What’s ‘In’ for Spring Interior Designs and Staging?

With spring just around the corner, homeowners eager to prepare their property for the market, or just give it a fresh look, are seeking the latest interior design and staging trends to make their house stand out from the rest. And this year, deeper, richer colors, larger accessories and artwork, bonus spaces for multi-purpose usage, and connecting the inside with the outside could make a big difference in your home’s appearance.

Earlier this year, Pantone, a world-renowned company that provides color standards for design, printing, fashion and other industries, revealed its 2025 Color of the Year as Mocha Mousse, a rich, earthy brown. Benjamin Moore Paints’ Color of the Year remains in the same family with Cinnamon Slate, a warm chocolate grey tone, while Sherwin Williams introduced Grounded, another vibrant earth tone.

With rich browns dominating the color scheme this year, Pantone’s choice was based on evoking a feeling of the comfort of home and home décor including wood, stone, rattan, wicker, leather and linen. “Mocha Mousse expresses a level of thoughtful indulgence,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute. “Sophisticated and lush, yet at the same time an unpretentious classic, Mocha Mousse is infused with subtle elegance and earthy refinement.”

While continuing the trend of deeper shades, Glidden Paints chose Purple Basil as its 2025 Color of the Year, cleverly mixing hues of purple and dark green. Both Valspar and Dutch Boy decided on blues for this year with the deep Encore shade and a somewhat lighter Mapped Blue.

Susan Atwell, owner of AtWell Staged Home in Somers, is happy to see color making a comeback. “Grey has been out there for so long and I think most designers and stagers are tired of it,” she said. “These colors are cozier and create a comfortable mood that makes people feel right at home.”

Atwell noted she’s not abandoning neutral colors and does rely on off-whites with maybe a tint of grey for her staging clients. “Keeping the look clean and free of clutter, with a modern twist and a hint of warmth will make any home show very well,” she said. Atwell often adds furnishings and artwork that her clients already own to mix in with the rooms for optimal showings.

While staging a home in Ridgefield, CT, Atwell re-converted a dining room that had been serving as the family’s gym. They repainted using a bright, neutral shade, removed all of the gym equipment, relocated the table and light fixture from the kitchen, and even staged the bookcase using items from around the home, including a vintage model red car.

Before and after pictures of a Ridgefield, CT home gym to dining room conversion. COURTESY OF ATWELL HOME STAGING

Homebuyers today are also looking for bonus spaces that can be used for many purposes, such as a reading room, play area for young children, sunroom or an office. “Home offices are still huge,” she explained. “People want spaces where they can work privately or even spaces for kids to do their homework outside of their bedroom.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many homeowners opted for open floor plans. “This setup became interesting during COVID when people started to want more privacy,” she said. “Adding French doors or being able to close off areas creates these little nooks and crannies that people want now. It’s all about the possibilities of how spaces can be used.”

Marie Graham, owner of The Refreshed Home in White Plains, agrees that color and specialty spaces in the home are the interior design trends for attracting buyers for Spring 2025. “We all know what to expect from a living and dining room, but if you can showcase unexpected spaces, people will remember that,” she said. Graham’s ideas include a meditation room, crafts space, mini yoga studio, or dedicated workspace.

She recently created a children’s reading area for one of her clients, using part of a larger room. “I got a pair of lime green, child-sized beanbag chairs and a basket full of books and all of sudden, you had a new, separate space,” she shared.

While she does believe in keeping rooms streamlined and free from clutter, Graham said it’s also best to “choose things important to the heart for the home.” For kitchens, she recommends classic designs with neutral tones, and warmer, denser colors for the living and family rooms. “You always want to create a soothing atmosphere,” she added.

Another trick that works well for both staging and interior design is bringing the outdoors inside. “Some people have created greenhouse windows in their kitchens, or you could simply open up French doors to bring in more light and connect to the outdoors,” Graham noted.

She also likes to use bright colors for accent pieces like pillows, books, or even a bowl of fruit on a coffee table. For sofas, she prefers solid colors rather than prints and suggests stretch slipcovers as an easy, quick fix.

One re-emerging design trend for 2025 is wallpaper. “It used to be very expensive, and you’d have to live with it for a long time,” said Graham. “But with these new ‘peel and stick’ versions, it can be much more affordable and not permanent. It’s a perfect choice for a power room or other small area.”