Interior design trends for 2023 are vast and varied. There are some new colors, new textures and new materials, but most importantly, there are new moods. Most of the moods tend to revolve around a spa-like sense of serenity, or a fun and patterned decorative boost of joy.
1. CYLINDRICAL CHANDELIERS The latest lighting forms take inspiration from oblong shapes, casting targeted and tantalising glows. In fact, you could call them tubular belles. Why this shape, and why now? It's because they're playful and polished, flexible, and finessed, a striking statement with a curvaceous silhouette.
2. GOLD-EDGED CERAMICS
Designers and makers are warming minimalist palettes slightly with just a hint of a Midas touch. A functioning lemon squeezer, but make it art? We’ve come a long way from the iconic Philippe Starck Juciy Salif to reach this pretty and perfect hand-painted ceramic offering. Shown above, part of a collection by Feldspar brings just the right amount of bling to the table, while remaining subtly pretty, too.
3. ALUMINUM
This easily recycled metal has been upgraded from drinks cans to some of the most covetable design around, as part of a bigger movement for designers to reappraise more sustainable means. Rough and smooth, shiny and matte, black and white - we want [to use] a lot of materials to avoid too much monotony.
4. DECORATIVE STORAGE BOXES
If there's one big mood happening in design for 2023 it's about paring back, seeking to live more minimally, and finding ways out interiors can make us feel calm.
5. CURVACEOUS CABINETRY
More storage, and this time in a much bigger way. And it's going seriously sexy as tidying up never looked so good. The other side of the same coin as those decorative storage boxes, these cabinets are more evidence of the quest to just put everything away and live in an uncluttered space.
6. GOLDEN TONES
Shimmering like sunsets, this pleasantly warm and flaxen hue is elevating interiors with a touch of pure luxe. Bethan Gray has used it on furniture, Arflex have it on chairs and it makes a shimmering splash on this wallpaper from Kirkby, who has teamed with global fashion house Eley Kishimito for this collection.
7. CONVIVIAL SEATING
Furniture designers have spotted the opportunity to bring people back together again, and this new era in furniture design sees a selection of seating options which are all about encouraging the art of in-person conversation.
8. MINIMALUXE
A pared back palette that allows the showcasing of your favorite things, minimaluxe is set to take over the design world. It's characterised by soft textures, shapes and colors, and a sense of airiness and light.
9. PURE WHITE LAMPS
This new lighting trend is all about stripping out colour completely, emphasising shape instead. 'We love monochrome spaces,' says Chelsea Reale of design studio Sissy + Marley. 'Especially in smaller settings as it gives your eyes the chance to flow through the space without interruption.'
10. HERITAGE TILES
Reclaimed or vintage-inspired, the archive patterned aesthetic is more popular than ever.
11. WALL LIGHTS TAKING CENTER STAGE
Superstar designer Tom Dixon recently told Livingetc about the importance of ‘light washing’, using bulbs cleverly to cover your walls in light rather than just beaming down on them from on high. 'Careful positioning of wall lighting is very important to create the right atmosphere,' says Katie McCrum, the interior designer behind London-based McCrum Studio.
12. CONTEMPORARY CURTAIN TRIMS
It’s happening - we’re adopting curtain trims at Livingetc. Previously having been discounted as too trad, the brilliant Samuel and Sons has changed all that with its super-contemporary approach to tassels, adornments and finishing touches.
13. HIDEAWAY HOME OFFICES
Hide the work day away with as smart WFH stations are now being disguised. To the unassuming eye they'll look like a drinks cabinet, or a writing bureau, or perhaps an armoire. But what they hide is all your work stresses and strains and papers and bits.
14. BOLD BORDERS
There is clearly a decorative vibe in the air, as while trims are big news in curtains (see above), borders are back, adding accents to living room color trends.
15. ALFRESCO SHOWERING ALL YEAR ROUND
Ever since Gwyneth Paltrow debuted her home spa to the world earlier this year designers have been thinking of new ways to fold this feeling into decor. The materials, the textures, the steam rooms...and now, the return of the outdoor shower, for an invigorating blast first thing.
16. LUXE OUTDOOR LIGHTING
As we all want to spend more and more time in our backyard, it's no wonder the trend for luxe lighting has come outside with us. “Outdoor lighting prevents our outside spaces seeming like dark black holes when viewed from inside the house,” says garden designer Kate Gould.
