Welcome to the Interior Design Podcast. I'm Hayley
Roy. I'm the owner of Harp Design. I run an award
-winning practice and have done for 12 years.
I've trained many designers and worked in the
industry for over 20 years. And my name is Scarlett
Maller and I have worked at Harp Design as an
interior designer for four years and I am one
of the designers that Hayley has trained and
brought up within the business. brought up yeah
pretty much I think you bring me up as well um
so today we're going to talk about interior design
trends which I'm really excited about being an
interior designer or even just someone trying
to make their space feel lovely can be a bit
much at times can't it it's a lot You were talking
about this earlier, weren't you? You were saying
that people don't understand how much goes into
it. No, people just think it's a really easy
job when there's a lot of things. For example,
like the trends that we are talking about now.
There's a lot that you've got to think about
to make the space inviting and really lovely
for someone's business or their home. And trends
move so fast. One minute it's all grey on grey.
The next we're meant to be painting everything
sage green. And mixing it with clashing prints
like what do we do? Love a bit of maximalism.
So if you're wondering what's actually going
to be worth knowing over the next couple of years,
here are the five key interior design trends
for 2025 and 2026, plus how to make them work
in your home or commercial space. Let's get into
it. So number one is earth tones. Terracotta.
Olive green, burnt orange, okra, clay. Earth
tones are warm, calming and timeless. They bring
a grounded natural energy that works in almost
any setting. I love them. How do you feel about
it, Scarlett? I think that it can make an interior
feel really inviting and calm. It's kind of bringing
the outside into the inside. I think I mentioned
this a while back. it just popped up in my head
I went traveling and I went to Colorado and I
went for a hike through the mountains and it
was all for instance like terracotta all the
mountains were like burnt orange and it just
makes me feel really calm and that you're incorporating
exterior within interior so I think it can be
really calming I think it kind of ties in with
the sustainability trend as well doesn't it it's
kind of like the um Everyone wants to be more
sustainable. They want the things to feel more
sustainable. And when you use those colors, it
kind of feels like you're being more natural.
But watch out for greenwashing. How do you incorporate
that into your home or commercial space? So I
would say start with the walls. Soft clay or
olive green works beautifully in a lounge, bedroom,
cafe or breakout area. Then layer those in earthy
tones across cushions and throws, rugs and upholstery.
How would you do it? That's a really good point.
I feel like sometimes, for instance, if you,
this is for people designing their homes, for
example, if you have got quite a blank canvas
within your home, then something you can do,
like Hayley said, is use. cushions rows get little
rugs that's something that you can really incorporate
that can actually bring the space to life a lot
more um I think by adding them little bits it
can really make it feel homely as well and especially
within a restaurant it can make it feel more
inviting like we said so I definitely would think
about cushions rugs Yeah, everything like that.
I've been doing a project at the moment where
it's a restaurant on three levels and we're doing
the toilets. And they want terracotta tiles.
And we were talking to Bert and May the other
day, weren't we? And we're looking for some reclaimed
terracotta tiles. So it's real terracotta and
it's reclaimed. So it's doing something for the
planet and it's bringing that warm coziness in.
It's so cool. Yeah, it's really nice. So use
natural textures like timber, cork, linen, ceramics
to put it all together. Whether it's a relaxing
home or a mindful workspace, these tones create
comfort and calm, don't they? They're just like
really... just really cozy yeah and it's really
natural as well for instance you can get wood
slats to put on the wall now a lot of companies
do that and that's a really nice way to incorporate
a natural texture within your interior and wherever
you can be sustainable yeah yeah so use those
natural natural products to create that feel
and when you do that it will feel better you
might not know why And people will come in and
go, wow, it feels amazing in here because you've
used the natural materials. And it's sustainable
and long lasting, isn't it? So you know that
it is going to last a really long time. Number
two is modern English country style. So when
I think of this, I think the first thing that
comes into my head, and I think probably for
Hayley as well, is just like your grandma's.
living room floral everything like that thrill
lampshades but actually it's really coming back
now and you can use floral materials really extravagant
lampshades and everything like that and really
make it really cozy I mean like I said what comes
to your mind when you think of that Well, it's
not a stuffy cottage look. It's like English
charm. Yeah. It's class, I suppose. It's that
old English class, isn't it? Yeah, like antiques,
scalloped edges, but all balanced, you know,
with like modern finishes. Yeah, yeah. So...
