Our co-founder Helen was recently invited to join a panel discussion at Design Central North West exploring the relationship between interior design and cultural, fashion and behavioural trends.

The panel talked about trends in interior design, the influence they can have, and their relevance as we all look to live more sustainably. For a more in-depth look into the event, listen to the Design Central Podcast and dive into the conversation by clicking below.

Here are Helen’s key thoughts: 

The origins of trends 

They can seem like intangible concepts, but a trend is essentially a forecasted ‘style’ that gains traction in popular culture like fashion, design, or TV and filters through into the spaces we live or work in.

World events, the economy, social media, fashion and technology can all play a part in driving trends. They are filtered, adapted and mixed together to influence key trends each year.

‘Quiet Luxury’ has been a big trend this year and this was heavily influenced by TV blockbuster succession. The dark woods, panelling, luxurious soft textures, brown tones, and classical furniture pieces were key elements and will continue to be an influence into 2025. 

Boucle was a key clothing trend that filtered into interiors last year and even colour drenching a whole room derived from fashion.

Aesthetic vs functional trends 

Interior design is a combination of how things look – the aesthetic – and how things work – the functional.

‘Rustic Modern’ is a good example of an aesthetic trend and was interestingly influenced by popular US designers who have a huge Instagram following and Netflix series Studio McGee.

We’ve seen wellness and home tech trends come together in some really innovative functional ways recently. Circadian lighting design is becoming popular, and we’ve even seen new tech that enables light fittings to work in function with our own internal clocks – warmer lighting tones to naturally wake us and cooler light to get us through afternoon sugar slumps.

The influence of sustainability 

The ‘Heritage and Craft’ trend is also gaining traction and looks set to be even bigger in 2025. Trends by nature aren’t innately sustainable but there’s an undeniable link between trends like this and the move towards more sustainable living.

With Gen Z starting to make it onto the housing ladder this appreciation of well-crafted quality enduring pieces and a more personalised timeless style looks only set to increase.

Do trends your way 

That’s an ethos we’ve always held at Lewis Knox. Our approach is all about creating personal and highly imaginative interiors, tailored to fit the needs of each individual project. We embrace trends but always balance them with function and the real-world needs of the client. That’s why you’ll find a ceiling of hanging plants as a centrepiece in our showroom and why we love hearing about the joy the rainforest inspired toilet (complete with sensor activated rainforest soundscape…) we recently designed for a client brings to everyone who visits. 

So for us, trends are friends to take inspiration from – but not to be dictated by. If you’ve got a vision for your dream project and want to discuss how we can help you take the best from recent trends and make them work in your space, we’d love to hear all about it.

Call us at the studio on 01829 271585 or drop us an email: contact@lewisknox.co.uk.