It’s official, the interiors mood has been declared for 2025 – we’re entering an era of calm introspection. Mostly.

The design playground of the 2025 Salone del Mobile furniture and design fair, and the ever-growing Milan Design Week that blossoms around it, saw the city once more basking in interiors innovations, pioneering product design, and shifting perspectives on space.

The ambiance was mindful, subdued, even tentative, chiming with the fair’s theme of ‘Thought for Humans,’ which honed in on the power of design to support wellness and bring people together.

Neutrals and naturals reigned, with luxury design brands from around the world leaning into an organic palette and the materials of nature as well as carefully refining and extending their current collections, plus mixing in a few surprises along the way.

2025’s defining trends emerged from a hush of calm and quiet confidence, with just enough offbeat character to keep us guessing. It was a sea of soothing shades, natural materials, soft tactility and grounded forms – designs that whispered rather than shouted. Prioritising sensory richness over visual noise, pieces tempting us to touch and invited interaction with alluring materials and irresistible surfaces. Shapes span the slick and sleek to the enveloping, friendly, and at times strangely familiar …

Rule-benders and category-dodgers emerged as ever, with styles, textures and materials on the fringes of the all-is-calm palette bringing range, dynamism, and the pleasingly unpredictable.

Exploring Milan Design Week 2025, our eyes adjusted to a spectrum that’s been simmering in the background for a while but came into full bloom this year. Neutrals. Everywhere. From pale ivory, oat and cream to more mid-level camel, fawn and taupe, the design sphere has given itself over to earthy, grounded shades that hold onto enough lightness to energise a space to leave us feeling both elevated and serene.

B&B Italia created a luxuriously laid-back landscape with muted, almost-white modular sofas. The Cocùn seating system is described by its designer Antonio Citterio as ‘embodying its essence of enclosure: the ability to welcome, protect, and embrace, like a personal retreat within the home’, the all-encompassing feeling emulated by its delicate porcelain tones.

Running alongside these tonal, easy-does-it shades flows the undercurrent of another theme – the adulation of mother nature. In step with the gentle, genteel palette, natural materials reigned. Cattelan Italia’s Diploma floor lamp by Studio Kronos fused both styles, its subtly twisting form taken from the golden ratio and hand-made in chalk-toned clay.

Timber is also being celebrated at every turn – from Knoll’s Muecke Wood Collection of all-timber chairs and tables by Jonathan Muecke, boldly showcasing their grain (and beautifully considered construction) in oak, walnut and ebonised ash, to Bonaldo’s Flatiron table by Mauro Lipparini, composed of a slice of Canaletto walnut or oak with statement legs in timber or stone. Foscarini’s Alicudi, Filicudi, Panarea lights by Alberto and Francesco Meda are formed from rugged recycled lava stone.

While colour is (for the most part…) having a moment of down time, texture stepped up to the fore and well and truly delivered. The entire city of Milan was cloaked in touch-me-touch-me layers of delight, from the tactile and irregular to the smooth and sleek. We have entered the year of stroking sofas, caressing chairs, brushing beds and patting poufs, not to mention generally drinking in delectable surface nuances with our eyes.

Furniture and room design has taken an illusory turn, becoming semi-translucent and rather dream-like. It’s glass. Following on from its dominance and experimental attitude at last year’s Design Week (where it swung from watery, to irregular, to shattered, to striped, to coloured, to anything else you can think of), now we know what type of glass we want – a natural spin on statement texture, please.

It's the time of misted and molten glass. Misted glass has a frosted or opaque finish, so light passing through it is diffused, creating a soft, less defined glow. Molten glass is filled with ripples and movement, like it’s not quite set yet (perhaps having oozed from the earth or poured forth from a volcano), most often transparent but distorting light that does pass through. Both approaches feel organic, yet toy with shadow, skewing it for a floaty, ethereal, am-I-awake effect.

The tops of Porada’s Latch coffee tables by Meneghello Paolelli are made from a new thermoformed crystal glass which takes on a rippling, molten feel, the texture highlighted by the material’s black and bronze finish options, while the Lakelet side tables by Front for Moroso are inspired by watercolours and the Swedish landscape, expressed in shimmering, almost iridescent, mirrored hues with a texture like molten glass suddenly frozen.

