6 Out-of-Date Interior Design Trends to Avoid in 2025

PHOTO COURTESY ADOBE STOCK

OK, OK, I’m just going to get this out of the way — your home is your sanctuary, and it should reflect your personal style and taste. As interior designer Jennifer Janeway puts it, your home should be used in the way that best suits the way you live in it — and how you want your family and guests to feel in it.

If you do this, it can inform your home’s space plan, the design, the furnishings and the decorative elements.

“The biggest mistake that I think homeowners can make is decorating solely based on trends, rather than what they love,” says Janeway, who owns Jennifer Janeway Designs studio and retail shop in Sewickley. “Really thinking about the question ‘How do you want your home to feel?’ can help to guide you on exactly what goes into it.

That said, if you’re ready to update your home’s design, and want to do so with 2025’s latest styles, these are a few of the outdated trends to leave behind as we enter a new year, plus a few new ways to freshen up your home design.

1. Bye Bye Boucle

Listen, I love nubby boucle fabric; it has a cozy, textured aesthetic and I wouldn’t hesitate in adding a boucle accent chair to my home office (more on that later) tomorrow. The trend can still be seen everywhere, which is exactly why some designers are calling it over.

“I’m so tired of the white boucle,” Julien Sebban, founder of architecture and design collective Uchronia, told ELLE DECOR. “Clients are [also] increasingly tired of generic, cookie-cutter design — everything looking the same, especially in ‘Instagrammable’ interiors. They want spaces that feel unique and authentic. They want more color in their life.”

But don’t throw your boucle to the curb just yet, ELLE DECOR also noted the material is reappearing in bolder colors and thicker materials — just keep it luxe looking.

“The skimpy cream and off-white boucles feel down-market,” Los Angeles-based designer Oliver Furth told the magazine.

A CURVED IRON PANTRY DOOR ADDS INTEREST TO A RECENTLY COMPLETED KITCHEN PROJECT BY JENNIFER JANEWAY DESIGNS. PHOTO BY DAVE BRYCE PHOTOGRAPHY

2. Too Much Minimalism

Don’t be afraid to personalize your space; Janeway says the minimalist — and often angular — design aesthetic that we’ve been seeing for awhile has begun to feel a bit sterile.

Instead, she’s seeing design elements with softer curves; think curved doorways, doors and niches as architectural elements. On the furnishings side, curved coffee tables and sideboards and cozy barrel chairs that wrap around you are on trend for 2025.

“Fluted surfaces and scalloped trim elements are a fun way to incorporate this on a smaller scale,” Janeway adds.

3. So Long to the Home Office

WFH life may finally be a thing of the past. Believe it or not, we’re approaching the five-year anniversary of the COVID pandemic that usurped everyone’s lives. In that time, the popularity of the home office naturally rose as many worked remotely through the worst of the pandemic, and it’s starting to fall again as those same workers return to the office.

Indeed, Zillow home trends expert Amanda Pendleton told ELLE DECOR that “Zoom rooms” are no longer considered an essential home design element.

“As more workers return to their offices, the ‘Zoom room’ is now appearing in 34% fewer Zillow listings,” she said.

Instead, buyers and homeowners are interested in creating specialty rooms that reflect their personal interests, such as music, craft or art studios.

ALL-WHITE KITCHENS ARE A CLASSIC, BUT DESIGNERS ARE EXPERIMENTING MORE WITH COLOR, SUCH AS THIS GREEN KITCHEN BY JENNIFER JANEWAY DESIGNS. PHOTO BY DAVE BRYCE PHOTOGRAPHY

4. Later to Lighter Woods

Woods in light tones such as white oak have been having a moment, but Janeway sees the trend giving way to deeper, warmer shades.

“We’re using a lot of walnut in our projects in both built-ins and furnishings, and these richer wood tones bring a sophisticated feel to a room,” she says.

Sal Bucci, designer and listing specialist for The Fraser Team at Pittsburgh-based Piatt Sotheby’s International Realty, expects to see more mid-tone wood flooring rather than gray planks, which helps a home appear more inviting.

The warmer woods also complement 2025’s richer color palette, which include hues of eggplant, deep plums and rich greens, according to Janeway.

BENJAMIN MOORE’S EL CAJON CLAY WAS UTILIZED AT JENNIFER JANEWAY HOME SHOP IN SEWICKLEY. PHOTO BY JERONIMO CREATIVE

5. No to All-White Everything

Speaking of cozier colors, cool white and gray walls — which I’ve had a lot to say about — can make a home feel cold and sterile.

Instead, opt for warmer whites (White Dove by Benjamin Moore is a favorite of mine) or go even bolder by incorporating a trendy chocolate brown or Purple Basil, PPG’s 2025 Color of the Year, which are both surprisingly neutral.

As for kitchens, while white will always be a classic, Janeway is seeing a shift toward more colorful combinations on both cabinets and walls.

“We’re designing kitchens that have a definitive color palette to them — greens, warm earthy neutrals and even a deep and dramatic burgundy (Benjamin Moore’s El Cajon Clay) that we used in our showroom,” she says. “Having a kitchen that’s rich with color brings so much warmth to a space that has so many hard surfaces.”

6. Forgo Cheap Furniture

Like fast fashion, cheaply made furniture — although affordable and trendy — typically only lasts a few years before finding a final resting spot in a landfill. Instead, Janeway recommends investing in higher quality pieces with more longevity.

“Sustainability and climate stewardship is something that we’re excited to offer to our design clients and through our new showroom, including furnishings that are well constructed and will stand the test of time, GreenGuard-Certified fabrics, and recycled materials, including soft but tough performance fabric made from recycled water bottles,” she says.

Worth noting: Buying heirloom or custom furniture that lasts generations can also be expensive. If that option is out of reach, a more sustainable alternative is looking for upcycled or thrifted pieces; some reputable sites for second-hand designer pieces include 1stDibs and Chairish.

For more on 2025’s trending home styles according to local interior designers, check out Pittsburgh Magazine’s January/February print issue.