The three signs your house is so last year – what you need to invest in now

Big lights, cool brown tones and floral table-scapes. These are the new interior trends and homeware buys that will guarantee your home is ready for 2025. Rachel Loos reports on what’s in and what is definitely out

Earthy tones allow for a feeling of safety and comfort - a big theme for 2025 (Henry Holland/Harlequin)

If you want a word that sums up home trends for 2025, it’s “cosy”. The mood of the next 12 months is very much about making the home a comforting place in which to relax and feel protected from the world outside. It’s a “soft living” trend that began during the pandemic but is growing ever more entrenched as the 2020s roll on, which is hardly surprising given what’s going on outside our front doors.

The result is interior design and homeware that channel earthy colours and the feelgood factor. Nostalgia is also strong so vintage and re-imagined designs from the past feature heavily. At the same time, however, there is a real desire for fun and playfulness, so expect shots of jewel tones and whimsical motifs.

So, if you’re looking to refresh your home with a 2025 update, here’s what to look out for. And while we’re not advocating ditching something you love just for the sake of a trend, we’ve also got the lowdown on what will be fading away (which may be handy if you don’t want your home to appear dated...)

More brown in town

Deep breath – it’s brown. Yes, that Seventies staple is back with fancy names such as Mocha Mousse (colour experts, Pantone’s 2025 Colour of the Year) and Cold Brew. This time round, though, brown is more nuanced, being altogether softer than before; think milk chocolate with pink undertones rather than a shade with rather icky yellow-brown ones.

You’d usually put coffee on a table, but these days a deep brown hue looks wonderful on the walls (Coat)

Considered a new neutral, it is perfect for creating a space that feels cosy (there’s that word again!) and cocooning. If you want to indulge, team brown walls with creams or pinks, and lots of texture (rugs, shaggy cushions etc) for a soothing space, or add a burst of energy with accessories in bright hues such as cobalt blue, emerald green and deep reds and oranges. Or, opt for furniture and accessories in brown shades, avoiding Seventies overkill with walls of a pale neutral colour.

The old money look

If this year was about the “old money” aesthetic, 2025 is about the “members’ club” look. As the name suggests, it’s inspired by the exclusivity and escape that private members’ clubs offer and is all about a décor that is carefully curated to feel ultra-luxurious and sophisticated while still managing to feel relaxed and snug at the same time.

A few touches can make your living room look like a suave bar (Industville)

Its key components are rich colour, dark wood, warm metallic finishes and sensuous fabrics with ambient lighting and sculptural accessories that really make a statement.

Art Deco is go

The year 2025 marks 100 years since the first showing of Art Deco style at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, the exhibition kickstarting this highly decorative look that came to define the next 15 years and has been hugely influential ever since.

A 2025 survey of designers carried out by ecommerce company 1stdibs, the luxury vintage online marketplace, found that a majority plan to use objects dating from the 1920s and 1930s in their designs over the next 12 months. On the high street, expect to see Art Deco’s iconic geometric shapes, along with jewel colours and lush fabrics.

Going loco for Rococo

Thanks to a modern exhibition, Marie Antoinette is the woman we’ll be looking to for inspiration when we want a touch of uber-luxury in our homes. “Marie Antoinette Style” is expected to be the next blockbuster at the V&A museum, and it’s prompted the Rococo Revival trend which is all about the kind of over-the-top opulence that the French queen is known for (wrongly as it happens). It is responsible for the resurgence of moiré, a silky fabric with a distinctive rippled and watermarked effect that has long been associated with European royalty.

Gimme moiré: an opulent revolution is happening... (Henry Holland/Harlequin)

It is already beloved by interior designers who are using it instead of wallpaper for a quietly sumptuous effect. Get the look for a smaller investment with floor-to-ceiling curtains while a table lamp with a moiré lampshade is a more restrained nod to the trend.

The floral table

What do you need to set your 2025 table? Floral tableware. Our love for nature-inspired interiors (indoor plants, botanical designs, green anything, really) has stepped up the prettiness factor with floral motifs. The trend for flowers plugs into the mood for nostalgia and its feelgood factor, and also fits with Rococo Revival which loves a floral sprig. Go for full-on floral loveliness by teaming your plates with a similarly floral tablecloth but keep it modern by introducing pops of clashing gingham.

The art for your wall

We don’t want to be ageist about things, but in 2025 the genre of art you choose to hang on your wall may well be down to your age. Gen Zs love the social media-friendly post-modernism which is expected to see pop art with its colourful, quirky and fun style taking over walls of rented apartments.

Gen X or Boomers, though, are snapping up surrealist art which explores dreams and the unconscious mind. A movement that began between the two world wars, its figurehead artists include Salvador Dalí and René Magritte who used “disorienting, poetic, and dreamlike imagery” as a reaction to the tumultuous times they lived through. Snap.

The new metal

The resurgence of stainless steel this year reminded us of the sleek beauty that a silvery finish can bring, and so 2025 will see the rise of chrome. Easier to design around than brass, which has an array of finishes and changes colour as it ages, chrome has the same look and shine, making it easy to match fittings, especially in bathrooms and kitchens. If you love the warmth of brass, though, mixing materials - chrome taps with brass cabinet hardware for instance - is another trend and one that gives you the best of both worlds

Instant updates

Big lights

Lights are now sculpture so go bold with an enormous chandelier or large sculptural floor lamp. Credit: Chandelier, £1,595, Soho Home.

Feeling fruity

We’ve had lobsters, veggies and more recently bow motifs decorating an array of homeware. Now it’s time to get a little fruity. Credit: Jug, £18, Marks & Spencer.

Cool clay

For a sandy look, go straight to the source (Sharland England)

Earthy tones aren’t just about paint – think terracotta tiles on the floor and clay accessories in your décor. Credit: Vase, £165, Sharland England.

Going, going, soon gone...

1. The cafe curtain. These short curtains began in kitchens to hide ugly white goods but have become ubiquitous, even found in bathrooms where they often lurk too close to the loo. Enough!

2. Colour drenching. The jury’s out on this trend that’s about painting an entire room in one colour. Some interior experts say it’s overwhelming, others assert that it’s the perfect way to create a snug space. You decide!

3. Bouclé. We may just be coming to the end of bouclé domination. Its demise was talked about last season, but its soft, tactile qualities make it hard to resist. Perhaps 2025 is the year it finally goes.