5 decorating choices to make right now that will never go out of style

We have to be careful when reporting on the constant buzz of design trends not to overlook those timeless decor ideas that are tried and true. They’re the ones designers turn back to again and again, that stay fresh even while other aesthetic moods come and go. They’re the tricks you can use if you only plan to decorate once.

So from color choices to furniture, from fabric to floor plans these are the timeless decor ideas you can trust that won’t get old, and will actually bring a sense of character that will make your style feel long-lasting. These are tips to follow if you want to create a home that never dates.

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1. Use around half vintage or antique furniture

office with black walls and antique desk

The Oregon-based designer Molly Kidd, founder of Molly Kidd Studio, could only ever be described as having a contemporary aesthetic. Her work includes very 2025-leaning tricks like a dining room color drenched in dark red on the ceiling and walls. But despite her modern leanings, she uses around 50% vintage or antique furniture in every room, resulting in schemes that, despite the very-now color choices, are timeless.

‘Mixing in vintage pieces allows for a patina you only get with age, a liveable yet elevated sense that a newly decorated house is instantly a home,’ she explains.

2. Trust in the timelessness of green paint

green living room mix of freestanding and built in storage fireplace

(Image credit: TROVE by Studio Duggan)

A perennial favorite, and a hue that seems to go beyond color trends, green has timeless appeal. This is the belief of Joa Studholme, Farrow and Ball’s Color Curator, who sees shades come and go, and yet thinks green is here to stay.

‘Green is almost a neutral, and thanks to its connection to nature it never goes out of style,’ she says. ‘I’m seeing it used a lot with pink still, but just green on its own is a timeless approach to decorating.’

3. Keep bedrooms serene

neutral bedroom with light brown walls and gray bedding

(Image credit: Future)

Bedroom color trends rise and fall but the one mood that never tires is a space you can relax in, that soothes you to sleep in the evenings and gently wakes you in the morning.

Judy Dunne, founder of the New York-based studio Butter & Eggs says that gray is a timeless favorite for bedrooms that stays in style year in, year out. ‘If I look at my practice over the last 20 years I am always finding ways to make sure the primary bedroom is a serene oasis,’ she says. ‘I’ll have a lot of texture and various shades of color, but there will be a restrained palette, one that allows you to feel how soft the light is.’ Many of her main bedrooms focus on gray shades. ‘They’re like misty rain,’ she says. ‘And I love that feeling gray gives you of space.’

4. Focus on sociable floorplans

soft yellow living room with a velvet ochre couch, yellow window treatments, and a large patterned terracotta rug with two armchairs and a contemporary coffee table sat on top

(Image credit: Future)

Many designers believe that the role of a home is to help foster human connection, and to give you a space to connect with your loved ones. If you can do that then your design will feel timeless as it will allow you to continually feel loved.

‘You need to think about how you want to live in a house, and you don’t want to a space where you feel tight and restricted,’ says Heather French, founder of the Santa Fe-based studio French and French. ‘How you place furniture, and how you do floor plans can bring people together. If you place seating that looks to each other rather than, say, at a TV, you can play cards, drink tea, move it around however the group needs to be.’ This sense of connection and effortless flow is what will give you long-lasting decor.

5. Decorate with understated florals

Colorful home office with green floral wallpaper, pink painted ceiling, wooden desk, textured cream table lamp, scalloped green and cream rug

(Image credit: Little Greene)

Florals never go out of style. They stay fresh because of how uplifting they are, and how much life and vitality they bring to a scheme. Designer David Kaihoi of the New York-based design studio Redd Kaihoi thinks the fact they’ve been around for a long time in design is the very secret to why they’re so timeless.

‘We like to hang out hats on nods to the past, to use prints like chintz because that lexicon is so strong and a reference point for memory,’ he explains. ‘People are so familiar with it, and so it causes instant nostalgia, giving a home history and context.’

Although it can be fun to dabble in design trends in small doses, when it comes to the big decorating decisions in your home, you want to aim for timeless. Always be thinking will I love this choice in 5 years, 10 years, the rest of the time I am in this space? Of course, homes are always evolving and inevitably you will make tweaks along the way but always having ‘timeless’ at the forefront of your choice will lead to a home that always feels on-trend.

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