Do you know what comes to my mind when I'm thinking
about this? I've got a little bit of an obsession
with buying Laura Ashley clothes. So I used to
work for Laura Ashley when I was younger, which
was my introduction into interior design. And
when I worked for Laura Ashley, I used to have
to wear their clothes. And I wore some really,
really lovely skirts, which had all beautiful
patterns on it and different floral designs,
which have come right back into fashion now.
But Laura Ashley, I've just... Got it. I mean,
I don't even know if they're still trading, but
obviously they're not retailers anymore. They're
very like the company jewels, aren't they? I
feel like a little bit. Yeah, I think so. They've
got that vibe, but they're just really classic
British. I've been buying these skirts off of
Vinted and I love them. They're proper interior
design, aren't they? They look like a curtain.
I probably look ridiculous in them. But what
I'm trying to say is, like relating that back
to interior design, there is a lot of real classic
prints coming back. There's a lot of people digging
out their archives. Colin Sun's doing that. Who
else is doing that? There was someone talking
about it the other day. Sanderson. Sanderson,
yeah. I went shopping the other day and I was
in... John Lewis and I saw that they had I can't
really remember the name but they've done a collaboration
with a homeware brand and everything was just
so traditional and old classic and it just looked
amazing. So how to incorporate this into our
home or commercial space? I think one of the
first things that comes to mind is Chester Draws
so for instance I have just bought a refurbished
chest of drawers they were just a plain set of
drawers that I got off a Facebook marketplace
but the lady that I got them off she completely
restained them she used black paint with it and
then a natural wood finish and then put really
nice antique gold handles on them and I mean
I bought it for like 30 pound and I was like
there is so much you can do with refurbishing
items like that and it's such a big piece that
it really makes an impact on your space so for
instance and just using them little like gold
handles it really gives out that classy kind
of old English look so I really like incorporating
things like handles and like little bits of gold
and like just natural traditional wooden stains
what about you Hayley? I really love botanical
fabrics. There's a lot of classic prints like
Sanderson and some of the other ones in that
Style Library contract company that they keep
changing the name of. I'm sure it's something
else now. But botanical fabrics, my favourite
style at the moment, which I really want to do
my downstairs toilet in, is the blue and white.
You know that blue and white China? Yeah, I know
what you're talking about. And I really want
to do my downstairs toilet in that. I've got
some wallpaper that I've got my eye on. But yeah,
so I really like that kind of blue and white,
fresh floral things. And botanical fabrics. You
know, in a boutique hotel, you could maybe go
for pleated lampshades, bobbin furniture and
patterned upholstery and things like that. I
mean, there's a lot of patterned upholstery going
on at the moment. But if you're doing commercial.
do the pattern or do the less durable fabric
on the back of the chair yeah so just be careful
of your rub tests and things like that because
if you're doing commercial it has to have 50
000 martindale or higher um otherwise it's not
going to be suitable for use and if you have
got a pattern fabric that's slightly lower in
rub tests and maybe you want to put a leather
on the seat or a faux leather then you can have
like a faux leather like this i think this is
i live isn't it yes it is So this is Isle of
Saddle. Saddle, yeah. And this is brilliant.
It's got like 200 ,000 rubs or something, isn't
it? Yeah, I was about to say. It's a lot. We
tend to normally, I mean, the regulation is to
go for, for instance, within commercial use,
et cetera, is 50 ,000 rubs or more. But we tend
to... go for for instance like 100 or 200 000
more because all the suppliers that we work with
are amazing and all their fabrics match that
requirement so it's really good and it also it's
just better for the our client because then they
know it's going to be long lasting well if you
if you do all the touch points so like the arms
of the fabric the arms of the chairs and where
you're sitting in a really tough faux leather
or something like that even if it's not faux
leather you can use like something like sunbury
nappa which is like a it's not faux leather so
it's not like got that stickiness in the heat
but then it's really tough and you can scrub
it to death and clean it really easily yeah and
then you put your beautiful floral expensive
fabric on the back and actually the fabrics on
the front are less expensive so it makes the
chair more cost -effective yeah and I have had
a couple of conversations with people over the
last few weeks where it's like oh my god designers
are just designing chairs with all this fabric
that's not durable enough or with the rub test
so please please anyone who's doing commercial
please look at the rub tests yeah it's really
important and also just a tangent just on a another
note i think we've touched on this before is
definitely check that it is fr treated which
does mean fire rated and that is really important
within a commercial or hospitality sector and
that's the upholstery and the curtains yeah that's
really important so um In terms of going back
to modern English country style, because we've
just gone off on a little bit of a tangent there.
Add softness. Yeah. Detail. A touch of nostalgia.
Like frilly lampshades that we were saying about.
