There was a lot to love in 2024. Some designers experimented with radically vibrant palettes, while others made strides implementing sustainable materials like cork and bamboo. Another set made idiosyncratic homes in unlikely spaces, turning a church or a factory into artful sanctuaries.
As we step into 2025, designers and architects we spoke with say warm, human-centric spaces will be underscored by sustainability. They want to continue examining the carbon footprint of materials, favoring locally sourced, nontoxic, and plant-based options that, in many ways, are a better alternative to excessive marble or faux finishes—what one architect calls “junk food.” Mass-timber construction and bio-innovations, too, will lend to shaping a new era of design.
Cover Architecture restored a home originally designed by Buff & Hensman to create a stunning retreat that prioritizes sustainable materials. La Pietra Compattata Cromie brick tiles upcycled from waste of stone quarry productions, for example, have been used to clad the hearth and frame the timber-clad chimney breast.
There was a lot to let go of in 2024, too. Some are certain the smart home has had its due. Our lives are already too online, so where we reside should offer respite from cold digitalia, not further expose us to it. Instead of sterile, automated environments, 2025’s interiors will lose the built-in tech and instead focus on earthy materials like terra-cotta, warm woods, and finding ways to better connect with the outdoors. Spaces will feel like a “visual hug,” says one designer. Handmade homes with textured, imperfect materials will help.
That’s not to say that the places we live will be bereft of the kind of color we saw in 2024; on the contrary, hues will ascend with vibrancy and wit—think bold yellows, rich burgundies, and surprising accents that add unique character.
Here’s what six design experts say they loved about 2024, what we can leave behind, and what we should expect from our spaces in the new year.
Elle Gerdeman—CO-G
Loved It: Playful Imperfection
According to Elle Gerdeman, principal of Boston architecture firm CO-G and a critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, playful ideas offer an antidote to the pressures of modern life. “As a practice, we lean heavily toward imperfect textures and materials that lead to playful forms,” she says.
The Porter Loft apartment by Boston architecture firm CO-G is a celebration of mundane construction materials—plywood, plaster, polycarbonate, and steel—used in a way that elevates them without seeming precious. Custom furniture by the firm includes polished stainless steel mirrors that are warped in surprising ways.
“Droopy, puffy, smudged…we are often affecting materials and objects that would be otherwise normal or familiar,” she continues. “Can a stone wall texture appear inflated? An aluminum table appear dripping? Following the seriousness of the last few years, we have been excited by the nostalgia and softness design can elicit.”
This Swedish prefab cabin by Atelier–Heyman Hamilton features a playful mix of “perfectly imperfect” finishes, including custom plywood cladding and plaster.
Hated It: Shipping Everything Culture
Even if shipping goods across the world is commonplace, Gerdeman says the design industry needs to examine its role in this. “It is possible we can navigate the design of a project using materials, products, and artisans local to the project itself,” she says. “It not only has profound carbon-positive effects, but also combats the shift toward aesthetic and physical sameness across locality.”
Carr House by CO-G utilizes rubble discarded from nearby limestone quarries and liquid concrete. “Carr House reappraises the value of debris, utilizing riprap as a finish material,” explains Gerdeman.
What’s Next: Colored Details
“As renovation and adaptive reuse gain more and more momentum, I imagine that subtle but powerful ways to juxtapose color with existing structures will become ripe for invention,” predicts Gerdeman. In the coming year, keep an eye out for small yet dramatic details—think brightly colored grout, surprising window trims, and richly hued wood stains.
Spanish designer Ismael Medina Manzano clad the bathroom of this apartment in Madrid in dramatic blue tile and paint. “This bathroom is very tight, so we thought, let’s just do one thing and try to make it a relaxing space,” she says.
Jack Becker and Andrew Linn—BLDUS
Loved It: Timber Sticks and Slats
Mass timber was one of the most exciting trends of 2024, according to Jack Becker and Andrew Linn, cofounders of Washington, D.C., architecture practice BLDUS. “The emergence of panel-based wood and bamboo construction technologies has become mainstream news, and rightfully so,” says Becker. “Cellulose-based materials have a lighter carbon footprint than steel or concrete, and the spaces made with them are healthier for their inhabitants.”
White oak slats and cork cladding give texture to the facade of a house that architect Jack Becker designed for himself and his wife, landscape architect Maddie Hoagland-Hanson, in an alley in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C. High awning windows let daylight in while preserving privacy.
