Happy New Year!
As I’m taking down the holiday decor, my spaces are looking bleak and boring as the dreary January weather in the Midwest. Ugh. But before I start shopping the house (or the after-holiday sales!) I like to assess what the industry is calling out in terms of interior design trends for 2023.
Annnnnnd. . . .trends are looking good! I am seeing things like bold colors, warmer palettes, cozy textures, natural materials, and wallpaper is popping up everywhere.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: don’t follow trends just because they’re trending. The most important thing about home decor is how it makes you feel. How do you want to feel when you walk into your home? What decor is going to evoke this for you?
Here are some of the interior design trends for 2023 that I personally already gravitate towards. If any of these things appeals to you, great news! They’re about to be much easier (and hopefully more affordable) to acquire in the coming year!
1 | Dark Academia
Picture a dark and post-stormy autumn morning with classical red brick or baroque limestone buildings hulking in the mists across the quad of a collegiate campus and you’re in the right setting. Now imagine a timeline slice that blends the fashion and ideals of Romanticism and Byron, Mary Shelley, and a dash of Oscar Wilde in with the American Prep era of Dead Poet’s Society.
Dark Academia represents everything I’ve ever loved about fashion and interior design! I can’t begin to tell you how stoked I am that this is 1) An official term and 2) It’s being used to describe interior design trends of 2023.
I absolutely loved the Liberal Arts aspect of college. Not because I thought those English, Rhetoric, or Photography classes would land me a good-paying job. (Damn.) I just loved the learning for learning’s sake.
Most of my contemporaries had their obsession with Juicy Couture velour track suits and Uggs.
I was rocking Oxford brogues with heels, black tights + short plaid skirts or low-rise flare jeans, and either scoop-neck tees, turtlenecks, or button-ups. Possibly with a waistcoat. Definitely with a long sweater duster. I spent time studying in a rarely-used top floor room of the student union.
My favorite place on campus, it was all dark wood, old books, frayed rugs, and leather chairs. Long and dusty mid-green curtains hid the floor to ceiling mullioned windows, one of which provided handy access to the roof, where I could get some fresh air and watch the students walking around below me.
I’m still not over that vibe! I will love love love always the gentlemen’s club/professor’s study/moody dark colors/Poe in Edinburgh kind of place.
Some key elements for Dark Academia interior decor:
- Leather bound books. Bonus points if they’re old.
- Bronze or marble/stone busts.
- Candles!
- Curiosities. Bonus points for use of cloches.
- Leather furniture, like club chairs and Chesterfield sofas. Something that you can sink into with a good book. Colors like cognac, oxblood, or dark chocolate brown.
- Velvet accents like drapes, pillows, ottomans. Or go velvet as your (wingback, perhaps?) chair or sofa option. Feeling the Romanticism? Find a chaise! Colors like dark green, navy blue, or dark gold punched up with pops of darker magenta, orange, or creamy whites.
- Dark walls to enhance that feeling of mystery.
2 | Natural Stone
I will always appreciate Carrara, but I am thrilled to report that other marble, granite, and quartzite options are coming back into the spotlight, and not just as countertops or flooring. Tabletops, mantels, accents like trays, bowls, and candlesticks. .even stone interior window ledges are making a comeback. And they’re coming back in color. I’ve always been a fan of green or pink marble accent pieces. (individual polaroid images cluster. .maybe pink marble mantel, green marble candlesticks, black marble table?) Consider a statement marble like black with strong white veining for accent pieces– or go bold with a tabletop.
The Rosewood London has suites with the most incredible Italian marble bathrooms. For me this makes a strong argument for the warmer cream, golden, and beige color scheme .
For a more industrial (and maybe more affordable) feel, go concrete! Countertops or accents, just soften it up with wood and plants in the mix. I really like the way this kitchen I found on the spruce feels industrial yet homey, with the warm wood tones and green plants softening up the white, black, and concrete.
3 | Bold Color
Have you ever walked into a restaurant bathroom and it’s like BAM with the bold color and material combos of wallpaper, tile, fixtures, and wood tones? I just love that. And I think a bathroom is a fantastic place to get bold at home too. Especially if any of the photos below make you a little nervous. Hey, it’s ok! The trend for all-white everything has been going strong for awhile, so seeing all that color might be a bit jolting. The trick is to find color that stirs your senses and gets you excited, but at the same time feels like a cozy safe haven.
For most people, greens and blues feel more soothing, so you could start there. However. Reds ranging from lighter clay to rich oxblood are making a comeback along with beige and brown earth tones. Shout-out to the “wine + chocolate” apartment decor design I did! It really was the perfect combo to get my client over her broken heart and ready to open herself back up to love.
If you want to walk into a room and feel comforted, embrace a darker, bolder hue that will hug you back.
4 | Decadent details
If you look up “decadent” the dictionary definition is split between the pleasing “luxuriously self-indulgent” and. . .less flattering versions involving the idea of “excessive money with no sense of responsibility”. This absolutely harkens back to the wealthy upper class of, well, any age.
But for the purposes of interior design trends 2023, imagine:
Gatsby: 1920s-1930s Art Deco Geometry and Glam
Gilded Age: 1870s-1890s and Beaux-Arts Neoclassical Extravagance
Choose your favorite era and hunt down those deals! From 1stdibs and Ebay to Amazon, across all price points, these styles are becoming more available.
So you’re liking the looks but aren’t ready to transform your bedroom into a silk-swathed, decadent Gilded Age boudoir? That’s ok! These are great styles to add in as accents! A fanciful gilded and detailed mirror thrown into an existing traditional or even modern mix feels sophisticated, not showy. A bordering-on-brutalist geometric Deco coffee table can play well with softer, rounded sofas. It’s all about balance!
5 | Statement glass
Was it ever out? As lighting, tables, or pretty decor accents, glass pieces are beautiful, light-catching, fluid works of art. I’ve seen a few listings for these candy-colored candlesticks and I just love them for Spring! The only thing is. . .I’m afraid if I go for these I will officially own more candlesticks than shoes. Yikes. Hard to imagine owning more of something besides shoes.
That aisle in HomeGoods with all the glass, arranged by color? So pretty. I always have to stroll past and gaze at that display.
I loved this quote from Danielle Colding, interior designer extraordinaire, in Vogue’s take on interior design trends 2023 article“
Seeing an oversized Murano chandelier in a neutral modern space is fresh and exciting.
Danielle Colding
Uh. YEAH. Did you see our kick-ass Murano chandelier on the 2022 Holiday House tour? A glass chandelier can work with any decor scheme. If you’ve got some extra cash and you’re looking to switch out your builder-grade foyer light – find a statement piece in glass.
6 | Spa vibes
I would add to this the overarching concept of “wellness” or “self-care” aesthetic. As I said in the beginning, interior design trends in 2023 are all focused around what makes you feel your best. I really liked Decorilla’s article and agree that there is and should be a focus of “set the tone for slowing down and practicing mindfulness.”
While this could easily be applied in any room of the house, I feel like it would be a great aesthetic for a bedroom. The bedroom is the last place you retreat to and the first place you open your eyes to. Why not make it relaxing, serene, and neutral, with no overwhelming or distracting details?
Breathe in. Breathe out.
What interior decor trends have you excited for the year ahead? Comment below and tell me what’s on your radar for the New Year!
