One of the loveliest things about working in the interiors world is watching as once-forgotten or neglected ideas come back to the fore. Fashions can be slow-moving, and rightly so – no one can afford to change they way they decorate on a yearly basis – but it's always fun to see what's making a return from the vast archive of decorating ideas out there, and to wave goodbye to a few ideas that feel a bit overdone. As we head into 2025, there are some overall themes we're spotting: on the one hand a desire for simplification, for unshowy forms and materials, and on the other hand a bit of a pull towards Marie Antoinette-esque opulence. A little dangerous to attempt both at the same time, perhaps, but as we always say, there are no rules in decorating. If you're looking for inspiration for how to rejuvenate your interiors right now, read on.
More moiré
Definitely in the Marie Antoinette camp, 2024 moiré fabrics have recently become the darling of the interiors world, splashed across WOW!House and in interior design projects and products alike. This coming year, we expect the high street has picked up the scent and reproductions will offer it to the masses. Moiré is a very sumptuous, often theatrical fabric. It is a type of silk or viscose fabric with a distinct rippled, watermarked effect, made by rolling a moistened, woven fabric between specially patterned rollers under high temperature and pressure, which creates the crushed effect that leaves some parts glossy and others matte. It will be interesting – both in a good and probably very bad way – to see how big brands translate this to the mass market. We expect a lot more viscose than silk will appear and perhaps some questionable new methods to produce its captivating effect, so it's definitely better to spend the extra money and go direct to a heritage fabric brand if moiré is in your 2025 decorating future.
Terracotta
There is a timelessness to terracotta and it's not something that's ever truly fallen out of favour. It is of course ubiquitous in the sunnier climes of the Mediterranean, particularly Spain, but here it has held good standing for some time. However, we're seeing more and more terracotta used on floors here, and for good reason. It has a lovely warmth to its colour and is a good, hardwearing choice in high traffic areas like kitchens or muddy spaces like a boot room. Beyond the actual material, however, we are expecting to see terracotta hit our walls in a big way in 2025, as one of the colours of the year. There's a general move towards stronger, richer paint colours and terracotta is a brilliant example of something that treads the line between neutral and colour expertly.
Peak glassware
If you're erring more towards the French queen's cottage/shepherdess phase than the full Versailles, you'll be pleased to hear it’s time for glassware to get simple and functional again. We’re predicting 2025 to be the year we see more pub-like wine glasses and chubby water glasses gracing some of the world’s most stylish tables. Murano glass, handblown vessels and delicate, very smashable wine glasses are lovely but, with one too many expensive casualties taking place, wouldn’t it be nice to focus more on your drink and worry less about its container? With restaurants like St John and The Yellow Bittern favouring shorter, stubbier wine glasses, we think we’ve seen the trend through.
A simplification of form
We've ridden the wave of scallops, we've skirted around a trend for wiggles and so it seems only right that a return to simple forms is on the cards next. After a tidal wave of curves, waves and furniture that serves as art, there's a general movement towards and desire for simplified shapes when it comes for fittings and furnishings. We've seen this in other ways too, with the recent wave of stainless steel kitchens which harks at taking things back to practicality and away from unnecessary embellishment. You know it's time for a change when something in its simplest form seems refreshing.
The rise of the hybrid room
During and immediately after the pandemic, many people were working fully remotely, and so there was a need for a home office, or a dedicated space which would allow you to separate ‘work time’ and ‘home time’. In the years since, many people have gradually been returning to their offices. According to the Office for National Statistics, in January 2021 roughly 30 per cent of us were working form home, compared to less than 15 per cent now. So all of those home offices which sprang into being are now making way for something more exciting. Some people are turning theirs into a sanctuary-like reading room, others a cosy TV snug. Of course the most versatile option is to create a wonderful hybrid room — somewhere that can transform from office to cocktail bar seamlessly. ‘I have just been working on one of these’ says the interior designer and honorée of The List by House & Garden's Rising Star award. ‘My clients wanted a study that could also be a smart sitting room, so we’re installing joinery which can easily hide any electricals when the work is done, so when guests come over just end up with a gorgeous antique desk and a few accessories' she says.
