From saturated color schemes to showstopping designer showcases, the design world has embraced depth, mood, and individuality this past year in ways that have reshaped how we think about interiors. Here’s a look back at the projects, palettes, and moments that made the year unforgettable—and what they tell us about where design is headed next.

The year opened with energy and experimentation. Across trade shows, creative collaborations, and product launches, design in 2025 leaned into personality, narrative, and color that demanded attention.

At Salone del Mobile in Milan, innovation met artistry in bold and sculptural ways. Acclaimed designer Brittny Button was in attendance, and she was struck by the richness and uniqueness found around every corner of the industry’s largest international trade show. “There were so many different interpretations of materials and juxtapositions of colors and styles,” she recalls. “I was in love with it all!”

Back in the States, we showcased our 2025 Color Capsule of the Year at International Builders’ Show, beheld the best that home furnishings world has to offer at High Point, witnessed the brilliance of the design students with a color palette collaboration through Savannah College of Art & Design, and connected with the most influential designers in the industry at events like the Better Homes and Gardens Color Stars celebration and at Cottages & Gardens’ Designing Greenwich. 

Announcing The Loneliest Color^™ for 2025, Radiant Lilac SW 0074, sparked inspiration through unexpected color and unconventional style, epitomized by fashion icon and Creative Director of The Loneliest Color Dapper Dan. Luxury residential designer Stephanie Calderon remembers a themed dinner event hosted by Charlotte-area Account Executive Natalie Miller to celebrate the occasion. “I had the chance to connect with other designers in an intimate setting, share ideas, and simply enjoy being part of a larger creative community,” Stephanie says of the event. “It reminded me how grateful I am for the relationships and collaboration within this industry.”

Meanwhile, the designers we’ve spoken to were announcing celebration-worthy milestones of their own. Each moment underscored a central theme of the year: designers are not just creating spaces, but creating platforms, movements, and more connected communities as well.

Designer and star of HBO MAX’s Home in a Heartbeat Galey Alix’s home collection collab with Livabliss debuted to a flurry of attention, bringing her signature style to a variety of home furnishings and elevated, versatile rugs, for which she loves to find  the perfect paint color pairings. “I uncovered a deep appreciation for everything that goes into creating products for people’s homes,” she tells us about the experience, “and my appreciation for paint, undertones, and the impact of color in design has never been greater—or bolder.”

Brittny Button launched her new furniture collection for Button Atelier, sharing her distinctive point of view with a wider audience in an endeavor she calls both a labor of love and a dream come true. Marie Flanigan, a recent Colormixology^™ podcast guest and designer long celebrated for her refined aesthetic, launched a lighting collection with Visual Comfort and took her vision on the road with a nationwide book tour for The Perfect Room: Timeless Designs for Intentional Living, which was published in 2024. She says that traveling to different cities, connecting with fellow designers, and meeting interior design enthusiasts has been one of the most meaningful parts of this journey.

We asked these designers to sum up 2025’s design ethos in a single word, and we received an evocative palette of responses: Rooted. Bold. Saturated. Rich. Depth. Eclectic. Softened. Moody.

These words paint a picture of a profession—and an artform—leaning into authenticity. Design this year was about going beyond the norm and deeper than surface-level—with color, with character, and with style stories. As epitomized by our Color of the Year for 2026, Universal Khaki SW 6150 (207-C3), we’re moving past the basics, beyond even pure minimalism or maximalism and into a space where everything meaningful has a place.

Nationally recognized designer Beth Diana Smith says she’s seen this larger movement taking hold in 2025: “We’re leaning into layered, expressive design that resonates emotionally—not just visually. It brings to mind the Restorative Darks palette from the Sherwin-Williams Colormix^® Forecast. Those rich, moody tones were curated to bring a sense of harmony and depth to a space, and that’s exactly where design is headed—toward spaces that feel intentionally soulful.”

