Designer insight: How home interiors are evolving in 2025

Over time, subtle shifts occur in design. We spoke to industry insiders to find out what’s been preoccupying them, what they’re looking towards this year and the changes they’ve observed in their clients.

Natural beauty

“We’re seeing the use of more timeless, natural materials – materials people loved 10 years ago and will still love 10 years from now, whether that’s a burl timber, natural stone, linen or luxe fabrics such as mohairs, velvets, cashmere or angora [wool],” says Melbourne-based furniture designer Rachel Donath. “It’s a whole sensory experience rather than just being about aesthetics.”

That focus extends throughout the house. Interior architect Lily Goodwin, co-director of Sydney’s Pattern Studio, talks of bathrooms with “a very deliberate – dare we say ‘mindful’ – use of natural materials such as exquisitely veined marbles and quartzites”.

Telling stories

“In this culture of sameness, where we’re overexposed to everything, people are wanting more unique pieces,” says interior designer Tali Roth. “The thing that sets spaces apart, and will continue to do so, is the use of found objects and artisanal pieces. It’s the stories and soul behind the family heirlooms; if something is meaningful to you, it will work. As long as it’s good quality, it can be paired with contemporary pieces and in any space. And it’s a sustainable approach, which is important.”

Working together

A recent shift Melbourne-based decorator and curator Simone Haag has noticed has been in clients’ involvement in projects. “There’s a real drive now for a collaborative approach – more people are saying they want to come on the journey with us rather than wanting us to make it happen for them,” she says. That might mean being taken to galleries, showrooms, workshops and artists’ studios. A greater sense of interaction with makers means “people are more interested in the person behind the piece rather than just the piece”.

Light touch

In line with a desire for the individual and natural, Haag is seeing a contrast to the glass and metal lighting we have been accustomed to in recent years. “This is so far in the other direction. [Now] it’s about lighting, sometimes sculptural, made of leather, which has a softness about it – not only in the quality of light but also in the material itself. It’s about as natural as you can get. There’s an imperfection in the glow and the finish that is the polar opposite to where everyone has been for a very long time.”

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Social change

As we spend more time at home than ever before, our abodes increasingly have to meet our many needs: not just as a place of retreat but equally as a scene for socialising. “Consider how the home will comfortably accommodate large gatherings,” Goodwin says, “whether that be in a formal dining setting or more relaxed al fresco. Nothing is more luxurious than to be in the company of all the people you love.”

Donath recommends a round dining table as a way of “connecting with others”. It’s that connection with friends and family that helps create a space that genuinely feels like home.