Each year in January we're often asked by media what trends we think will be seen. It’s always an interesting opportunity for us to reflect on the year that was; what we've seen in the zeitgeist generally and also what our team has been inspired by.

It's also not an easy question to answer. We don’t follow ‘trends’ or have a specific style or aesthetic. Our work is more of an ideology; born from stories, from some suspension of belief. We like to find the mythical and magical, embodied in texture, patina, full of shade and shadow, surprising shape and form. 

However a recent conversation we had with Hayley Peppin of Harper’s BAZAAR we thought was worth sharing. Hayley says, “Most of us have a love-hate relationship with trends. We roll our eyes at cringey or fleeting fads, which change as quickly as our “For You” page on social media; yet often we give into at least some of the trends featured in any given year. Our appetite for newness rarely wanes, especially when social currency’s involved. But with greater awareness on the algorithm’s all-consuming power, we’re now going back to design basics by discovering and incorporating our authentic style — and that’s something the biggest interior design trends of 2025 demonstrate.”

Peppin teases out several key ‘trends’ that our Principal Jeremy Bull shared his thoughts on.

Read on for some excerpts from Peppin’s article.

Gentle luxury

We all know what quiet luxury is — new age minimalism, old money aesthetics, muted tones — but do you know what gentle luxury is? Sydney-based interior design firm Alexander &CO. (who redesigned the Gold Coast’s iconic Burleigh Pavilion, and are working on a fine dining restaurant in Queenstown’s chic Ayrburn Precinct) dubbed it the happy medium between country club vibes and maximalism. “The boldness of colour is always being played somewhere, whilst the quiet, or as we prefer, gentle luxury is too,” Jeremy Bull, Principal Interior Designer explained. “I think that in a noisy world, there is a natural ebb between the two and everything in between. I’m leaning toward the ‘gentle’ [this year].”

What’s out for interior design in 2025

As for Bull, “fast fashion” and “irony or genre-stuck nostalgia” are “out”. While it’s perfectly fine to use social media as a research tool — in discovering new designers and makers, sourcing inspiration and enticing one’s imagination — it really shouldn’t be the be all, end all. “Maybe the allure of pulpy images has failed to live up to expectations!” Bull continued on how things have changed this year. “Extraordinary professional thinking trumps trendy images every day, and perhaps design DIY has seen its season finale.”

Read the full Harper’s Bazaar article.