A new year brings new predictions about which design trends will resonate with homeowners in 2025. We scoured home design and improvement reports, surveys, and designers’ insights to bring you a consensus on what design trends to watch out for this year. Best of all, we’re pairing great lighting with these trends for worry-free fixture shopping. Read on for our recommendations on how to light up 2025 interior design trends.

Warm Browns

Bye bye gray, hello brown. Earthy tones are here to stay and are a departure from cooler grays and whites that were popular a few years ago. People want to snuggle in and feel cozy in their spaces, and warmer brown tones invite you to slip on your woolies and sip a hot drink. 

Rich chocolate, chestnut, camel, and caramel are a few of the earthy hues cropping up in wall paint, wallpaper, and furniture. We’re also seeing more wood features in living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens, from wood trim and exposed beams to cabinets and paneling. 

Many fixtures pair well with earthy tones, and we particularly like this rustic chandelier from Hinkley with its round shape and organic feel.

Mixed Metals

Mixing metallic finishes is becoming a staple of timeless design because it plays so well with many design motifs. A hallmark of transitional design with a touch of eclecticism, it’s a bit of rule breaking in a benign and pleasing way. 

The key to mixing metals is about knowing where and how much. Kitchens are ideal spots because they offer plenty of space to play around with the trends. Hardware, light fixtures, faucets, and even appliances are opportunities to layer complimentary finishes to make your space shine. 

For best results, pick a primary finish for most of your fixtures (cabinet hardware and plumbing) and a secondary accent finish for lighting and doors. 

Back Kitchens

Whether it’s a new construction or a remodel, back kitchens are becoming a popular request among homeowners who want to reduce visual clutter. Also known as sculleries or butler’s pantries, back kitchens are smaller spaces adjacent to the main kitchen. The idea is to keep small appliances and messy prep work out of sight from the main kitchen and dining space in open concept layouts. 

They typically include upper and lower cabinets for additional storage and a countertop for more prep space. Proper and adequate lighting is essential for performing tasks and overall safety. In addition to overhead lighting, undercabinet lighting provides a direct and strong source of light across countertops for safer cutting, chopping and preparation.

Statement Lighting

Lighting often acts as the supporting player among a room’s features, but this is the year it takes center stage. Interior designers often refer to lighting as the “bling” of a room, and this type of lighting choice can create a real style statement. A showstopping fixture shines bright as a room’s primary design feature and is becoming more popular in entryways, living rooms, and dining rooms.

The light fixture itself can become a work of art or a conversation piece. Lighting manufacturers have been featuring fixtures that are distinct, unique, and sculptural. Case in point — this art deco chandelier by Kichler creates an opulent and refined focal point.

Vintage

More homeowners and interior designers are leaning into the cozy familiarity of styles from bygone eras. Vintage style continues to dominate interiors, according to a design report from online vintage and antique retailer 1st Dibbs. Whether it’s floor-to-ceiling nostalgia-core or a thoughtful integration of retro-inspired features, homeowners are drawn to retro forms and materials. 

Lighting up a vintage space can be a fun way to mix styles — a variety of fixture designs can work well, from rustic to transitional. If you love vintage style and want to match light fixtures, consider Murano or milk glass fixtures for a refined feel. Kichler’s Opal pendants mimic 19th-century milk glass paired with rustic forged metal-look frames.

Organic Shapes

Just as earth tones eclipse cooler colors, forms inspired by nature edge their way past the sharp lines and corners that had once dominated interiors. This year, interiors are about recreating the softness and ease reminiscent of the outdoors. 

Curves, waves, and rounded edges are eye-pleasing and catching. We’re seeing this design trend play out in architectural features like arches, windows and doorways as well as in furniture, decor, and artwork. Lighting to match can take on a dreamy and ethereal quality similar to Kichler’s cottagecore-inspired designs, or offer contrast as a grounding visual anchor.

Spa-Style Bathrooms

Bathrooms as sanctuaries are nothing new, but this year’s trend kicks them up several functional and style notches. The latest trend analysis from the National Kitchen and Bath Association coins them “re-rooms,” or spaces in which to fully relax, regroup, and re-energize. 

Ease and comfort are the ultimate luxuries, and bathroom spaces are evolving to accommodate homeowner’s desire for a get-away-from-it-all experience. Intentional bathroom lighting is essential in creating this environment, from LED mirrors offering shadowless side lighting to well-placed fixtures with dimmer switches for safety and ambiance. 

The Reflections LED mirror from ARTCRAFT provides a source of ambient and task lighting.

Trend Takeaways

Matching light fixtures to trends can be challenging. Where and how to add trendy features are common design questions, especially when it comes to lighting. A local lighting showroom is the best source for ways to use lighting to balance on-trend and timeless interior design. Use our showroom finder to locate lighting design experts near you.