5 design trends from the past decade to replicate in 2025
Every year brings a host of new weird and wonderful design trends, and while many will inevitably fizzle out, some endure, influencing the way we decorate our homes for the next 365 days and more.
Our affinity towards certain interior design trends, materials, and colors has a lot to do with our personalities, environment, and experiences, so it is always important to choose home decor ideas that make you happier at home, whether they are on-trend or not.
While there’s certainly no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to interior trends, there are still a few basic interior design rules we should master if we want to curate a beautiful home that is fit for family life. After all, the whole purpose of interior design is to create rooms that answer the needs of the individuals living in them, whilst also reflecting their personalities with good design, space, and functionality.
But, if you still adore current or outdated trends, don’t take my advice. A forever piece is a forever piece no matter what I, or anyone else, thinks.
1. Quiet luxury
(Image credit: Becca Interiors/Rikki Snyder photography)
In 2023, one phrase was on everyone’s lips across the fashion and interior design worlds: quiet luxury. The trend for classy, expensive-looking but understated interiors had us all wondering how to achieve the look in our homes. Fast-forward to 2025, and this effortlessly elegant trend is still very much part of the zeitgeist.
The quiet luxury trend is more than just a design ‘moment’ – it is a ‘movement’ that seeks to prioritize simplicity and refinement, creating serene, calming spaces that reflect a sense of sophistication without ostentation.
‘The key to being understated is to avoid it looking over-decorated,’ says Furniture and Interior Designer, Francis Sultana. ‘It’s a bit like when a lady wears a very simple dress but it looks amazing. It can be difficult to achieve, but when you get there its success is felt. Old-fashioned materials like bronze, linen, and glass should be central to this look. Each project should also be influenced by its sense of location and surroundings. What I mean is that quiet luxury might look different in New York City, but when you are on the Amalfi, you need to feel like you’re on the Amalfi.’
There are no longer any rules when it comes to designing a luxury home: go with what connects with you personally – having said that, balance in your design is important. Consider the characteristics of each material and object you invest in to make the best choice for your lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be same-y, but it should be cohesive.
2. Bookshelf wealth
(Image credit: Sarah Brown Interiors /Anna Batchelor)
If you’re one of the 1.3 million people who have viewed San Diego-based interior designer Kailee Blalock, co-founder and principal designer of House of Hive’s, TikTok video, you’ll be familiar with the term ‘bookshelf wealth’. One of the first standout trends of 2024, this aesthetic is for book lovers who love to fill their space with adored tomes.
Blalock explains that to achieve bookshelf wealth, you need to ‘appreciate the act of collecting things and to surround yourself with things that fill your soul.’
This means that in addition to being an avid reader, you’ll also want to adorn your living room shelving with items that are reflective of your interests – photos, trinkets, candles, and other decorative items that you have accumulated over time. The trick is to design a bookshelf that looks intentionally curated rather than cluttered.
The bookshelf wealth trend focuses on authenticity, rather than a manufactured, over-arranged style. A well-curated bookshelf tells a story, just like a great piece of art. The final result should be a curation of all the things you love. This way, your bookshelf will serve as a decorative and expressive style statement, rather than a perfunctory piece of furniture.
3. Unexpected red theory
(Image credit: Mylands)
We are, perhaps quite understandably, a bit wary of an interior trend that surfaces from social media. However, an early 2024 export from TikTok made us sit up and take notice.
You may have already heard of the ‘unexpected red theory’ – a term coined by TikTok user and interiors expert Taylor Simon to describe the concept that adding a flash of red to an otherwise crimson-free interior scheme is an instant way to give your space a visual uplift. It’s not an entirely new concept, but it seems to have coincided with a mood in design to which it lends itself very well. It is also one that I have continued to live by, even a year later.
At the time, a collective love for color was gradually seeping back into interior design, but it was before we reached the bold saturation of spaces that we’re seeing inform interior design trends in the present day. The idea is a very simple one – you bring some life and energy to your color scheme by introducing an accent ‘pop’ of red. So why red?
This bold hue is often considered a daring choice for interiors, but when used creatively (and sparingly) it can introduce a welcome burst of energy and flamboyance. A hint of red can truly transform your space. As one of the most passionate and life-enhancing colors, red offers a luxurious bank of positive energy.
4. Vintage revival
(Image credit: Future/ Jon Day)
The threat of the climate emergency is ever present in 2025, and we, as consumers are thinking harder than ever about where our purchases come from and are more conscious of our collective footprint.
Vintage design has seen a resurgence in recent years, not only for its charming aesthetic but also as a highly sustainable way to furnish your home. An increased backlash against mass production has fuelled this trend and while people often come to vintage from an environmental standpoint, they stay for the character that antique and reclaimed furniture and accessories bring into their home.
Interior designer, Emma Sims Hilditch extols the virtues of decorating with vintage finds. ‘Steeped in rich history, vintage pieces have a story to tell. Not only are these pieces often finely crafted to stand the test of time, but they bring much-needed character and charm to what otherwise might be a more contemporary or lifeless home.’
One thing is undeniably clear: the planet will outlive us all, and resources will only become increasingly precious and finite – and if we stand a chance, I encourage everyone to shop sustainably where possible. You might just find a hidden gem.
5. Millennial pink
(Image credit: deVOL Kitchens)
Few generational colors have taken the design world by storm like Millennial Pink. It kickstarted a trend for colors that mimic the mood of the moment. Originally popular around 2015, when Apple launched its best-selling Rose Gold color iPhone, and following on from the success of Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2014, decorating with pink reached momentum.
However, it was around 2017, when a new color trend took hold – Gen Z yellow – and pink slowly faded out of our design consciousness. It wasn’t until 2023 with the theatrical release of the Barbie move, that pink room ideas were once again a hot topic. Though punchier than Millennial Pink, Barbie pink (it even has its own Pantone color (Pantone 219 C) made us all re-think pink. No longer reduced to a ‘gender-assigned color just for little girls’, pink is having a modern renaissance that I predict is here for the long haul.
Cocooning and pretty, pink is the essence of grace, purity, and elegance, while the color also has significant historical provenance. What’s more, you don’t have to stick to purely Millennial Pink either.
‘Pinks have been used throughout history and ranged from the plaster pinks, based on red ochre, to the blossom pinks from crimson lakes,’ says Edward Bulmer, an architectural historian, interior designer, and founder of Edward Bulmer Natural Paint – a Certified B Corporation. ‘The latter was expensive and much loved as a tinting color on ornamental plasterwork from the 18th century onwards. They are a perennial favorite as they flatter both building and occupant.’
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