Interior Design Trends — The 16 Defining Ideas for Decorating Homes in 2025

At Livingetc, we like to talk about trends in interior design — but sometimes ‘trends’ can feel like a bit of a dirty word. “Trends aren’t timeless”, people say, but I like to think of it differently. A trend isn’t some fleeting fancy that’s in one day and out the other, it’s the story of how style evolves over time, and a record of the new ways that the most exciting creative minds in interiors are expressing themselves at any given moment.

Of course, trends do, as is their nature, reach a saturation point, at which point some other way to decorate may usurp them in the design zeitgeist. The good news? If it’s something you truly love, and have consciously invested in, a good expression of your personal style is something that never goes out of fashion.

But, unless you spend every day looking at beautiful homes and the work of new designers like I do (it’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it), it can be hard to get a foothold on what’s happening in design right now — which is where we come in.

Up until now, this list has been focused on the trends that we've really seen take hold in the past year — now, we're taking a forward look at what's coming through for 2025. Don't get me wrong, this is no stab in the dark. Whether informed by color forecasts, the collections we're seeing launched now, or the work of the most exciting interior designers, these predictions come from hundreds of combined hours of our editors looking at the best examples of contemporary design, and talking to the people behind them. We can guarantee that these trending ideas aren't going to be a flash in the pan.

What are the biggest interior design trends for 2025?

For 2025, the general mood in design continues a lot of the ideas that have been popular in 2024, but elevated to become more dynamic. Warmth, comfort, and cocooning colors persist, but in more dramatic applications. While the playfulness in design of recent years isn't going anywhere, we're also seeing a more sophisticated, 'tailored' approach to interiors coming through, too.

Our list covers a lot of bases, from layout and color trends to ideas that are defining how we decorate different rooms in the house in the year to come.

1. The Mood — Member's Club

Playful design isn't going anywhere, but for 2025, we're seeing a subtle shift from the more juvenile interpretation of this idea we've seen before — think pastels, stripes, and bulbous shapes used in joyful yet chic ways — towards something a little more grown-up and sophisticated.

There's still a sense of revelry in the design, though, rather reminiscent of the adult playgrounds of private member's clubs. Think elevated, but boisterous.

Livingetc's executive editor Pip Rich thinks of it in terms of an outfit. "A blend of soft lines in luxe fabrics, comfortable shapes and high-end upholstery — it’s the decorating equivalent of a flared tailored suit, or a pinstripe jacket left open to show a floaty silk shirt. That mix of put-together yet relaxed, of smart yet not formal."

2. The Color Trend — Oxblood

There are a few color trends floating in the ether for 2025, but the one we can almost guarantee will make the most waves is this shade of dark red. Whether you're drawn to the redder quality of burgundy, or the near-brown of a shade such as oxblood, this rich and decadent color is undoubtedly the wall color that has designers, and our editors, most excited right now.

It's a color that's also been picked up, in some shade or degree, as the Color of the Year for 2025, with four or five paint brands individually forecasting colors similar to this shade as their predictions for the year to come. That feels pretty conclusive.

So why do we love it? It may be dark and dramatic, but "It’s not a color that feels harsh, because of the brown tones in it," according to interior designer Anne McDonald. "There's something about it that is so grounded that I actually think of oxblood as neutral, the same way I'd approach blush tones."

3. The Paint Trend — 'Double Drenching'

Color drenching is an inescapable trend in how we decorate our homes these days. If you’ve not come across the term before, it basically refers to a style of decorating where everything is painted the same color — think walls, ceilings, trim, baseboard and doors. It can even go one step further, incorporating furniture and decor into the monochromatic look.

This paint trend has replaced harsh contrasts — generally between walls painted in color and ceilings painted in so-called Brilliant White — for rooms that feel more harmonious, and enveloping. "These days with all the chaos in the world, creating a cocoon in one's personal space is more important than ever," Lia McNairy from LaLa Reimagined tells us. "This is why we love to paint the ceiling, walls, crown molding, and baseboards all in one color to give us a sense of security and make us feel like we are living in a jewel box."

Color drenching will still be everywhere in 2025, but we're seeing a new idea come through, too — an idea called 'double drenching'. Christened by paint brand Little Greene, it's a subtler take on the trend, using slight tonal differences to add a little more nuance, while preserving the low-contrast quality we're seeing so much of in contemporary design.

4. The Decorating Trend — Statement Ceilings

If there’s been only one major shift in decorating our homes in the last decade, it’s how we approach ceiling decorating ideas. Where once, the default was white, no matter what else was happening in the room, we’re now seeing it as one of the main canvases for expression in our homes, whether you choose to paint, panel, or even choose a bold ceiling wallpaper idea.

