It’s a tale as old as time. Out with the old, in with the new. Except, for Spring 2025, not quite.
With the world turning (hopefully) towards sustainable energy sources, we’re seeing more and more interiors devolving from clean, white-washed rooms with brand-new everything, and evolving into a kind of gentle, carefully curated maximalism, which focuses more on personality, functionality and sustainability as a practise rather than an in-trend aesthetic.
And given the events on the world stage in the last year, it’s no wonder people are- perhaps more than ever- experiencing a deep yearning for their homes to offer a retreat from the endless demands and relentless news updates in daily life: a home as an individual sanctuary rather than a spotless void, ruthlessly favouring modernity over character. Instead, we’re loving warmer neutrals peppered with dark, bold tones, natural materials and intentional decor that are a product of thoughtful cultivation, rather than a reflection of any popular outside influence. With this brings a desire for sustainability, with more of us favouring antique and vintage pieces, with items such as frames, posters, vases and glasses picked up at markets rather than the high-street, resulting in a kind of visual, lived-in anthology of our lives.
So with that, there are a few new trends coming to the fore, such as the new TikTok obsession with “red theory” and the inclination towards comforting furnishings and a more modern minimalism, while age-old trusted trends, namely Japandi, multifunctional furniture and good-old hybrid rooms are firmly here to stay. Read on to stay inspired.
Enter: The New Neutrals
Say goodbye to cold whites, and bid farewell forever to the trend that just wouldn’t let go: grey everything. No more cold, sparse aesthetics that said more “gulag” than “home.” We also say adieu to plain, cool neutrals that have dominated minimalist trends of late, and welcome in the warm neutrals of 2025. We have a feeling they’ll be here to stay, with warm yellows taking centre stage on most interior round-ups, and about time too, with the sun finally breaking through the winter clouds and daffodils poking their stems tentatively above ground. Having spent some time in the ‘firmly out’ bin, the sunshine yellow usually reserved for childrens bedrooms has got paint-makers the world over developing warm yellow tones that interior decorators can’t get enough of, and frankly, we’re all for a sprinkling of joy and colour in our lives.
Robin Standefer from Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors spoke to Vogue and said “We’re seeing the natural dyes of 15th-century Flemish tapestries and patterned carpets come through in understated jewel tones that harmonise. Not super bright, rather, rich, deep, discreet, sensual…we’re embracing colour like never before.”
Timeless Brown
Joining warm yellows and natural greens is another surprising addition to this years colour wheel: brown. Now, bear with us, because we can sense your alarm. We thought brown was fully retired to the seventies, too. But we were wrong. We strongly suspect the arrival of this deep, earthy tone has been a reflection for nostalgic comfort, another trend that has gradually come to the fore over the years with the reintroduction of mid-century pieces populating many a Victorian terrace on Instagram. But brown is here to stay in 2025, and god forgive us, we think we like it. Think now of terracotta tiles, soft clay and burnished hardware, victorian style tiles, and brushed textures like moire or velvet. Think of those antique pieces that were once considered too heavy to sit in the corner, now bringing a sense of history and character to modern spaces.
But brown doesn’t mean dated. It’s all about balance. Try combining lighter toned scandinavian-style cabinetry with deep, moody tiles as exemplified by clé tiles, and you might have something surprising and at once, entirely restful. A brown palette may not be for the faint hearted, but we think it really does work. For those brave enough to go for it, anyway.
Colour Drenching
Colour drenching, according to the deities of paint and colour Farrow and Ball, ‘simply means painting everything the same shade: the walls, woodwork, ceiling and even radiators or furniture.’ And boy, are we seeing this everywhere. In fact, if you’re as keen a follower of their teachings as we are, this is something Farrow and Ball have preached for years.
