Interior Design
Renovating
What's Next in Homes? 4 Design Experts Reveal
Do you know which colours, shapes and styles we'll be coveting in the year ahead? Four design pros give the inside scoop
As we move into the second half of 2023, interiors are taking on a laid-back, eclectic and ‘dirtier’ aesthetic, while a wellness corner in your living room is the new must-have… or so say the four design experts we spoke to about what’s around the corner in homes. Read on to learn more.
I love this layered, eclectic style and use it frequently in my projects. Here, I have used a cluster of contemporary pendants by Lee Broom that nod to Art Deco, while the client’s pre-loved vintage cushion sits on a vibrant blue 1960s Ball chair. Next to it is a brushed-brass micro side table that contrasts with a large-scale contemporary abstract painting by Scott Petrie. The shutters and polished-concrete floors create a neutral canvas for these elements to shine.
How to create the look
This look is about bringing together some of your favourite pieces to tell a fresh story, whether you source them from your travels, vintage shops, your grandmother’s treasure trove of family heirlooms, or your favourite edgy contemporary furniture store.
If you’re a designer wanting to embrace this look in a project, encourage your client to be brave; play with colour, textures and shapes, and then source some new pieces to create a fresh aesthetic. Start with one room or one corner first, and remember, there are no rigid rules.
Searching for an interior designer? Find one near you on Houzz, browse images of their projects and read reviews from previous clients
How to create the look
This look is about bringing together some of your favourite pieces to tell a fresh story, whether you source them from your travels, vintage shops, your grandmother’s treasure trove of family heirlooms, or your favourite edgy contemporary furniture store.
If you’re a designer wanting to embrace this look in a project, encourage your client to be brave; play with colour, textures and shapes, and then source some new pieces to create a fresh aesthetic. Start with one room or one corner first, and remember, there are no rigid rules.
Searching for an interior designer? Find one near you on Houzz, browse images of their projects and read reviews from previous clients
2. Merging inside and out
Bringing the natural environment into your home and turning areas such as balconies, courtyards and decks into lush outdoor entertaining spaces are, I believe, trends that are here to stay.
Having a connection with nature is known to be good for our sense of wellbeing – something a lot of people discovered during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
I always look to the outdoor aspects of a project and try to work them into indoor areas in order to maximise living space. Here, we transformed a mostly unused balcony into a fabulous extension of the downstairs living room. We created a Greek island feel with blue and white rugs and cushions, an organic timber coffee table and rattan pieces.
To open up the room, we added large black metal sliding doors. It’s the perfect indoor-outdoor space and a favourite with the family who lives here.
Bringing the natural environment into your home and turning areas such as balconies, courtyards and decks into lush outdoor entertaining spaces are, I believe, trends that are here to stay.
Having a connection with nature is known to be good for our sense of wellbeing – something a lot of people discovered during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
I always look to the outdoor aspects of a project and try to work them into indoor areas in order to maximise living space. Here, we transformed a mostly unused balcony into a fabulous extension of the downstairs living room. We created a Greek island feel with blue and white rugs and cushions, an organic timber coffee table and rattan pieces.
To open up the room, we added large black metal sliding doors. It’s the perfect indoor-outdoor space and a favourite with the family who lives here.
How to create the look
Add a beautiful tree, sculptural pots filled with greenery, hanging succulents or lanterns, rattan furniture, textured timbers and cushions. For outdoor upholstery colours, think shades of green or a classic, coastal combination of blue and white.
Add a beautiful tree, sculptural pots filled with greenery, hanging succulents or lanterns, rattan furniture, textured timbers and cushions. For outdoor upholstery colours, think shades of green or a classic, coastal combination of blue and white.
Michelle Hasham, interior decorator at Interiors by Biku, says:
3. Textured walls, ceilings and furniture
The trend for textured surfaces is expanding to all interior surfaces, in particular walls, ceilings and furniture.