"When you do something dramatic with the ceiling it creates an enveloping moment, it surrounds people, literally, with the experience," interior designer Summer Thornton, founder of Summer Thornton Design, explains. "I'll oftentimes incorporate them when I'm trying to exaggerate the space and add an extra layer of interest."

5. The Kitchen Trend — Partitioned Spaces

Now this one might prove a bit controversial — after all, don’t we all dream of the open-concept kitchen layout? The answer is, still, yes. The open-concept kitchen shifted how we use our homes for good, but that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect fit for everyone.

In reaction to wanting to bring back a sense of coziness to these spaces, and the ability to create a sense of separation at will, we’re seeing elements of closed-plan spaces return as a kitchen trend, though in a way that permits the best of both worlds. "One change afoot is the rise of partition walls to zone off a kitchen, as designers embrace non-load bearing elements to blur the lines between spaces," Livingetc’s contributing editor Keith Flanagan writes. "Anything from interior glass windows to generous arched doorways and strategically placed free-standing cabinetry can give shape and structure to otherwise exposed cooking areas."

6. The Bathroom Trend — 'Ugly' Bathroom Colors

One overarching trend you’ll notice throughout our list is a return of materials and colors that were once considered dated, even ugly. And in no place more will you find it than in the bathroom. Bathroom trends are moving away from the inoffensive, sterile white boxes they used to be — now, anything goes in these small spaces, especially when it comes to color.

"Think browns, olive greens, deep reds and terracotta oranges," says Livingetc's interiors editor Emma Breislin. "These traditionally 1970s shades are really bringing a new sense of style to bathrooms, especially if you pay attention to the details."

What's the secret to make this color scheme feel deserving of modern bathroom, rather than a retro pastiche? "It's all about the materials," Emma says. "Dressing up this color scheme with sophisticated natural stones, zellige tiles, and chic fixtures and finishes elevates it from the dated color scheme it was once considered."

7. The Lighting Trend — Noguchi-Style Pendants

The big light is dead, long live the big light. The move away from harsh overhead lighting has become something, at this point, ingrained in the cultural psyche, not just in interior design trends. That means the biggest lighting trends at the moment all focus around wall sconces, concealed LED lighting and accent lighting that beautifies your space at night.

The trend we’re most entranced by is the idea of still using pendant lights, but in odd corners and alongside furniture in place of floor and table lamps. It’s a style probably most popularized by these Noguchi paper lantern pendants, a design classic that’s made a comeback in homes in a big way over the past year or two. And yes, while an original Noguchi paper lantern is likely to set you back a few thousand dollars, what we like about this trend is it’s achievable on different levels. "Paper lanterns are now sold in many places for lower prices," say Jesse Rudolph and Joelle Kutner of design studio Ome Dezin, who used a Noguchi piece in this room design, "so you can create your own take on this design pretty easily."

8. The Wallpaper Trend — Classic Frescoes

It hasn’t been fussy prints or accent walls that have been the emerging trend in wallpaper this year — it’s the return of the traditional-style mural. Modern wall mural ideas peak in popularity a few years ago, so designers are now instead turning to heritage and heritage-inspired designs wrapped around every wall in a room.

"Transportive vistas that take you to another time and place — whether exotic botanicals or picturesque waterscapes — have undoubtedly come through as the big wallpaper trend, favored by A list designers," says Emma Breislin Livingetc’s interiors editor. "It's a more classic application of wallpaper, but it just feels right for spaces right now."

9. The Era — 70s Chic

Choosing the era that’s most inspiring design right now was a tough choice between the 1990s and 1970s. Both are pulling through in fashion right now, as well as interiors. For the 1990s, nostalgic throwbacks and a ravecore aesthetic are proving popular with Gen Z, and we’re even seeing materials return like chrome that encapsulate a return to pre-millennium kitsch.

However, when it comes to luxury design, it’s really the 70s that’s making waves. At Milan Design Week this year, retro textures and color pairings were everywhere — think shag pile, chenille and combinations of purple, green, orange and burgundy.

"Italian design brand Baxter perhaps captured in best this year," says Livingetc’s executive editor Pip Rich. "It’s 70s style but there's a filter of elegance, a more grown-up vision laid on top, where the colors have richer, deeper tones, and are complemented by materials that elevate them."

We're also seeing 70s style serving ware as a huge table trend — think ornamental oyster plates, digestif glasses and characterful serving dishes that help your host with renewed flourish.

