Mustard yellow, olive green, terracotta: what's behind the return of warm tones? traduzido por: OPENROUTER

Decor has rediscovered its taste for color. Mustard yellow, olive green, terracotta, burgundy, and earthy tones in general have been gaining ground in the most recent interior projects, especially at CASACOR Espírito Santo 2026, where this movement appears in projects with very different purposes — from bistros to living rooms — but guided by the same logic: using warm color as a tool for warmth, memory, and identity.

The warm tone as a resource for coziness

Part of this comeback is due to the rise of maximalism, a style that rejects visual economy and bets on layers of color, texture, and objects with personal meaning. Warm tones are, historically, the natural vocabulary of this style — they work as a base for projects that seek to convey presence and affection.

Fernando Zacché Arquitetos - Estar Pulsar. Projeto da CASACOR Espírito Santo 2026. (Felipe Araújo/CASACOR)

This is the logic that appears in Estar Pulsar, by Fernando Zacché Arquitetos. The living room, described as a visual essay on the cadence of life and affective bonds, balances architectural rationality with more dramatic textures: black stone flooring, dark wood, and leather create a cocoon-like atmosphere, reinforced by pieces such as the Mirage quartzite table and a wine cellar with exposed structural rebar. Here, the warm tone is not an isolated finish — it is part of a tactile composition that sustains the central idea of the project.

Affective memory also has color

Cris Locatelli - Living Maria. Projeto da CASACOR Espírito Santo 2026. (Felipe Araújo/CASACOR)

Another strong front behind the return of earthy tones is the appreciation of personal memory within the architectural project. In Living Maria, by Cris Locatelli, the palette of earthy tones and faded greens was chosen to translate the affection for the architect's mother: the wood "wraps like a lap", as the architect describes, and a china cabinet with a floral pattern reinforces this more sensitive layer.

Débora Bicalho Arquitetura - De Volta. Projeto da CASACOR Espírito Santo 2026. (Felipe Araújo/CASACOR)

A similar movement appears in the TV De Volta room, by Débora Bicalho Arquitetura. Conceived as a refuge from the excess of contemporary stimuli, the project bets on wood and artisanal textures, with emphasis on an exclusive cross-stitch tapestry that evokes the traditional Brazilian home — an object that, in itself, already carries a direct association with warm and welcoming tones.

From burgundy to vintage: color as a throwback to a bygone era

Cris Locatelli - Cave Au Vin. Projeto da CASACOR Espírito Santo 2026. (Felipe Araújo/CASACOR)

Warm tones also appear associated with a retro aesthetic, harking back to past decades or classic European references. In Cave Au Vin, a bistro also signed by Cris Locatelli, textures of dark wood, leather, and natural stones in burgundy tones recreate the atmosphere of traditional French cellars — a palette that evokes both comfort and an older, almost theatrical elegance, reinforced by low scenic lighting.

Studio Christian Vieira - Studio Legacy. Projeto da CASACOR Espírito Santo 2026. (Felipe Araújo/CASACOR)

In Studio Legacy, by Christian Vieira, the vintage inspiration appears even more explicitly: the project revives the heritage of an old hotel, keeping original electrical and hydraulic infrastructure elements exposed over the period flooring — a setting where warm tones and aged materials create precisely that nostalgic effect that has guided part of contemporary decoration.

Terracotta and sand: when the palette evokes the earth

Studio Sì - Cooltiva Café e Bistrô. Projeto da CASACOR Espírito Santo 2026. (Felipe Araújo/CASACOR)

Finally, there is a strand more associated with autumn aesthetics — a color palette that directly evokes nature in transition, with terracotta, sand and golden tones at the center of the composition. In Cooltiva Café e Bistrô, by Studio Sì, designed by Italla Monti and Solana Marianelli, this palette travels through terracotta and sand nuances, combined with structures covered in natural fiber weaves and large-scale handcrafted light fixtures. The space's conceptual landscaping, with natural overhead lighting, reinforces this sense of warmth and organicity.

traduzido por: OPENROUTER