Pantone 2025 Color of the Year - Interior Design Trends

PANTONE recently announced Mocha Mousse as the 2025 Color of the Year, and this rich, warm hue simultaneously brings to mind both luxury and comfort. Along with giving us a craving for real mocha mousse, the PANTONE announcement offers us a chance to reflect on how we incorporate this color scheme into our designs as well as how this shade fits into what we are forecasting trends for 2025.

We love bursts of color at SHID, yet we often find ourselves anchoring rooms with neutral tones. There is something classic and soothing about creating a neutral palette by blending elements such as wood floors, paneling, and furniture. In order to create rooms that are intriguing visually and texturally, we juxtapose these grounding (and natural) components with crisp whites or patterns incorporating an array of shades.

Neutral tones allow for versatility in interior design, as you can easily incorporate them in a variety of unique designs. We use neutrals often in our designs, such as this powder room, and the open concept kitchen, and study below. While they differ quite a bit in purpose and aesthetics, all use neutrals as a strong and timeless base. Adding detail, texture, and color allows us to craft distinct spaces that reflect the personalities and sensibilities of the room’s inhabitants.

Warm neutrals like the Mocha Mousse palette imbue spaces with a cozy yet indulgent vibe. Pairing them with cooler neutrals (such as tans and creams) make spaces feel elegant and calm. However, incorporating these hues within a palette that includes floral shades creates a contrast that feels vibrant and playful without being oversaturated or distracting.

The popularity of a color like Mocha Mousse confirms our forecast that more natural and earthy colors and textures will be in favor in the near future.

As we witnessed at High Point Market and trade shows as well as we have seen from our own clients’ wishes, designs that help create a warmer and more grounded feel are trending. People want to gather and connect with friends and loved ones in spaces that give off comfortable and comforting vibes, and incorporating warm, cozy neutrals like Mocha Mousse is just one versatile way to create a welcoming atmosphere.

As we head into 2025, we’re excited to see what other trends emerge (we’re placing our bets on a rediscovered love of sunshine-y yellow and re-imagined retro chic style from the 80s). In the meantime, we wish you and yours a warm and festive holiday season!

Show Off Your Collection

Baseball cards, My Little Ponies, dinosaur figurines, dolls, and so much more: some of us are born collectors, and we begin accumulating from an early age. As adults, our interests change and diversify, and the resulting collections become a perfect way to personalize our homes. Instead of stuffing your collectibles in a closet or crowding them on a tabletop or mantel, showcase the items that give you pleasure and that make your home unique.

A collection of wax seals might seemed destined for a desk drawer, but we framed sets of them for a cool, historically-influenced yet non-traditional display that beckons guests to come closer for a better look. The wax seals match well with the surrounding rich, warm wood paneling and are offset by gold frames.

In the same home, lighters gathered from around the world (and through time) make a playful, artistic statement when spaced throughout a wall.

Be fearless with what and how you want to frame items in your collection. Vintage swimsuits are too cute to stow away in an old chest. The bold colors and throwback designs make for a nostalgic trip into the past while simultaneously and subtly helping form future dreams of beach time.

Photo Credit.Velvet & Linen

We adore the way that a collection of rainbow glasses and goblets becomes the star of this space. Set against a clean, white backdrop, the carefully curated, gradual color changes create an almost magical effect.

Photo Credit.A Beautiful Mess

Repurposing elements of your collection, as this collector did with her milk glass, is a sneaky way to keep them useful and occupying prime counter real estate. Contrasting with metallic bangles and other multicolored jewelry items, the white of the glass even makes the space appear tidier.

Photo Credit.Craft O Maniac

In addition to showcasing goods you have spent a lifetime gathering, displaying your collection is also a great way to keep travel memories alive. Plates selected from antique piles at the Marché aux Puces in Paris or haggled over in a Moroccan medina will find a happy home on walls or in hutches, where they can regularly be admired in their handcrafted, perfectly imperfect glory.

