Storyline
Minimalism is out for 2025, and exuberance is in, according to top interior designers. People looking to improve their homes and gardens are increasingly wanting something “posher” and more high-tech according to style gurus at the Ideal Home Show in London.
The Ideal Home Show is the UK’s largest interior design show and has been setting trends since 1908.
Each year, interior designers curate the Ideal Home at the show, packing this show home with the latest trends and technology to inspire visitors. The home features typical rooms found in every home—including a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom—all packed with design flourishes.
And for 2025, minimalism is dead, and interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, known for his love of color and pattern, could not be happier. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen says, “It’s this extraordinary moment where it feels like the whole planet is crawling out from underneath the gray rock under which it has been imprisoned for the last five or six years. Suddenly, it’s all about color. Suddenly, it’s all about pattern.”
Wallpapers and bedsheets are patterned with splashes of color, and design touches like the underlit marble kitchen island create an air of opulence.
Llewelyn-Bowen thinks it is a reaction to the cost-of-living crisis but also because people have been inspired by the box sets they have been bingeing on. He mentions popular TV series like The Gentlemen or Jilly Cooper’s Rivals as the major inspirations for home decor.
“It’s like people want something much more glamorous. Dare I say they want something that feels a little bit posh. They love the big scale wallpapers, they love the drinks tray,” he says.
So, is the era of less-is-more over? Of course, some people will still embrace minimalism in the home.
“Obviously, there will be people out there that are into Scandi-Japanese minimalism,” he says.
The Ideal Home Show ran at London’s Olympia from March 21 to April 6, 2025, and featured 600 brands.
This article and video were provided by The Associated Press.
Script
[Ideal Home front view with front garden]
[Top view of the Ideal Home exhibition]
[Interior of living room with striped red wallpaper]
[Green sofa and pink fluffy cushions]
[Bedroom with striped bedsheets]
[Lamp and bed]
[Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen looking at the Ideal Home Show]
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (interview): “It’s this extraordinary moment where it feels like the whole planet is crawling out from underneath the grey rock under which it has been imprisoned for the last 5 or 6 years. Suddenly it’s all about colour. Suddenly it’s all about pattern.”
[Kitchen in the Ideal Home with glowing marble island]
[Bathroom with brass tub and feature living wall]
[Hot tub]
[White wooden patio decking area]
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (interview): “It’s like people want something much more glamorous. Dare I say they want something that feels a little bit posh. They love the big scale wallpapers, they love the drinks tray.”
[Circular mirror and drinks tray]
[Home cinema room]
[Leather cinema chairs with drinks holders and mini fridge]
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (interview): “Obviously there will be people out there that are into Scandi/Japanese minimalism. They’ll never be getting a Christmas card from me.”
[Living succulent chair in the garden of Ideal Home]
[Chair]
[Grow-your-own area in the garden]
[Ideal Home Show]
[Sign reading: (English) “Ideal”]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.
