Designers Swear by This Coffee-Inspired Palette for Creating a Cozier Home

Published on September 9, 2025

Like an espresso crowned with a cloud of whipped foam, the color pairing of rich browns and milky whites is pure comfort. Quiet and easy to live with, it’s also a classic that doesn’t age, and designers know that shades of cocoa, cinnamon, or raw sugar paired with cream hues create depth without heaviness. Four pros show us why this palette—like a cappuccino from your favorite coffee shop—is an invitation to slow your scroll and savor the coziness. We've got their top tips for incorporating the combo in your own home:

Set the Tone

 Combining browns can create instant tone-on-tone warmth, as this dining room in a loft designed by Billy Cotton proves. Just keep their undertones similar so they don’t clash, says Daniel LeBlanc, studio manager for the firm. “Color temperature is key to harmony. These surfaces are all warm and rich, so they blend nicely without feeling too neutral.”

The ecru and alabaster elements feel balanced against the matte brown walls (painted Benjamin Moore Weathered Oak) thanks to their colossal footprint: the Noguchi paper lantern spans 44" wide and the 1970s dining table is made of travertine. “It is immediately calming,” LeBlanc says of the tonal effect.

Play with Texture

 By sticking to a cohesive palette of creams and midtone white oaks in this living room, designer Maureen Ursino put the focus on texture. “Whitewashed brick, an upholstered chair, a wool rug—all play together nicely to bring that warmth and depth,” she says. Their pale, nubby surfaces are complemented by tactile wood tones in the paneled shelving units, live-edge coffee table, and woven rope chair.

Artwork by Alisa Galitsyna enlivens the room. Injections of jet black in the fireplace and wall lights anchor the space. “It’s like that last layer of makeup,” Ursino says. “A quick [swipe] of mascara and you feel put together.”

Soften Louder Colors

Because this kitchen opens to a sitting room, it “needed to feel sophisticated,” says Nicole Salvesen, co-founder of design firm Salvesen & Graham. The soft caramel envelope achieved that while making the more vibrant accents easier to live with, the designer notes. The mellow whites—such as on the elegantly scalloped bench skirting—were important “to create a gentle contrast.”

Embrace Earthiness

“Materials that come from nature or reference it have an inherently calming effect,” says interior designer Alvin Wayne. In his monochromatic bedroom, a wallpaper mural made to look like travertine limestone creates a palette that “cocoons you” in the feeling of the natural world, especially paired with the wood finishes and plush ivory accents. The effect: “cozy and peaceful,” Wayne says.