BLDUS used timber in their own work, with sticks and slats used to make everything from screens, fences, and siding, to eaves, stairs, and cabinets. “Sticks and slats create depth, modify light, and let us resolve a building’s outer tectonics into human-scaled units that are simple to comprehend,” explains Linn. “They’re a great compliment to a timber or bamboo structural skeleton.”
A skylit staircase, wrapped in a more refined version of the exterior slats, rises through the center of the 1,600-square-foot house.
Hated It: Faux Finishes
Linn and Becker hope to see less use of “faux finishes” this year, from luxury vinyl tile and thin brick laminate to look-alike wood. “We are what we eat, and we inevitably consume our buildings as they degrade and we breathe them in,” says Linn. “Accepting this reality encourages a radical reconsideration of every element of a building. With each architectural detail, we ask: would we be okay eating it? Natural materials are fruits and veggies; Faux finishes are fun but so is junk food.”
What’s Next: Celebrating Handmade
According to Becker and Linn, 2025 will be all about celebrating the handmade and organic over the mechanical and synthetic, and spatial intimacy over openness. “As nonhuman processes become more sophisticated and ubiquitous, things made by the human hand will become more valuable,” says Becker.
When renovating their London apartment, Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews took on projects ranging from casting concrete counters for the kitchen to CNC-machining a dining room set with a built-in fruit bowl.
Ben Edwards—Studio Edwards
Loved It: Sustainability and Mindfulness
A more mindful approach to sustainability was the best thing to come out of 2024, says Ben Edwards, founder of Melbourne architecture and design practice Studio Edwards. “It’s all about reuse, adapting, and real design thinking about how we make stuff without over consumption of the Earth’s resources,” he says. “Hopefully it’s not just a trend.”
Microloft by Studio Edwards celebrates contemporary small-space living and is crafted from sustainable materials, including OSB, aluminum, and recycled denim. The bed, located through the brick arches, sits on a raised OSB plinth, echoing the materiality of the storage and lounge in the living area.
Edwards also praised the shift he’s seeing toward a more mindful work/life balance in the industry. “A lot of larger design practices shrunk down in size, partly due to economic conditions but also as a response to how people wanted to work,” he explains. “Our studio moved to a four day week with the aim for me to have more time with my daughter and my business partner to be able to practice mindfulness.”
Hated It: Curvy Shapes and Marble
Time is up on the “desert-curvy” aesthetic, says Edwards, describing it as interior spaces filled with ceramic and hessian finishes. “It’s pretentious, boring, and pointless,” he says. He’s also had enough of excessive use of marble to adorn walls, which he describes as “wasteful, lazy, and unnecessary.”
What’s Next: Yellow
Yes, simply the color—Edwards, a fan of the hue, predicts big things for it this year. “It’s my favorite color and I always try to sneak it into projects,” he says. “The Dulux color of the year—True Joy—is especially welcomed as it means we get to use it even more!”
Vine Architecture Studio reimagined a top-floor East London apartment to include a vibrant yellow spiral staircase that links the upper and the lower terraces. “The stair is minimal yet carefully detailed,” says architect Rory Pennant-Rea. “We designed it to be seen as an external sculptural element.”
Yan Wang—Cover Architecture
Loved It: Earth Tones
Earth tones and a natural palette have long been a staple in residential design—and Yan Wang, founder of Cover Architecture, loves that designers are increasingly embracing materials like terra-cotta tiles in new and creative ways.
Mahogany House by R Architecture in Melbourne, Australia, is clad in locally made terra-cotta shingles.
“We strive to create spaces that evoke a sense of well-being, calm, and a connection to nature. We see these as universal desires, particularly in residential design,” says Wang. “The use of an earthy material palette plays a key role in shaping these connections, often on both conscious and subconscious levels.”
Hutch Design used organic materials and earthy tones to transform a pig shed into a home outside London. “Internally we placed an emphasis on crafted, organic materials with earthy tones—including clay-plastered walls and ceilings, end-grain flooring, and English elm joinery—and styled with pieces from artisans and makers,” says the firm.
Hated It: Smart Homes
Smart homes don’t have a place in the future, says Wang. “Call us old-fashioned, but a home that’s always ‘on’ doesn’t feel relaxing or restorative,” he explains. “Instead, it adds to the hyper-anxious atmosphere of our times. Our focus is on creating spaces that promote well-being and a sense of calm, and we feel an overly connected home works against that.”
“Also, on another note—large-chip terrazzo tiles? We think they’ve had their moment,” he adds. “Time to move on.”
