One of the things I've loved most throughout my twenty-year career on interiors magazines is getting a chance to see the next season's collections before they drop, and spotting trends you know are going to fly. I popped along to the preview of John Lewis's new Autumn Winter 2024 collection last week, and what was I most excited by? A colour trend that I can seen having a big influence on the best sofas – and one I can't wait to see making waves in homes up and down the country.
Our love of the velvet green sofa has been an enduring constant over the last few seasons, but I spy a new colour challenger stepping up to take over the charge. Say hello to caramel, the shade that I think we'll be seeing everywhere this autumn (and beyond), and that's poised to be the latest sofa colour trend.
'Caramel is a rich and cosy colour from nature that brings both comfort and luxury. It works wonderfully in a modern scheme across velvets and marble, offering warmth to a more minimal aesthetic,' says Melanie Archer, Colour Expert and Designer at John Lewis. 'Caramel and auburn shades will be a contender for the grounding greens we have seen dominate the last few seasons.'
I've been lapping up the rich, earthy shades that have been sweeping through interiors – so much so, that I recently painted my downstairs loo a luxurious terracotta – and caramel sits comfortably in this palette. In fact, looking around my home now, I already have a few caramel accents that have crept into my decorating scheme recently, including a couple of caramel cushions on the bench seating in my kitchen.
When I stop to think about it, the colour has been on my design radar since Little Greene launched their Sweet Treats collection last autumn – a collection of warm neutrals, inspired by tones of honey, caramel and chocolate.
And why is caramel perfect for sofas? As a statement neutral it gets brownie points for versatility, which is what you're looking for when choosing an investment piece like a sofa that you want to last beyond a flash-in-the-pan micro-trend. Mustard sofas have also enjoyed a moment this year, but let's face it – in reality, yellow is harder to live with (and a bigger commitment) than this rich shade, with its neutral brown base mixed with a look-at-me hint of orange.
Caramel pairs well with a spectrum of accent colours from red (the unexpected red theory isn't going anywhere) to calmer pale shades of blue or green.
This sofa colour also works brilliantly in different fabrics. In a linen it's has a more relaxed, boho feel, or in velvet (as I saw at John Lewis) it'll add a luxe touch to your living space, with the depth of colour really accentuated. At the preview it was shown off to perfection on the elegant new sofa design, inspired by the brand's bestselling Blocky armchair. Having sat on the Blocky sofa last week, I can confirm it ticks the box for comfort, and the sculptural legs give it a design edge.
If you can't wait until the Blocky sofa drops in September, start to introduce this must-have new colour now with accent cushions on your sofa, or a few well-placed accessories like vases, lamps or throws dotted across the space.
This tactile velvet cushion is a quick and easy way to introduce on-trend caramel to your existing sofa
This retro-inspired table lamp will add a shot of caramel on a sideboard or bedside table
This set of two upholstered tub chairs hits two trends in one – caramel and boucle
So I'm calling it. Caramel is my colour pick for Autumn Winter 2024, and we'll be seeing it on sofas left, right and centre right throughout 2025.