17. WICKERWORK
Wickerwork is particularly useful when it comes to outdoor furniture. It has the home spun porch decor vibe we're all craving now, yet in a more elevated way. The Bohemian 72 Collection, was first designed - as the name infers - in 1972 by renowned Italian designer Gabriella Crespi.
18. IRREGULAR RUGS
Irregular rugs are striking designs that undoubtedly have all been created to own the floor. Not only do these living room rugs have an eye-catching print, they’re also all shaping a new outline in design, quite literally, as they all sport an unconventional shape.
19. PLUMPED-UP SEATING
Designers are demonstrating how a more relaxed style of seating designs can combine comfort factor and everyday practicality, but with high-level refinement and ultimate style-desirability. It’s the Italian makers who are leading the way with this look.
20. OCEAN HUES
Echoing the reassuring color of the sea, aqua is set to be one of the hottest shades of the season. 'One of my favorite colors is blue in all his shades,' says Dirk Jan Kinet, a Flemish interior designer living in Mexico.
21. NIGHT SKY MINERALS
There’s a magical new material trend on the horizon and it’s awash with galaxy inspired finishes. Dark blue, veined with white and pale blue streaks is popping up everywhere, from this vanity unit, above, to luxury table tops.
22. CONTEMPORARY TROMPE L'OEIL
Meaning literally ‘deceive the eye’, trompe l’oeil is an artistic device or conceit that has been in the artistic landscape for centuries - part demonstration of an artist’s skill, part delight for the viewer.
23. ARCHES
When we designed the Arch tile collection for Bert and May, we sensed that arches were just around the corner, so to speak. And it seems we were right. Arched doors have become big news in architecture trends for extensions and renovations, and the gentle curves are softening the hardened edges that have proliferated for so long.
24. COLORED CONCRETE
Bathroom trends at the moment are very much about injecting personality while keeping to a monastic sense of spa-like serenity, which is where concrete comes in. The vivid hues it now comes in, coupled with the texture and depth it provides, makes it the perfect material for this space. ‘Adding color to enhance concrete’s appearance is gathering momentum as the next logical progression for the material,’ confirms Gus Colley, owner and MD of artisan concrete company Concreations.
25. CORK FLOORING
Forget those 1970s connotations of orange cork tiles, cork flooring is back, and better than ever. Because of its eco credentials and the ease of sourcing it sustainably, it's actually one of the key flooring trends for 2022, available in a variety of hues. 'Cork always adds a note of warmth to a scheme,' says the interior designer Staffan Tollgard.
26. PORTABLE TABLE LAMPS
Let’s be honest, there never was much of an allure attached to the shelf tagged ‘USB lamp’ at the gadget store. Luckily tastes and technology has moved on from the sometimes gimmicky, most often uninspiring rechargeable lighting solutions into an exciting realm of stylish must-have new portable lamp designs by our favourite brands on the market, reinvigorating lighting trends for 2022.
27. RED EARTH CERAMICS
With its inherent warmth, red clay makes for a surprising twist on the more commonly seen white ceramics. Often red or ‘brown’ ceramics are associated with more coarse pottery, but there’s a finesse to this new wave of earthy vases and pieces, and an altogether contemporary stylistic edge, which make them avant-garde. Look out for subtle curving forms, an unglazed finish, and an appealing handcrafted raw honesty, ideal to slot into your living room ideas.
28. WAVY WOOD
Kinked and curved, look out for the modern interpretation of the humblest of materials as a niche but appealing interior design trend for 2022. It’s a new wave. It’s time to banish straight-edged wooden furniture options in favour of the more fluid curvalicious form.
29. GLAZED EXTERIOR TILES
Injecting a bright burst of colour that contrasts with traditional brickwork, glazed external tiles provide an eye-catching cladding solution for modern home extension ideas. This stylish finish comes with many practical benefits, too; it’s durable, requires little upkeep and offers an impressive service life of 150 plus years.
30. COCOONING FURNITURE
Where home decor trends are concerned, cool cocooning has been gaining pace for a while growing rapidly for 2022. Squishy sofa trends, curvy shapes and snuggly fabrics are hot right now.
31. MEDITERRANEAN GOOD VIBES
Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has been setting the style agenda for years. Cherry prints, gothic lace, and now blue and white good time vibes.