Like it just, all them little details can make
it look so lovely. It's just all about creating
warmth with a modern twist. So it's not completely
like stuck in horrible. It is kind of, has that
modern twist about it as well. So yeah, modern
English country style. We like that. So number
three, arches and curves. 2025 and 2026 is all
about softening those sharp edges. Arched doorways,
rounded mirrors, curved furniture. This makes
me so happy. I love curves. I love circles. Apparently
circles make you happy. I read that somewhere
once. It's really good for neurodivergent people.
Yeah, because, for instance, just looking at
a curb or like a circle or anything, it just
it's more unique than just a basic standard door,
isn't it? So, for instance, having like an archway
or anything like that. So we recently exhibited
at the HRC and we did a lot of curbs, didn't
we? And circles. And it just looked amazing because
it's adding kind of that abstract to the interior
and making it more. and having more definition.
So it really makes an impact on the space with
the tiniest detail. If anyone wants to see it,
check out our YouTube channel, our socials, because
we've had loads of photographs on there of the
HR. It's the Hotel, Restaurant and Catering Show
and it's at the Excel every March. Yeah, March.
But yeah, no, it was so good, wasn't it? Yeah,
it was lovely. We got so much good feedback.
We did this big round circle behind the television.
Yeah, and then with some lighting. And then the
arches on either side. Yeah, and then by having
lighting, around the circle it added so much
depth and it just made it really unique to what
we have done before and i think it really opened
our minds to what we can now incorporate within
designs in the future so i think that's definitely
something to look at to incorporate it into your
home or your commercial space you can use curved
sofas and scarlet is sitting and i am because
this is a round top yeah scarlet sitting on the
sofa that we use the hotel show yeah and i'm
sitting on the seat that we use so it's um and
this was um good if you're if you're listening
and you're not watching check out the youtube
channel and you can see it um but yeah we really
love these um yeah we love it because it's curved
and then also for instance if you're if you're
not uh watching but basically in the middle it
just goes in like kind of like a um what Yeah,
or a banana. Yeah, like a banana. The pointy
bits at the end. So it just makes it more...
It's modern, but with a touch of being a little
bit unique. I actually think that it's earth
tones, what we did. I think we kind of represented
these trends really, really well without really
realising it. But yeah, no, it's just lovely.
It's so nice. So... How do you incorporate, we've
done that bit. So curved sofas are what you can
incorporate into your home or your commercial
space. Arch shelving, wave edge tables. That's
the sort of things you can do at home. Or commercial.
Coffee tables, anything like that, kind of like
an oval shape. Just, I think we've touched on
this, but just in hallways, for instance, doing
arched. doorways for instance that can make the
biggest impact and it can look really nice something
that I really like as well is arched windows
I think they can look really lovely and it can
look it matches into kind of the modern English
country style again because it kind of looks
like kind of the old times and for instance when
they had the arched windows that glass stained
so I think that for instance, is a really lovely
way within a commercial retail or even your,
I mean, hospitality and even your home. I think
that is a really good way to incorporate it.
But even small touches like a scalloped mirror
or a circular rug. We've got a circular rug in
front of us. They will bring that trend. in without
a full renovation you don't have to do like a
complete strip out yeah replace your doors with
arch doors or replace your windows with arch
windows and which is you know if you want to
try and get an architect involved yeah I can
recommend a few ones who are very creative um
it's just about styling isn't it if you haven't
got the budget or you just haven't got the time
to put all that kind of effort into doing it
The slightest thing can make a difference, like
we said, with a coffee table or a rug or even
a sofa, anything like that, even cushions. Paint.
Like paint. You know when we went to the Colour
of the Year? No, I wasn't there. Oh, you weren't
there? You were away. Oh, my God. I'm so glad
you missed that. But when we went to the Colour
of the Year 2025 for Dulux, they actually painted
an arch on the wall. Do you remember? It was
one of my profile pictures of me doing like a
yoga pose in front of it for ages. But they literally
just use paint. You know, it can be so simple.
And I've been talking to one of my clients actually
at the moment. We're doing in a hotel, we're
doing like a nail bar area. And we haven't got
a huge budget on this because they're going to
move the spa. So we're just going to use paint
and stuff to make it. kind of toss it up a bit.
And we're literally just doing an arch with some
paint and putting up a few little shelves. And
it will look lovely. It just gives it some personality.
So something that's really good as well is it's
kind of in keeping with arch, but also going
back to them earthy tones and the modern country
is doing, for instance, framed pictures on a
wall, but filling the picture, for instance,
with upholstery. We've done that in quite a few
restaurants, haven't we? For instance, like Como
Garden. And that is a really cool way to add
kind of like an abstract style to your wall.
