2025 is here and with it comes profound new directions across fashion, interiors, and design. From fluid draping that mimics the elegance of whipped cream to the tactility of papier-mâché, the trends emerging this year reflect a yearning for both experimentation and comfort, as well as a yearning for connection through nostalgic nods.
Taking place from 16th – 18th July 2025 at Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Decor + Design – Australia’s most important interior design trade event – will play on these themes dominating the zeitgeist, with the overarching title of Elements: Cosmos & Creation. It will also feature the return of the Green Design Show, after its highly successful launch in 2024.
As we prepare for a great year, let’s dive into the fundamental movements shaping the creative industries.
NESTING
Our homes are our sanctuaries. More so than ever, there is a ‘nesting’ aesthetic in interior design and art that prioritises comfort and safety. Materials are voluminous and tactile, with everything from bio-resins to plush corduroy embracing the user.
Designers like Pierre Yovanovitch and Rogan Gregory are crafting pieces that feel like a hug from a friend —furniture that becomes a character in our life.
Pierre Yovanovitch’s ‘Papa Bear’ Chair. Image: Pierre Yovanovitch
The shift can be seen sociologically as well. For example, ‘nesting parties’ are replacing traditional baby showers, signalling a cultural shift towards community and shared experiences.
Design and art are collaborating with the viewer. During Sydney Festival in January, the community were invited to help Cave Urban build a unique bamboo nest on Tallawoladah Lawn outside the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), for an installation named ‘What We Leave Behind.’
FLUIDITY
Fluidity is another unifying design principle of 2025, manifesting in everything from garments to furniture. Fashion houses like Maison Margiela (left) – led by a marvellously recharged and rehabilitated John Galliano – are leading the fray with collections that explore voluminous draping, liquid tailoring, and translucent fabrics. Think frothy, cloud-like clothing paired with flat, feminine shoes—a romantic nod to fluid motion that is anchored by modern sensibilities.
In both fashion and interiors, this fluidity finds expression in biomorphic forms, translucent materials, and a playful embrace of movement. Designers are reimagining lace, smocking, and pleating in unexpected ways, while metallic accents and iridescent finishes evoke the shimmering quality of water and sea anemones.
PLAYFUL COLOURS
Sky-blue—the colour of expansive optimism—is a standout shade for 2025, offering a cheerful counterpoint to the earthy browns and neutrals. As are rich reds and purples, such as the Rhubarb and Hubba Bubba Purple we’ve chosen for Decor + Design this year.
There’s also a sense of play at work. Sugary pastel tones and organic edges evoke a sense of playful sophistication, while the arrangement of furniture—like placing a sofa in the centre of a room—encourages interaction and spontaneity.
MODERN FLORALS
Florals are back – but these aren’t your mother’s florals. Gone are the small Liberty prints and in their place are bold, graphic, and sophisticated flowers, often rendered in black-and-white or high-saturation palettes. For inspiration, look to Australian painter Margaret Preston’s beautiful still lifes inspire botanical motifs that bleed and blend, creating a sense of dynamic movement.
Anemones by Margaret Preston, 1925. Image: Art Gallery of NSW
For interiors, florals extend beyond prints to embrace texture and volume. Picture the structured presence of a cactus or the layered fluidity of a David Hockney print. Colour combinations like red and pink or black and green bring a modern twist to traditional floral designs, while the joy of layered, decomposing botanicals adds depth and intrigue.
REBRANDED NOSTALGIA
In a perma-stressed world that is craving connection and safety, design often turns to the comforting textures and ideas of childhood. From the plush, swaddling furniture already mentioned to materials like velvet in curves. It is reconnecting with innocence, a time before we understood how challenging the world can be.
Patricia Urquiola’s kidney-shaped sofa, with its inviting curves, exemplifies this trend, as does the revival of rudimentary materials like corrugated cardboard.
Sociologically, nostalgia is also behind the renewed interest that Gen Z are showing in old ideas – from tableware to vinyl records to Oasis, everything old(er) is new again; albeit packaged more adroitly for social media.
CARDBOARD AND PAPER
The possibilities of cardboard and paper can be seen in an ever-increasing array of furniture. Completely recyclable and able to be flat-packed for transport, it’s one of the most sustainable, stylish options to think about in 2025.
Corrugated Cardboard Shelving by Gessato. Image: Gessato
That childhood favourite papier-mâché has also re-emerged as a tactile medium. It emerged again as a viable material during the pandemic, when artists and designers made do with the materials they had at hand. It’s now become favoured for its visual lightness and ability to create playful forms. It can also be lacquered for a more modern, grown-up edge.
THE MAGIC OF THE COSMOS
Designers across disciplines are looking to the cosmos for inspiration – all the elements of the universe, from the desert to the stars. Both astronomy and astrology continue to pique the interest of consumers, with the latter moving firmly from the fringes to the mainstream.
THE WISDOM OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH
Amid these aesthetic explorations, a deeper narrative is emerging: the influence of the Global South and local wisdom on design. From basketing techniques in raffia to tarnished metals that celebrate imperfection, these designs speak to a collective yearning for authenticity, as well as community.
PET Lamp made by artisans in Ghana. Image: PET Lamp
A great example is the PET Lamp Project, which works with communities and artisans all over the globe to upcycle plastic bottles into gorgeous lighting.
CONNECTION
A running motif among the 2025 directions is the yearning for community; for simpler times offline and connection with peers. The Decor + Design community is truly unique in Australian design. Established for 21 years in Australia’s design capital of Melbourne, it is a true gathering place for the industry, with features including the International Seminar Series, VIVID Emerging Designer Awards and the Green Design Show.
Subscribe now to stay to receive the hottest news from the world of Australian, first release of star speakers and important information on key exhibitors.