Depending on the colour you use, blending the lines between walls and ceilings creates the illusion of more space and light. Colour drenching can transform awkward, narrow spaces that don’t get as much natural light, but the flip side is something you’ll want to consider more carefully, however. Keep darker, amniotic colours for rooms where you’d typically relax and wind down in, and opt for earthier, calm tones for nurseries or offices in anywhere you want a little bit of peace in.
Think about the way you live. Do you want the bedroom to catch as much light as possible at the crack of dawn, or are you a worshipper of your black out blind? Lean in to your habits, and your favourite colours, and let your personality shine.
Red Theory
It’s not often a safely guarded insider-trick becomes common knowledge on TikTok, and therefore, common knowledge everywhere. We imagine interior designers the world over are kicking themselves with regret that their fail-safe end-of-project flourish has been revealed to all and sundry with a DIY home renovation in the pipeline. Because this particular secret, as crazy as it seems, really works. And has done, ssemingly, for a long time.
Any quick flick through your favourite interior magazines will reveal a pop of red colour somewhere. Whether it’s a red ceiling pendant, a red checkerboard mirror, red velvet cushions against a green stripe, or a red floor in a country house kitchen, the colour has been universally used to define spaces for years. The theory is that adding red, whether in small amounts or large, to a space where it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) technically match, transforms the space entirely.
We have Taylor Migliazzo Simon to thank for this enlightenment. “The ‘unexpected red’ theory is basically adding anything that’s red, big or small, to a room where it doesn’t match at all and it automatically looks better,” she says in her viral video. But there are factors to consider. If you’re daring to try it, consult your colour wheel (originally created by Sir Isaac Newton- we didn’t know this either!) first. Interior designers will refer to the value and chroma of a colour- the lightness/darkness and saturation of a colour, respectively- before throwing it around a room, and make sure that opposite colours on the wheel are used. Analogous colours (colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel), are a great way to start too, if you want a more gentle palette in your home. But before you do any of this, think about how you want to feel in that space. Red, biologically speaking, is a colour that gets our heart racing. Do we want to feel energised in our living room, or relaxed? Are the kids excited enough in their room without a striped red wallpaper, or could we encourage more playfulness?
Our advice, should you wish to take on the mantle of the great interior designers before you, is that you start small, and see how it makes you feel. Perhaps that bright red SMEG fridge you’ve been eyeing up doesn’t look so crazy now, right?
Lovingly Assembled
Second to last is a trend that most of us not indulging in our own personal interior designer may appreciate.
Any casual search on Pinterest or Instagram for dream kitchens will fill your feed with carefully curated, bespoke fitted kitchens, giant islands with in-built charging points and integrated extractor fans, or hardware that costs an arm and a leg. Not to mention hand-painted units that might set you back more than you budgeted for.
So yes, we may have breathed a small sigh of relief when we saw that freestanding furniture was coming back into fashion, and with it, an aesthetic that celebrates years-long cultivation over the seamless, perfect kitchens we’ve been used to aspiring to. Think of your decades old AGA sitting next to a vintage unit, or wall cupboards that used to be a victorian medicine cabinet. Instagram creator Agatha turned 20ft drawers that used to store priests vestments into her kitchen island to wonderous effect, never compromising on style or efficiency. The uptick to this was creating a kitchen that was entirely suited to them, without (we assume) the hefty bill of a bespoke designed kitchen at the end of it.
“Modern minimalism will take a back seat” – Jeremiah Brent
This new trend of treasured finds also leaves space for your life to shine through the decor, and in doing so, create a real atmosphere over a curated one. The art of sentiment has never been stronger, with holiday trinkets, gifted books and shells your kids collected back in 2018 having pride of place over an expensive designer lamp. Overfilled bookcases and the old fishcake maker you inherited from your grandmother are no longer looked upon as clutter, but a heartening reminder of days gone by, journeys undertaken, and joyful memories. If a house is an outward representation of your inner life, why should yours be an altar to fluctuating trends and a carbon copy of an interiors magazine, over those most cherished, sentimental items? Whether it’s family photographs or a postcard someone sent you in 1977 from Greece, consider instead assembling items once stored in a box under your bed in a loving array across your home in a unabashed display of memory and whimsy.
