Furniture and Home Decor Trends | 2023 Edition
It’s human nature to shape our surroundings to reflect our own personal tastes and needs and, as a result, our homes tend to reflect our personality. Interior Design can be a form of self-expression and tell the world a little something about us, whether that's through a colour palette or the furniture we choose, our homes can really be as individual as we are. That said, there are certain design trends that are nice to take inspiration from, and as we get further into the New Year (how is it February already!?) I wanted to share with you some of the top furniture and home decor trends to watch out for in 2023.
I really love looking at design trends every year. It's a great way to get fresh ideas for new projects and push yourself creatively. I want to share these trends with you as a source of inspiration really but I still remain a big believer in decorating your home and purchasing furniture in a style that makes you feel great so there are of course no written rules!
Hopefully, these suggestions will give you some ideas and if not let’s just create our own trends, anything goes as long as you love it!
The home decor and furniture design trends for 2023 are really varied so let's take a look at some of my favourites.
Sustainability
Over the past few years as sustainability becomes more of a hot topic, people are becoming increasingly aware of their impact on the planet as consumers. Interior brands are tuning into this and realising the importance of developing long-lasting and sustainable products and designs, ultimately the better quality something is, the longer it will last and the less waste it produces.
Modern Maximalism
So I’m not talking about the maximalist scenes of my gran’s china cabinet and her collection of souvenir dolls, Modern maximalism is more a curated mix of textures, colours, and items, I guess, design chaos but with more of a purpose. Unexpected items that look beautiful together and mean something to you. Think of an antique chest of drawers mixed with statement wallpaper and a piece of modern art hanging above. You can use a variety of objects to create a layered and personal feel, grouping items by the material they are made from, colour or style. Experimentation is key and I guess the best way of putting it is a random collection of things you really love yet displayed with intention.
“Maximalism is about surrounding yourself with the things that you love,” says interior designer Beth Diana Smith. “It can be art, decor, furniture, anything at all, but it all boils down to layering those things beautifully together in a strategic way.”
Colour
Colour trends are so hard to predict, for me personally I believe that colour has no limits, if you decide you want to paint your home neon pink, then absolutely, if that makes you happy, go for it! And I think that this kind of attitude to colour palettes will be carried through into 2023, do what you want!
But if Pantone's Colour of the Year is anything to go by, then Viva Magenta might be a nod towards powerful and empowering shades, even rich jewel tones such as Emerald Green. Emerald earned the top colour spot of the 1stDibs’ designer survey for the third year in a row so dramatic shades are still sticking around.
That said I feel like this year we’ll see these colours become moodier and more sophisticated. So with jewel shades, think burgundy instead of ruby red, olive green instead of emerald and aubergine instead of amethyst.
And of course, neutrals are always a popular choice but as people become more adventurous with colour as a way to express themselves, these will head away from minimalist greys and white moving towards earthier tones such as nude, brown and terracotta.
Nature Inspired
With the growing popularity of sustainable style and natural materials, paired with increased concern about the future of our beautiful planet, consumers are looking to fill their homes with things that remind them of the natural world, and there is actually an official term for this move towards all things natural.
Have you heard of biophilic design? It has been around for a little while already but it is certainly not going away anytime soon. This term describes the concept of increasing our connectivity to the outside world through interior design as a means of improving our mental well-being. That was a mouthful but I can definitely get behind the idea that going for a walk outdoors, breathing in the air, feeling the grass on your toes or just listening to the trees rustle can improve our state of mind, so what if we can create similar environments in our homes and how much better would it make us feel? By creating spaces that are connected to the natural world through light, texture, colour even just a pot plant, biophilic design seeks to satisfy our innate need to affiliate with nature.
This is represented in home decor with earthy tones, even green colour palettes, organic shapes, natural textures such as wood and of course an abundance of plants!
Curves
Coming from a lady with her very own curves, I am happy that free-form, curvy shapes are here to stay. Partly increasing in popularity due to the Biophilic trend just mentioned, but I also think they have a cool retro appeal which is an era of design people always seem to love.
Arcs and rounded shapes have been making their impact on interiors for a little while now but curves are not new, think back to the Art Deco Era or the 1970s when designers embraced a softer more feminine design aesthetic than the hard lines of the fifties and sixties; In 2023 the curves are continuing, into soft furnishings, shaped cabinetry and even statement light fixtures. The popularity still reigns, with curvy features having the power to soften the overall look of your room whilst also adding a bold design statement.
"Mixing clean-lined pieces with curved silhouettes creates tension and drama," explains Jess Weeth of Weeth Home
I have personally worked on a couple of curvy pieces recently with their origins in Mid-Century Design, such as a Memphis Retro Sideboard and Abstract Mid-Century Drawers - I hope you like them!
Vintage
Whilst consumers begin to get on board with the idea of sustainability, people are looking back to vintage pieces and secondhand finds instead of buying brand new furniture as this is a great way of reducing the amount of waste we produce. In years gone by, there has been a fast fashion element to interior design however with the cost of living rising, people are more mindful of investing in quality craftsmanship and unique design that will last and the popularity of professional upcycling is increasingly being a more eco-conscious way of buying things for our homes.
And there's also the cool factor. In this new social media age, mass-produced looks can appear unoriginal and repetitive so there is definitely a movement towards more unique, one-off pieces. Vintage furniture and homeware is the perfect solution to all of these issues, so no wonder Furniture Refinishing is reaching the dizzy heights of the interior design world in 2023 and I say long may it continue!
You can shop my vintage collection here.
I could genuinely go on forever, and no doubt interior design trends will continually change and adapt to our changing lifestyle habits. But, I would love to know if anything has inspired you here? It would be great to hear about any of your design projects, please do let me know what you get up to in the comments!
