What is it about the start of a new year that makes us want to don a paintbrush and invigorate a change up in our interiors? A change is as good as a rest in my opinion, and if you’re looking to make some on-trend changes to your living room in 2025, there’s plenty of fun to be had.
There’s enough to satisfy those maximalism tendencies, and there’s a a strong focus on richer, bolder shades taking centre stage in our living rooms.
I caught up with a range of leading home brands to get an insight into the hottest trends for living rooms in 2025, as well as including my own predictions and thoughts on living spaces that have been predominantly ruling our living rooms.
Living Room Trends 2025
1.Tactile Design – Layering With Texture
Introducing textured elements for a tactile feel is a running theme across our interiors. Not only do tactile elements instil instant visual interest, but by layering with different types of textures it creates a cosier, warmer feel which becomes ever more important in a living room.
Wallsauce, a leading premium wallpaper murals and prints brand, shared that in a bid to reconnect with our natural side, sensorial design will be at the forefront.
“A sensory experience sets us grounded. So, we can expect to implement various fabrics, such as wool and linen, within our interiors to create a tactile environment”.
“Textured walls and ceilings will also be seen in homes. A cost-effective way of fulfilling this trend is to introduce faux texture murals. Brick, stone, marble, and concrete effects are becoming popular at Wallsauce”.
Textured wallpaper is doing its cyclical return to our interiors, but if refreshing your walls feels a bit too much for the new year, try and introduce texture through an area rug and soft, textured furnishings like cushions and throws. It’s always best practice to mix at least two different types of texture for an interesting scheme.
And, if you’re not sure where to start with wall coverings, I also have a round up on the top wallpaper trends for 2025, along with brands to try.
2. Having A Moment For Red
There’s something feel good about red, and like it or not, it’s only going to continue its rise in popularity in our interiors, especially for a living room.
I get it. We’re often ingrained with the notion that red means danger, and whilst color psychology is a thing, there’s actually not enough scientific data to back these claims up. Now, perhaps it is the explosion of the ‘unexpected red theory’ on social media that has helped to push this color back into the spotlight.
This popular design theory supposedly claims that adding a pop of red to a color scheme is the magic ingredient in pulling the scheme together, and making an interior look amazing.
Red also feels like an extension from its more demure counterpart, brown which became a popular shade in 2024. Red goes one step further at adding the coziness factor, and whether you go all in with a color drenched living room in your favourite rouge shade or just choose to paint a side table for that pop of red that ticks the boxes, this bold color really does transform an interior scheme.
My favorite red shade that I have just used for my own interior project is Farrow and Ball Eating Room Red, the most beautiful red that’s not too punchy, but has some cosy, warm undertones to it.
3. Layered Lighting Scheme
Lighting is one of the key elements that will completely transform your living room, and if you’re still depending on the light from a singular ‘overhead’ light, listen up!
A layered lighting scheme is not something new in the interior world. Essentially it means adding a range of different lighting sources to your room for a layered, ambient feel. As the role of the room changes throughout the day, so does the type of lighting it needs. For a living room, an overhead light, table lamp, floor lamp, picture lights and kinetic lighting (candles and fires) are common combinations.
The lack of plug sockets and need for electrical work to make more lighting options has always been a hassle, but as we head into 2025 we will see even more rechargeable lamps and wall lights on the market that finally make it a more accessible interior design choice.
I am a huge fan of the Pooky range of rechargeable lights, it answers the need that so many homeowners have been looking for, and they really do provide more than just a necessary function in the space. Many more retailers are starting to offer this function, but expect to see many more style options in the coming year.
4. Warm Toned Wooden Flooring
Flooring choices in living rooms can be totally personal, and are often influenced by lifestyle choices. I’m personally a fan of wooden flooring where possible in a living room for the aesthetic and durability it brings. If you have pets or children, it really is the smartest choice you can make for your design. You can then break the space up with a gorgeous area rug to set a boundary in your seating area, and add a tactile, warm feel to the space.
Whilst lighter tones of wooden flooring have reigned supreme, we are starting to see warmer tones coming through, providing more definition and really complementing the bolder colors we are introducing into our interiors.
Ian Tomlinson, Managing Director of Chaunceys Timber Flooring, shares his expert insights on this type of wooden flooring. “Warm-toned woods provide a versatility that works well in both modern and traditional settings. These tones complement the natural elements popular in today’s interiors such as stone, linen and soft organic textiles, while adding a rich foundation that can tie a space together”.
