I got an early look at the autumn 2026 homeware collections – mark my words, these colours are going to dominate our homes come September

Even though we’re still in the middle of summer and most of us are bracing for another heatwave ahead of next week, my email inbox is already filling with autumn lookbooks. I got an early look at the upcoming collections from the likes of John Lewis, Habitat, Very and Dunelm – and there is a clear autumn 2026 colour palette all of them have in common.

As Ideal Home’s Room Decor Editor, it’s part of my job to identify new home decor and colour trends. While there are usually commonalities I can spot across different collections, the lookbooks that have landed in my inbox thus far and the collections I’ve seen IRL have had a very similar look - colour-loving Scandi meets 70s with pattern aplenty - as well as a consistent colour scheme. So much so that I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking all the images here came from the same brand and the same collection.

The 6 main colours that are sure to make their way into your (and my) home come this September are light blue, burgundy, rust, caramel, dark green and yellow. If you’re thinking that you’ve been seeing these colour trends for the past couple of seasons already, you’re not wrong – this is really the first time that home decor trends are not rapidly changing with every single season, but rather they’re being evolved and built upon. And that’s exactly what I’m predicting for autumn 2026.

What’s the autumn 2026 colour palette?

• Light blue – blue’s been one of the biggest colour trends of this year and it’s not going anywhere. But for autumn, soft, powdery blues are being favoured over other shades.
• Burgundy – deep cherry red and burgundy have been trending ever since the start of last year. This year, we’ve been seeing them paired with soft blues which is how brands are using them for autumn 2026, too. But a combination of burgundy and dark green is also super chic.

• Rust – earthy terracotta shades just make sense for the autumn season. So I’m not at all surprised to see them represented so prominently. But it’s also a colour trend that’s been favoured for a few seasons now. For a cosy, earthy colour scheme, pair it with brown and caramel.
• Caramel – brown is another major colour trend that’s not going anywhere anytime soon. But while dark chocolate brown is still a thing, I’ve been seeing lighter caramel shades pop up so much more across the new collections. And I’m here for it.

• Dark green – is there ever a time when green is not a thing?! I don’t think so. This autumn, dark, earthy moss and olive green shades are taking over, being paired with everything from caramel to rust and even yellow.
• Yellow – butter yellow is another colour trend that shows no signs of slowing down, even for autumn 2026. It's paired with soft blues, as well as different shades of brown. But aside from buttery shades, deeper ochre tones are also popping up and they look great with everything from blues to greens.

Even though most of the autumn 2026 collections are not fully launching till next month, a few pieces from the John Lewis and Dunelm autumn ranges are already dropping here and there. And if you’re into any of these shades or even the entire colour palette, you can invest in pieces available now. Here are some of my top picks to get the look now.

Get the autumn 2026 look

If this is what this autumn has in store for us, I’m genuinely excited. I will mourn the end of the summer, but cosy season has its charm, too.