Ask the designer: favourite interior design looks
Looking for the latest interior trends? We spoke to an interior designer about her favourite looks that could help bring your new build interiors to life.
Estelle Palmer is head of design at Edward Thomas Interiors, an interior design agency specialising in bespoke show home styling, including many of our beautiful Persimmon show homes.
Managing a 12-strong team of designers as well as being involved in the client management team keeps Estelle busy. It means she's involved in the whole design process, from initial briefing to installation and handover.
We spoke to Estelle about her design process when approaching a new build show home, some of her favourite interior design trends at the moment, and how she's used them to stunning effect in our Regents Village show home in Cheltenham.
I’ve then worked in various roles within the sector, from project management through to design, and this has helped me gain a complete understanding of the process.
A recent project that really showcases some of the most trending interior design looks at the moment was the Alderbrook show home at Regent's Village in Cheltenham. The Alderbrook is a three-bed townhouse arranged over three floors to offer ample space for couples, and young or growing families.
Our original brief was for a Regency-inspired design, to invoke connections with the town’s architecture. Natural colours and textures were preferred, and we were also asked to reference Cheltenham’s cultural heritage and the Literature Festival in particular.
The finished scheme is a modern and elegant interpretation of this brief. In terms of meeting some of the specific criteria, we made focal points of the study and third bedroom.
Show homes need to be memorable, so in the study we designed a bespoke, full-height double bookcase and sourced black and white and hand-drawn prints of the Regency buildings as wall art. In the guest bedroom, we’ve made a retreat for a bookworm, including a bespoke corner desk with bookshelves plus a headboard made entirely from open books – it’s a real eye-catcher!
Here's some more detail around the trends we focused on to bring the brief to life, which I also think we'll be seeing plenty more of in 2025.
Interior design ideas that are perfect for new builds
Earthy and autumnal shades
Colours taking centre stage in 2025 are those from the rich, earthy, autumnal family. Think burnt orange, rust, plum, any of the wine reds and dark chocolate brown.
In the Alderbrook, house hunters will find pops of burnt orange throughout the home, which adds warmth to the neutral taupe, cream and soft grey colour palette. Autumnal shades can be introduced subtly e.g. through accessories or fabrics, or more boldly such as on window dressings, headboards or as a paint feature.
Unexpected texture
This year, watch out for texture in unexpected places, particularly wall coverings. Expect to find textured wallpapers, decorative plaster finishes, dado and picture rails, even concrete wall art.
At Regents Village, we added a dado rail in the study to act as a differential between the two wall paints; there’s a macrame wall hanging framing the dining area, and a beautiful textured wallpaper in the downstairs cloakroom. Smaller rooms like the cloakroom are a great place to experiment if you’re new to decorating. You can be bold with your paint or wallpaper choices as they make an instant impact but are also easy to change!
Colour drenching
This is one of our favourite emerging paint trends and is all about being confident, bold and unapologetic about colour. You can opt for a single colour and “drench” the room, including the ceiling, furniture, woodwork (skirting boards, window and door frames) and floor, or create a tonal room.
This means using shades of the same colour across the room. It’s equally playful but creates a more elevated, sophisticated look.
This is what we’ve done in the Alderbook – the study furniture and wall are painted all the same soft grey colour. Meanwhile, in the bookworm bedroom, we’ve painted a ceiling canopy to frame the bed and its bespoke open book headboard.
Curves and waves
Curves, waves, scalloped and rounded edges are sticking around in 2025, especially in furniture and seating to establish a softer aesthetic and bring people together. We’re also seeing these non-linear designs in mirrors, light fittings and wall treatments, where colour paint blocks are used to create arches or emphasise alcoves.
House hunters will spot how we’ve subtly introduced this trend throughout the Alderbrook so the curtains in the living room, kitchen/diner and main bedroom are all wave-headed. The mirror and bedside lighting in the second bedroom are curved too, and the main bedroom’s rattan furniture has a beautiful soft edge as do the dining chairs in the kitchen/diner.
Wall panelling
Wall panelling is a trend that has grown rapidly over the past few years, and shows no sign of slowing down in 2025. Panelling is a superb way of adding character to a room, particularly in new build homes where you want to create a period style and add dimension.
In the Alderbrook, we’ve used a variety of different panel treatments to inspire house hunters. The hallway has half-height with a single panel, the living room has full-height with a double-painted panel and a wallpaper insert, and the main bedroom has a fluted style with a mural insert.
Home and lifestyle trends in 2025
Aside from these specific interiors looks, we're seeing small lifestyle shifts that mean people need more out of their homes than before, which leads to design changes.
Repurposing spaces for home offices and storage
One of the lasting legacies of the lockdowns is how homes have had to become multi-purpose. Most homes now have an office or study and this has forced people to rethink how other spaces could be repurposed.
Reclaiming transitional or underused spaces, such as landings or under the stairs, will be popular. We’ve seen some great solutions for the latter such as smart storage with sliding drawers or as a home for pets, both of which could be DIY projects.
Discover virtual tours of our Persimmon house types to see which could give you the space you need.
In with the old: Arts and crafts revival
In terms of style, we’re seeing more interpretations of the Arts & Crafts movement. Habitat recently announced a collaboration with Morris & Co for a collection of homeware and furniture inspired by the iconic William Morris patterns, and these are appearing in prints and fabrics too.
This movement has also inspired design detailing such as turned wood table legs, floor lamps or plant pot holders. People are seeking more character and a sense of history, and incorporating details like these means even brand-new homes can have that rich, eclectic feel.
Sustainable living
Finally, the collective commitment towards sustainable living remains. Homeowners are being uber-conscious about material choices, favouring natural over manmade, as well as what furniture and accessories we use to ensure the longest lifespan. Obviously upcycling or repurposing forms an integral part of this.
Thanks to Estelle of Edward Thomas Interiors for the expert interior design insight. If you love the look of our Regents Village show home, find out more information about the development here.
