Newstalgia, emotional escape rooms and funghi. What's behind the interiors and homes trends about to break through for 2023? Settle in with a cosy drink and let's dig in.
Newstalgia/ Reinvented Heritage
After spending so much time in our homes for the last couple of years, it’s unsurprising that we want our spaces to be much more reflective of who we are. In times of uncertainty, we find ourselves turning to the past for comfort, which explains the nostalgia/reinvented heritage trend.
In recent years, several fashion houses have relaunched, (Schiaparelli, Jean Patou and Lanvin) often drawing on their archives for inspiration and a competitive edge when it comes to brand identity.
We’re aware that trends are cyclical by nature and are influenced by music, film and television. The origins of this trend can also be traced back to Netflix shows The Crown, The Queen’s Gambit and Bridgerton.
Look out for chintzes, 1930s geometric prints, tweeds, 80s pastels, floral china and the rise of afternoon tea, prairie prints and nostalgic homeware from your childhood.
1970s
Think earthy tones, striking floral and abstract prints, accent chairs, statement coffee tables, low-slung furniture, rounded corners and organic shapes - particularly milk-glass mushroom shaped lamps, but more on that later...
The 70s revival comes hot on the heels of our love for nostalgia, our desire to create unique homes full of stories and memories and conscious decisions to reuse, recycle and relove.
Look out for mid-century Scandinavian furniture, corduroy sofas and soft furnishings, enclosed ‘egg’ chairs, West German ‘fat lava’ glazed ceramics, flower power fabrics and bed linen, vintage Denby, Hornsea, Portmeirion and Kilncraft tableware and earthy studio pottery. If you’re after statement wallpaper with a 70s floral feel, consider Borastapeter’s papers.
Funghi
Although our funghi friends have been lurking in the shadows for the last two years, waiting for their magic moment, you'll start to see them popping up everywhere, courtesy of Stella McCartney’s SS collection, featuring a mushroom leather bag and motifs featuring fly agaric, the quintessential fairytale toadstool.
A staple of the cottagecore and 1970s aesthetics, the World Economic Forum’s article heralding mushroom mycelium as the key to circular economies means that mushrooms are set to feature heavily in interiors and design.
Keep your magpie eyes open for 70s funghi tableware, vintage botanical prints, educational wall charts and classroom mushroom models by Jung Koch and 1960s glass mushroom paperweights.
Look out for mushroomy treasures in my shop, as I always have something with the motif on.
Nooks and Private Spaces
You know something is going to be a trend if Pinterest notices a spike in the searches. Dubbed ‘emotional escape rooms’, Pinterest has noted our desire for nooks and private spaces. Our yearning to personalise our homes with a tiny library room (searches up by 12x) or a home massage room (searches up by 190%) suggest the importance of our homes as sanctuaries.
Working from home and home schooling have made many of us reconsider whether open plan living spaces are practical, leading many to evaluate how to create clearer boundaries between our work and home spaces. I predict the rise of dining rooms, outdoor living areas, private spaces and multi-purpose furniture.
We’re also exploring the possibilities of private spaces via garden rooms and horsebox conversions. When it comes to travel; bell tents, shepherd huts, caravans and van conversions are appealing options as our passports to wide open space and freedom.
At the micro-end of the scale, cast an eye over your windows, alcoves, corners or cupboards to transform into book nooks or cosy spaces to cocoon.
Multi-Purpose
The pandemic taught us that our homes need to work harder for us, so we’re searching for multi-purpose furniture, flexible seating and furniture with storage options. We’re also looking for extra rooms in houses that can perform many functions: a dining room, loft or extra bedroom that can also serve as a workspace or studio.
Pinterest has also seen a rise in searches related to background walls for those Zoom meetings or fledgling businesses that were born during lockdown.
Curves and Arches
Initially seen on Tiktok, the trend for statement walls featuring painted curves or arches is gaining momentum and will be reflected in furniture and upholstery, with soft curves, circles, organic shapes and rounded edges.
The theme will cross over with maximalism, Moroccan and Egyptian influences borrowed from the souk. Expect to see low level seating, layered up rugs, lanterns, cushions, fabrics, fretwork and textiles, adding depth, texture and interest.
Calm Nature
This trend taps into the traditional hygge aesthetic of blonde wood, pared back interiors and rustic finishes. Microcement finishes (avoid on period property walls where breathability is paramount), rustic pottery, dried flowers, calm neutrals, wicker, rattan and linen are the keys to the trend.
Key Colours, Patterns and Textures
- Chequerboard (Queen’s Gambit)
- Wicker and rattan (Coastal Grandma)
- Digital Lavender, Luscious Red, Sundial and Verdigris - the colours of 2023 (WSWG forecasters)
- Microcement (Scandi aesthetic)
Which of these trends will you incorporate into your home? Let me know in the comments below.
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