Photo Credit.Centsational Style

If you have a family heirloom that’s too fragile to frame or in poor shape, consider using the services of Oprah-approved Shana Novak, aka the Heirloomist. A still life photographer, Novak captures beloved and prized possessions (like this wine cork collection) through a distinctive lens and turns them into gorgeous, modern prints.

Check Them Out

Got a handbag, hat, shoe, or jewelry obsession? Give your cherished objects some time in the sun, especially when they aren’t often taken out and about in daily life.

Photo Gredit. This is Glamorous

Collections help your home reflect your passions and your pastimes, so save the closet space and storage bins for mismatched socks and your kids’ Shopkins, and give your favorite things a chance to shine…and perhaps inspire another collector.

Pantone Color of The Year 2022

PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri, Pantone’s color of the year (and a brand-new color creation), was selected to reflect our changed and changing world. It’s a bold and brand-new color creation that, according to the Pantone Color Institute, “ displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expressions”.

We are all about courageous creativity and bringing a more joyous attitude into our lives and our homes, and colors in the periwinkle family are surprisingly versatile. Veri Peri, which brings together beloved, calming blue with an energizing violet red undertone, can be used throughout the home to give small doses of color therapy.

Between zoom fatigue, the uncertainty of the next few months, and the fact that most of us feel like we’ve been in our own personal Groundhog Day movie since March 2020, injecting a little zest and vibrancy into our lives sounds pretty appealing right now. Cheers to the new year and to new energy in our homes and in our lives!Between zoom fatigue, the uncertainty of the next few months, and the fact that most of us feel like we’ve been in our own personal Groundhog Day movie since March 2020, injecting a little zest and vibrancy into our lives sounds pretty appealing right now. Cheers to the new year and to new energy in our homes and in our lives!

Here are a few ideas for how to incorporate this hue:

This floral periwinkle pillow will add a modern touch and a color boost to a sofa or couch in a more neutral shade.

A periwinkle carpet, particularly with a soft, shag texture, is a feast for the eyes…and feels amazingly cozy on feet too.

In Sara Hillery Interior Design’s County Lines textile, the color of the year gets complimented and contrasted with other saturated shades for a playful pattern that subtly salutes Virginia geography.

Entryway periwinkle flowers

Not sure you want to commit long-term to periwinkle in your home? No problem: in this light-filled entryway, a vase of periwinkle flowers brings a natural, lively pop of color.

2021 Holiday Gift Guide

We blinked, and suddenly it’s the holidays. Gift-giving is one of our favorite parts of the season, and we rounded up several options that are surefire winners. From a chic chess set to personalized candles, you can cross off everyone on your “nice list” (and maybe pick up a little holiday treat for yourself in the process).

Make like Beth Harmon in the Queen’s Gambit and pick up one of these Lucite acrylic chess sets. Available in neon orange and yellow or classic black and white, these sleek sets can live on any surface and are sure attract lots of admirers as well as potential game seekers.

Image via Hetgroen Lab

Image via Jonathan Adler

New design books are always on our holiday wish list. There’s nothing like starting off the year with fresh design inspiration. Some newly released favorites include Botanical Buildings: When Plants Meet Architecture, Where We Work: Home Offices, and Home: A Celebration.

There’s absolutely nothing basic about the baubles from Emily Warden Designs, thanks to Emily’s training in metalsmithing and jewelry design and her impeccable eye for finding and setting gorgeous stones. Her well-designed site makes it easy to shop and extremely difficult to narrow down the gift-buying selection.

Image via Emily Warden Designs

Image via Chilewich

Whether you are finally feeling like you can entertain again safely or you are still keeping your dinner crew small, these woven placemats from perennial favorite Chilewich elevate your table settings into art. Eco-friendly and suitable for indoor/outdoor use, the placemats make great hostess gifts that will long outlast a bottle of wine or flowers.

Felix Doolittle’s stationery line includes personalized canning labels and bookplates, but we would love to gift a set of signature note cards from the Plein Air collection. Whether you choose a marsh or a countryside field, you aren’t just preserving the art of letter writing when you gift these beauties; you’re also passing on a love and appreciation of illustrated art.