“While lighter-toned, whitewashed oak remains a staple, we’re seeing a resurgence of mid-tone browns and rich, earthy shades,” says Ian. “Homeowners are looking to create interiors that feel cosy, grounded and connected to nature. Warm-toned woods help to create this atmosphere and their timeless appeal reflects a return to classic, enduring design.”
Take inspiration from the below living room designed by House Nine. The perfect grounding look with the living rooms earthy inspired color scheme.
Designer: House Nine Design
Photo Credit: Joey Kendal Brown
5. Earthy Inspired Spaces
All living room interior trends for the year ahead point to the same rising design trend in some way. Earthy inspired living rooms are hugely popular and will continue to rise in popularity in 2025.
We want to be more connected to nature, and colors inspired by our surroundings help to ground us, and like I always say, it’s hard to feel bad in the presence of a good green.
Earthy spaces are one of the easiest to pull off in terms of interior design. Hone in on colors such as greens, reds, browns and creams, you can also lean into some blue hues if you want more of a coastal off-shoot. You don’t need to use all of these shades, but a combination will create a more layered, thoughtful scheme. It’s a perfect opportunity to bring in a pop of red in an unexpected way too, such as on a lamp base, or side table.
Build your living room scheme out with a focus on natural materials, this brings a natural warmth that will ground your scheme. Use materials such as wood, concrete, marble, rattan and seagrass to complement this design trend.
6. Richer, Pigmented Shades
It’s hard to imagine the days of grey interiors now, but we’re moving fast towards color and we’re going richer, and bolder in our living rooms.
We’re becoming more confident with color, and interior trends are somewhat influenced by both the fashion world, and like it or not, what we’re consuming and seeing more of on social media.
Neutrals are now much more richer and pigmented, such as this silky brown shade in the living room below. But we’re experimenting and seeing more plum based browns, such as Benjamin Moore’s color of the year, Cinnamon Slate. Reds, yellows and blues are on-trend choices for the year ahead too.
I’ve compiled the top paint trends in one place for 2025, with paint shades to try from a range of paint brands that are perfect for a living room.
7. Patterned Upholstery
This pulls from the need to add more tactile elements to a living room, but this one well and truly satisfies the maximalist urge that we all have to some extent.
Whether you have an old armchair that’s seen better days or you’ve picked up a Facebook marketplace bargain, reupholstering with a patterned fabric adds a completely new dimension to a piece of furniture that feels good in a space.
There’s not necessarily any hard fast rules for picking out a fabric, but it’s generally best to source a fabric with a color that matches other elements in your room. Or, leaning into a highly complementary pattern, such as pairing a terracotta fabric with baby blue walls.
Pattern is one of my favorite ways to add a unique element to a design. There are so many YouTube videos available online too if you fancy learning the art of upholstery yourself.
8. Fifth Wall Inclusion
The ceiling is no longer an after thought when decorating. Otherwise known as the ‘fifth wall’, it’s getting a glow up, and it’s becoming a design accent in its own right.
The knee jerk reaction to paint a ceiling white is now an incredibly dated decorating method. There’s so much fun that can be had!
Whether you’re color drenching an interior room or add a completely different shade to the ceiling for a dramatic look, it completely transforms how a living room feels. Taking a ceiling color down onto the walls (like the below living room) is an effective way of creating a cozy, more cocooning space.
It’s not just paint that you can experiment with, the return of wallpapered ceilings are back in fashion. It brings an extra level of specialism with it than just painting, but it brings a completely different design aesthetic to a living room which can’t be matched,
9. Eco-conscious Design
Sustainability and designing in a conscious way continues to be a pivotal role in interior design. Reclaimed flooring, upcycled pieces of furniture and a lean into natural materials are accessible ways to introduce this mindset into your living room design.
Ian Tomlinson added, “Celebrated for its sustainable credentials and undeniable charm, reclaimed wood is also a key player in 2025 interior design trends. Whether used as flooring, wall cladding, or even ceiling features, it brings character, warmth and authenticity to spaces while maintaining a minimal environmental footprint”.
“Every piece of reclaimed wood has a story, offering a unique aesthetic that simply can’t be replicated by new materials,” says Ian. “With each batch uniquely weathered by time, reclaimed wood is not only an eco-conscious choice but also a timeless design statement.”
If you’re completely renovated, buying second hand furniture is not only an affordable option, but it helps to reuse the items that are already out there. Just like reclaimed wood, pieces of furniture and vintage items all tell a story, and for me, these individual pieces are what makes interior design so beautiful, and unique to a home.
