Soft Geometry: The Return of Rounded Forms at 2025 Design Fairs

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After years of angular minimalism and sharp-edged modernism, the curve is making a decisive return. From bulbous sofas to pill-shaped mirrors and architectural arches, designers are leaning into softness—not as nostalgia, but as an emotional and material counterpoint to a world that feels increasingly harsh.

Whether it’s a rounded countertop edge or a fully upholstered kidney sofa, these forms are diverse—and versatile. This isn’t “blobject” kitsch redux—it’s quiet, sculptural, and grounded in material sophistication.

“Curved furniture is a great way to break [up a space] and add visual interest,” said interior designer Rachel Reider in a 2025 trend interview with House Beautiful. “We’ve been seeing curves come back in a big way over the last year or two, both in furniture and architecture.”

Aline Asmar d’Amman, whose soft-edged installation “The Power of Tenderness” captivated visitors at Milan Design Week 2025, put it succinctly in an interview with Women’s Wear Daily: “Tenderness isn’t a sign of weakness, you know. It’s a sign of strength.”

The Return of Rounded Forms: Why Now?

This revival of softness might seem solely aesthetic, but it’s also philosophical. As the design world shifts its focus from stark minimalism to organic modernism, this new wave of soft geometry signals a deeper desire for comfort, warmth, and connection in our built environments.

Throughout this piece, we’ll explore where these curves are showing up, what’s driving the trend, and what it means for the future of design.

Where are the curves coming from?

While soft forms feel current, their lineage stretches across eras and continents. From the opulent curves of Art Deco to the sculptural furniture of the 1970s—think Vladimir Kagan’s serpentine sofas or Joe Colombo’s space-age seating—curves have long expressed sensuality and fed our fascination with futurism.

“It’s not about retro or revival,” said architect Mark Lee at the Knoll presentation in Milan while chatting with the Women’s Wear Daily team. “These curves are anthropomorphic. They speak to comfort, to friendliness—not excess.”

Lee and Sharon Johnston’s Biboni sofa—described as “a portmanteau of Bibendum and macaroni”—captured this idea with plush scallops and folds wrapped in bouclé.

Across continents, designers are exploring the emotional resonance of softness: how a curve can comfort, cradle, or connect.

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Where we’ve seen the trend…

The curved silhouette is no longer solely centered on sofas. This year’s High Point Market and Milan Design Week confirmed what many designers have already embraced: soft geometry is permeating every category of home furnishings—from architectural elements to case goods to lighting.

“Curved everything—sofas, chairs, even beds are bending the rules (literally),” said senior Laura U Design Collective interior designer Olevia Nguyen after April’s High Point show.

Kelly Wearstler’s Zuma dining chair and Lorenza Bozzoli’s Thumb armchair for Fratelli Boffi demonstrate how soft geometry meets statement form. At Moroso, Patricia Urquiola’s Gogan sofa takes inspiration from river stones: asymmetrical, weighty yet soft, balanced on subtly inclined volumes.

Notably, curves have expanded beyond their previously entirely symmetrical forms. Asymmetric curves—seen in Monica Armani’s Chapeau table for Lago or Expormim’s Mediterranean-inspired Meridies outdoor collection—signal a new era of naturalism and unpredictability. These pieces ripple, dip, and swell in unexpected ways.

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Architectural Digest’s trend report from Milan confirmed the shift: “What we hadn’t noticed so obviously, until now, is a growing love for the irregular, asymmetrical curve.” At the Bocci apartment, organic lighting forms shimmered like melting glass, underscoring the trend’s evolution from mere aesthetics to emotional storytelling.

“I saw this across all materialities—glass, wood, metal—whether from young brands using 3D printing or a 730-year-old Murano glass company,” said designer Maria Lomanto to House Beautiful. “Nature is not only back—it’s alive, and it’s melting, dripping, waving in a breeze.”

Even accessories like door handles (Gulla Jónsdóttir’s Ring for Lualdi) and side tables (Christopher Stuart’s Alt Table) are embracing sculptural curvature. Whether quiet or confrontational, the curve now invites interaction and emotion at every scale of the home.

Yes, but why now?

After years of stark minimalism and digital fatigue, it was during the pandemic that both designers and consumers began gravitating toward forms that soothe, ground, and reconnect us to something more elemental. But the trend has only recently accelerated.

This emotional turn is echoed in materiality. From stone to velvet, curved furniture often pairs with tactile surfaces that invite comfort and slowness. Designers are channeling nature not just as inspiration but as an ethos—flowing forms that mimic water, wind, or the human body.

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In WWD’s Milan Design Week recap, Knoll’s Biboni sofa was described as “a warm embrace,” while Patricia Urquiola’s Pacific sofa “creates a sense of calm and containment.” These pieces are designed not only for the eye but for the body and mind.

There’s also a subtle countercurrent to fast-paced consumerism. Curves take time. Whether in handcrafted ceramics like Bari Ziperstein’s Tube Chair or Giopato & Coombes’ ethereal lighting, these shapes signal care, detail, and permanence.

Final Thoughts on the Return of Rounded Forms to 2025 Interiors

Our industry is still recovering from, adjusting to, and actively working within global instability—be it economic, ecological, or emotional. It’s no surprise that interior design is bending toward softness and away from rigidity.

Designers are embracing this movement not just for aesthetics, but for what it offers the people who live with it. As Rachel Reider put it in an interview with House Beautiful, curved pieces “break up a space and add visual interest”—but they also do something much more significant. They shift how we move, how we relax, and how we relate to our environment.

As Milan Design Week and High Point Market both revealed, the future of design may be fluid, but it’s far from uncertain. We still need designers—those trained to blend function with feeling, atmosphere, with empathy. Our world often feels sharp, biting, and brittle, but it is the designer who helps us find the human element of home.

Written by the DesignDash Editorial Team
Our contributors include experienced designers, firm owners, design writers, and other industry professionals. If you’re interested in submitting your work or collaborating, please reach out to our Editor-in-Chief at editor@designdash.com.