Image via Felix Doolittle

Image via Navabella

We keep candles burning all winter long, so stocking up on the latest offerings from Navabella is a no brainer, especially since they come in a variety of delectable scents like iced eggnog and mocha mint. You can even personalize these minimalist candles with a holiday greeting!

From all of us at Sara Hillery Interior Design, we wish you happy holidays!

Pantone Color of The Year

After a year like 2020, most of us could use some uplifting and some grounding. Pantone is ushering in the New Year with two colors that emanate emotions both calm and bright. While Ultimate Gray and Illuminating are not shades we frequently utilize, we’ve gathered some visual ways to make these colors (or similar hues) livable from our past projects. 

Incorporating a shiny golden-hued ceiling is a little like living just a bit closer to the sun. We used warm shades of yellow throughout this room along with gold accents and creams (and even a honey-hued seagrass rug) to keep it light and bright.

Just a pop of this yellow is enough to transform a room. The bone-colored busts of composers, earned from participating in piano recitals and a nod to the family’s avid interest in music) pop, especially when situated within a contrasting black frame.

Sunny yellow and gold unite the furniture, artwork, and accessories in this sitting area, while the subtle differences in shades add texture and vibrancy. The two-toned sofa is a modern, refreshing choice.

Incorporating calming “greige” roman shades might seem like a minor style decision, but they offer just enough contrast to the white carpet and walls to help create a soothing transition for the eye. 

We love all the earth and jewel tones in our client’s beautiful collection of pottery and vases. Selecting sunny yet subtle yellow chairs with matching chevron pillows helps to lift the space while also drawing attention to the variety of pieces on display.

Pantone describes the color duo as a “marriage conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting”, and we hope you begin 2021 harnessing that fortifying, uplifting energy in your homes and in your lives.

Easy Halloween Decorating During a Pandemic

It’s safe to say that Halloween 2020 is not going to look the same as other years. In some communities, trick-or-treating is banned outright, and in others, the festivities are feeling more than just a little subdued. If you have little ones in your life, however, cancelling Halloween is simply not an option. You can still celebrate this fall favorite and herald the beginning of the holiday season with some home-focused activities.

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We are also fans of this modern pumpkin hoop wreath. Both of these can carry your décor through Thanksgiving.

Decorate Outdoors!

Putting up some Halloween decorations well in advance of October 31st will set the festive mood in your neighborhood. We love this dried golden wheat wreath, it’s unique texture will bring warmth to your front door.

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Whether your decorations skew creepy, like these oversized spiders, or slightly more playful, like this trio of bate garden stakes, you can create a eye catching display that’s a visual treat for me than just one night.

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Encourage friends and neighbors to decorate ahead to make the holiday atmosphere last for several weeks: seeing the spirit of Halloween will cushion the blow of a having a less traditional celebration this year. Your family can walk or drive by decorated houses, perhaps making a game of counting the number of spiders, ghosts, or bats along the way.

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Bring the Holiday Home

Especially if Halloween ends up being a home-based affair this year, adding little holiday touches around the house can actually go a long way in keeping the mood feeling festive.

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A cozy plaid throw will be in heavy rotation this fall (and is the perfect thing to hide under during the spooky parts of Halloween movies).

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We also adore this chic, subtle ghost tassel banner for adorning fireplaces and doorways.

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Grab a Pumpkin (or several) and Get to Work.

If pumpkin patches are open in your area and have set up appropriate precautions, going to select your own pumpkins is a time-honored tradition. If not, head to a nearby grocery store and select different sizes or colors, then come home and decorate! Add your finished beauties to your porch or steps to add to your house’s decorations.  Even left au natural, pumpkins look great when grouped together. But first…

Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

We love roasted pumpkin seeds: by the handful, folded into granola, sprinkled on salads. We promise they won’t last long however you decide to use them. Here’s a tried-and-true recipe that you can spice up as necessary

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Play With Your Food

Halloween-themed food is so easy and so much fun to make, your kiddos may even forget all about the candy. Just kidding, they will definitely remember the candy, but at least they can nosh on these creations in between getting their sweet fix.