10. The Table Trend - Post-Modern Sculpture

Whether for dining tables, side tables, or as a coffee table trend, a sculptural style inspired by 1980s post-modernism is coming through in designs with interesting, out-there bases and legs.

It's a design reference that interior designer Greg Natale has drawn on for his own projects and furniture design. "It lends this interesting interplay to the rest of the room, making it a sculptural art object without taking from the minimalist aspect of the overall interior design," he says.

11. The Sofa Trend - Deep and Meaningful

Last year’s sofa trends are still going strong — think the curved boucle sofa or the Camaleonda. However, there’s a little bit of an evolution in the homes of designers looking to choose seating that is more generous in proportion, allowing for lounging and socializing while sprawling out in a space.

From conversation pits to pit sofas, rounded chaise sofas to deep, bespoke window seats. They're the perfect solution for media rooms, as well as creating small nooks around the house for relaxing and socializing.

The key to making it work, whatever style of sofa you choose? "Providing lots of pillows in a variety of sizes so that the user can really utilize the space according to their needs," says Gretchen Klebs of design studio Medium Plenty, who designed the living room above.

12. The Fabric Trend - Chenille

There’s a reason we think chenille, a textile we’d have once considered dated, is making a comeback right now. And it undoubtedly is — this fabric was everywhere at both Paris and Milan Design Week this year.

Think of chenille as an evolution of the velvet trend. The velvet sofa has become inescapable, at every level of decor — but it’s also getting harder and harder to tell an expensive and a cheap velvet sofa apart. Enter chenille — it’s a fabric that’s got a little more depth, richness, and texture than a classic velvet has. It has some of those tactile qualities that a boucle has, too, as well as feeding into the retro-yet-elevated aesthetic we’re seeing filter in through a 70s style lens.

13. The Metallic Trend — Chrome

Brass is the metallic trend that’s not going anywhere anytime soon, but cool metallics — silver, aluminum, polished chrome, brushed steel — have all made a surprising comeback this year in interior schemes.

"There is something about a cool metallic that has a level of sophistication that sometimes brass can't pull over," New Jersey-based designer Sarah Storms tells us. And we know what she means. Chrome, and finishes like brushed steel, have an understated effortless about them — they make a room feel less-considered, less-designed which, in the right place, equates to just the right amount of chic.

14. The Accent Chair Trend — It’s Still Boucle

You might be so over the boucle accent chair as a trend, but let me re-assure you, it’s not going anywhere. This fabric is the overwhelming trend seen throughout projects and design fairs around the world — though there is a point of difference in how we’re using it in 2025.

The monolithic, bright white boucle of previous years has been replaced by something that feels a little more sophisticated. Think a looser texture — less one note, and more slubby, with more peaks and troughs. As well as looking beyond white altogether when it comes to boucle, we’re also seeing white boucles with a less pure base — something like a beige, gray or black — that gives a greater depth to the fabric, and avoids the now-cheapened ‘teddy bear’ textile aesthetic that an all-white boucle can sometimes feel like.

15. The Wood Trend — Wood Drenching

You've heard of color drenching, but what about wood drenching? It's a similar concept — but instead of paint, you use wood wall paneling as far as the eye can see.

It's something that we've seen in modern, architectural builds for a while, but with lighter, blonde-colored oaks. The trend's manifestation for 2025, however, is bolder and more dramatic, using darker woods that have classically been thought of as more traditional.

However, there are certain additions you need to make to the space, especially if you don't want it to feel dated when using dark wood. "To do this, incorporate rich, textural upholstery, natural stones, and metals," says Austin Carrier, interior designer and founder of Hommeboys. "The balance of these materials is really important to get the look right."

16. The Rug Trend — Irregular rugs

Irregular rugs are striking designs that undoubtedly have all been created to own the floor. Not only do these living room rugs have an eye-catching print, but they’re also all shaping a new outline in design, quite literally, as they all sport an unconventional shape.

Whether you’re going curvy, geometric, or angular, these top sports all boast a little bit of ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, and we’re ready to embrace it. "Scallop edges are not going away for a while and I'm here for it," says interior design Cat Daal. "We love a playful moment, so we have just proposed Henry Holland's Diagonal melt carpet as the stripes literally 'melt' in the corner of the rug which is such a piece of art."

Altogether, these different elements paint the picture of what new design projects will look like in the year to come and offer some perspective about the small changes we can make now to update homes to keep them feeling fresh and inspiring.

The most important thing is to make bold, authentic decisions — after all, you can't go wrong with embracing a trend if you choose it because it inspires you.