This soulfulness manifests in daring choices in color, materiality, and more. This year’s design projects embraced layers of history and culture, mixing eras and textures seamlessly. Color was used with intention—whether to ground a space in calm or to create unabashed drama. Designers encouraged clients to take risks, and in turn, they took them themselves.

Natalie Papier, art-driven designer, author, and founder of Home Ec. who describes this past year’s predominant tone as “rich,” has a name for this effect. “I like to refer to it as ‘kick your feet up and stay awhile’ color. We’re definitely seeing design trending away from white walls and minimalism, and color is being amped up in ways that feel inviting.”

This was a year of audaciously saturated hues and thoughtful, layered palettes. Haus of Meeshie founder Michelle Fahmy says, “2025 design is all about bold, drenched, unapologetic color. For me, it’s less about a single shade and more about the fearless embrace of hues that command attention. We’re moving into a space where saturation, vibrancy, and fearless combinations are celebrated again. I’m especially excited to see color blocking and color drenching reclaim their spotlight.”

Designers leaned into new, unconventional favorites and expanded the definition of “neutral.” For Johnathan Ryan Wilson, creative director and founder of Interiors by John Ryan, nothing exemplifies this better than the Chrysalis palette from our 2025 Colormix Forecast. “This color palette embodies everything that I am (or who I want to be) as a designer! The introduction of muted colors such as Carnelian SW 7580 (276-C6) and Studio Mauve SW 0062 have inspired me to break from my comfort zone of using all different shades of whites.”

Emily Chastain also sees the beauty in breaking away from basics. “I think pops of color are always important in a space, and I’ve been seeing a lot of purple and red tones lately!” she notes. In her own work, she found a balancing point to these trends with fresh infusions of softness, turning to the airy brightness of Upward SW 6239 (224-C1) for a subtle wash of pale blue in an undeniably elegant kitchen.

Standout shades made their mark this year. In one Wake Forest project, Liz Goldberg of CAROLYNLEONA designed her own highlight for the year: the dining room, which featured a favorite hue from the Rustic + Refined palette within our Designer Color Collection. “For this space, we used Stargazer SW 9635, which serves as the perfect ‘bold neutral.’ It makes a dramatic impact without being overwhelming.”

The Southern Living Idea House, designed by Charlotte Moss, demonstrated how heritage and contemporary living can coexist beautifully under one roof. “Every space is designed to feel connected to its surroundings,” Charlotte says of the Charlottesville, Virginia, showhome. “The color palette reflects the tones of the countryside: Chartreuse SW 0073 walls in the living room both brighten up and dress down what would otherwise be a formal room, and the juxtaposition of the Dutch Cocoa SW 6032 (192-C5) walls and Blissful Blue SW 6527 (178-C2) ceiling in the dining room feels especially fresh.”

As 2026 approaches, designers are already dreaming of what comes next. They indicate that there is a recurring theme of expansion and branching out, as homeowners and designers alike seek a closer connection to that which feels familiar by experimenting with new interpretations.

“People are feeling more comfortable coloring outside the lines (pun intended!),” says Galey Alix. “Design is an expression of ourselves, which means the more freedom people feel to take risks with their spaces, the more permission they are giving themselves to authentically exist.”

In Johnathan Ryan Wilson’s view, he sees design decisions shifting toward more depth and softness. “These trends highlight a collective movement toward designs that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also emotionally resonant and environmentally responsible,” he says. “As we continue to navigate a rapidly changing world, these design directions offer a glimpse into a future where form and function harmoniously coexist.”

For Liz Goldberg, it comes down to one profoundly meaningful word: intention, where each design decision offers purpose and functionality for a client’s lifestyle. As Marie Flanigan puts it: “People are looking for authenticity within their home, leaning into hand-applied finishes, natural stones, and plaster walls that bring warmth and authenticity. That connection to craft will only grow more important in years ahead.”

As you move forward with the insights of 2025, your Account Executive is here to support your vision—with complimentary large-format color samples to help bring it to life.

Top image: Dark Auburn SW 6034 (192-C7) in Matte. Design by Natalie Papier. Photo by Justin March.