When 2025 color trend reports started dropping at the beginning of the year, one shade appeared on every list: chocolate brown. I couldn't stifle the yawn escaping my lips. It felt like a continuation of the same sad, beige, 'quiet luxury' interiors we've been seeing since 2023.
An archival image of Jackie Kennedy's pink and brown living room from the 1970s in New York has completely changed my mind.
In my former conception, chocolate brown was a fleeting interior design trend, styled contemporarily with layers of tan, natural wood, and lots of cream. However, looking to the past proved that styling the shade in a more 'dated' way might be the key to making it interesting. Jackie's Pepto-Bismol and chocolate-shaded room feels distinctly of the 70s/80s, and that's exactly why it's so alluring and timeless.
This beautiful velvet chocolate sofa has a contemporary silhouette with a plush texture. It would look ultra-chic styled with pink cushions.
Pink is a bold shade, and a scented candle in a stylish vessel is the easiest way to add a pop of the shade without the commitment. This container is a classic luxury piece.
These cozy square pink pillow is the perfect accent to add a pop of pink to a brown sofa. It could also be used on a white sofa with brown art for a more subtle styling.
Jackie O's home library, designed by Harrison Cultra and Georgina Fairholme, features pink and white geometric wallpaper, foregrounded by a chocolate colored velvet sofa. The wall is lined with horse portraits for a sophisticated, and alluring look. A wavy coffee table and wooden desk create contrasting antique and modern surfaces for storage. Decor includes a collection of plants, a Grecian bust sculpture, and what appears to be a bowl of figs. It's unlike anything you would see on Instagram or Pinterest.
My fatigue with one of the biggest color trends of 2025, paired with the fact that looking at an older space made me more interested in it points towards a larger shift in how we are viewing trends as a design community. While it was once a mark of sophistication to be on the cutting edge of 'what's next', an oversaturation of trend-related content has caused the contemporary to lose its luster.
In fact, an obsession with what's trendy can impede creativity, evidenced by my lack of imagination around what decorating with brown could look like. The logical next place to go is a turn towards nostalgia, where we consider how 'dated' looks can be made new.
Just like an obsession with 'timelessness' can lead to blandness in design, a decision to be firmly rooted in the moment creates unique interiors that are full of personality. Jackie Kennedy's color scheme is more than just an idea; it's an inspiration for how to think about design more boldly and creatively.
