Design News - October 2025
Written by Milan Jara on 6th Nov 2025
Welcome back to DecorativeCeilingTiles.net for another monthly round-up of what’s been happening in the world of interior design. From design trends and exhibitions to building materials, this blog post covers everything that we’ve found interesting in this space during the month of October, 2025.
- Celebrating 100 years of Art Deco!
- Warm winter colors are begging to trend
- Trending & emerging materials
Celebrating 100 years of Art Deco!
100 years ago, the peak of Art Deco was celebrated by the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, and now it’s being celebrated again!
An exhibition is being held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris to commemorate this iconic décor style. If you’re planning on attending, there’s still plenty of time as the exhibition began in October and will remain open until April 26, 2026. *1
To book tickets or learn more about this exhibition, head here:
https://madparis.fr/1925-2025-One-Hundred-Years-of-Art-Deco
Warm winter colors are begging to trend
As the air begins to cool down and we can feel that winter is almost upon us, interior color trends are starting to match this cozy feeling and desire for some extra indoor comfort. *2
Interior color trends have been dominated by grays for a long time now. *3 Then, earlier this year, we saw a shift to much brighter interiors with the buzz around creating a “dopemaine decor”. *4
Now, the focus is shifting towards warmth and comfort that’s achieved with earthy, organic and grounded colors and tones: terracotta, oxblood, forest green, camel browns, and sandy neutrals. *5
As these warmer colors are trending in the cooler months, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re here to stay, but more of a seasonal expression.
What this means for interior designers:
Rather than repainting or installing new decorative wall panels and ceiling tiles, instead consider swapping out some soft furnishings that align with these trending colors. This could be achieved through the use of pillows, blankets, lamp shades and rugs (for example) in tones such as burnt orange, bordeaux red, cognac or forest green that give a strong sense of warmth and comfort.
In the case that you are planning on updating the interior surfaces, then you better act fast and right now is the perfect time to do it. Homeowners will want to have their new on-trend look in place before winter arrives and the holiday season is here.
Trending & emerging materials
In October 2025, we’ve seen advancements in extremely innovative new building materials be highlighted, and data to back that some other commonly used internal materials continue to grow in popularity among consumers. Reports also show that sustainability is no longer just a trend, but a necessity that’s here to stay.
Ec3 (electron‑conducting carbon concrete)
Just a few years ago, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Switzerland came up with the concept of the worlds first “rechargeable cement-based batteries” - it’s a type of concrete that contains electrodes, allowing it to store and release energy. *6, *7
In October 2025, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) unveiled a huge advancement on this. They created a much more advanced version of these concrete batteries/“ec3” (Electron‑Conducting Carbon Concrete) that’s allegedly about 10 times more powerful than earlier versions. *8
This advancement could bring the material from a concept to a practical building material that’s both structural and could help to power buildings. *9
Cork flooring
Cork certainly isn’t a new material, nor is the trend of sustainable building practices, but a report released in October by Accio shows that Cork is continuing to hold onto its popularity and demand as an eco-conscious and budget-friendly internal building material. *10
Rather than people searching for “cork products” or “cork wall tiles”, there’s a huge amount of interest in people looking for “cork flooring”, which suggests that this is its primary use when it comes to interior design. *11
Cork, among other sustainable materials like bamboo, isn’t just holding onto their popularity but growing, as consumers' interest in renewable materials is continually on the rise. As for cork, it isn’t just renewable, but it’s highly affordable, which may be further adding to the consumer interest. *11, *12
Green building materials market to double by 2032
The sustainable building materials market is continuing to grow, and drastically. *12
According to a report by Credence Research, the value of the global green building materials market is set to grow from $285.88 billion in 2024 to a whopping $517.5 billion by 2032. *13
This isn’t just due to continued consumer interest in creating a greener, more sustainable world, but it’s heavily impacted by stricter laws and an increase in global energy prices. *13
What this means for interior designers:
Interest in sustainable building practices and materials isn’t just trending, but they’re now the new standard and are only set to grow in popularity.
Although some of these materials, like “concrete batteries,” aren’t meant to be incorporated into interior design plans, residential and commercial building owners are no longer just interested in sustainability, but due to rising material costs, energy prices, and stricter regulations, sustainability is becoming a necessity.
To go over and beyond for your clients while staying on-trend, don’t just incorporate sustainability into your interior design, but put it at the forefront of your planning.
*References:
- *1 - The Musée des Arts Décoratifs “1925-2025. One Hundred Years of Art Deco
https://madparis.fr/1925-2025-One-Hundred-Years-of-Art-Deco - *2 - Ekohunters “Decor Trends for This Fall-Winter 2024/2025”
https://www.ekohunters.com/decor-trends-fall-winter-2024-2025/ - *3 - Homes & Gardens “Are gray interiors really out of style? Interior designers weigh in on how to use this cool shade”
https://www.homesandgardens.com/interior-design/are-gray-interiors-out-of-style - *4 - Decorative Ceiling Tiles “Design News - June 2025: 1. Dopamine decor takes off”
https://www.decorativeceilingtiles.net/blog/design-news-june-2025/#1 - *5 - BSF Solid Surfaces “Autumn and Winter 2025 /2026 Interior Design Trends”
https://www.bsfsolidsurfaces.com/autumn-winter-design-trends/ - *6 - Chalmers University of Technology “Rechargeable concrete battery”
https://research.chalmers.se/publication/523302/file/523302_Fulltext.pdf - *7 - Techxplore “World first concept for rechargeable cement-based batteries”
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-05-world-concept-rechargeable-cement-based-batteries.html - *8 - Live Science “Self-healing 'concrete batteries' now 10 times better — they could one day power cities, scientists say”
https://www.livescience.com/technology/electronics/self-healing-concrete-batteries-now-10-times-better-they-could-one-day-power-cities-scientists-say - *9 - Massachusetts Institute of Technology “Concrete “battery” developed at MIT now packs 10 times the power”
https://news.mit.edu/2025/concrete-battery-now-packs-ten-times-power-1001 - *10 - Accio “trend of cork”
https://www.accio.com/t-v2/business/trend-of-cork - *11 - Allied Market Research “Sustainable Home Décor Market Research, 2031”
https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/sustainable-home-d%C3%A9cor-market-A16902 - *12 - Fidelity “Green Building Materials Market to Reach USD 517.5 Billion by 2032, Growing At An 7.7% CAGR - Credence Research”
https://www.fidelity.com/news/article/technology/202510301525PR_NEWS_USPR_____IO11783 - *13 - Credence Research “Green Building Materials Market By Product (Structural, Exterior, Interior, Others); By Application (Framing, Insulation, Roofing, Exterior Siding, Interior Finishing, Others); By Geography – Growth, Share, Opportunities & Competitive Analysis, 2024 – 2032”
https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/green-building-materials-market