The Moongate ADU by Cover Architecture emphasizes the use of earth tones. “We brought this vision to life with large-format tiles paired with clay-colored Venetian plaster, crafting a serene and calming atmosphere that feels both grounding and inviting,” says Wang.
Yan Wang hopes to see less large-chip terrazzo in the new year.
What’s Next: Meaningful Sustainability
Wang is hopeful that the current focus on well-designed, upcycled materials from building manufacturers continues to grow and that using them becomes standard practice. “True sustainability—like adaptive reuse projects of all scales and the rise of mass-timber construction—is something I’d love to see take center stage in the industry,” he says. “These approaches not only address environmental concerns but also bring creativity and innovation to design in meaningful ways.”
This London renovation by CAN features corrugated cladding crafted from hemp fiber paneling. The innovative—and highly sustainable—materials will change color and texture over time, just like the Cor-Ten steel it mimics.
Aranza García—Chuch Estudio
Loved It: Burgundy, Stainless Steel, and AI
There was plenty to love in 2024, according to Aranza García, founder of Mexican design practice Chuch Estudio. “The most prominent trend I noticed was the combination of red and green, this ‘Gucci Ancora’ color scheme,” she says. “It is so sexy and really stood out to me—I loved seeing how everyone used it in different ways, across various palettes and applications. I also saw a lot of stainless-steel fantasy furniture, especially combinations of metal with artisanal techniques, which I absolutely loved.”
A side table by Chuch Estudio reflects designer Aranza García’s love for bold hues.
García is also fascinated by the rising use of artificial intelligence, which she has used for quick sketches when visualizing ideas. “It has been really prominent this year,” she says. “It’s truly life-changing when you know how to leverage these tools to your advantage.”
Hated It: Artisanal Overload
While García’s practice is all about craft, she’s over the obsession with excessive use of artisanal details. “The overloading of multiple artisanal techniques in a single piece just to make it look artisanal felt like too much,” she says. “Also, I absolutely hated the trend of tables with ball-shaped legs. I’m so tired of seeing that same table everywhere.”
What’s Next: Sensory Experiences
García predicts that 2025 will be all about comfort and simplicity. “It will embrace the use of wood and warm color palettes, creating spaces that feel like a visual hug,” she says. “We’re moving away from ostentation and toward relaxed spaces where standout elements like a collectible designer piece or a vintage market find becomes the highlight. This shift is deeply tied to the empathetic and reflective mood of our times. There’s a collective desire for spaces that feel grounded, not extravagant, as a way of expressing solidarity and avoiding unnecessary excess.”
García’s 19th-century home in Mexico embraces the patina and heritage of the building and is filled with the custom furniture and bold colors she’s known for.
These textiles in this home are designed by Chuch cofounder Natalia Ramirez. They blend with patinated finishes and a mix of bespoke and vintage furnishings.
Ann Lui—Future Firm
Loved It: Blurriness
“We love anything that creates an effect of blurriness or a tension between what can or can’t be seen—we’re tired of ultra-HD and oversaturated palettes,” says Ann Lui, cofounder of Future Firm with studio partner Craig Reschke.
Humboldt Apartments by Future Firm features perforated blue screens to blur the visual boundaries between different spaces.
“We also loved seeing special, curated moments that had a curatorial approach—highlighting a culturally relevant artist, using a local material in a new way, or sharing a specific history of a place,” says Lui. “Across all project types, we found that clients want architecture and design that tells a story and is distinctive to who they are and doesn’t seem cookie-cutter.”
Hated It: Instagram Walls
Lui is keen to see an end to the kinds of novelty spaces often found in rental homes that are designed specifically to encourage people to take photos rather than connect with the place or each other. “Instead of looking for places for people to take selfies, let’s design spaces where people forget about their phones,” she says.
What’s Next: Architectural Poetry
Lui hopes to see more poetry in the world of design, she says, which she describes as “maximum poignancy with minimum verbiage.”
“We think that the combination of rising costs and growing understanding of environmental impact will lead us to focus on a single thoughtful gesture instead of a hundred small ones,” she explains further. “There’s change afoot across all scales of life—from the ways we engage each other at the dinner table to the forms of development and investment in neighborhoods.” To continue adapting apace, we can look to the words of Bruce Lee, says Lui: “Be like water.”
Set on an undulating dune, this dwelling on the coast of Buenos Aires in Argentina by Gonzalo Bardach Arquitectura is comprised of three semi-buried pavilions connected by a lush green roof—offering a moment of architectural poetry within the forest.
