Every year there’s a new round of trends and ideas to bombard us with. At The Living House we love to see what’s next around the corner, but we’re not saying you need to change your home every year as that would be ridiculous (who has the energy for that?!). Sometimes though it’s fun to see where the trends are taking us and incorporate a few new updates here and there into your home.

The recurring theme for the year ahead is about feelings of warmth, comfort and reassurance, all high on the agenda. From the colours to the furniture shapes, the trends are all about cocooning comfort, bringing people together and the joy we take from our homes.

We will be looking to make our homes more decorative and individual, with panelling, pattern and furniture that we want to last a lifetime. We will be making bolder colour choices and incorporating patterns that make us happy. And we continue to look for ways to reuse, recycle and reimagine what we already have as we all try to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

Take a look at the trends we see emerging this year, and how we recommend you to use them in your own home.

Granny Chic Brown

Brown has been off the agenda for a while now, seen as a bit old fashioned and dreary. But as people are turning their backs on cool greys in favour of the warmth and cosiness of beige tones, this has stretched to include the rich colour palette of brown - think Granny chic nostalgia! Rich chocolate shades and caramels paired with dark wood, and accents of dusky pink and mustard feel comforting. These colours are warm and reassuring and evoke a feeling of calm. Expect to see more red clay and terracotta used for vases and ceramics in an unglazed finish, bringing an earthiness to our interiors. Within the same colour palette try spicy paprika to warm the room up. This bold and exciting colour would feel so welcoming as a sofa fabric.

How to get the look in your home

Try layering earthy warm colours - so if you are looking to paint your living room try a warm beige with red undertones. We love Little Greene Masquerade, a delicate warm natural colour. This would work well with dark wood furniture, a paprika velvet sofa, and cushions in brown, dusky pink and mustard.

Calming Curves

With the idea of comfort again high in our minds, furniture is seeing a move away from sharp angles and hard edges. Sideboards are embracing curved shapes and soft rounded forms and we are seeing a rise in oval shape dining tables, organic shaped mirrors and curved headboards - there’s hardly a straight line in sight! The feel of furniture is important too, with smooth finishes like marble and rounded edges to coffee tables. On sofas and armchairs the finishes are tactile and inviting with velvet and chenille, sheepskin and soft inviting boucle.

How to get the look in your home

Try adding an accent chair like this one from B&Q, with on trend boucle fabric and rounded wooden arms. It would look beautiful in any room!

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Arches

Continuing with the curved theme, arches are going to be the next big thing in design, their gentle curves softening all hard edges. From door frames to wallpaper designs, arches feel modern and at the same time, timeless. Their soft shape gives an organic flow between rooms and can even make a ceiling feel taller as it lifts your eye upwards.

How to get the look in your home

You may not feel ready to replace your door frames and windows just yet, but you can create the same effect with paint. Try colour blocking an arch shape on your wall - it’s a great way to zone a sofa or a piece of artwork, and it doesn’t have to be bright and bold. You could use muted neutrals to create an elegant look.

Have a chat with us and find out how we can help you. Book a discovery call with us today!

Panelling

Panelling has been around for a while, and if you have been sitting on the fence wondering if you should add it to your home, then the answer is a resounding yes! It’s a trend that’s here to stay. It brings instant character and soul to a room and you can choose from so many different looks, but what they all have in common is bags of style, adding texture and pattern to your room. The classic squares look sophisticated, while the tongue and groove brings a more country look, and the wood slats add a contemporary edge. And let’s not forget that it is practical too. It can provide a hard wearing finish, great for high traffic areas like hallways.

How to get the look in your home

Try adding some easy to fit wooden slats behind your TV to bring texture to a modern room. We love The Wood Veneer Hub for their different range of colours with felt backing.

Borders - yes really!

Wallpaper borders are making a comeback - and before you groan and imagine the red and gold scrolls of the 90’s, this time round they are here to highlight the features in your room without being overpowering.

If you’re a little wary of colour and pattern, a border is an easy way to add a playful accent. It can be an inexpensive update with less commitment than a wallpaper, but with a lot of impact.

How to get the look in your home

The trick is to use them in different ways - forget the dado rail look of the past dividing two complementary wallpapers. Instead try adding a bit of a punch with a border at the bottom of your wall, or around a doorframe. Lick have launched an interesting range with neutral graphic designs.

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Upcycled furniture - the Flawsome trend

Flawsome - celebrating the imperfections and embracing them - feels like a trend made for my home! Perfect it is not. This trend is about working with what you’ve got and bringing new life to it, seeing beauty in its flaws and how it can be reworked and reimagined.

Many people find themselves on a tight budget in 2023, and upcycling preloved furniture can take a drab and battered item and make it look far more expensive. This also ties in with our desire to become more sustainable, rehoming and reusing rather than sending to landfill.

How to get the look in your home

It’s amazing what a coat of paint can do. Try painting a piece of furniture in a bright and unexpected colour, like green or pink. It will add a pop to your room; its imperfection adding character and style to your home.

Heritage tiles

As we are increasingly embracing the decorative side to our homes, another rising trend is bold pattern on tiles. Reclaimed or vintage tiles add an interesting and unique twist to a modern bathroom or kitchen. If you can’t source vintage reclaimed tiles, seek out similar patterns and colours on new tiles. Geometric patterns add personality and a pop of colour, and the mix of old and new feels very on trend.

How to get the look in your home

You don’t have to go for a bold pattern all over your bathroom. Instead limit the tiles to a small area like above the sink, or use them on a fireplace hearth. Confined to small areas they add just the right amount of vintage colour and pattern.

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Colours of the sea - aquamarine

Maybe it’s because we’ve been a bit deprived of seeing turquoise tropical oceans over the last few years, or maybe it’s just that we feel like having something more lively and joyous in our homes after our long love affair with grey - but whatever the reason, aquamarine is set to become one of the hottest shades of the season.

However, if you’re thinking, isn’t that just another version of teal, you’d be wrong! Aquamarine is energising and vibrant, cool and fun, whereas teal is more atmospheric and moody. It’s the colour of Tiffany boxes and Bombay Sapphire, a colour to stimulate your senses.

How to get the look in your home

If you’re drawn to the very vibrant side of this shade, then less is definitely more. You could introduce it on a wallpaper for a bold pop of colour. This one from Hohenberger has a lively jungle feel in shades of aqua.

If you’re after a calmer feel, Little Greene’s Aquamarine Mid 284 is a soft and easy to live with shade, beautiful in a sunny bedroom.

leaf botanical wallpaper ideas inspiration — Hohenberger, Kiribati Blue Banana

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