Repair in 2025: How to Create an Interior That Remains Relevant for Years

The guest of the 10th episode of the second season of the «INMYROOM — Repair and Cats» podcast was designer Elena Bunak. She talked about the main trends and tricks of repair in 2025, how to plan an interior, where to save money, and what materials to choose. We've compiled a selection of useful facts, tips, and recommendations — read and get inspired for renovations.

Tricks and trends in finishing

When choosing finishing materials, it is important to focus on two key criteria — eco-friendliness and safety. One of the materials that holds a respectable place in trend lists is engineered board. Its durability and strength ensure a long service life of the coating, while the top layer made of natural wood allows maintaining the natural beauty and texture of the material.

In terms of color, it is better to choose engineered board in a medium shade between dark and light. Such a floor hides dirt, is easy to clean, and looks stylish.Design: Anastasia Zarkua

As for walls, in addition to traditional painting or wallpapering, complex, volumetric textures and combinations of different finishing materials remain in trend. The wall surface itself does not need to be ideal; on the contrary, it is better to slightly age it manually and paint over with regular washable paint. Textured surfaces add depth, volume, and make the design stylish and unique. Moreover, such surfaces are resistant to mechanical impacts and easily recover.

How to save money on built-in furniture

Built-in furniture allows you to use the available space as efficiently as possible, looks beautiful and expensive. But this luxury is not cheap, especially if the furniture is made from high-quality materials. To save money, you can mix standard elements with custom-made furniture. Another option is to use the walls as a frame, instead of side panels of a cabinet, make two partitions inside, hang a rod and a couple of shelves from wall to wall. Then order the facades according to the required dimensions.

To save money, it is better to choose facades from the budget segment. I recommend looking at materials like film and MDF. Today, you can find quality materials at attractive prices.Design: Valentina Ivleva

How to preserve the countertop

As practice shows, it is usually not the countertop itself that gets damaged, but the joints and areas where it connects to the stove, sink, or faucet. Quality sealing of all joints with silicone will extend the lifespan of a countertop made from MDF and keep its good condition. When it comes to countertops made from other materials, the most important thing is to use cleaning agents that are suitable for this surface and avoid using abrasive cleaning products. Also, be careful with heavy items, use trivets for hot dishes, wipe up water in time.

Color trends for 2025

Warm natural tones remain relevant, pushing aside flashy and bright colors. This is due to people spending more time at home, working remotely more often, and valuing comfort more. Basic neutral tones continue to be the foundation of interior design, while bright colors are used selectively. Monochrome gives way to complex combinations.

The color of the year 2025 according to Pantone Color Institute is “Mousse Mokko” — a warm brown shade. Pantone experts explain the choice by stating that the color evokes feelings of wonderful qualities of chocolate and coffee, aligning with the desire for comfort.Design: Ksenia Stepanenko

How to create an interior that won’t go out of style

If you want to do a renovation so that the interior does not look “worn out” in ten years and retains its current style, it’s better to exclude all stylistic “fads” from the design project. The interior should reflect the needs of a specific person. You can incorporate some trendy elements that blend well into the interior, combine them with vintage items, or use several styles. If the interior is built around a specific person and reflects who lives in it, then it will be timeless and long-lasting.

I believe that the most important thing is personalizing the interior. If it’s something mass-produced, what’s trendy now and like everyone else, then the interior will quickly lose its relevance.Design: AN.NA design

Top 5 terrible decisions that should not be made in interior design in 2025:

1. Plastic floor moldings.
2. Plastic window sills, closed with the same corner pieces.
3. Glossy drop ceilings.
4. Mixed floor coverings in different rooms within one apartment.
5. Window textiles with overly active floral patterns and additional elements like ruffles, tassels, “skirt-like” details, etc.

The cover photo is from the project designed by Anastasia Zarkua.