If you’ve been reading me for awhile you know I am not a trend follower. I truly believe that following your heart and filling your home with things that speak to you are much more fulfilling. If you buy what you love, it will be much easier to live with what you have. That said let’s get into it.
Keep in mind these trends are mainly just for fun, because the wonderful thing about living in these times is you can truly do what is right for you. If you want to wear bell bottoms you can. Long hair, short hair, button downs, or tunics, chucks or pumps. It just doesn’t matter anymore. There just doesn’t seem to be the trend police that was so prevalent in years past. Come on, do you really want to live with gold shag carpet, and a chia pet forever!!! What never goes out of style is good taste.
The all white kitchen is getting softer. Bright White is hard to live with, keep clean, and just plain clinical. Now if you just did your dream kitchen last year in all bright white please don’t feel like you made a mistake. Hopefully you are one of those people that just loves crisp and clean and remember the bright white can still be softened with texture, like linen dish towels, wicker baskets, pottery, and copper or brass. It is so easy to introduce seasonal color with a bright white kitchen.
Things like open shelving, islands in different colors or lower and upper cabinets in two different colors are still on trend. Backsplashes in solid surfaces or Zelig hand crafted tiles are in.
My counter tops are granite and my back splash is limestone.
Small mosaic backsplashes are out. These small tiles for a back splash create a visually “busy” space forcing the eye to go to the backsplash and not view the rest of the kitchen.
In 2023 we seem to be moving away from quartz countertops and back to natural stone. Keep in mind I think quartz counter tops are here to stay. The ease of cleaning will continue to endear them to the consumer.
Warmth!!! We are all craving warmth and abundance. After the last couple of years we want to surround ourselves with the things we love. We want to fill our world with pattern and color again. Attention to detail, trim is starting to make a comeback. The “spare” minimalist days are over and the days of the “And Then Somes” are here again. For me I say it’s about time.
Grey is fading in popularity and warm tones are becoming popular again. White walls are still current but the shades are softer not so stark. I can’t emphasize this enough, when you are picking paint colors pick the color last, after everything else has been selected. It is much easier to find a paint color to match a fabric than it is to find a fabric to match a paint color!!! In this room I matched the walls to the plates! Sample it first. Two coats on a poster board so you can move it around the room. You absolutely have to look at it in all light and at all times of day.
Some paint colors are very tricky and just because they work in one room in your home, doesn’t mean they will work in another. This room is a prime example. The Coastal Fog used in the living room and lower level absolutely did not work in the bedroom.
Stone and brick will continue to be going strong in 2023 for fireplaces, back splashes and floors. Think about natural elements and bringing the outside in. White oak continues in popularity but dare I say stained wood is coming back. Nothing with red or orange undertones like mahogany or cherry wood, think rich walnut it has fabulous grain and a lovely brown tone.
Grand Millenial style is still gaining in popularity with an interest in salvaging and repurposing upholstery and case pieces. As we continue to think about global warming people are beginning to appreciate the importance of keeping things out of landfills. Not only does this save the planet but the quality of pieces created 50-100 years ago in general is so superior to most of what you can find in the furniture industry today.
Buying previously owned will save you $$$ and help you create a home that is uniquely yours. Mixing those mid century or contemporary pieces with the occasional antique, is a really fun look. Although this isn’t my particular look, if it’s yours go for it. The rule is 80/20. 80% one way and 20% the other. I love having the opportunity to do this for my clients. It just keeps things fun and fresh.
Farmhouse is going thru a transition like “Country” did several years ago. Many of the elements we loved about country metamorphosed into Farmhouse. Feet up comfortable, lot’s of texture with pottery, metal and fiber. Mixed with industrial style they support each other well. Industrial on it’s own is too stark to live with for a long period of time. Bring in elements of it into another period and it can create something truly special.
California Coastal is still popular with its clean lines but it is beginning to lose its luster. While coastal with all its cute beach signs and kitchy pillows and accessories are done. If you’r coastal make the investment and start collecting things that are truly appropriate to the feel. Antique telescopes, vintage pond sailors, and vintage marine art.
Things like coral and seashells, glass fish floats are alway welcome in a coastal home. I for one would love to have a collection of fishing floats but living in land locked NE they are not easy to come by and I don’t want them bad enough to settle for Hobby Lobby fish floats.
The designated Dining Room is just beginning to make a show again. A place to sit down and share a meal, will always be the most important space in a home. Although the formal affairs of our parents generation we may not see for some time, setting a lovely table to share with family and friends will never go out of style. This is a place where you can just plain have fun.
Experiment with something a bit different. Mix up that “wedding china” or grandma’s china with your every day pottery. There are so many ways to buy cheap china now, it really allows you to indulge yourself and have some fun. I have so many different sets of china online right now for our Assistance League Thrift Shop https://assistance-league-omaha.myshopify.com I wouldn’t even consider buying new.
Authenticity is the key. Be true to yourself and true to the things you bring into your home. Someone recently asked me what “style” I would call my home. Unprepared I said English Cottage but after having an opportunity to think about it, I decided it is no longer country, it doesn’t fit farmhouse, it’s not grand enough for English cottage. I came to the conclusion that it is not any of those. It is me. Just me. My home, my style. No “label” required. You don’t have to pigeon hole yourself into a “style”. Do it if it helps you, but don’t feel you must. Create a home that is you, and if you don’t know who you is yet, get some help. A great designer will be able to figure you out.
Thanks for stopping!
Shelley