Silver, chrome and stainless steel
We've seen stainless steel kitchens come to the fore and now, by extension, stainless steel cutlery and silver and chrome fittings are set to take some of the limelight. It's going back to the classic catering style you'd find somewhere like Nisbett's (a shop that supplies professional kitchens and chefs with the basics), but in an elevated, more designed way that we'll start seeing populating the likes of H&M Home this coming year. Designers have been doing it and taking the simple form to a higher price point but the high street seems ripe to cotton on to the stainless steel cutlery movement. Across surfaces, hardware and even hanging pots and pans, it looks like silver and chrome fittings are back, with bronze and copper taking a well earned rest for a while.
The end of brushed brass?
This year's London Design Festival in September was, as always, an inspiring affair full of engaging exhibitions. One of them – a pop-up showcase of furniture and accessories by contemporary designers – was curated by Ashley Law, the architect and designer behind property development company Flawk, and it took place in one of her recently developed residential properties in Stoke Newington. What was found most eye-catching was not the wonderful array of contemporary furniture (which is saying something, as the pieces were very engaging), but the kitchen. It was stainless steel with turned-wood cabinet handles. This very natural, tactile material set against the hard, modernist stainless steel was an inspired combination, and offered a refreshing alternative to the brushed brass and bronze that we have all seen so much of in recent years. Could this be the dawn of a new hardware finish?
Alabaster
Is alabaster the new marble? Yes and no. Precious and infinitely varied, this stone has a long history of being worked into decorative forms, and while we can't see anyone using it for a kitchen worktop anytime soon (too delicate, too expensive), it makes absolutely beautiful accessories. Alabaster lights are what we're on the lookout for – the stone is beautifully translucent, making it particularly suited to lighting. Look out for an elegant new pendant light release from Jamb in alabaster, or on the high street you can find some very charming examples at Pooky. The ‘Firefly’ wall light is just heaven, with a subtle Egyptian feel that references one of alabaster's most famous homes.
Meissen kitsch
The last decade or two has seen a flood of Staffordshire ceramics in our interior schemes. What ‘grand-millennial' room is complete without a pair of Staffordshire dogs on the mantelpiece at this point? But we think it's time for our kitsch objects to grow up. Playful, elaborate and colourful, Meissen porcelain figurines started to be produced around the same time as their Staffordshire cousins (in the mid-18th-century), and have been in production ever since. Highly collectible, they were constantly being created with different themes and threads in mind, from animal orchestras to shepherds and shepherdesses, elegant courtiers and allegorical representations of places and qualities. Antique Meissen pieces are hugely expensive, but given that they have been widely imitated throughout their history, it's not impossible to find affordable versions if just want to get the look. And why wouldn't you? Exuberant and lively, they're the perfect pieces to add a bit of fun to an interior.
Rich colours
The word in the paint world ever since the pandemic is that we're all looking for comfort now, and warm, enveloping colour is one way to do that. “We’ve seen over the last few years, a distinctive shift in attitudes towards colour with strong, rich colours having a little renaissance," says Simon Hutchinson, a colour consultant with Little Greene. Warm, earthy yellows are making a comeback, as are terracotta pinks and soft reds, plus wine shades of burgundy and merlot. When it comes to neutrals, biscuit and coffee shades continue their reign. This is not a time to be cautious with colour – embrace strong colour and you will be embraced in return.
Jewellery-esque homewares
This year's design festivals – notably Milan – saw a trickle of treasure run through them which caught the attention of our decoration team. When we say treasure, we mean treasure: semi-precious stones inlaid into silverware, mother of pearl and shell pieces, all paired with delicate metalwork. These romantic, jewellery-like pieces look as though Ariel herself has put down her ‘dinglehopper’ and turned her hand to craft. It all feels overtly feminine, ethereal and with a touch of the mystical to it.
%2520done%2520Large.jpeg)
