Looking back over 2024, here’s the concepts that we feel will carry through into 2025.
1 Contemporary farmhouse
Contemporary farmhouse is country farmhouses’ big sister – cosy yet sophisticated. Think natural textures combined with modern functionality against a background of neutral colours. A typical look would be a modern kitchen with beamed ceiling and reclaimed wooden furniture. The overall impression is less rustic than previous farmhouse styles but with elements of contemporary design that are modern-functional. Vintage pieces fit in well here. Seating is frequently curved and cosy or dressed with delicious textured cushions and throws. Walls are papered for texture or panelled in wood.
Wallpapering can be applied to both storage and internal doors. It’s a great way of blending or updating a bank of storage, so crucial in modern homes, yet rarely given the attention it deserves. If you find the decorative treatment of internal doors irritating, this is your solution. Paper your door in the same paper as your walls (we used Arte’s Aspero) and you have a cosy, cocoon-like effect, especially if you’ve chosen something textural. This technique also makes a room feel larger. Edges need to be protected and surfaces can be finished off with a matt varnish if it’s a door that’s used frequently.
We’ve been saying it for a while now: there’s a place in the modern home for faux foliage. Think of it as a practical alternative to rather than a substitute for the real thing. Whether you’re a frequent traveller, have whatever the opposite is to green fingers or want foliage in a place where it’s too difficult to maintain a real plant, you’ll be able to find something that works. There’s such a variety of realistic-looking options available but if you are looking for longevity our advice would be to spend as much as you can when you make your choice.
4 Tub chairs
Curved furniture has been with us since the pandemic when its popularity was attributed to people’s desire to be surrounded by soft, organic, cosy, lines in their homes. Whether the trend for tub chairs is a bi-product of that time or not, the fact is they are here to stay. If there ever was a chair that could be described as comforting this would be it and the versatility of this shape both in appropriateness to its location and in its effect softening awkward corners or creating cosy atmospheres cannot be denied. For our recent West Sussex project we upholstered a tub chair by Circus25 in Black Editions Muoto Stucco and chose two leather Gardin tubs from Barker & Stonehouse
While white kitchen cabinets have slowly given way to neutrals and even the splash of pink or turquoise, sleek, stylish and glamorous, dark-coloured kitchens have become the colour of choice over the last decade for many of our clients. Once it would have been thought impossible to use dark colours in a small kitchen but as this Victorian apartment project in Knightsbridge shows, they can work. Indeed during the late 1920s, dark woods and materials for kitchens were popular.
There’s a general consensus of opinion that the smallest room in the house is the perfect place to flex extreme design choices. Indeed, with all the amazing patterned wallpapers that are available at present (our choice, above is from the Mandorla collection by Casamance), it’s easy to understand why. Whether you’re hankering after a jungle print, something Art Deco inspired or wallpaper that looks as though it’s been hand woven, just avoid the disco lights.
7 Reeded glass
Texture has become a buzz-word in interior design and reeding popular on cabinetry and glass. The benefits of a reeded glass panel is that it obscures vision while still allowing light to pass through, so great in a bathroom – perfect for creating areas of privacy, another bathroom trend – or for use as a dividing screen or wall in a large apartment.
8 Bootrooms
From cycling to walking the dog, whatever your outdoor pursuits involve, if you’ve the room, a space dedicated to the storage of muddy boots, wet coats and any small items of equipment is invaluable. Add a bench or seat to remove those muddy boots and you’ll wonder how you ever managed without. It’s also a great opportunity for some additional storage space for seasonal items that don’t seem to belong elsewhere.
9 Panelled cabinetry
Panelling has seen a resurgence in popularity since around 2022. Its appeal is in its versatility, crossing styles and eras and its ability to add personality and warmth. Initially popular on walls, it is now being used to finish off bespoke cabinetry or update existing items.
In interiors, we talk about texture as a quality of choice as it brings personality and warmth to an interior. This may be part of the explanation why linen lampshades are so popular at the moment. Their versatility could be another reason as they assume the characteristics of both modern contemporary and more traditional interiors.
For more inspirational ideas, follow us @falchiinteriors or visit our Portfolio pages.