Brokis’s Comet pendant series by Simona Sbordone is hand-blown from laminated glass with grains of silica sand added between the layers, its misty quality conjuring the celestial, gently diffusing light and casting a serene haze, while each curve of CTO Lighting’s Trace Free Fall modern chandelier is tipped with glowing pieces of movement-filled mist-esque glass, the brightness emitted from each soft and otherworldly.

Cattelan Italia has topped the table of the Italian tabletop world for some time now. So it is no surprise that they've made a move towards the stylish trend of transluscent, imperfectly perfect glass finishes. Their Nettuno console is one of a new series of surfaces that proves that misted glass doesn't miss the mark.

If you want even, uninterrupted, slickest of the slick surfaces, it’s lacquer you’ll be turning to this interiors season. Becoming more and more apparent on the decorative scene of late, it’s now glided right into the spotlight. Its silky finish negating the need for bold statement colour, the high-gloss finish itself is the main attraction as light bounces dramatically from its look-over-here polished coat. The contemporary lacquered pieces combine the traditional finish with clean, minimalist forms that hint at the sculptural with the simple shapes enhanced by impactful lustre.

The understated rounded-edges of Bonaldo’s Arragan Sideboard collection by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti are given panache and character with a decadently slick coating of glossy (or matt) lacquer, paired with a contrasting ceramic top.

Cassina’s Treflo table designed by Ronan Bouroullec is a monument to slick dining solutions. The statement centrepiece utilses a rich colour palette of deep hues that work as a backdrop for the sophisticated shine prodcued by the lacquered table top.

In contrast gleam and gloss play a more secondary but equally as important role on Molteni & C's Eugène lounge chair, providing a stylish base to build an contrastingly soft seating solution. This best-of-both-worlds combination is the ideal amount sleek design and comfortable curves.

In need of the most brilliant shine and most uninterrupted sheen of them all? You’re in luck, as the metallic of 2025 is a silver-toned, chrome-y, mirror-like reflection. No longer just a throwback to retro futurism or a subtle accent, it’s now fully dominating the scene with its liquid silver-style surface turning furniture and beyond into statements that radiate high-voltage polish. Colour? We’ve all but forgotten what it is at this point as light zips across chrome’s surface, catching every curve, edge and angle with assertive precision that feels fresh, refined and fearless.

B&B Italia leads the charge. As part of the sofa’s 20th anniversary, Patricia Urquiola’s Tufty Time is added to with coffee tables in wooden frames topped with pieces of shining silver brill anodized aluminium. Antonio Citterio’s Flat. C Frame shelving and storage system is extended into a floor-to-ceiling version, a striking architectural vision in chrome-finished aluminium, while his refined Cocùn modern sofas and modular seating system are elevated and refined by a linear aluminium base in a brushed polished chrome finish.

Then there’s Molteni’s Lise Dining table by Christophe Delcourt, its sculptural surface supported by silvery swooshes as striking as the chromed edge around its circumference. The glimmering collection from Gallotti & Radice features the wow-factor Arch coffee tables by David/Nicolas, a vision in geometric aluminium panels, alongside the Mirage coffee table by Studiopepe, which glows bright with a coordinating stainless-steel top.

While physical interaction is at the heart of how we enjoy and use furniture, it’s another sense that shapes our first impression: sight. Our decision about whether we like a design often happens long before we ever lay a hand on it—which is why, in this industry, visuals are vital. This year, Salone was full of layered luxe and folded forms that caught the eye before anything else—sweeping statements crafted from graceful curves, destined to be the centrepiece in any design lover’s space.

We’re welcoming into the fold pieces that exhibit textural tucks; those that show off how they’re artfully shaped and gathered into being. Furniture using its very construction and structure as decoration, and as a leading part of its personality. The move creates visual rhythm through pinches and pleats, and brings softness to hard materials. Such silhouette-led tactility turns each design into something almost garment-like – tailored, detailed and sensorially engaging.

Patrick Norguet’s Ozzy armchairs and poufs for Flexform are clad in a wrapper of cow hide which acts as a backrest, the upper most section gracefully folded back to create a collar-style fold which rounds out the silhouette with depth and a relaxed refinement.

Bonaldo’s Avant-Garde lounge chair by Fabrice Berrux is based around visual weightlessness and suspension. Two cushioned and comfortable pieces bent in half at just the right chair-creating angles, it feels like upholstery in freefall or caught mid-fold.

