Photography as noted

As the calendar flips to a new year, take this opportunity to switch up your home design as well.

If you’re looking to refresh and add spark to your treasured abode, try some of these novel concepts courtesy of celebrated Boca Raton-based interior designer Laetitia Laurent.

Blur the boundaries

The craze for open-concept living may be on its way out, but homeowners are finding inspiration in an even breezier space: the outdoors. “There’s a big trend toward bringing the outdoors in and taking the indoors out,” says Laurent. She recommends updating your outdoor hosting spaces with softer performance fabrics such as weather-resistant polyester cushions; these options convey indoor style while also being resilient enough for backyard entertaining.

Although you could undergo renovations to open up your doors and windows, removing the visual obstructions between an interior room and the backyard, Laurent instead recommends a simpler trick: motif flooring. Laying the same flooring material or rug in both spaces “continues the eye from the inside toward the backyard,” she says. Then color-match your accent decor to further indicate that these spaces are not distinct but flow together.

Do something surprising

Even a single unique or thought-provoking feature can revive a dull room and instill it with personality. For example, in her own Paris apartment, Laurent centered the living room with a kidney-bean-shaped coffee table from the NV Gallery x jaimetoutcheztoi capsule collection and lined the room’s built-in shelving with an eye-catching blue lacquer lining. And while tulip dining tables will be particularly popular in 2025, her choice to place a glossy, white model amid neutral brown surroundings creates a fascinating visual contrast, inviting you to settle in for a meal.

Such products could inspire some more adventurous shopping decisions at your local vintage store or furniture outlet. In an age of mass-produced goods, artful features like these can make just about any room feel uniquely curated and refreshed.

Rethink (and revive) antiques

If you find contemporary elements cold or unwelcoming, Laurent invites you to embrace classic designs from the past. “Good design stands the test of time,” she states. “Trends come and go, so I always ask myself, ‘Will this be relevant twenty years from now?’”

However, there’s a difference between traditional and dated design. To make classic elements feel fresh, clean and restore your long-toothed antiques, then take a current approach with them. For example, orient your seating symmetrically around a central coffee table, use accent decor sparingly, and tighten your color scheme so it’s neutral-forward with one to two compatible accent colors.

Revisit minimalism

The minimalist lifestyle was often scoffed at for its cold, almost corporate appearance, and the subsequent trend of maximalism was an intentional about-face toward more detail and intentional clutter. However, Laurent is eyeing an updated version of minimalism with a personality transplant, which she describes as “spaces that are clean but in a warm color palette.” She elaborates: “Cold colors, stark neutrals, and aluminum-metallic finishes are on their way out in favor of warm-toned, off-white fabrics, for example.” To embrace this look, warm up your color scheme with neutral hues like terra-cotta and inviting materials like authentic wood. Then pare down your decor to a few treasured pieces so they don’t get lost in surrounding visual clutter but instead sing on their own to make an impact.

As you proceed into the new year, think about which style elements cater directly to your personality and lifestyle, even if that simply means editing your current decor or bringing antique items out of storage. Dramatic changes like these can craft a fresh new space to inspire you in the months ahead.