3 retro bedroom colour schemes that are back in fashion – how to make them feel modern this time around

Can you remember what colour you loved in your bedroom when you were growing up? Because you might just find that same colour is now back in fashion, as retro bedroom colours have started creeping back into our social feeds.

Bedroom colour schemes have a special place in most of our hearts as they are the first place many of us will have had any input into how a room looks.

'Colour is a powerful time machine when it comes to sparking memories and emotion,' explains Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director & Colour Expert at Dulux. 'So, it’s natural that we gravitate towards those we associate with happy moments from the past, because they are familiar and comforting.'

When we talk about colours being 'retro', we mean from around the 1950s up until the late 1990s (which for millennials like myself is now unbelievably pushing 30 years ago!) Throughout that 50-year period, homeowners embraced a whole host of shades in their homes, from avocado-green bathrooms to Formica-blue kitchens, and even metallics had their moment.

According to industry colour experts and stylists, these 3 retro bedroom colours are staging a comeback, but this isn't a time warp. This is how to use these colours in a way that feels modern (if a little nostalgic).

1. Orange

The first of our retro bedroom colours that is back in fashion is orange. An unlikely shade for a bedroom, you might think, but it's actually been making waves for a while now.

'When you say retro bedroom colours, my mind immediately goes to the 70s - think orange and brown,' comments Emma Morton-Turner, Interior Stylist & Founder of Inside Stylists

'These warm, traditionally autumnal hues have been creeping back into interiors across the seasons now, and they absolutely work today. What stops them feeling dated is how they’re being paired with fresher, happier tones — like lilac!'

'It sounds unlikely, but lilac and orange is a surprisingly perfect combo for bedrooms. Just look at what brands like Next and Dunelm are doing with bedding — even the shapes have gone retro.'

Emma Morton-Tuner

Emma has been an Interior stylist and writer for over 20 years. After five years as Home Editor at Woman and Home, she went freelance and hasn't looked back. She has styled magazine photo shoots, company brochures, press launches and has filmed video tutorials for the web too. She writes features for interiors magazines too, and is the founder of InsideStylists where she writes blog posts and records podcasts.

'Bedroom fabrics are also taking on a modern approach to a retro style. Corduroy is one that back in the day was small like the skinny lines of needlecord which are now huge jumbo cords. They’re perfect for headboards, a bedroom chair or a cushion to finish styling your bed and bringing it bang on trend today,' continues Emma.

'For years, grey bedrooms have reigned supreme as the modern go-to colour, but now our love for all-things retro is seeing vintage colours make a comeback,' adds Marianne.

'When it comes to a retro bedroom colour that we're seeing back in fashion, Orange is the middle ground to yellow’s optimism and red’s fearless energy – two things we tend to associate and admire in our older generations. So, colours like Tuscan Treasure 2 and Orange Fizz tend to have a sentimental nostalgia, as if receiving words of wisdom from your grandparents. Although, like being told what to do as a kid, it can be quite like Marmite and not to everyone’s taste.'

2. Lilac

The second of our retro bedroom colours emerging as big for 2025, and as Emma has already mentioned, is lilac. I definitely remember having a lilac bedroom in my early teens, which I'm fairly sure I paired with a daisy-print bedroom wallpaper border. But over 25 years later I can once again embrace a lilac bedroom (won't my husband be pleased!)

'Lilac has made a real comeback in the last few years,' comments Joanna Thornhill, Interior Stylist, Writer and Trend Forecaster, 'but unlike the cooler tones popular in the 90s, which were often paired with equally-cool greys and silvers, the way it’s being used now is on the warmer side of the colour wheel, which can make it feel far more cosy and welcoming in a bedroom.'

'Shades with undertones of red and black, which give it a slightly muddy mauve look, act almost as a new-neutral, and can work really well with similarly warm-toned darker accents like berry and Bordeaux.'

Emma adds, 'If we’re talking 90s retro (and I’m really showing my age here because wasn’t that just yesterday!), today’s version is far bolder. We’re seeing lilacs and pinks together again, but this time they’re styled with chrome and sculptural silhouettes that say ‘statement’ not subtle. It’s all about confidence, pattern, and a playful nostalgia that still feels fresh, even if you have a small bedroom.'

3. Brown

The final of our retro bedroom colours that is back in fashion is shades of brown. With Pantone's Mocha Mousse flooding the interiors world earlier this year, it's no surprise that this shade from years past is back in the limelight.

'Retro style in interior design draws inspiration from the bold, playful look of the 1950s through to the 1970s and beyond', comments Kathryn Lloyd, Colour Specialist at Crown.

'Think bright colours, striking patterns, quirky furniture, and graphic artwork all brought into the modern day with a fresh twist. Today’s retro-inspired interiors take those iconic elements and reimagine them for contemporary spaces.'

'While it's not necessarily one specific colour that defines a retro scheme, we’re seeing a return of soft, earthy tones such as clay-like shades, pale ochres and warm tans alongside more vibrant, saturated palettes that inject energy into a space.'

'Tan shades are a hallmark of retro interiors', continues Kathryn. 'In the 1970s, these colours became popular as a reaction to the loud, psychedelic palette of the 1960s. As that decade gave way to economic struggles, political unrest, and a more serious national mood, the bright, carefree spirit of the previous decade began to feel out of place. Instead, people gravitated toward warm, autumnal and more natural tones like tans, ochres, and oranges.'

Joanna agrees, adding 'Decor schemes in the 1970s were typified by slightly garish shades of avocado, orange and brown - and while all these colours have become far more popular in recent years, we’re now seeing them show up as more sunset-style tones like sun-bleached terracotta, golden ochre and rich olive green. These can work wonderfully in a bedroom to give a splash of vibrancy that still blends into the background.'

So is your favourite retro shade making a comeback for 2025? Or are there some other colours you think are overdue a return to fashion?