International Design Trends for 2025

The European trade shows like the ones organized by Messe Frankfurt put tremendous effort into predicting trends in the international marketplace. Given they tap some of the most in-the-know agencies, we thought we’d share with all of you their predictions for 2025. To illustrate how carefully we pay attention to what’s relevant, the images we’ve chosen to illustrate their findings include products in our lineup that are on-point. One of the shows Messe Frankfurt produces is Ambiente. The organizers say craftsmanship is at the heart of the Ambiente Trends 24+, which is and always has been one of our watchwords.

International Design Trends Includes Sustainability

“As a major counter-movement to advancing digitalization,” their reports state, “craftmanship unfolds in many facets.” Beyond a focus on well-made, they note three striking styles they have identified: within the Aura of Progress trend they pinpoint the concept of being visionary and highlight a focus on the elemental; within the Quality of Silence trend they’ve identified the essence of pure and encourage a focus on the familiar; and within the Spirit of Craft trend is a paradoxical mix that includes bold and poetical. Sustainability and warmth are also listed as important for both unexpected new creations and design icons that have remained in the forefront over time. This year’s Ambiente trends were determined independently by the internationally renowned forecasting bureau studio bora.herke.palmisano.

Travel-Inspired Design Teams

A number of the manufacturers interviewed say they are less focused on external trend forecasts because concentrating on the feelings and impressions their design teams have as they draw from their own research is more apropos. This includes inspiration gleaned as they travel. Though we look at both the external and internal—the former including the trend forecasting our Vice President/Creative Director Cecil Adams undertakes each year and the latter taking shape as our product development team and president crisscross the globe regularly in search of new materials, artisans, and points of view. Like the Messe Frankfurt organizers say on their blog, this approach is “straight from the heart” and “very authentic.”

Celebrating Designers with Diverse Views

Another way we capture a personable tone with our offerings is seeking out collaborations with well-known designers who are not on our internal team. Each of these has a very specific point-of-view that brings a richness into the mix that we would be hard-pressed to duplicate because they are a global group spanning from California to New York in the U.S. and as far away as Japan. The sum-total of these infuses our lineup with a diverse array of cultural influences.

Hiroshi Koshitaka is a self-taught Japanese designer with years of experience in architectural installations and product design. With skillful precision, he guides the entire process from concept to the finished product while working alongside artisans to ensure the best product possible. Inspired by Japanese architecture and culture, Koshitaka has partnered with us for many years, focusing on lighting inspired by nature, the heavens, his native culture, and architecture.

Marjorie Skouras’ diverse projects, signature collections and distinctive personal style have earned her international recognition. Skouras’ travels to lush gardens around the world and her love of nature influences her designs. She began her career in photography and spent 17 years in the film industry before building her successful firm, Marjorie Skouras Design, LLC. Since moving to the Yucatan Peninsula, she has developed a passion for creating products inspired by her surroundings on a ranch she shares with her husband. You can see her full collection on our website.

Aviva Stanoff, a renowned textile designer based in Southern California, creates for top fashion houses, designs a home accessories line, and travels globally to craft beautiful textiles. Stanoff’s aesthetic is shaped by her upbringing in the redwood forest, summers at her grandfather's Buddhist temple in Japan, and her experience in the New York City design industry. Her signature printing technique involves pressing real objects into fabric. She says of the inspiration for many of her designs that have sea-themes, "When I had my DNA test done, it turned out I am 12% mermaid! As a native Californian, the sea has always been by my side and has kept my secrets. I have a deep reverence for nature and particularly the ocean." You can see her full collection on our website.

Legendary interior designer Bunny Williams is known worldwide for her impeccable taste and design style. An Interior Design Hall of Fame inductee, Williams’s work is regularly featured in top design magazines and newspapers, on television, in film, and on various websites and blogs. Williams’ decorating DNA combines her upbringing and appreciation for gracious Southern living with her hands-on training at the venerable firms of Stair & Co. Antiques and Parish Hadley Inc. During decades of travel, she has developed a veritable compendium-like knowledge of international antiques. You can see her full collection on our website.

Suzanne Duin, who founded the Houston shop and design studio Maison Maison, is known for distinct combinations of hand-selected European antiques from her travels abroad and clever reinventions of peculiar objects. Her fondness for past centuries of craftsmanship leads her to recreate and design matchless pieces with sensible yet rich details. A passion for the sophisticated casual styles found in the South of France and the quintessential French flair in the country’s capital, Duin’s premier collection for us includes an array of woven light fixtures. You can see her full collection on our website.

Agility in Sourcing the Artisanal

When we are on the hunt for the handmade offerings we find in the small factories and studios in Southeast Asia, we embody another word that the trend report by Messe Frankfurt has identified as important: agile. This is particularly true in our accessories category and with our one-of-a-kind offerings. Sourcing on a global but hyper-local level prevents us from relying solely on the big trend reports and provides us with a more genuine source of information, which you might call a “boots on the ground” approach. Because we are being introduced to those things that fascinate the artists and craftspeople at any given time, we are tapping into the authentic on a granular scale and doing so with great agility. We hope you enjoyed a peek into our creative process as we continue to search the world for new products to bring home to you!