5 interior design icks designers are urging you to leave behind in 2025

When it comes to interior design, trends are ever-evolving which means it can be hard to keep up. What felt fresh and bold years ago might feel totally outdated now.

If you're in the market for a home refresh in 2025 you're going to want to swat up on the top interior design trends for the coming year. But while we've already broken down the top styles and color trend predictions that are in for 2025, we haven't told you what is on the out.

So we've asked the experts for their interior design icks they'll be happy to leave in 2024. Here are the 5 trends interior designers said they want you to leave behind, and what alternatives to consider instead.

Interior designs icks designers want you to leave in 2024

1. All white and gray spaces

Kicking us off with a popular 'ick' that feels oh-so outdated in 2025, is the all-white and stark gray color palette.

'They're cold and sterile,' says designer Wendy Labrum of Wendy Labrum Interiors. 'Warmth and texture are important. Spaces should feel personal, not necessarily universally appealing – in whatever color, pattern or style resonates with the home's inhabitants. We're tired of generic and we want personal!'

'In the past, the industry’s response to wellness-minded design largely yielded all neutral spaces,' Gala Magriñá, holistic design expert and principal of Gala Magriñá Design. 'Now, we’re seeing a welcome return to color. It’s exciting to see the trend shifting away from gray, white, and otherwise soulless spaces making way for warmer, more energizing environments.'

2. 'Hard' decorating

Interior designer, Benji Lewis is hoping to see the back of 'hard decorating' – a term he has coined that describes a rigid approach to interior design, in favor of schemes and palettes that use a more relaxed and organic approach.

'My ick is hard decorating,' says Benji. 'I have this thing for when people precisely color match things, so the blue color detail in a floor tile, for example, has to be an exact match to the wall color – it just looks more too contrived and ghastly. It is way more interesting to explore a tonal variety of hues,' he advises.

Don’t be afraid to introduce an unexpected pop of color, pattern, or a piece of furniture from another interior design style or era to create a better balance.

'The same pattern should not be used for curtains and cushions and a headboard – everywhere, on everything,' agrees Phillipa Thorp, founder and director of design studio Thorp. 'It’s lazy decorating and gets very visually tiring for those who use the space. It’s much more effective to create layers using different but complementary colors, patterns, and textures.'

3. Accent walls

Once the go-to trick for adding a quick pop of interest to a room, the accent wall is losing favor with designers in 2025.

'I also don't want to see any nonsensical wallpapered accent walls in 2025,' continues Benji. 'Unless you have a beautiful panoramic wallpaper then don’t do it – a single wall of paper, even if it’s got pretty fish or some nice patterned design on it, just looks like you ran out of budget to decorate the whole room and it feels unfinished, in my opinion.'

If you're wondering if accent walls are still on trend, the firm answer is no. Accent walls often stop the flow of a room and can feel like a missed opportunity to fully commit to a design vision. Instead, we recommend embracing the accent ceiling instead as it doesn't give that half-done feeling that an accent wall does as the ceiling covers the entirety of the space in print or color.

4. Curved furniture

'Curved furniture is certainly fun and trendy; however, I don't think it has much longevity,' says Gideon Mendelson, founder and creative director of Mendelson Group.

'Staple pieces with structured silhouettes and clean lines are much more versatile and can serve as a visual anchor and overall streamlined profile for the room. Their timelessness offers a better investment in your home decor, too,' adds Gideon.

Curves are beautiful but not always practical. Now this doesn't mean you need to throw out any pieces you already own with a curvy silhouette, but it is important to strike a balance between curves and clean lines to create visual interest. Contrast is what makes a room feel dynamic.

5. Karate chopped cushions

Karate chopping cushions has become a design cliche. This purposeful throw pillow intent is now pretty overused, and it often gives a space a too-perfect, overly staged appearance that lacks the feeling of a real lived-in home.

'Over the years, we’ve seen many trends come and go – some of which need to be put in the archives forever. We will never karate chop cushions – it’s a look you often see in photos, where they’ve sliced cushions down the middle so that the top corners stick up like bunny ears,' adds Phillipa.

'It looks so contrived. We prefer to simply fluff up cushions and let them be.' Cushions are meant to enhance the coziness of a room, and that’s hard to do when they’re styled to within an inch of their lives.

Trends come and go and ultimately, if you love a trend that designers are citing are now outdated, keep it! There are no hard and fast rules here.

But it seems that designers are all leaning away from strict aesthetics that feel too contrived and instead shifting toward more personal, thoughtful, and authentic spaces in 2025. Which we can certainly get on board with.

Next, read up on the biggest organizing 'icks' from expert home organziers to really clean up your home.