Longing for richness

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Lately, I've been reading lists from other designers, blogs and magazines on "Top Trends for 2025."

I generally don't gravitate toward this type of material but I do find it fascinating.

First off, from a consumer perspective, this stuff will drive you completely bonkers. Virtually every list has different things on it. Many of the suggestions have already been popular for 5+ years. Obviously it depends on the quality of the source, but I don't know if you really learn anything reading these.

It reminds me a lot of parenting/infant resources on the internet - an overload of conflicting information. Many things are like this today.

I will tell you my broader perspective on where I think design is heading. I'm not going to get so granular and say Hans's 2025 Trend List, but in my view, this is what's really happening:

Many people are longing for "richness."

As am I. We like the decorated patina of centuries and decades past. We like mood and color and vibe.

For about a decade, we have been served up what I'd describe as the "Apple Store Aesthetic" as the ultimate ideal. Minimalism. Sleekness. Essentials only. White everywhere. No walls.

This felt very refreshing coming out of the fake patina of early aughts Tuscan design, and the fake barn wood of the craftsman/industrial revival of the 2010-2015.

Apple store aesthetic stripped away everything that was contrived.

But it's now a well worn path. It is the default mode of 90% of new construction homes and apartments. Virtually every coffee shop. It was a palette reset.

And now things are changing.

Nostalgia is big right now.

70s/80s and even 90s design is quite popular. While these decades were certainly different from each other style-wise, they contrast strongly with virtually every modern residence today.

My friend Oren recently shared this on twitter and it went viral.

"What are we calling this aesthetic?"

Some fun names that emerged were Martini Noir, Corporate Raider, Coke Deco & Gecko Deco. I personally see this is classic MidJourney 80's Penthouse.

This is what I am talking about when I say richness.

There is a story, there is personality. Surfaces are decorated. Velvety. Rather than being smooth and devoid of color, they are saturated, textured, and perhaps contain trace amounts of narcotics.

The lighting is the polar opposite of todays' overhead, evenly spaced, efficient, all illuminating LEDs. Rather, there are hot can spotlights, pointed up or down, creating vignettes of overexposure and lots and lots of shadows.

Darker colors and woods. Glossy metallics. Tons of plants.

It's very easy to look at one of these photos and develop a fictional story of who lives or parties there.

This is not the only "rich" look or aesthetic but it's a great example of it.

Here's another post I saw today - a collab between designer Sara Charlesworth & West Elm.

This to me is another example of Richness. We have both green and red. We have a variety of different metals, colors and textures. It's clear that someone lives here. It is not smooth and efficient and devoid of life.

The Richness here comes from color, personality, story, mood and general humanity. This is how a kitchen looks if you actually cook in it. There's a bunch of stuff everywhere.

I don't think West Elm would have done anything like this a few years ago.

Residentially speaking, we're in a move away from displaying few personal things to "lived in" design. Showcasing the rich messiness in our lives rather than hiding it all.

One of my absolute favorite things I've seen recently is the LaFayette Hotel in San Diego. It reminds me a lot of Chateau Marmont. Richness seems to be jumping out of the photo.

Everything about this is supposed to be hyper evocative and make you feel something rather than bring you calm (the apple store aesthetic). Maybe a sense of wonder or adventure? Definitely the maximalist side of richness.

Finally, cultural whisperer Athena Calderone of Eyeswoon fame has been gradually honing another version of Richness. You might even say this aesthetic is somewhat minimalist. There's no window treatments and not really anything on the walls. Not a lot of stuff.

But it's saturated. It's highly evocative. There is a story in these pieces, in the floor and in the imperfection of wall materials.

Almost everything in these carefully composed photos is meant to stir a feeling and tap into nostalgia. She is a master of her craft.

We all feel an increasing "digital-ness" to our lives. The counter to this recently has been more real life experiences. Events, meetups, dinners, book/run clubs all seem to be gaining traction everywhere.

The atomization and digitization of today has left everyone who spends too much time on their phones feeling a little yucky.

And I believe this has awakened a longing for tangible richness.

If you are design or business-minded, this is what I would tap into for the foreseeable future.