So number four is pattern on pattern. So this
is basically maximalism. And this has really
come on trend. I mean, I didn't really expect
it to, but the way you can incorporate this can
look amazing. How would you incorporate maximalism
into a space? Oh, my goodness. Layered patterns
are leading the charge. Florals with stripes,
checks with wallpaper, tiles with prints. This
is in clothing as well as interior design. And
it's bold and it's joyful and it's expressive.
So in your home, I'd start with patterned cushions
or a statement wallpaper. In hospitality or retail
settings, mix up whole shoe prints or use patterned
tiles against bold walls. There's some lovely
tiles out there now. yeah i was gonna say um
mixing up them paint colors like don't be afraid
to go for instance yellow and pink like for instance
in my home we have got a pink wall and then a
bright yellow sofa and you know what i when i
thought of it i was like really But then you
actually look at it and it's actually maximalism
and using them different and bright, bold colours
and then getting them florals in can make it
look amazing. It's really mixing up them textures,
colours and patterns and creating a space that
is unique to yourself. I think as well, it doesn't
have to be overwhelming. No. You can use texture.
So you can even do maximalism with one colour.
So if you do something... color drenching is
quite on trend at the moment isn't it and if
you're if you're at home color drenching is is
fine and be careful with color drenching in commercial
because you've got to watch out for your lrv
um which is light reflectance light reflectance
value yeah and there is a there is a podcast
about it with dawn scott if you're interested
um but the um what was my point light light reflectance
value is really important though because I have
seen quite a few for instance on social media
I've seen quite a few of people for instance
painting their architraves and skirting the same
color as the wall and I'm like it's fine at home
but something to keep in mind is that if you
are doing it in a public sector it really needs
to be LRV so what that is is that changing having
that color difference so making that architrave
and skirting a different color to the walls so
it's better for the i mean visually impaired
people but also just people in general yeah you
have to get your critical critical surfaces right
so your door your skirting your architrave your
wall your handles everything yeah everything
like and it's a minefield and you have to be
like there is no hard and fast rule because there
is only one to a hundred and you're supposed
to contrast it by a third we're going way too
far into this because there is another podcast
and there is another podcast called just go look
at that with dawn scott about it so if you really
want to know about that as that that's it but
what my point was color drenching so you can
if you are at home you can color drench you can
paint everything the same color you can have
wallpaper in the same color as the paint as and
the sofa in the same color as the rug but they're
all different patterns and textures so everything
has a different feel and a different look but
that's also pattern on pattern because it's different
textures yeah so um yeah you could have like
a floral pattern in one color you know yeah with
different textures yeah it doesn't have to be
bright and bold as you think it's just using
them different textures and materials and layering
kind of them a bit like that kitchen that's sitting
next to you yeah exactly i mean so if you're
not watching it's basically kind of a frill pattern
beige cushion and we're sitting on a beige sofa
and it just adds a little bit more I mean it's
depth and diversity to it but whilst not going
too far away from the colour itself it's got
like fringe hasn't it a lot of those cushions
um so keep your colours coordinated and vary
the scale of your patterns to keep it looking
stylish not chaotic and this is the thing You
know, you've got to be brave with it, but...
You've got to be really careful. I saw something
on Interior Design Masters where the guy had
done a hotel room and he just went mad on maximalism.
I think the theme was maximalism, but he made
it really overwhelming. Like he went in there
and it was just like, oh, this does not feel
nice. There's too much going on here. So it's
about getting that balance right. Yeah, especially
for people with neurodiversity. It can be really
overwhelming and chaotic to a neurodiverse. eyes
so i think that's definitely something to think
about but don't be afraid to maximalism use maximalism
love it number five is biophilic design 2 .0
so biophilic design has been out for a long time
We love biophilic design. We love it. It ticks
the sustainability box, especially if you're
using real plants. And it helps you oxygenate
your home or your office or your business if
you're using real plants. But if you're using
fake plants, maybe it's a maintenance issue if
you're looking in a commercial space. You're
just not good at keeping them alive. You can't
keep plants alive because that's very much what
I'm like. I think this one needs a little bit
of water. I actually water Hayley's in the office
and Hannah's. Because I just don't want to see
them die. I know. I'm so bad at it. But yeah,
so biophilic design 2 .0. Biophilic design is
growing up. It's no longer just about popping
a plant in the corner anymore. It's about designing
with nature in mind for well -being and flow.