For once, we might be seeing a turn back towards character over modernity, something we at Finest celebrate in all its forms. And if it doesn’t hurt the wallet, or indeed the planet, then we’re even more for it.
Sustainability
And finally, our last practise- masquerading as a trend.
We all know by now that buying vintage is not a new concept- not by a long shot. In the last decade or more we’ve seen a real move towards furnishings that are a reminder of our heritage over expense. If the rise and fall of shabby-chic taught us anything, it was that new is not always better (but neither is rustic everything).
Think of the moment mid-century furniture sets have had in recent years, buried in the depths of London Bridge markets, or victorian blanket boxes in a rural village antique store answering the problem of what you’re going to put at the bottom of your bed- without breaking the bank. We’ve also seen these pieces become a bit of a status symbol: original features are now so in demand that heritage pieces can set you back nearly as much as brand new: a set of original Edwardian stained glass windows can set you back more than £5,000 on Vinterior. But is the price worth paying?
When you consider the cost of installation and a specialist company forging new, period style gates, we think it might be. Honouring our architectural heritage may be a slightly more arduous journey than brand new, but we can’t help but wonder at the satisfaction you would feel knowing your property boasted a kind of design ancestory, a shared story that could be felt rather than shown. Ultimately, when building your nest, it’s about how those features make you feel. Objects that stand the test of time give us a sense of security and belonging.
Interior decor moves in cycles, much like everything we decorate our lives in. The demand for mid-century everything, for instance, drove up the cost of your Grandad’s old Ercol dining suite when, just over ten years ago, people discarded them to a charity shop or auction house without so much as a second thought. Commercialism closely follows these circles, and this couldn’t be more evident than in a high-street furniture shop window. From mimicking the pared-back Japandi trend of the last few years to period pieces, or your local supermarket stocking colourful, maximalist homeware, you won’t be surprised to find new, shiny replicas of existing vintage items littering the pages of catalogues all over the world. After all, it’s about cashing in on the desires of those of us wanting to follow the trend, not sustainability.
“They don’t make ’em like they used to!”
So what if we follow the trusted trend of history, instead? Arguably the quality of vintage pieces cannot be understated, while newer, cheaply manifactured pieces may not stand the test of time, not to mention the cost to the earth: how many trees are felled to make the new collection of in-style armchairs? Although that’s not to say a quick IKEA haul can’t be enjoyed; it’s about mixing and matching, leaning into a thoughtful collection of pieces over going brand-new, every time. As Karen Spector, owner of design studio Lovers Unite in L.A said to Vogue: “combining textures and tones makes spaces feel layered and lived-in, as though they’ve come together naturally over time, not just assembled to look perfect.”
We would be remiss to miss out some of the most influencial designers on the planet right now, too: the Pinterest hackers and upcycling DIY instagrammers alike, who take worn out pieces, and breathe new life into them. Using old furniture and new materials to little cost, the result are pieces that can be used for longer and in new ways. If we abide the new warm neutral trends, we’re able to keep these items for longer too: the side table or writing desk becomes entrenched in our homes rather than a cheaply made item sitting as an understudy for the next fad to take its place. It would seem timeless interiors are indeed inherently sustainable.
In the end, we’re talking about our homes, not the pages of a magazine. Homes are where real life happens. For us, that’s the real trend.
Inside our own four walls is where the cereal gets spilled across the kitchen floor, where the chaos drawer reigns supreme, and sometimes a kitchen sink not only washes dished, but needs to bathe a baby, too. Where an argument may take us to opposite nooks of the house to decompress, only to join together again at the dining table later. It’s where first steps are made, and often, last ones too.
So this Spring, while trends come and go, we know what we’ll be doing. It’s time to throw out the rule book to have the “perfect” home. It’s time to lean in to life.