The 2025 ELLE DECOR Design Awards honor the visionary creators and objects redefining how we live with beauty and purpose. From standout furniture and lighting to influential accessories, the winners, selected by ELLE DECOR’s editors and industry experts, set the tone for what’s next in design.
See all of the 2025 ELLE Decor Design Award winners here.
Design chatter in 2025 was defined by a collective shift toward warmth, personality, and emotional resonance. After years of restraint, interiors embraced softer silhouettes, richer materials, and a renewed appreciation for craft. Curves continued to dominate, from enveloping sofas to sculptural lighting, while tactile finishes like plaster, patinated metals, and hand-worked ceramics brought depth and imperfection back into focus. Color returned with confidence, favoring earth-toned reds, inky blues, mossy greens, and buttery neutrals that felt lived-in rather than styled. Across categories, designers leaned into pieces that told a story, privileging personality over polish.
Equally notable was how design responded to the way we live now. Modular furniture, relaxed layouts, and indoor-outdoor fluidity reflected a desire for flexibility and ease. Heritage reissues shared space with experimental collaborations, signaling a balance between nostalgia and newness. Sustainability evolved from a talking point to a given, with longevity, repairability, and responsible materials quietly embedded into good design. In 2025, the loudest design statements weren’t about excess, they were about intention, comfort, and creating spaces that feel deeply, unmistakably human.
Read more: https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/a69838049/best-design-trends-2025/