The start of 2023 is a great opportunity to consider what we want to achieve this year. If renovating or redecorating your house is on your to-do list I’m here to provide ideas! My design philosophy is that everyone has a different perspective of what home means. Your home should reflect you and what is important to you: it’s those personal touches that make a home unique.
2023 trends
Global design trends continue to be about the need to balance being brave and expressing our true selves with the desire to retreat, reflect and escape the crazy realities that surround us! Interior trends reflect this with bright colours, unique finishes and bold designs, versus calmer neutral tones that echo nature and help us to relax in our own safe haven.
Bold colours are still big news. Pantone’s colour of the year is Viva Magenta – a gorgeous bright reddy-pink which brings a rich and luxurious look with it. Navy is still strong but royal blue and indigo are also being celebrated, along with teal, aquamarine and emerald matched with oxidised copper. Bright wall murals are a creative, yet cost-effective, way to add interest. I’m also seeing a lot of block painting on feature walls or areas of sculptural interest like sky lights, bulkheads or wall recesses.
You can be adventurous, but try to use colours that complement each other and sit well together. A colourful room can really add the wow factor, but you want it to be for the right reasons!
Explore colours
If you shy away from bright tones, or just prefer to be surrounded by a calmer environment, there is a huge spectrum of neutral colours to explore. The trend is moving away from cooler greys, and towards warmer greys, mushroom and ‘greige’. Muted colours and earth tones provide a calming backdrop to a room whilst still providing colour and interest. If you’re looking for a long-term look, try neutrals on the walls and floors and add more design and colour with accessories, fabrics or art. Then you can update and stay on trend without having to redesign the whole room!
Natural fabrics and materials sit beautifully with a natural colour palette, and provide texture to a room. Ever thought of using concrete on your floors or walls? It offers neutrality with a cool, industrial edge and is growing in popularity with the brutalist trend.
Pick a pattern?
Geometric prints are still on trend, but with a glamorous twist: think Art Deco or retro Hollywood. Use velvets or silks alongside accessories and lighting. Terrazo continues to be a strong trend for flooring, tiles and worktops. Paint textures are being explored, with a mix of gloss and matt paint on wall surfaces, and textured tiles will remain big this year. Lastly, following the brushed brass and gold prominence over recent years, look out for a rising trend in iron and silver accessories.
Think environment
Be mindful of your purchase choices for furniture and accessories as well as fabrics, wallpapers and paints. Avoid single use plastics where you can, upcycle furniture and find those brilliant small businesses who make it their mission to be authentic and environmentally friendly. Finally, have fun with your projects! Go with what you are drawn to, what resonates with you – wherever you live, you need to feel at home.
#shoplocal
For luxurious neutral looks try Penny Hamilton Interiors in Reigate.
Deborah Smith is the founder and design director of menagerieinteriors.co.uk.
Enquiries: deborah@menagerieinteriors.co.uk Instagram: @menagerie_interiors
(Above: Deborah Smith)
