The start of the year is an opportunity to enjoy a whole host of new inspirations when it comes to curating our homes. Having shaken off the Christmas festivities and decorations, removing that last speck of glitter from the windowsills, our eyes are firmly on fresh starts and ideas, with design trend reports leading the charge.
At Nicholas Anthony we pride ourselves on being design leaders, and with that comes a dedication to spotting the trends that will not simply be passing fads but bring timeless and iconic style to your home. Echoing our own beliefs, the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) wrote in their much-anticipated 2025 Kitchen Trends report:
“Having a sense of luxury means designing a space that the homeowner feels comfortable in. It is all about their experience.”
Here are some of the top kitchen and interior design trends we’ve got our eyes on:
Connecting with nature
Connecting with nature has been a growing theme across multiple industries in recent years, particularly wellbeing, which is inextricably linked to the spaces in which we live.
In terms of home design that translates to bringing the outside indoors, with the use of organic materials, lots of natural light, and a focus on sustainability – notably the provenance of materials and appliances as well as their energy consumption when in use.
Commenting on the NKBA report, Forbes wrote: “Biophilic design is popular, and 72% of respondents want a kitchen with a greater connection to the outdoors. Also, 67% believe that large windows will be a popular way to bring more light into the kitchen.”
Alongside Biophilic design details, sustainable food sources such as herb and vegetable gardens, and blurring the line between inside and out has become increasingly popular. At Nicholas Anthony, we have seen growing demand for outdoor kitchen and dining spaces that lead seamlessly from the interior areas, complete with their own spectacular outdoor grills, refrigeration and warming appliances.
Elevated function and style
Form and function has been the touchstone of modern design since Chicago-based architect, Louis Sullivan, known for designing some of the earliest skyscrapers, coined the famous axiom, “form follows function”. It went on to become associated with other 20th-century architectural leaders, including Frank Lloyd Wright and Renzo Piano.
Remaining as relevant today as it ever was, this year sees the resurgence of form and function in home design in a bid to create smarter spaces that conceal clutter and create a sense of seamlessness. That trend spans everything from hidden doors and panel-ready fronts for kitchen appliances, all the way through to the ongoing preference for walk-in pantries and chef’s/ butler’s kitchens.
We have long been fans at Nicholas Anthony of using space intelligently, from clever storage to modular furnishings that create a design language within the home and set the tone and energy for the space.
Wall-less walls, boundaries without barriers and delineation without separation – this is the design challenge of the truly contemporary home, but it’s achievable with smart design. It’s also the key to enabling spaces to transform with the changing wants and needs of homeowners as their lives evolve, turning bachelor pads into family homes without compromising on the quality of the environment or creating clutter.
Multifunctional spaces and tools for optimum experiences
Leading on from that, form and function in the overall look and feel of a space can’t be achieved without some extremely clever behind the scenes innovation. An often overlooked aspect of home design is the specialist skill of organisation, but it’s gaining traction and understanding as we move into 2025. As experts in this area, it’s a facet of design we know to be an essential foundation for not only how a space looks, but how it feels and operates.
Crucially, home organisation requires the designer to consider how individuals use their space, and how to maximise that purpose, as well as knowing how to optimise it’s use both now and in the future. That might be retrofitting kitchen units with smart systems from the likes of SieMatic, or choosing colours that make it easy to identify and associate different spaces with different tasks, facilitating intuitive habits and use.
Bespoke is the new standard
“Bespoke (or bespoke-like) kitchens will be a priority this year, reflecting a demand for unique designs to suit individual lifestyles”, says HouseBeautiful, echoing one of our fundamental beliefs – that homes are indeed, deeply personal spaces that are a reflection of individuality, personality, and aspiration.
The term ‘bespoke’ has been overused across recent years, but done properly, custom design is an incredible opportunity to make a house your home. To us, creating a bespoke kitchen is about the details that showcase personal style but also serve personal lifestyle. It’s what makes it an environment that feels good to be in, reflects part of who you are and is an intuitive part of your home. In short, great, bespoke design is all about the experience.
Every kitchen that we design embodies that ethos, but on a purist level, bespoke design is typified in our Signature Collection, where we work with local talent of artisans and master craftsmen to create spaces that are unique to the individual.
Healthy living starts in the kitchen
“The kitchen is becoming an epicentre for wellness” writes Forbes, and rightly so. With the rising interest in gut health and the fundamental role of nutrition, it stands to reason that this hub of the home is where wellbeing begins.
They go on to note that this ideal is brought to life through the installation of the latest culinary appliances and gadgets, such as ovens with steam cooking and air frying technology. Indeed, we have written before about the rise in opportunities in this area, with the arrival of Gaggenau’s vacuum drawer and BORA’s built-in QVac vacuum sealer on the market, for example. Both have the dual effect of minimising waste and allowing you to embrace the economies of scale that go with batch cooking – perfect for those who like to meal prep at the start of the week. They effectively seal food, enabling it to be frozen and cooked later while maintaining its quality and vitamin content.
On a wider note however, home design plays an infinite role in our everyday health, from the quality of sound and light to the colours we choose and how they influence our mood, as well as that aforementioned connectivity with nature. Taking all these elements into consideration is both a science and an art, helping homeowners to influence their own experience of each day.
Muted mid-century modern returns
Mid-century design has proven time and again that it’s really a style that transcends the ages, and the 2025 NKBA Kitchen Trends Report report is predicting a resurgence of this iconic aesthetic and its archetypal furnishings. The prediction comes after a year of seeing mid-century modern style return to homes, and it seems it’s here to stay.
At Nicholas Anthony, we have long been fans of the mid-century movement’s leading names such as Marcel Breuer, Eero Saarinen and Harry Bertoia. Celebrating raw materials such as wood and metal, exceptional craftsmanship, and a revolutionary use of colour, the style is predicted to make a seismic comeback in 2025, but given a contemporary twist with muted hues and a more understated approach.
Smart tech continues remains on the rise
We can’t talk about modern home design trends without mentioning smart technology. From supporting sustainability to optimising our lifestyles, or simply adding wow-factor, technology continues to up its game and is fast becoming the expected standard in the most luxurious homes.
Grand Designs Magazine writes: “In 2025 hot water taps, smart sound systems and lighting will become commonplace”.
They add: “From smart induction hobs that monitor air quality and come with a powerful extractor fan, to vacuum storage that keeps track of your food waste. We’re set to become more aware of improving our habits.”
For our own part, we see enormous value in using integrated technologies, where a ‘brain’ is built into the central nervous system of a property, allowing an ecosystem to unfold around it to deliver the highest levels of living. No longer simply about one-off gadgets, home technology is about interfaces that allow you to customise and organise home functionality from timing when the lights come on, to automating when the curtains draw themselves. The result is the opportunity to create a home that seems to live and breathe in its own right, ultimately creating spaces that deliver the lifestyle you could once only dream of.
Want to create your perfect home?
Speak to a design specialist at Nicholas Anthony