We tuned in to the 2023 Design and Product Trends presentation hosted by President of Success Strategies, Jane Meagher and VP of Business Development, Dawn Duhamel from Possibilities for Design to gain insight into what’s trending this year in design. We’ve got a recap for you that dives into each of the 5 trends with a slight twist—we’ve captured the perspective from members of our team that span a few generations to see how the trends play out in each demographic. We hope you enjoy this somewhat quirky write up of this year’s trends. We’d first, like to thank Jane and Dawn for such an exciting and fast-paced look at what’s hot in 2023. Let’s dive in!
#1 Well-Being
Well-being might seem sneakily familiar as it’s a maturation of a trend that started a few years ago when bio-philia took Instagram and our homes by storm. The update to this trend hinges on the idea that nature means nurture. Nature-inspired kitchens and baths are hot. Fresh flowers and floral-flocked booths were everywhere for KBIS, the kitchen and bath show. Well-being was defined as a tending to our emotional needs supported by our environment. This theme also extended to the well-being of our planet with sustainability at the forefront. Smart water products hit the runway with the capability of monitoring water use to tackle water conservation. Greens, blues, and dreamy blush tones are the go-to colors for everything from accent walls to cabinetry. Revenge travel was a popular theme associated with emotional well-being. This played out with vacation-like interiors with all the luxury of a vacation at home from aromatherapy-infused showers to warm island wood tones and lush greenery inspired wallpaper.
Here is a take from our Commentators:
Millennial
There was so much from this trend that I could get behind and would love to incorporate into my dream home. Trends that stood out to me were the warm whites, greens, and blush tones. I love the calming aspect of the color schemes with everything warming up and feeling more balanced. Given that I live in Austin, the smart water products were an appealing innovation. I also loved Melody, the guitar-inspired floors from Shaw for their soft warmth and smooth texture. I was also happy to see that brushed brass is still the go-to as I think it ties in so well with the color-scheme and theme of optimism that we crave. I think most of us are tired of grey.
Gen X
I loved all of the bold colors, so earthy and inviting, exactly how a home should be. Accent walls are my thing, so seeing the different options from warm colors to the floral wallpapers got my imagination going for updates in my own home, I just hope they’ve made wallpaper easier to take off than the 80’s version! Anything environmentally friendly is always a bonus, I’m all on board with the innovation in this a category.
Boomer
Over the years, I have seen cabinets and flooring trends go from dark to light and back again. I am excited about the warmer earth tones that are coming back. I agree, that we are emerging from a dark period and getting us back to the earth greens and blues, desert inspired colors and Limestone is very calming. I also thought it was interesting to see that stark white is no longer a thing and they are moving toward vanilla, it seems to fit with the trend and I do feel its about time. As a pet owner I was glad to see that Shaw has beefed up even their entry level carpets with more protection against the three P’s (Pee, Poop and Puke!)
#2 Tactile & Texture
Wood is one of the hottest trends here with dual textures in wood that are being found in various tones and layouts from walls to ceilings. Stacked stone is also an element that falls into this category and was also strongly related to the well-being category as well as designers are working to pull the outside in. Thin profiles and variegated colors were also seen in wood and stone to create visual texture that goes beyond the sense of touch. As a trend, we are falling out of love with minimalism and perfectionism as homes are embracing layers, textures, and a lived-in feel. Metal infused countertops were the rage across multiple product lines adding stunning texture.
Millennial
I wanted to immediately rip out my countertops when I saw the brass infused countertops. I loved the fact that the brass patinas over time and holds the history of the owner. I also loved the stacked stone and wood and how those were used to highlight areas.
Gen X
I’ve always loved any trends that incorporated wood into areas other than cabinetry and flooring, but at the same time worried it would look dated, like old paneling. But the trends we saw incorporating wood were really quite the opposite. In keeping with bringing the outdoors in and the warm colors I could see myself overdoing this trend if I wasn’t careful.
