Design trends for 2025 – what's hot in interior design right now
2025 is about letting art lead the interior design, not the other way around. At Artiley, we notice that homes that feel well-thought-out almost always start with a beloved painting – then the color, material and light are allowed to adapt to the motif. When we help customers choose a piece, we start with the feeling the painting evokes: calm, energy or curiosity. That feeling anchors the rest of the room, and avoids expensive, sprawling rework.
The board as a room director
A painting defines the focal point and sets the pace for the room. So let the motif guide the textiles, wall tone and lighting. Do you have a sofa in warm beige but lack depth? Choose a work with earthy tones and clear brushstrokes – and pick up an accent color from the painting in a blanket or a lampshade. We often see how a room with many “almost-beige” shades wakes up when a painting introduces a deeper contrast, such as burnt sienna or forest green. The result is not more colorful for the sake of the color itself, but more focused because the eye has a target point.
Material mix with metallic sheen
In 2025, subtle metallic reflections dominate – especially when they come from the subject itself, not from surrounding ornaments. A concrete example is how silver and gold pigments in an abstract painting create a soft shimmer that ties together steel, chrome and natural materials. Our customer favorite Echoes of Silver is a good benchmark: its gray, white and metallic layers give the living room an elegant depth without being cold. Place it above the sideboard and choose a warm directional spot of 2700–3000K that emphasizes the luster of the metal in the evening light. Then the rest of the metals in the room (handles, lamp base, table) feel more intentional than random.
Large formats and gallery hanging
Large formats will continue to be strong in 2025, but not just for the sake of drama. A generous canvas painting calms the room because it gathers attention. As a rule of thumb, a work above a sofa should be about two-thirds the width of the sofa. Hang the height so that the center of the painting is around 145 cm from the floor – this does wonders for the overall impression. If you want to create a gallery wall instead, let a main piece lead and then build around it with smaller paintings that echo a color or texture from the main one. We usually leave a clean zone around the main piece (negative space) so that the wall feels curated, not overloaded.
Color trends that enhance the motif
This year's palette is moving towards muted, natural shades: forest, earth and misty blue. Our advice is to let the darkest tone of the painting control the room and then tone down the wall color one to two steps lighter than that tone. This makes the painting feel integrated and not "pasted on". If you like moss green in an abstract landscape, choose pillows in a toned down green that is present but does not compete with the depth of the subject. For a deep dive into shades and how they behave on canvas compared to the wall, read Color Trends in Art: Which Shades Are Dominating Right Now? . The point is that a color trend only becomes sustainable when it is anchored in a work you actually want to live with.
Texture and tactile depth
Structure is a quiet trend-setter. Relief and clear brushstrokes create shadows that shift with the daylight. In practice, this means that a textured painting brings an otherwise plain room to life. Do you have a lot of soft textiles? Choose a work with a breaking structure – this allows the bouclé of the sofa and the pile of the carpet to converse with the relief of the painting. We often recommend placing a narrow wall washer next to the motif; light that captures the texture makes the painting more spatial and makes the entire wall feel deeper.
Sustainable style: change paintings, not everything
The most sustainable trend is to let art be your variable. If you have a neutral base, you can replace a central piece with the changes of the season and let the rest follow with small adjustments. We often see how homes gain new energy when a bright spring canvas is replaced with a deeper autumn interpretation of art – not the other way around. The frame can be reused, and a new motif can change the direction of the room with a single lift. That is also why we work with canvas paintings whose sharpness of detail and depth of color are able to be the protagonist of the room, year after year.
In summary: start with the painting. Let the motif guide the color, material and light, and use format, hanging and lighting to ensure the work gets the place it deserves. 2025 is the year when interior design is at its best when art is allowed to lead – and you don't have to compromise on your personality.