Woven wallpapers, limewash treatments, Venetian plaster, fluted wall panelling and bespoke concrete effects are being used to banish boring, flat walls and surfaces and bring depth and dimension to homes.
3. Textured walls, ceilings and furniture
The trend for textured surfaces is expanding to all interior surfaces, in particular walls, ceilings and furniture.
Woven wallpapers, limewash treatments, Venetian plaster, fluted wall panelling and bespoke concrete effects are being used to banish boring, flat walls and surfaces and bring depth and dimension to homes.
Textured walls and ceilings add sophistication and warmth to any interior space, while providing a unique and personalised aesthetic.
Our clients are looking to break away from the bright white interiors that we have seen in recent years in favour of an easy-to-maintain, cocooning and tailored look. We achieve this by introducing texture and pattern through hard surface finishes, rugs, drapery and soft furnishings.
How to create the look
Consider Venetian plaster for the walls and ceiling of a bathroom or living area, or a textured or woven wallpaper in a dining area, entry or bedroom. Look to add fluted or ribbed glass to kitchen cabinetry or even a shower screen. Supplement this with textured area rugs, bed linen and window furnishings.
Our clients are looking to break away from the bright white interiors that we have seen in recent years in favour of an easy-to-maintain, cocooning and tailored look. We achieve this by introducing texture and pattern through hard surface finishes, rugs, drapery and soft furnishings.
How to create the look
Consider Venetian plaster for the walls and ceiling of a bathroom or living area, or a textured or woven wallpaper in a dining area, entry or bedroom. Look to add fluted or ribbed glass to kitchen cabinetry or even a shower screen. Supplement this with textured area rugs, bed linen and window furnishings.
4. Wellness spaces
Living through a pandemic has increased clients’ awareness of how their homes function and affect their wellbeing. We now understand the importance of taking time to relax and enjoy our spaces while also finding ways to utilise them for multiple purposes.
To achieve a sense of relaxation and rejuvenation, people are dedicating anything from a corner of a space to an entire room for the purposes of meditation, reading, a day spa, prayer or exercise.
If you’re a designer, incorporating a wellness space into your client’s home serves as a reminder to them to carve out time to relax and recharge.
Living through a pandemic has increased clients’ awareness of how their homes function and affect their wellbeing. We now understand the importance of taking time to relax and enjoy our spaces while also finding ways to utilise them for multiple purposes.
To achieve a sense of relaxation and rejuvenation, people are dedicating anything from a corner of a space to an entire room for the purposes of meditation, reading, a day spa, prayer or exercise.
If you’re a designer, incorporating a wellness space into your client’s home serves as a reminder to them to carve out time to relax and recharge.
How to create the look
Create a spot in the home where you or your client can focus on self-care, such as a built-in window seat for curling up with a book or a corner where for yoga or meditation. You might also explore the idea of installing an infrared sauna, which uses infrared heat to boost circulation, lower blood pressure and improve overall health.
Create a spot in the home where you or your client can focus on self-care, such as a built-in window seat for curling up with a book or a corner where for yoga or meditation. You might also explore the idea of installing an infrared sauna, which uses infrared heat to boost circulation, lower blood pressure and improve overall health.
Donna Guyler, interior designer and creative director at Donna Guyler Interior Design, says:
5. Slow furniture
Quality furniture pieces and purposeful cabinetry design are going to feature high on the priority list of the 2024 renovator, in my view.
What’s good to know
Quality furniture and joinery pieces take a little more time to research and seek out and may require a larger investment, but I think there is a newfound desire to think things through a little more and invest wisely in our homes, after impulse buying seemed to dominate during the pandemic.
5. Slow furniture
Quality furniture pieces and purposeful cabinetry design are going to feature high on the priority list of the 2024 renovator, in my view.
What’s good to know
Quality furniture and joinery pieces take a little more time to research and seek out and may require a larger investment, but I think there is a newfound desire to think things through a little more and invest wisely in our homes, after impulse buying seemed to dominate during the pandemic.