Boomer
The idea of wood everywhere, including walls and ceilings, reminded me a bit of my parents’ old paneling. However, it does have a new twist with warmer tones and more rugged textures, which is appealing. I also really liked the Emser tiles that look like stone and the idea of rough countertop surfaces, was pretty cool too. However, those woven rope light shades are straight out of the 70’s, not sure I like that.
meaningful moments.
#3 Dramatic Luxe
Drama, drama, drama—from backlit stone countertops to intricate details and moody tones, this trend is the luxury that also excites our vacation envy. Everything is getting golden with warmer tones being seen at a 3:1 ratio. Some of the new products are incorporating gold and grey together as transitionary products for anyone still keen on the grey trend. Warm black is also making a bold statement with black, almost purple colors that lean towards brown. Also seen was a move towards luxury on a budget with panoramic porcelain panels that make luxury elements more affordable.
Millennial
The biggest thing that made an impression on me with the dramatic luxe trend was the introduction of intricate details which was a nice break from modern minimalism. A friend of mine just added the backlit stone countertops and in person, it’s really quite stunning and adds a warmth to the entire kitchen. I also thought that it was really interesting to see black accents take a warmer tone. That isn’t something that I’ve seen before, and it made black much more approachable and blended with the warmer tones that are taking over.
Gen X
For someone who loved the grey period (warm greys vs cold) I’m sad to see it on its way out, but it certainly stuck around a long time. While gold isn’t really my favorite I do see its appeal when paired with the bold colors and dramatic back lit counters.
Boomer
I love the idea that Marble is still in. Marble always says luxury to me. I do find it amusing that back in the 80’s, backlighting furniture and cabinets with colorful lighting was considered kind of tacky, but I do feel that it has been reborn, and now it does say luxury to me. Interesting how we adjust. However, I will never get used to the use of gold, that has always seemed gaudy to me. I will attempt to adjust. I do love what Kohler is doing with faucets! That ceiling mounted kitchen faucet was very cool.
#4 Bold Colors
When we say bold, we mean it. This trend is packed full of rich reds from wine colored to reddish pinks and beyond! Wallpaper accents in rich bold florals are being used as accent walls. I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one room in every model leveraging this trend for a striking statement. While you might at first glance think that such a bold use of color would be overwhelming, the hues are aligned with the colors we see in nature and capture the feeling of the year, optimism.
Millennial
Some of the reds that were shown brought on a nostalgic feeling for me as it was a color often seen in remodeled homes when I was younger which is interesting considering the final trend of the presentation!
Gen X
I’m excited to see how this trend continues to grow and change. Homes have been bland for a while and seeing the pops of color is so refreshing.
Boomer
I love the bold use of colors to brighten up a room! Personally, I like a room to feel cheerful and this, ”bold colors” trend seems to do just that. I feel like over the past decade, wall colors have been muted, Sea Salt is a good example that I saw everywhere for a while. I really like the switch to the bold use of color! Nice to see wallpaper coming in strong too.
#5 Nostalgia
The theme of this trend is a reinvention of tradition with classic elements taking stage in a much more polished way. This trend was evident especially in lighting. Basket style lighting was enhanced with a more modern shape and Mid-century modern light fixtures were featured with crisper lines, but maintained the simplicity that is synonymous with the original style.
Millennial
Throughout the presentation some of the elements that I saw in other trends did have a bit of nostalgia to me, so this was no surprise. I loved this trend and how some of the natural materials used were meant to age well. I could see how a lot of the designs seemed familiar but added a fresh twist on the design.
Gen X
I wasn’t so sure at first, but I have to admit, these trends went so well with everything we saw in the rest of the presentation.
Boomer
I have to say that Mid-Century took me a while to get used to. My parents had many of these same things! However, I have come to appreciate the clean lines and simplicity of this look. It also feels much more like art, which seemed to have gotten lost over the years.
What are your thoughts on some of the latest design trends?
We are looking forward to seeing more in the coming months as many of these trends make their way into homes across the country.
