporting role while patterns take the lead. She explains that “color helps create balance and cohesion.”
“Softer, more nuanced palettes allow layers of pattern, texture, and materiality to shine, creating interiors that feel curated rather than overwhelming,” Wadden adds.
Patterns don’t have to be limited to textiles or wallpaper. Wadden suggests thinking of color-blocking, painted ceilings, tone-on-tone stripes, highlighted millwork, or modern stencils as ways of utilizing paint alone.
Thomas J. Story
Dirtcore: Bringing Nature Inside
Color is not just about how a room looks—but how you feel in it. According to Thumbtack, nearly six in 10 homeowners want paint to create a warm and cozy atmosphere, while half look to create a sense of calm and groundedness.
In Dirtcore, colors like browns, clay, terracotta, moss, ochre, and muddy greens add warmth and depth. “These aren’t the soft, barely-there nature-inspired neutrals that have dominated in recent years,” Sinclair explains. “They’re richer and more enveloping.”
Paint is one of the easiest ways homeowners can create a shift. Interior painting ranks third among Thumbtack’s most-requested indoor home update projects for fall and winter, with requests increasing more than 30% year over year.
For those ready for a change, Sinclair proposes painting all four walls with these rich tones; “they’ll pair beautifully with wood and other natural materials,” she says. Moss with creamy stones like marble and quartz could be a good pairing, Sinclair adds.
Juliano Da Cruz, owner of Paint LAB Painting, is seeing more customers asking for “warm taupes, rich browns, herbal greens, and terracotta colors,” particularly in communal spaces, where homeowners want to create a cozy, inviting feeling.
Wadden adds that this shift is just as emotional as it is aesthetic. “They’re creating environments that reflect how they want to live, and perhaps more importantly, how they want to feel,” she says.
When thinking about colors, consider Sherwin-Williams’s 2027 Colormix® Trend Forecast: Rewild, featuring 48 handpicked hues, and their Color of the Year: Celery SW 6421. This collection takes inspiration from organic materials, landscapes, and craftsmanship.
You don’t need a full home makeover to embrace either trend–take something from each and make it your own! A patterned ceiling, a painted trim, or adding an earthy accent can make a big change. For more seasonal home trends, read Thumbtack’s full report here.