2025 Design Trends

Lived-In, Collected Spaces

Call it the Nancy Meyers effect, but I think we’re going to see a resurgence of collected, lived-in homes. Rooms that are interesting to look at, and ones you see something “new” every time you look at it. This includes finding items that are unique only to that home, including a mix of old and new items that each home curates individually. Along these lines, I find that I really don’t enjoy online home tours much any more unless they’re styled in a way that makes them feel lived-in. It’s a much more editorial look, but overall it just makes it feel much more like a home – rather than a model home that anyone could replicate! I like to see items on the counters and layered coffee tables, where it looks like the house is actually lived in, and not that just-moved-in look.

Less Drywall

Along the lines of the topic above, what I mean by less drywall is less blank spaces. There was a period where everyone wanted all-white everything, and minimalism was king. But I think we’re going to see a trend moving back to hanging art and family photos and overall more personalized “things” on our walls. With that, I also think we’re going to see a lot more paint colors on walls (even if that color is a warm neutral, rather than just white).

More Color

I wish I could remember where I saw it (please let me know if you know), but there was a video recently where the designer said over the coming decade, we’ll witness the death of the “Apple Store aesthetic”. That analogy really stuck with me because it’s exactly how I feel. No more cold spaces painted gray with no personality. I think we’ll start seeing colors back on walls and in our textiles and decor in general! I also think we’ll see the color-drenching trend build momentum, where the full room is one color (walls, trim, and ceiling). Warm tones will rule and grays will continue to disappear more and more. And although I don’t plan to go this bold, I expect to see a lot of really saturated, rich colors back on the walls.

The Return of Silver

Much like browns and beiges, I don’t believe silver actually ever went anywhere. But it also wasn’t the “it” finish. With so many making the move to gold-tones over the past decade, it’s starting to feel really fresh and exciting when I see polished nickel (or chrome) in a space! Keep your eyes open for this trend, because I think it will be a slower moving one, but I really think silver finishes are coming back in a big way! I personally am also loving silver accents in spaces like trays, vases, serving ware and more. Side note: I still think we’ll see a lot of gold and brass tones. But silver is making a comeback!

Less Fast Decor

Much like fast fashion, I’m hoping we’ll see a reduction in fast decor. With the pandemic and a shortage or super long lead times on so many home decor products, many people (me included!) had a scarcity mindset and bought things even if they didn’t love them – and simply because it was in stock and available. Add in the fact that big designers like Studio McGee and JoAnna Gaines started offering designer pieces at big box prices, and many would buy because it was cheap, even if it wasn’t needed or something truly loved. I’m not sure if this comes with age or the end of an era, but I see a slower pace to purchasing, with people having more time now to research, wait, and invest in pieces that are best-suited for their tastes and lifestyle! I also see more people incorporating antiques and/or family heirlooms mixed with newer furniture. I think we’ll also see more brands focusing on sustainability and eco-friendly, natural products.

Classic Coastal Resurgence and The Fisherman Trend

Over the past several months, I’ve been seeing more and more stores include coastal elements in their catalogs. Such a joy for me! And much like the coastal grandmother aesthetic that was popular a few years ago, I consider this more of a coastal grandfather vibe mixed with Nantucket prep and Americana. I think for spring and summer we’ll see coastal styles appearing in ways like fish, shells, and net motifs, and by fall and winter we’ll see the trend move into the coastal grandfather era with darker plaids, chunky cable knits, more browns and olive tones mixed with navy, etc in more of a Maine-esque coastal style.

Pattern, Pattern, Pattern

I predicted this a year or two back and pattern is really starting to become more mainstream now. So much so, I think we’re going to see a lot of patterns popping up even in upholstered furniture this year! Pattern is such an easy way to inject color and personality into a space so it really lends itself well to some of the other trends we’ll see mentioned above. I also think we’ll continue to see wallpaper used in more and more homes and I am here for it!

Darker Wood Tones

Wood tones are changing again! We’re going to see a lot of mid- to dark-toned woods coming back into designs. After personally having lived with dark hardwood floors for 10+ years, I can confidently say I’ll never do it again. Ha! But, we’ll see this trend in everything from furniture to kitchen designs to floors. Since we’re in a more coastal environment, I anticipate lighter wood tones will hold strong regionally, but you’ll definitely see this one showing up pretty quickly in stores and designs!

Traditional Callbacks

With the pandemic, we saw a lot of people wanting homes that had more separation of space. Unlike the trend the decade prior that focused on open-concept design, most people realized that doesn’t work so well when the whole family is working/attending school from home. Now that home designs have changed a bit accordingly, I’m seeing a return of more formal spaces come back in design! With that, there is also a resurgence of mixing more traditional furniture pieces with current design trends. It definitely adds to that collected vibe I’m really loving!

So, which of these 2025 design trends is your favorite? Any you think should be added to the list? I’d love to hear!