5 Home Decor Trends Designers Want to See This Year
A brand-new year just began, so naturally it’s time to reflect on all the ways 2022 made an impact — and all the great stuff to anticipate in 2023.
What does that mean for your home? We tapped pros to delve into design trends they’re hoping to see this year — and how to bring them into your home. Get excited: If the list below is any indication, it’s going to be a good year for interior design, from edgy accents and quirky color combinations to the embracing of all things personal taste.
A True-to-You DNA
It’s time to officially retire phrases like “builder-grade” from your vocabulary, because 2023 will be all about the rise of individuality. Perhaps the easiest “trend” on our list to adapt, you simply need to rely on your design gut when decorating and outfitting your home in the coming year.
“In 2023, I’d like to see more people embrace individuality in their spaces,” says designer Linda Hayslett of LH.Designs. “Looking at a trend or having love for a designer’s style is great to get inspiration from, but finding your own voice for your space while incorporating said ideas is going to truly go far in your home. You won’t get sick of what’s ‘you,’ and you’ll also see your progression in design and taste throughout the years that will invoke emotion and great conversation with friends and family when they come over.”
The Return of the Dining Room
The pandemic changed a lot about how people live and function within their homes and, as anyone who tried to WFH over the past couple of years knows, one of the biggest things to come out of the experience is a recurring yearning for closed floor plans. That cozy ethos will continue into 2023, with one forgotten spot that will newly be top of mind for many designers: the dining room.
“I would love to see dining rooms make a triumphant return in 2023, and I believe they will,” says Delyse Berry, the designer and real estate agent behind Upstate Down. “I love when different rooms create different experiences, and where you eat with those that you love — while shutting off everything else — is a very special space in my book! Dining rooms are a great place to also have fun with your design choices and create a unique mood that stands out from the rest of the house.”
Timeless Wall Details
Details like shiplap may be on their way out, but that doesn’t mean a return to basics like flat drywall in 2023. Rather, pros predict we’ll see an even larger resurgence in elegant, timeless woodworking and decorative finishes like picture frame molding, wainscotting, and more.
“I love a painted wainscot, and I think we’ll start to see more of these types of timeless finishes in the coming year,” says architect and designer Anand Sheth of Studio Anand Sheth. “I recently used this application in my own San Francisco flat, using a gorgeous Farrow and Ball hue to add a new layer to the living/dining room that I’ve been refreshing for the last 11 years. It was a strategic way to add color where it matters without relying on something like an accent wall, which screams noncommittal. Meet your walls halfway!”
Pattern, Pattern Everywhere
Calling all Grandmillennial fans: Don’t put away that chintz just yet!
Patterns will be bigger and bolder than ever in 2023, as more and more homeowners (across all design preferences) decide to go for it and invoke a playful, irreverent attitude in their homes.
“Patterns are back in 2023, period,” says designer Shari Francis of Dadapt. “They’re a great way to really bring dimension into a space and can be so diverse. Start simple with something like a throw pillow or window treatment, then dial it up from there.”
Stumped for how to mix more than one pattern into your space? Look to complementary palettes within the prints to unite them visually while varying the “weight” (aka visual size) of the pattern itself. Easy as that!
Embrace “Bad Taste”
If you’ve decided 2023 is the year you make some leaps in life, you’re not alone — and your home could benefit, too.
“This one is complicated, but I’d like to see a little bit of ‘bad taste’ emerge in 2023,” says designer Victoria Sass of Project Refuge. “I think Diana Vreeland said it best, ‘We all need a splash of bad taste — it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical. … No taste is what I’m against.’ Be just a little bad and see what kind of fun it brings into your life! If I’m being specific, I’m very happy seeing sour color combinations come into this world — a little mint and salmon, some banana and brown, cherry red and chartreuse. I could write a whole book about the whys and hows of making bad taste work.”