6. Darker colours
I believe moody, earthier colour palettes will reign supreme this year and into next. All-white-everything has had its day and we’re ready to embrace warmer, cosier tones. A warm colour palette of nature-drawn colours is like a big warm hug as you enter a home.
We’re long-time fans of warmer colour palettes, so we’ll continue to use them in our projects. But in the latter part of 2023, we’ll be mixing it up a little more with even warmer, deeper tones, such as mauves, olive greens and terracotta.
I believe moody, earthier colour palettes will reign supreme this year and into next. All-white-everything has had its day and we’re ready to embrace warmer, cosier tones. A warm colour palette of nature-drawn colours is like a big warm hug as you enter a home.
We’re long-time fans of warmer colour palettes, so we’ll continue to use them in our projects. But in the latter part of 2023, we’ll be mixing it up a little more with even warmer, deeper tones, such as mauves, olive greens and terracotta.
How to create the look
There’s a misconception that smaller rooms that don’t receive much natural light should be flooded with white paint and light to create the illusion of more space. But the opposite is true.
Play to the natural feel and scale of a room; smaller rooms with less natural light are the best spaces to experiment with moodier, darker colours in order to capitalise on the already-cosy allure.
Browse more images on Houzz of Australian bathrooms featuring grey
There’s a misconception that smaller rooms that don’t receive much natural light should be flooded with white paint and light to create the illusion of more space. But the opposite is true.
Play to the natural feel and scale of a room; smaller rooms with less natural light are the best spaces to experiment with moodier, darker colours in order to capitalise on the already-cosy allure.
Browse more images on Houzz of Australian bathrooms featuring grey
Image: Yie Sandison.
Jane Thomson, interior designer and principal at Jane Thomson Interior Design, says:
7. Green is still supreme
I love this trend. It’s not only one of the easiest colours to decorate with, but the feel-good factor of this biophilic hue is cathartic.
What’s good to know
One of my favourite greens is Dulux Nick’s Nook. I predict that dirtier greens, such as olive, will be huge in homes moving into 2024.
Jane Thomson, interior designer and principal at Jane Thomson Interior Design, says:
7. Green is still supreme
I love this trend. It’s not only one of the easiest colours to decorate with, but the feel-good factor of this biophilic hue is cathartic.
What’s good to know
One of my favourite greens is Dulux Nick’s Nook. I predict that dirtier greens, such as olive, will be huge in homes moving into 2024.
Image: Yie Sandison.
8. Curves have made a comeback
Curves and radial shapes in furniture and homewares will continue to be popular in the next year or two. After a tough couple of years worldwide, we’re all searching for some softness and gentleness in our lives, which curves provide.
How to create the look
Seek out curved furniture and rugs, round or arched mirrors for a bathroom, and curvaceous decor pieces.
Your turn
Which of these design shifts could you see yourself incorporating into your home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Interested in seeing some innovative Australian homes? Don’t miss this story – Small Homes in Unexpected Places: Three Stories
8. Curves have made a comeback
Curves and radial shapes in furniture and homewares will continue to be popular in the next year or two. After a tough couple of years worldwide, we’re all searching for some softness and gentleness in our lives, which curves provide.
How to create the look
Seek out curved furniture and rugs, round or arched mirrors for a bathroom, and curvaceous decor pieces.
Your turn
Which of these design shifts could you see yourself incorporating into your home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Interested in seeing some innovative Australian homes? Don’t miss this story – Small Homes in Unexpected Places: Three Stories
Sponsored
1. A ‘break the rules’ attitude
Expect the so-called decorating rule book to go out the window in 2024. Unexpected colour combinations, playing with scale, and mixing pieces of different styles and from different eras – such as vintage and contemporary – will create a new, more eclectic feel in homes in the year ahead.
It’s the very opposite of minimalism. Eclectic styling tells a fresh and individual story in a home – it’s playful and energising.