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
