It feels like 2022 just started yesterday, but here we are: the beginning of a brand-new year going into 2023! The last few years have been unpredictable from a design perspective, with a huge mix of both new and returning styles; and 2023 is no different. All these trends, all the latest and ever-changing fads, how do we balance between staying up to date on these shifts without having to completely redo our home? You’re in luck, because this blog is all about finding that perfect balance! We’ll be discussing three distinct style categories that will be trending throughout 2023, and how you can subtly incorporate each of them into your current home aesthetic. Watch out 2023, we’re ready for you!
Trend 1: Soft, Airy, and Light
This style is focused on a warm color scheme, fluffy textures, and a slightly whimsical aesthetic. These colors range from beiges and light browns to white and cream tones. Some of the textures to look out for include lace, ruffles, tulle, tassels, and feathers. Overall, you’re looking for a sunshiny, floating feel to give your home a lighter (physically and aesthetically) impression. There are 3 subcategories that fit into this style:
Romcom Core: This substyle is pulled from Romantic Comedy movies, with a light-hearted and simplistic expression. Romcom Core is practical but attractive, again with a bit of a whimsical, movie-type feel. Romcom is also focused on romanticism, dealing more with emotions than realism. There’s also a heavier emphasis on floral patterns, textures, and designs for Romcom Core.
Micro Luxury: This substyle has more emphasis on the glam side. Micro Luxury is about finding small ways to incorporate that extra touch of fascination and excitement into your home, without being over-the-top. Glam is closely related to whimsical, with a little extra fanciness in your décor selection. When you think of micro luxury, think of small extravagance.
Clutter Core: This substyle is all about showcasing your favorite, most sentimental home pieces. This ties in well with the whimsical, Romcom feel – dealing with emotions and adding in extra decoration. Clutter Core embodies a warm, personal way to express not only your home style, but your individuality as well. You now have the perfect opportunity to show off your knickknacks, souvenirs, and friend/family gifts!
Since this style is color, texture, and décor focused, bringing it to life in your home is easy! Color plays into your texture and décor additions, so you can check color scheme off the list – just remember that lighter tones will bring this soft, airy feel out the best. For texture, adding smaller pieces like table trinkets, placemats and coasters, small area rugs, and wall art are a great budget-friendly way to incorporate this style into your current home aesthetic. If you’re looking to make some bigger changes, furniture with lighter colors, softer materials, and rounded corners and edges are your best choice. With this style, it’s all about your personality showing through your designs; with a warm, bright energy to make your home both charming and inviting.
Trend 2: Bold, Beautiful, and Visual
This style focuses on visual interest, uniqueness, and contrast: it’s all about telling a story and making a statement. This visual interest will include new textiles, new colors, and new patterns. Casual, lounge-like energy is out – and daring is IN! Here are some upcoming points of interest to look out for regarding this style:
Color of the Year: Color expertise company, Pantone, releases an annual color feature, and 2023’s selection is ‘Viva Magenta (18-1750)’. It is a bright, passionate, and powerful color, one that is sure to make a big statement in any home design. Not much work is needed to make this color stand out; it does that well enough on its own. With that being said, ‘Viva Magenta’ is more of a center-stage color, rather than an accent or secondary shade.
Shaping: The bold, visual interest side of this style will focus heavily on design shape. This includes a mix of large arches and curves, pointy and sharp edges, and asymmetrical layouts. Eye-catching patterns will play a part in creating these unique shapes, such as stripes, paisley, animal print, and more. The purpose of this style choice is to create a visual map for your eyes to follow, leading from one piece, line, or angle to the next. Your eyes are reading a story, and this year, it’s going to be a good one.
Gothic Style: This fashion is marked by dark, mysterious, complex features, and centered heavily on aesthetics over everything else. Because of that, the Gothic style is a near perfect fit for this bold and visual 2023 trend. Some popular gothic style fabrics include velvet, leather, dark silk, and satin. This style also ties in well with shaping, focusing on pointed arches and grand, tall designs.
This style will be a little harder to add into your home as an accent, but easier if it’s a main feature. For accents and décor, placing unique pieces such as vases, visually interesting side or end tables, dark curtains, and exotic greenery is a great start. For larger design changes, adding darker furniture pieces that have some gothic style fabrics (like velvet or leather) or eccentric lighting is your best bet.
Trend 3: Natural & Repurposed Vibe
Bringing the outdoors inside is still popular going into 2023, with extra enthusiasm on reusing and repurposing previously used products (especially furniture, clothing, and miscellaneous knickknacks). Wood designs and finishes continue to reign supreme, with the desire to a keep a ‘natural’ look inside the home. Below are a few trending subtopics and substyles that fit in this natural, repurposed vibe:
Thrifting: Reduce, reuse, and recycle has been the anthem for over a decade, and the new trend of shopping exclusively for previously used items is a widely practiced occurrence. The thrill of finding a piece, giving it new life, and using your personal touch to add new purpose is such a rewarding feeling. Thrifting not only helps reduce overall waste, but also helps your local community with providing jobs, supporting all incomes in the area, and minimizes overspending on unnecessary fast fashion.
Hipstoric Style: The Hipstoric style bides by the catchphrase ‘Antique is chic.’ This style is focused on finding brand-new ways to honor vintage items, such as hand-me-downs and inherited pieces. Although this style has an emphasis on reusing and repurposing, it more specifically relates to pieces or designs that relate to older trends: some examples include hippie, punk, grunge, disco, and more.
Plant Styling: Plant styling is the art of decorating a space with plants that look best and using plants that will thrive in that specific space. The natural, ‘bring the outdoors in’ vibe plays directly into this style. Not only is this a beautiful aesthetic, but it also improves your home’s air quality, and specific plants have unexpected benefits (for example, many plants repel bugs, and some herbs are great spices you can use for cooking). This style requires a little extra care with potting and regular watering, but it is very beneficial to your home’s overall health.
This style is one of the easiest to incorporate into your home’s current aesthetic. Visiting your local thrift store and greenhouse are the two best places to start. The selection may be limited at your thrift store, but this is where creativity comes in – pieces can have multiple, surprising uses. For greenery, this might require some extra research on plant type and living conditions. After that, you can let your imagination run wild!
2023 has a wonderful mix of new and returning styles. With a couple thoughtful home additions, you can incorporate any of these into your home’s current aesthetic. Ready for 2023? So are we!
