Decorate your home

Interior design trends 2023: the 31 decorating looks for the year

This year's most key colors, textures, accessories and moods have been decoded to help you shape your space

Interior design trends for 2023 are vast and varied. There are some new colors, new textures and new materials, but most importantly, there are new moods. Most of the moods tend to revolve around a spa-like sense of serenity, or a fun and patterned decorative boost of joy.

"How people want to decorate has recently shifted," says the designer. "For a start, we’re all craving a better outlook, and part of achieving that is to condition your own brain to think more positively, which you can do by surrounding yourself with things that make you feel happy. Cocktail cabinets that move and rotate, furniture that’s geared towards sitting together and being convivial, anything that is a bit playful and glamorous and dramatic."

This desire has filtered out and been interpreted in many different ways. From the lamps that make flexible living super-easy to the soft colors, shown above, that enhance relaxation and add joy here are the interior design trends we think will be biggest in 2023 and beyond.

1. CYLINDRICAL CHANDELIERS

The latest lighting forms take inspiration from oblong shapes, casting targeted and tantalising glows. In fact, you could call them tubular belles. Why this shape, and why now? It's because they're playful and polished, flexible, and finessed, a striking statement with a curvaceous silhouette. 

They also funnel light, creating the ideal glow for how we want to live now - warm and flattering and sociable. 'My favorite trend is the use of statement lighting pieces that can be used as both a functional and decorative element,' says the interior designer. Lighting trends generally would imply that the era of the big light is over, that wall and floor lamps are the most important now. But the targeted way this shape creates light means if you have to have a big central light, then it has to be tubularly shaped.

2. GOLD-EDGED CERAMICS

(Image credit: Feldspar x Matches Fashion)

Designers and makers are warming minimalist palettes slightly with just a hint of a Midas touch. A functioning lemon squeezer, but make it art? We’ve come a long way from the iconic Philippe Starck Juciy Salif to reach this pretty and perfect hand-painted ceramic offering. Shown above, part of a collection by Feldspar brings just the right amount of bling to the table, while remaining subtly pretty, too. 

It's an approach being utilized by Jo Davies and Pinto too, folding perfectly into the minimalism in interior design vibe we all crave so much right now. “Minimalist living is not only about having a clean home, it is also about celebrating nature and authenticity,” say Hélène Pinaud of Heju Studio. “So we are not afraid to incorporate artisanal, vintage and homemade objects and furniture but always in a quiet, neutral palette." Just a touch of elevation to the everyday, but not enough it creates any visual noise.

3. ALUMINUM

This easily recycled metal has been upgraded from drinks cans to some of the most covetable design around, as part of a bigger movement for designers to reappraise more sustainable means. 'Rough and smooth, shiny and matte, black and white - we want [to use] a lot of materials to avoid too much monotony,' says Tom Dixon, who has used it for lightweight chairs. MDF Italia has fashioned a bench from it and New York-based designers Workstead using aluminum in a lighting collection. 

Consisting of a pendant and sconce design, the sleek minimal forms showcase the beauty of the material in its purity, creating a perfect backdrop for the light to reflect off. Understated, yet commanding attention, we love the contrast between the soft conical silhouettes and the industrial edge of the waxed aluminium itself. Less of a juxtaposition and more of a happy marriage. 

4. DECORATIVE STORAGE BOXES

If there's one big mood happening in design for 2023 it's about paring back, seeking to live more minimally, and finding ways out interiors can make us feel calm. 

So step forward the micro-trend for decorative storage boxes, a way to clear the clutter while still having a bit more personality then a clear glass Kilner jar. We're seeing artisans, designers and our favorite brands create them, but the Sidekick has to be the best. Elegantly finished with a glossy lacquer, The Sidekick storage boxes by Trove add a touch of joyful elegance to the dressing table. Made to complement the larger storage trunks designed by the Australian brand, these are perfect for small jewellery accessories such as cufflinks and rings. Contemporary and color-blocked, these storage boxes are not to be hidden.