2025 interior design trends
Eat-in kitchens in bold colors define the 2025 wish list for custom kitchens.
2025 will usher in family-friendly eat-in kitchens with banquette seating, comfortable chairs, and dining tables for cozy, face-to-face conversations and a place to linger. While islands are not going anywhere, the trend is to use them for meal prep or to incorporate a sink or appliance rather than for stools lined up in a row.
Bold kitchen cabinet colors are replacing the all-white kitchen. Red, cobalt blue, teal, and mustard cabinets will be spicing up kitchens in 2025. Mixing these colors in with white or wood cabinetry is a great option for homeowners who are not 100% committed to floor-to-ceiling bright colors.
The pendulum is swinging toward stained wood cabinetry as we crave warmth and natural materials. Oak, walnut, and maple are the preferred species with multiple stained finishes available from light to dark. To avoid disappointment, be sure to get a full sample door from your cabinet company for approval, as each type of wood takes stain differently.
Designers will be paying a lot of attention to ceilings in 2025. Good-bye white ceilings, hello statement ceilings. Wallpaper, painted motifs, metallics, decorative plaster, and lacquer are just some of the ways we can expect to adorn the “fifth wall” in the coming year.
Warm metals such as brass, bronze, and copper are trending in light fixtures, cabinet hardware, and furniture. The big story is masterfully mixing warm metals with silver finishes like nickel and chrome to add life and a bit of the unexpected to avoid cookie-cutter interiors.
Integrating nature into interior design blurs the boundaries of indoor vs. outdoors and is a top 2025 design trend. Selecting colors from outside one’s window is one of the easiest ways to accomplish the feeling of being one with nature. Earthy tones like brown, beige, and terracotta work well with various hues of green and blue and create a calming effect. Decorating with artisanal objects made from wood, sisal rugs, and lots of plants add the finishing touches.
Paint manufacturers typically introduce their proprietary “Color of the Year” annually in December. Shades of purple will be everywhere in 2025, from muted lilac colors to rich plums. Black is back, as is cobalt blue. Using these colors as accents in pillows, throws, rugs, and window treatments will instantly update a room and work very well with the abundance of gray furniture many had invested in.
“Color drenching”, i.e. using the same color on a room’s walls, woodwork, and ceiling, was huge in 2024 and will continue in 2025. The key to successfully using this technique is to use different sheens of the same color, for example satin on the walls, semi-gloss on woodwork, and flat on the ceiling. A lacquer finish can be used on any of the surfaces for added elegance and a “wow” factor.