The Zanotta Za:Za Max sofa by Zaven adds dimensionality to its arms with a thick, cushiony half fold, as Glas Italia’s i mirror by Tokujin Yoshioka poses in a casual lean, the entire panel created from a folded angle held with such calm assurance it feels more draped than designed.

While we’re talking of folds, the influence of the king of undulating layers echoed through time this year, making his presence known across a range of brands and designs. Remember… the Michelin man? You will soon, as his rounded, friendly and comfortable rolls left their imprint on the season’s standout pieces.

The plush ripples of Knoll’s Biboni Sofa by Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee is the character himself made comfortable and chic. Hugging the body with its stacked tyre-evoking curves, scallops and folds, the sofa has an approachable, warm-hearted personality. “It wants to be a good friend,” Johnston says.

Minimising the stacked folds is Gallotti & Radice’s Evolis sofa by Martina and Massimo Castagna, which is just two plumply padded pieces atop each other. The refined, sculptural curves subtly echo at a Michelin silhouette, its air of elegant comfort balancing playful warmth with sophistication.

The statement back supports of de Sede’s DS-909 Flow sofa also have a puffy, ruched feel, each piece a pint-sized take on the cheery character. Like a miniature tribute, they channel joy and nostalgia through form alone.

When high-end materials and artisanal craftsmanship come together, it’s hard to resist adding just a little more. That’s why our next trend explores designs that whisper, “Just a little something extra.” A lounge chair wrapped in a second skin of leather, or a sofa calling for the warm embrace of its outer shell – these are the pieces that quietly insist on an extra layer of luxury.

Live life in the fast lane with the Lorelei collection by Giorgetti. Designed in partnership with Maserati, this seating solution takes lacquered shapes and bends them to form a segmented shell that encompasses the luxury within. With a post-modern feel and a fold at every turn, they are the veritable all-rounders of our trend report, covering a little from all of the above.

The Blisscape sofa is aptly named for its plush, enveloping softness. Every inch is upholstered in leather, wrapped and bound by a pair of stylish, softly padded arms. Manufacturers Poltrona Frau are among the finest when it comes to leather-clad luxury, so it’s no surprise they’ve opted for an outer layer as well as an inner one.

Ginkgo XL – if you're wondering if three really is the magic number, then this lounge chair makes a compelling case. A triptych of design, it blends soft upholstery, debonair leather and majestic timber in perfect harmony. The larger sibling of the original Ginkgo chair, Porada have scaled things up with the XL to offer an even more laid-back, luxurious experience – all wrapped in the finest materials.

There have to be some. Those designs that go against the grain, that don’t even bother looking up to see what the rest of the world is doing. Our homes – and souls – need such rule-breaking renegades, and it wouldn’t be Milan Design Week without a heavy delivery of unexpected designs which just don’t fit into a box.

Moroso’s Clay armchair by Zanellato/Bortotto is driven by research into ceramics, its backrest embedded with an alluring ceramic slab, each traditionally handmade and decorated with ombre-style glazes and lustres. The chairs – in buoyant lilac or edgy mustard – become 3D textile frames to these small, unexpected works of art, which create moments of intrigue and beauty in the home.

The Maap wall light by Erwan Bouroullec is the latest in abstract, unapologetically nonconformist, lighting solutions from Flos. It’s as if someone tried to sketch the perfect lighting design, then—frustrated—crumpled the paper, threw it away and in that very moment, the Maap was born. A bold statement of chaos amidst the typically calming nature of lighting.

The Opalia table collection by Patricia Urquiola for Glas Italia takes textured glass to bold new territory, the bodies made up of chunky sections of recycled glass, covered in and filled with bubbles, resulting in forms that are irregular, rich, and refreshingly unrefined.

Paola Lenti’s Naga bench by Atelier Oï is almost knit into being, the seat made up of fabric looped around a pale ash frame to create pleasing, unpredictable chromatic effects in tones from dirty lime green to terracotta to deep purple, each oversized braid made up of a smaller rainbow of tonal hues within itself.

We look forward to welcoming these fresh Milanese launches – and more! – to our curated collection of designer greats both online and at our 25'000 sq ft luxury lifestyle showroom in Greater London.