Some interiors trends, such as natural materials, statement lighting or classic furniture, are utterly timeless, while others change like the seasons.
Then there are those that are even more transient and largely shaped by popular culture, whether celebrities, TV shows or movies.
Here, we round-up five of the most surprising interior must-haves we’ve spotted of late, from beds fit for a queen (quite literally) to supermodel-approved office chairs – yes, really – and ceilings worthy of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
The Paris Fashion Week office chair
Stella McCartney’s recent Fall/Winter show at Paris Fashion Week has unexpectedly put the humble swivel chair in the spotlight, providing a rather unusual perch for FROW regulars such as Kate Moss, Cameron Diaz, Anna Wintour and Tom Ford, amongst other A-listers.
Indeed, the basic black chair – famously ugly and uncomfortable – was an unlikely star at the glittering event, and now we can’t get enough of them for our home offices.
Studio Vero chose a rare £10k Gustavo Pulitzer desk chair in stitched leather with painted metal and brass for a home study
Studio Vero
In a recent project, Studio Vero chose a rare £10k Gustavo Pulitzer desk chair in stitched leather with painted metal and brass for a home study.
“A desk chair can really set the tone for a home office,” explains Romanos Rihi, co-founder at the London-based interior design practice.
“Yes, it needs to suit a client’s work demands, but we like incorporating exquisite design and craftsmanship with superior functionality.”
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Thankfully, similarly luxurious-looking designs can snapped up for significantly less in the form of the Carlos by OKA, the Eames PACC from Heal’s, the Rowley by John Lewis and the Elsie from Dusk, while Romanos suggests scouring 1st Dibs, Pamono or Vinterior for something with a little patina and loads of personality.
The Drew Barrymore yellow
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KitchenAid’s tilt head mixer costs from £499
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Butter trended last year – as in the colour, not the dairy product – and it’s trending again, as seen in everything from Drew Barrymore Yellow, introduced as an official shade by colour expert Pantone as ‘a vibrant celebration of the radiant icon’(can someone pass the sick bucket?), Timothée Chalamet’s vibrant suit, which he wore to the Oscars, the new butter colourway from homeware brand Mustard, and the 2025 Colour of the Year by KitchenAid – yep, you guessed it, butter.
Currently for sale with Blue Book Agency, the principal apartment at Garrick’s Villa in Hampton Court – the former home of actor and playwright David Garrick – comes with a butter-coloured dining room.
Recently-listed with Hamptons is a Grade II*-listed Tudor house in Eltham featuring a butter-yellow exterior. Time for a glow-up?
The White Lotus canopy bed
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Canopy beds are all the rage, don’t you know?
Usually seen in country houses, period properties and grand hotels, they’re popping up everywhere in London homes, inspired, perhaps, by the modern take on a canopy bed at the Four Seasons hotel in Koh Samui, Thailand, in the latest series of The White Lotus?
Indeed, recent stats by Market Research Future (MRFR) show that the global canopy bed market, including the UK, is projected to reach around £7 billion by 2024 with a yearly growth rate of around 3.5 per cent.
Closer to home, Queen Camilla lays claim to a classic style at her country estate in Wiltshire, Ray Mill House, while this month supermodel Abwoa Aboah showed off a similarly grand one at her home in London for Architectural Digest. Sweet dreams, guaranteed.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? Certainly not the disastrous remake of Disney’s original classic, released in the UK on March 21 and starring Rachel Zegler, which isn’t getting its happily ever after if the reviews are anything to go by.
That aside, it has focused our attention on mirrors and how to use their magic in real life when it comes to bouncing light around rooms, opening up spaces and making them feel bigger (crucial in London).
Interior designer Christian Bense says a mirror behind a lamp or vase can distort proportions in a clever way
Christian Bense
Christian Bense, interior designer at his eponymous studio, says: “The inclusion of mirrors in a room or using mirrors as art is a clever way to make spaces look bigger.
“People tend to think that you should only hang mirrors where you need one but having one that sits behind a lamp or that can act as an opportunity to trick the eye or distort proportions is really clever.
“I think every room should have a large mirror in it – whether it’s above a vanity or chest of drawers at eye level– to open up one of the four dimensions.”
Luckily, there are plenty of large designs to reflect your personal style, from the curvaceous Moroccan at Dunelm to the tropical Lyford from Mrs. Alice and the bamboo-inspired Chichi via Pooky.
Dubbed ‘the fifth wall’, the ceiling is a much-ignored surface when it comes to decorating, but interior designers have long billed it as a missed opportunity to add colour, pattern and design.
Nobody knows this more than Kris Jenner, the Kardashian matriarch, who has recently listed her iconic mansion in Hidden Hills, California, for a whopping $10.8 million.
In addition to the famed black-and-white chequerboard flooring in the lobby, the scene of so much drama, the sprawling house features ceilings with snazzy flourishes, such the gold recesses in the grand entrance and one of the bedrooms and the black recesses in the kitchen, both accentuated by statement lighting.
“Ceilings are definitely an area of the home that we’re not confident to experiment with,” says Liv Conlon, the interior expert who runs ThePropertyStagers, a company that stages 400 properties a year.
“Ceilings are often neglected, left white in stark contrast to a stylish room, but done well, either boldly-painted or well-designed, they can transform your space. Plus, it shows you’re brave enough to take a risk!”
