As I sit, writing the introduction to this month's Zeitgeist Edit, my partner is in the midst of decorating our tree. Usually, I feel, a few days into December would feel early, but this year, I can tell from the telltale glow emanating from every front window, we're one of the last on the street. I get the sense people are excited this year, and in need of a bit of magic.
Sometimes, in the design world, I feel like December can actually feel a bit slow... Business winds down, people are rushing to finish up projects rather than starting new and exciting ones, and beyond the festivities of the season, we're looking forward to the year ahead. However, again, this year, I feel there's magic in the air, and I'm with no shortage of things to include in the Zeitgeist Edit this month.
This edition features everything from new trends in decorating, the fashion brand that stole Christmas this year, to how I'm getting annoyed by all my Christmas orders arriving in parcels stuffed with polystyrene packaging.
↑ Going Up — Pattern Splicing
I love it when someone puts a name to an idea I've been noticing, especially when it's perfectly pitched. I got an email about the idea of 'pattern splicing' from tile brand Ca' Pietra, and it instantly drew to mind a few walls, floors, even textiles that I'd earmarked with just that effect.
What 'pattern splicing' refers to is the idea of combining patterns and plains in a way that gives you that decorative interest on one hand, but a relief from it on the other. Grazzie Wilson of Ca'Pietra describes it as way to "introduce rhythm, surprise and personality. It is a technique that feels instinctive and expressive," she says, in reference to tiling designs with plain bases combined with pattern feature tiles.
It ties in with other recurring motifs in design right now, too — think the patchwork quilt, for example.
↑ Going Up — Alternative 'Flights'
If you've ever read another edition of the Zeitgeist Edit, you might notice I'm severely biased to a bar that serves a good martini. And while it wasn't the first thing that caught my attention about the new London cocktail bar No Regrets (because, no, that was the fact that it's an elegant, crimson red speakeasy hidden underneath a Burlington Arcade jewelry store), when I learned that they offer 'martini flights', I knew it was my kind of venue.
Think three one-mouthful martinis: one simply with a twist, one dirty, and the last a 'Health Nut' with a pickled walnut garnish. The idea is perfect for people who have a hard time choosing, want to try multiple things on the drinks menu, but also, given that they are drinking martinis, want to be able to still be able to put one foot in front of the other when they're leaving.
↑ Going Up — Ralph Lauren for Christmas
I'll be honest, the idea of the Ralph Lauren Christmas is something that has passed me by entirely in previous years. To me, it's appeared almost out of nowhere, yet somehow has become a monoculture aesthetic for 2025.
I could, perhaps, understand its sudden virality as a TikTok-generated trend, but when the fashion brand launched its own festive pop-up in London's Sloane Square this year, it felt like it was making a play to become the Christmas brand. Mariah Carey, Home Alone, and now Ralph Lauren — I'm convinced that this decorating style will be a recurring character for many Christmases to come.
↑ Going Up — Draping
I've been extolling the virtues of theatrical draping to anyone who will listen of late, while I've also recently started following textile artist and stylist Mia Sylvia Harrod, who specializes in incredible installations of draped fabric art. She's running a workshop in London in December I really want to attend.
However, what's perhaps even more exciting is the idea of capturing the poetry of the drape in solid form, something it feels like is having a moment in the design zeitgeist at the moment. We've seen it in forms such as Lee Broom's Requiem collection, which actually uses hand-draped fabrics cast in plaster.
Yet, for Sam Klemick, an artist and designer who recently signed onto the roster of Kelly Wearstler's Side Hustle programme, the sinuous drapes of her furniture and decor are hand-carved from salvaged wood. It's part functional furniture, part sculpture.
↓ Going Down — Polystyrene Packaging
I've spent a lot of my time as an interiors journalist writing about sustainability and exploring new trends in sustainable materials. However, while innovation continues its march forward, it can sometimes feel that these ideas are always poised to replace some of the most harmful products we've created for our planet, but actual adoption is slow.
In dealing with my Christmas shopping over the last few months, I've found myself drowning in a sea of polystyrene, wondering when I'll see those 'grown biomaterials' we've been promised will replace it in reality.
As these thoughts were occurring, I also came across new candle brand Milkman, which not only has a vibey aesthetic, but its candles arrive in these fun Mycelium packages that, true, add style points and transport them safely, but show there are people out there committed to sustainable packaging in a meaningful way.
↓ Going Down — Christmas Pudding
Mince pies, Christmas cake and pudding: stalwarts of the festive season, yes. But chic? Not so much. For that, I'm turning to the Italians. Give me a panettone for the cool factor.
This traditional sweet bread seems to be having a bit of a design moment this year, too. Not only did Italian design brand Kartell launch a specialty 'Panettone dome' for Christmas this year, crafted, like its furniture, from aesthetic plastic, but food artist and tastemaker Laila Gohar has collaborated with Milan hotel Casa Brera to reinvent the festive dessert into something more of a centerpiece for a design-forward feast.
And that's even before we get to some of the beautiful panettone tins I've spotted in 2025's crop...
↓ Going Down — Affordable Groceries
Last month, I saw images of such a beautiful grocery store that I, of course, immediately assumed it was AI. How could a shop simply selling vegetables be so stylized and minimalist? Yet, it was a real place: swathes of natural stone, pillars clad in on-trend modern retro tiles, and designed with a restrained elegance, New York's Meadow Lane clearly was looking to make a splash with its launch.
And that it did, with queues forming around the block. Yes, it doesn't just sell vegetables — it also vends soups, salads, and other lunchtime treats, as well as pastry and coffee — but with its progress documented on TikTok, Meadow Lane was a viral sensation before it even opened its doors.
However, it hasn't been without its own 'discourse' since opening, with not only people suggesting the concept for this undoubtedly design-forward grocery store is little more than TikTok influencer bait, while others have criticized the concept store's timing, given it's elevated prices for fresh fruit and vegetables, at a time when many Americans are struggling with its cost of food crisis.
People are referring to it as New York's Erewhon, a luxury grocery store in Los Angeles that draws similar ire for its $20 smoothies.
So, that's what has been on my mind so far this month, but if you want to see what else you might have missed out on in November, please do check out our ICYMI feature, which is carefully curated with some of the not-to-be-missed launches of the past month.