Mini Pumpkins: Peel a bunch of clementine. Chop up a celery stalk into small pieces to resemble a stem. Stick a celery piece into the clementine and voila-snackable pumpkins!

Ghost Bananas: This is such a simple and sweet idea. Add two chocolate chips as eyes to a peeled banana.

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Mini Mummy Pizzas: Place am English muffin half or a mini bagel half on a sheet pan. Spread on some tomato sauce. Pull apart a cheese stick into shreds and layer/cross the shreds on top to look like mummy bandages. Finally, add two black olives slices as eyes. Toast until warm if desired.

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We hope that everyone has a happy and spoooooooky Halloween Season!

5 Reasons to Hire an Interior Designer

In a world of Pinterest boards, readily available internet design apps, and design savvy homeowners, people often wonder why they would even hire an interior designer and if it’s “worth it”. We absolutely think that experienced, professional designers are worth their weight in gold, and we’ve outlined 5 reasons why you should think about hiring one!

1. The price of a good designer is offset by the connections, time savings, and reduction in stress levels!

Decisions, decisions, decisions! When designing a room or a house, you have tons of choices regarding styles, colors, textures, and more. Thinking about designing or redesigning a house or even a room can be so overwhelming that people often end up giving up and living in a space that doesn’t serve them or their interests. We get it: many decisions can’t be taken lightly. Buyer’s remorse, especially for big- ticket items like custom furniture or a whole house paint job, is painful and real (especially because they are often nonrefundable). By talking through the process of what to expect and things to consider as well as using our years of skill-building and expertise with a huge variety of clients, designers can help make the decision process much easier and streamlined. As we get to know you, we can quickly identify what best suits your personality, preferences, and budget and connect you with the resources you need. We also help ensure your projects proceed in a timely, predictable manner and that the final product is one you absolutely adore.

2. We can broaden your style horizons.

There are a multitude of options beyond mass-produced versions such as those at Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn, and we are constantly learning about new vendors through trade shows, word of mouth from other designers, antique distributors, and social media. The result: your home looks and feels personalized and unique. Instead of having the same pieces as everyone in your neighborhood, we can help you find artists and artisans that perfectly reflect you and your family. Some of these smaller, independent vendors are often able to customize pieces!

3. Our senses of scale, functionality, and proportion are well-honed.

While many people have a great sense of color, getting a sense of scale and size within a space can be tricky. In addition to our formal training, we’ve worked in a huge variety of homes and living spaces and pride ourselves on our ability to make sure a space feels balanced, fresh, and serene. We know all sorts of tricks to make spaces appear bigger, lighter, and more open, and we create rooms and homes that feel comfortable and chic. As a company proudly run by a mom-of-three, we are experts on stylish, family-friendly living and choosing design elements that durable, sustainable, and hardworking.

4. We can help with projects big and small.

On one end of the spectrum, we offer full service interior design for whole house renovations and new construction. We guide you through the whole process from soup to nuts! Having a professional act as your liaison to help handle logistical issues as well as aesthetic ones keeps the process manageable. Tackling whole house redesigns is a challenge we are happy to accept, but we also don’t underestimate the power of even a single room refresh. Whether through adding new window treatments, helping to select new art, or finding the perfect paint color or wallpaper for an underutilized room, we love taking a space that needs a little TLC and make it functional and livable.

5. Designers work WITH you and the pieces you love and don’t push unnecessary changes.

The job of the designer is NOT to clean house entirely and start from scratch with entirely new pieces and products (unless, of course, that’s what your heart truly desires). We strive to incorporate the elements and pieces you currently have and love into the final edit. Because of our expertise and experience, we have innovative ways to incorporate the collections, keepsakes, and new purchases that tell your story. Our clients love that they end up with a marriage of some of their “favorite things” alongside impactful additions or changes. Our specialty: creating a space that still feels like home…but newer, fresher, more inspiring, and representative of the life you and your family are living.

BONUS REASON!

We recently launched another service that brings interior design right to your mailbox, Design Delivered by SH is a flat fee room by room design and decorating service and a great option for all those do it yourself-ers out there. Click the link below to learn more!

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