A new year means new design trends. We spoke with eleven design professionals to get the scoop on what they expect to see in homes in 2023.
Gideon Mendelson, Founder and Creative Director of Mendelson Group
Gideon Mendelson, Founder and Creative Director of Nostalgic Design
Design with nostalgia in mind will continue. I don’t mean midcentury or retro. I think this idea of Granny-chic is evolving to a less kitschy/more sophisticated style which I really appreciate.
The Rise of Attention to Service-Driven Spaces
Good design should extend to all areas of the home, including mudrooms, laundry rooms, and more. In 2023, I expect to see more attention on these spaces to be well-designed, thoughtful, and beautiful.
Less Neutrals, More Color
I like a neutral, calm, and textural room. However, when an entire home is designed that way, it feels a little soul-less and boring to me. I hope to see designers adding more color and pattern to these sculptural spaces to make them feel more personal, and interesting and provoke more thought.
Wellness
While it’s been trending for a few years now, I am most excited about the focus on wellness in the home. Because of the pandemic and our ability to work more from home, we’re spending more time there, and therefore, our thinking about our time there has changed. Also, with health more in the news and at the top of headlines, we’re paying more attention to it, and our physical and mental wellness is on our minds. I have health issues myself and it’s reminding me that I can do more. I’m just starting to design the lower level of my home in Sagaponack. Wellness is going to be a big part of it.
Julien Legeard, Founder of Legeard Studio
Julien Legeard, Founder of
Personalization via Upcycling
In 2023, we’ll see fewer brand-new, staged interiors and more personalization via upcycling. Many clients ask us to include furniture and artwork from their previous apartments, requesting we integrate their vintage heirloom pieces into their newly designed homes.
Curved Countertops and Breakfast Areas
We’re exploring a new concept for 2023: a curved countertop with a curved breakfast area. Due to their size, many of our projects, NYC lofts and Miami residences, lend themselves to an open kitchen and living room floor plan. Over the years, the kitchen has had large, six-inch thick, marble countertops that are quite brutalist. There’s no softness. To steer away from the traditional straight lines, we’re using stone, tile, or marble countertops with a curve, and including a breakfast area a step down with a counter-curve. This design offers flexibility and the chance to have an integrated kitchen with sit-down, family moments.
Krisha Salud, Director of Interiors at StudioLAB
Krisha Salud, Director of Interiors at
Transitional Design
Seamlessly transitioning outdoor elements indoors through the color palette, textures, materials, and the huge plant craze.
Warm Woods
The use of warmer wood tones and an earthy color palette in furniture and fabric will continue to rise.
Sculptural Lines and Silhouettes
Sculptural lines and silhouettes in furniture will continue to trend as we move further away from boxy minimal design.
Mary Maydan, Founder and Principal of Maydan Architects
Mary Maydan, Founder and Principal of Emphasis on Wellness and the Outdoors
Wellness has become a buzzword, and it’s a driving factor of design for 2023. COVID-19 changed the way we think about our homes and underlined the need to create spaces that help promote self-care and wellness. Wellness design is an approach that sets the tone for slowing down and living a healthier and more peaceful life. It can be achieved by creating spaces that are more zen, by adding spas to the home, and by bringing nature and the outdoors inside.
Black and White is “In”
Black is the “it” color for 2023. Personally, we love to mix black and white. Black and white designs are dramatic and fun. We love this classy look and expect it to be very dominant in 2023.
Curves and Organic Shapes
Rounded shapes have been popular for a while now and continue to be a huge trend. Curves and organic shapes are here to stay in 2023.
The Kitchen is Key
Kitchens continue to be front and center in home designs. We are seeing a trend towards lots of counter space, sometimes even two islands in a kitchen. I expect kitchens to continue to grow in size and importance with sophisticated appliances, USB and charger plugs, and designs that provide space to hang out, not just cook and eat.