You had a little pun there. You had a little
pun there. Did I? Growing up. Plants growing
up. Sorry, that was such a dad joke. I love it.
So it's about bringing in timber accents, lime
wash walls, stone surfaces and layered greenery
in offices and hotels. You might include moss
walls, cork flooring. Cork flooring. There's
some really, really good cork flooring out now
that's really durable. I was looking at it when
I was working with that estates company in Kensington.
But living ceilings, like living walls, oh my
God, it is so good for all of us. It's good for
our mental health. It's good for our wellbeing.
If you can incorporate it into anywhere that
you're designing, it's a massive win for me.
It doesn't, I mean, incorporating greenery, for
example, it doesn't have to be expensive. For
instance, there are so many places that just...
do for instance fake plants um just like your
nearest range and things like that but it just
can really make the space come to life and that's
one of my favorite things to do within design
do you know what i love about plants in the kitchen
they cost a pound from tesco's you know like
you just get wherever you buy you just get rosemary
don't you oh my god i love it i've got like basil
rosemary which always grows mad because I don't
use it as much as the others. And I've got like
a little pot on the windowsill, which I can fill
up with water and hopefully try and water them
and they don't die before I eat them. Yeah. Use
them for food, you know, and they're growing
plants and it's really good for your food. It's
really good for the environment. I love it. It's
also the smell is really lovely as well. So Hayley's
got one in her kitchen, but I've got some rosemary
in my room and it's just, it's so nice to...
have within the space. We did it at the HRC,
didn't we? This is time for an HRC. Yeah. And
you just go to your nearest shop and go to the
vegetable section and then just put it in a pot.
And they're cheap, aren't they? They are the
cheapest plants you can buy because I actually
looked at that when we were doing the HRC. I
was like, where can I find the most cost -effective
plants? Marks and Spencer's actually do the bigger
ones, which is what this is. They're like three
or four quid. Not a lot of money. Three or four
pounds, that is. Probably about five dollars.
Yeah. US. But biophilic design isn't just about
greenery. It's also about maybe using a green
colour scheme within the interior. I mean, green
is such a lovely colour. It's one of my favourites.
And I just think that you could use it in so
many different ways. And you can do like floor
to ceiling curtains in natural tones. Or large
indoor trees. Or like you said about the lime
wash walls. That is such a cool trend that has
come about. I mean, if you don't know what it
is, just search it up on social media. And it's
just, it's kind of like you haven't finished
a paint job in a sense. Yeah. No, it looks better
than that. No, it looks better than that. But
it's kind of like it. that's kind of the look
you're going for but then you use a certain color
like mixing a light and a dark and it can make
it look so lovely i mean definitely incorporate
and that is a really good idea like venetian
plaster it looks like doesn't it when you do
it right yeah and venetian plaster is really
really good like you venetian plaster is expensive
but it's not like plaster or paint it lasts for
a long time so if you put venetian plaster in
your toilet for example you can wipe the walls
down you're never going to have to repaint that
not for a long time so for example we did a gym
um design yeah yeah for um a clothing company
which we will not name um and they wanted these
arch um Well, I designed these arch sinks in
there. So it was like an archway that went over
the back of the sink with a mirror recessed into
the back of it. But I wanted that in a paint
effect. But if I put a paint effect in there,
it's going to last five minutes because it's
going to get absolutely soaked from the sink.
So I'm going, right, how do I do that? So what
I've done is put a Venetian plaster just on the
inside where the sink is, where it's going to
get wet, and then a paint finish on the rest
of it. And actually, the... Venetian plaster
can be done in the same texture as the paint,
so it looks the same, but it's just got that
light skim of, well, not light skim because Venetian
plaster takes a long time, but it's got that
bit of Venetian plaster that means that that
is going to last and it's not going to be a problem.
That's really cool. It's a really cool idea.
So at home, reconnect with nature. In commercial
spaces, get some nature. Get some real, real
nature. into your schemes. Your mood and your
customer's mood will thank you for it. So there
you go. Earth tones, English charm, curves, clashing
prints and a whole lot of nature. These trends
are stylish, practical and here to stay whether
you're doing up a flat, rebranding a cafe or
designing a workspace that people actually want
to be in. If you'd like some help bringing these
ideas to life in your home or commercial project,
head over to harpdesign .co .uk. We would love
to work with you. And if you enjoyed this, give
it a like, share it with someone still living
in a sea of grey and subscribe to the Interior
Design Podcast for more ideas and inspiration
every week. Thank you for listening. Thank you
so much. Bye.