Where Furniture Trends Are Headed in 2025 (and Why We’re Taking Our Time)

We don’t really like the word trend here at Porridge and Oak. Trends change over time.  When it comes to interior, we prefer a more considered approach. We love seeing our customers make deliberate furniture selections and gradually fill spaces with pieces that add depth and character to the space. 

There’s something truly special about furniture that quietly becomes part of your everyday life, collecting marks, memories, and the soft patina that only time can give, has a very particular quality. Oak and other natural materials age gracefully, growing warmer and richer with time. For this reason, we use classic styles and classic joinery—items that become cherished heirlooms. 

We’ve noticed that our customers increasingly share our passion for investing in quality furniture that lasts. The oak dining table where you sit down with friends and family, or the timber stools you pull up for breakfast, quietly become central to your life story. These beautifully made pieces become the antiques of tomorrow. The ones that will be treasured by future generations, resonating with the sounds of innumerable discussions and treasured moments.

Interior icon Neale Whitaker says it best: buy once and buy well—seek out quality pieces that are locally crafted and sustainably made. (Watch Neale’s full 2025 forecast here)

At the same time, we’re seeing a gentle shift in Australian interiors. White filled rooms are giving way to warmer, deeper palettes. Earthy colours such as deep reds, eucalyptus and warm sandstone are now layered effortlessly with softer, more grounded neutrals. Natural materials and textures—rich Australian timbers, hand-thrown ceramics and beautiful fabrics—are stepping to the forefront, creating interesting, connected spaces.

We’re also noticing the quiet appeal of multi-functional furniture—pieces that grow with you and adapt as life changes. Our consumers increasingly value beautiful design that’s also practical and flexible. Take our Paradise Footstool, for example. It easily transforms from a footrest to a coffee table, additional seating, or even a focal point in an entryway. Upholstered in richly patterned European fabric and finished with playful hand-turned legs, it can be styled as a bold accent or treasured as a one-of-a-kind collector’s piece. This type of furniture proves that form and function can coexist together since it grows with your life rather than simply fitting into it.

We’re also seeing a quiet return to rich-toned timbers, custom furniture, and beautifully aged antiques. According to House Beautiful’s 2025 outlook, timbers like walnut, darker-stained oak, and even ebonised finishes are steadily creeping back in—bringing depth and contrast to otherwise light, earthy spaces (Source: House Beautiful, Furniture Trends 2025). More and more of our clients are choosing to mix the old with the new—pairing contemporary pieces with vintage finds, or commissioning one-of-a-kind furniture that holds personal meaning. It’s a welcome move away from predictable, matching décor and toward homes that feel curated over time. 

Don’t underestimate the power of good furniture. And don’t be afraid to mix old with new—often it’s that quiet contrast that gives a home its depth and character. The solid oak table you buy today isn’t just a place to eat dinner—it’s tomorrow’s heirloom, collecting the subtle marks of everyday life until many years from now it’s an antique with a story. Your story.

Beautifully made local furniture holds more than just form—it holds memory. The knocks, the warmth left behind from shared meals and moments. These pieces don’t just fill a room, they grow with it. They become part of the rhythm of your days, telling the story of your home for years to come.