Anna Baraness and Kristin Tarsi, Co-Founders and Partners, Studio AK
Anna Baraness and Kristin Tarsi, Co-Founders and Partners, Fewer Defined Minimalists + Maximalists
We have seen clients drawn to fewer straight minimalist and maximalist design but rather something in between. We expect it will continue in that direction, as a younger generation of clients prefer casual over formal, with interiors that feel layered and reflect their personality and interests.
Natural Materials
We are all drawn toward natural materials, particularly oiled or stained woods with grain and stones with movement. Indoor/outdoor fabrics are also in high demand. Development in this realm has moved leaps and bounds in terms of comfort and color and texture offerings.
Ottomans
This has increasingly become the most in-demand piece of furniture. Whether paired with a comfortable chair or a sofa, our clients want to put their feet up and relax.
Mixed Materials
We anticipate seeing more layered textures and mixed materials within the same piece of furniture. For instance, a sofa with a faux leather wrapped frame and chenille upholstery or an upholstered ottoman with a wood table top.
Geddes Ulinskas, Principal and Founder of Geddes Ulinskas Architects
Geddes Ulinskas, Principal and Founder of Iron Work
Hand-crafted wrought iron work has come back very strongly in custom residential design. The industry has seen a renewed interest in artisanship and an increased demand for craftsmen as numerous custom shops continue to pop up to deliver beautiful ironwork. This trend is one we are happy to see carry into 2023.
Minimal Design Profiles
In architectural design, window and door systems continue to develop slimmer profiles. New aluminum window and door systems have come on the market that mimics the bespoke, minimal look of steel and we can expect to see more demand for these styles in the new year.
Honey Onyx
Suffering from over-use in 80’s style, Honey Oynx fell out of favor with designers. We see the stone coming back strongly with striking, graphic veining. It will continue to be seen as a classic material for design.
Outdoor Televisions
The outdoor TV is a trend that will only become stronger as homeowners strive to integrate their outdoor spaces with the way they live. As technology advances, outdoor models will become more popular and families will be enjoying their movie nights and sports events in the open spaces of their homes under the stars.
Eilyn Jimenez, Founder and Creative Director at Sire Design
Eilyn Jimenez, Founder and Creative Director at Bold + Dramatic Stone
Lately, our team at Sire Design is drawn to bold stones. Used in kitchens, bathrooms, and more and more in living spaces, we opt for the rich colors and textures to layer drama into the home. We fell so in love a stunning Rosa Lepanto marble that we selected for a custom fireplace, ultimately, we installed it in the bathroom at our office. With so many great options on the market, this is a trend we are excited to carry into the new year.
Bob Bakes and Paul Kropp, Co-Founders, Bakes & Kropp
Bob Bakes and Paul Kropp, Co-Founders, Soft Modern Design
As a studio, we have seen a continually growing demand for modern kitchen design. There is, however, a gap in the market for a tempered design that offsets the cold, impersonal feeling that deters homeowners from taking the plunge. In response, we’ve refined what we are dubbing Soft Modern kitchen design – an approach that layers warm elements to soften that feeling. This has evolved directly from client needs and continues to grow in popularity as certain homeowners look for sharper designs. In our Soft Modern kitchens, contrast is key. We might choose to use a very high-gloss finish for the cabinetry and offset it with a matte wood finish for open shelving or accent panels.
Susan Hayward, Founder of Susan Hayward Interiors
Susan Hayward, Founder of Going Gold
Gold is back forever. We will, hopefully, never see brushed nickel again. This parallels the overarching trend of warm tones over cool tones.
Going Green
We are also going to see more products with a focus on environmental impact. More brands are creating products that are eco-friendly, providing more options to include them in your home. We are always conscious of the environmental effect of the products and materials that we use, and thankfully are starting to see other companies and designers begin to do the same.
Prioritizing Quality
Similarly, people are going to begin investing more in quality products that will stand the test of time. Rather than buying something cheap to get the look in the moment, people will be more selective about what they put in their home in order to have it for years to come.
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