Next year is shaping up to be quite the exciting year for new decorating trends, with details like color drenching, major texture, and over-the-top ceilings taking center stage. While trends like Barbiecore and Japandi quickly come and go, it can be fun to keep up with the cultural zeitgeist. Plus, keeping an open mind and playing with your home’s design are always good ideas! After all, your individual style is what makes your home, well, yours.
Still, as Veranda reports, adopting every passing trend can make your home look like a random assortment of things versus a well-collected space that reflects your personal style. While there are several Gen-Z decorating trends designers love, there are some that designers can’t wait to say goodbye to in the new year. From dupe culture to “quiet luxury,” here are the design trends pros wish would go away in 2025.
Dupes
San Francisco-based designer Noz Nozawa says, “The one trend that is tough for me to witness is the celebration of finding dupes of original designs.” She adds, “In general, it’s just not realistic to find amazing design pieces at too-good-to-be-true prices without a compromise in quality or ethics—and usually, that means an original idea is being knocked off, forsaking the value of the R&D investment in the O.G.”
The designer adds that she’s ready to see younger design enthusiasts do away with dupe culture in favor of “hunting for vintage and antique finds that are made better and not contributing to more rampant overconsumption.”
Fast Design and “Trending” Colors
Nozawa says that patience is key when designing your home, since rushing the process can make your decor look too trendy or even cheap. She encourages young design lovers and those without a big budget to have “a more patient approach to acquiring.” She adds, “[It’s] cool and chic to have an under-furnished home with specific choiceful objects being brought in, piece by piece.”
In that same vein, Chicago-based designer Summer Thornton encourages design enthusiasts not to pay too much attention to color trends, as those tend to change rapidly. She says, “Don’t ever ask yourself what color is trending; choose colors that make you feel good, that remind you of your happy place, that look good on your skin tone or that you just keep coming back to year after year.”
So if chocolate brown is on trend, but you really love turquoise because it reminds you of your favorite beach in the Caribbean, lean into that with your design. Go ahead and lacquer your library shelves in that bold shade if it makes you happy and reflects your personal aesthetic.
Quiet Luxury
The quiet luxury trend (embodied by very neutral, tone-on-tone rooms) has been sweeping social media for its soothing, “old money” vibes, but design pros are ready to see it evolve into something a bit more stylish and colorful. Louisville, Kentucky-based interior designer Bethany Adams says, “I’m really over monotone and ‘quiet luxury. To each their own, but I like my luxury to pipe up just a little bit.
Adams says that while she loves the tone-on-tone look in design, she’s “really over the gray on gray (on gray) interpretation of quiet luxury.” She adds, “I think it is so much more luxurious to add a contrasting hue to a tonal space and to ground it in neutrals rather than drench an entire space in various tones of cement. Add in unexpected organic forms to loosen things up, and you’ve really got the makings of a quietly luxurious space.”
Pendants Over a Kitchen Island
Adams says, “Another trend I am ready to hang up—pun intended—is matching pendant lights over the kitchen island. This has become such a staple of kitchen design, that ‘trend’ may not accurately describe the chokehold this feature has on our collective imaginations, but hear me out: In many cases the island is directly in front of another feature—say a stunning range and range hood—and the pendant lights drop down right in front of that showstopper. Or, the ceiling height is actually not appropriate for pendants, and dropping those lights into the space makes it feel smaller, and more cluttered.”
Adams adds that there are plenty of other lighting options to use above your kitchen island, such as architectural recessed lighting or decorative flush mounts. She adds, “You are not required to hang two matching pendant lights above your kitchen island.”
Homogenous Design
Thornton says, “I am tired of seeing the same things regurgitated on Instagram over and over. I’ve always been a fan of personal and inspired design that bucks trends and current popularity. I started my firm when everything everywhere was gray, and thank God we went the other direction. If you copy styles, you will have a derivative result that you will soon tire of. Do something that means something to you, even if it isn’t on trend.”
Thornton recommends replacing homogeny with something personal to you or your family’s lifestyle. She says, “In my own kitchen I put an antique dining table smack in the center instead of an island because I hate sitting on barstools, and the parquet top wood table makes that kitchen feel more welcoming than a giant slab of cold marble. I didn’t do it for resale, I did it for us!”
Blue and White
Thornton says that she would love to see this two-tone color combo go away ASAP. She says, “Blue and white, someone please tell the ladies of America there are other color combinations? I know blue and white is a classic, but enough already!” She recommends playing with other color combos to achieve a timeless look. She says, “If blue and white is true to you, go for it, but if you are choosing it to be classic, there are so many other options.”
Thornton encourages design lovers to shake up the all blue and white color scheme by adding some green to the mix: “Green is a neutral to me and always goes well with blue.” She adds, “If you prefer a cooler palette, add lavender to keep it somewhat tonal. Or go all out and scrap the blue and white in favor of a warmer palette of yellows, pinks and oranges!”
Totally Open Floor Plans
Open floor plans may have been trending over the last decade, but designers are ready to bring back some more formal living spaces. Thornton says, “I have never been a fan of the open concept living, dining, and kitchen concept. It is so difficult to make each space feel intimate; you need some walls and some architecture for that.”
She adds, “It is also endlessly boring to decorate! There are ways to have rooms feel open and connected without making them one large rectangular box. It definitely lacks a certain imagination.” Thornton recommends adding wing walls to your open floor plan to give the illusion of separation. She adds, “Use a different wall treatment to make each space feel like its own!”
Scalloped Everything
Scallops can bring a sweet British-inspired charm to lampshades, furniture, and more, but designers feel like the trend is a bit saturated at this point. Thornton says, “I love a dressmaker detail as much as the next girl, but suddenly scallops feel a bit played out.”
She adds, “Look to history for new details that can be used to give furniture or fabric some interest!” We’re currently loving bows, pleats, and marbled details.
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