Color trends tend to be cyclical, with particular hues rotating in and out of popularity. The last few years have seen a turn toward earthy hues like browns, khakis, and subdued shades of orange, including terracotta. A beguiling shade of orange-brown, terracotta has been popping up in many home brands’ collections this year, making it a natural choice for our Living Color column.

Terracotta’s current moment in the spotlight doesn’t surprise Natalie Papier, an artist and interior designer based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the creator behind Home Ec: “The beauty of terracotta is that it is limitless: it almost reads as a neutral,” says Papier. “I have not seen any color that doesn’t work with it.”

Papier suggests using the color anywhere you want serenity or a cozy feeling: a bedroom, a living room, or even a bathroom. “It’s a very transitional color for a lot of spaces, but if you’re not looking for bold energy, it’s a perfect warm color,” she says, noting it works really well in small spaces. For those inspired to try this of-the-moment orange, Papier and three other interior designers offer tips and tricks for working with this color.

Add glow to a room.

“I always love a painted ceiling, but in dining and living rooms in particular, a terracotta ceiling just casts such a nice warm, rosy glow,” says Papier, who painted her living/dining room ceiling in this hue four years ago. “It feels very warm, comforting, and natural where it’s not in your face,” she adds. Papier notes that, because the ceiling doesn’t get all the light that your walls do, paint stays pretty true to color overhead.

Get the color right.

Papier and the other experts we spoke with encourage homeowners to sample paint colors before committing. Papier says to try some slightly bolder shades of terracotta than you might initially be drawn to. “You have to pick a shade that’s a little bit deeper with terracotta because it can run too orange or too peach. If you want that warmth, you’re going to have to go with a little bit more depth.”

Play it up with white or black.

Papier likes to pair terracotta with both white and black. “I think it is more impactful to show off its true color,” she says. “Crisp white gives it that balance of a kind of negative space for warmth—it feels a little bit more modern and intentional.” She adds that, when it’s balanced with “some graphic black and white, you have this really warm space, and then you have this crisp, modern, clean element in the space, too.”

Try it with pure colors.

However, pairings for terracotta are not limited to neutrals.“When you take that terracotta color and layer different colors on it, you’re getting a fresh take on it,” Papier says. When combining terracotta with other hues, Papier suggests contrasting it with colors that feel more color forward. “If you have another muddied color, it can fall a little flat,” she cautions.

Pair it with blue.

“Pairing terracotta with blue is as classic and timeless as the earth and sky,” says Bronwyn McCarthy Huffard, principal and lead designer of Portland’s Huffard House. They are also the colors of earth and water: Annie Downing of Annie DowningInteriors in Austin, Texas, paired terracotta in a bathroom located directly off the pool but also accessible from the interior hallway. “We loved this Moroccan tile, and the combination of the blue tile and the warm terracotta felt like the perfect combination of cool and warm tones,” says Downing.

Create depth.

In a recent project, Huffard painted the backs of a client’s built-in bookcases with Farrow and Ball’s Picture Gallery Red, a deep shade of terracotta to add “warmth and earthy character to the space.” The effect is subtle but impactful. As Huffard says, “It is a welcoming, grounding accent that invites connection with the space and helps set off the other colors chosen in furnishings and art.”

Swap it out for girly pink.

When Bethany Adams of Bethany Adams Interiors in Louisville, Kentucky, had clients ask her for a color palette that would appeal to their daughter without being too “girly,” Adams turned to terracotta. “It’s the perfect color to use because it is fresh, fun, and feminine without the fussiness and frilliness of a traditional pink girl’s room,” says Adams.

Ground it in a pattern.

Adams likes to pull terracotta from a wallpaper or a printed fabric. “Anchoring the terracotta with dark green, beige, flax, and delicate doses of pink—all found in the wallpaper—brings more depth and playfulness to the room,” says Adams of the girl’s room she designed with terracotta accents.

Use it in rooms with brick.

Huffard notes that terra-cotta is a natural complement to a room with brick elements, like a fireplace or floor. “Terracotta will bring a sense of cohesiveness to the room without being boring,” she says.

Bring it outdoors.

Terracotta is naturally at home outside. A collection of terracotta pots adds a Mediterranean vibe to any porch or patio, while earthy-orange cushions offer a splash of color that is effortless outdoors, blending easily with wood furnishings, brick elements, and many plants. It’s also trending in the marketplace: West Elm, Blu Dot, Neighbor, and CB2 all have terracotta in their 2024 outdoor furnishing collections.

Terracotta, More Than Just Pots

Terracotta, the color, gets its name from terracotta, the material, whose name is an Italian term that means “baked earth.” When people hear the phrase terracotta, they often think of vessels, particularly clay pots, but terracotta can be any type of fired clay. Terracotta also has a long history in architecture, including roofing, floor tiles, facing, and ornamentation.

Terracotta has been used in architecture across the globe since ancient times. In more recent history, terracotta enjoyed something of a revival in the late nineteenth century. After being used decoratively, terracotta became a practical choice for building exteriors because it was a lightweight, fireproof material that could sheath the new steel-frame buildings: The Flatiron Building in New York and the Wrigley Building in Chicago, for example, both feature terracotta cladding.

In Architect magazine, Mike Jackson explains terracotta’s next chapter in architecture: “Architectural terracotta evolved with the stylistic changes in America in the 1930s. Traditional ornamental styles gave way to more geometric shapes rather than symbolic motifs. Flat terracotta panels with contrasting graphic designs allowed a traditional material to compete with then-new materials such as structural glass and porcelain enamel.”

In contemporary times, renowned architect Renzo Piano gave the material a boost when he began working on largescale terracotta projects in the late 1900s, including Berlin’s Potsdamer Square, which has a modernist, curved terracotta facade. Today, architects are giving terracotta cladding another look because of its minimal environmental impact: natural, recyclable, and often locally sourced, terracotta has a relatively low carbon footprint. Here in Maine, the architectural firm LEVER has designed a new wing for the Portland Museum of Art that will feature natural and regional materials, including Maine-sourced terracotta.

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