Once, a colour or shape was enough to define a decorating trend and set fashion’s wheels turning. In the 2020s, a trend needs a philosophy and a rationale behind it. Here are the thematic trends and details for 2023...
Today’s kitchens are as influential and forward-looking as living rooms in defining a home’s style. Having become a focal point during the pandemic, their layouts, materials, technology and varied elements have established them as the heart of the home. From now on, they will also help lead the trends.
This is why the emerging interior directions for 2023 reveal a landscape dominated by kitchens. We are entering a season of kitchens that express a style from beginning to end, through their themes, central ideas, social and psychological meanings and detailed solutions. Let us look at the trend signals appearing in kitchens for the new year and season.
In 2023, kitchen islands take on more organic forms, with circular shapes or rounded corners. Designers say these are closer to nature, encourage people to sit together and work better for groups. They are arranging unusually shaped islands as two platforms, one for dining and the other for cooking.
Minimalism lovers, take note: kitchens become simpler in 2023 through a single cabinet design around the room, closed handleless doors and a monochrome palette. In this seamless arrangement, the sink, hob, taps and everything else are concealed behind matching doors. Systems follow vertical and horizontal lines, with lighting equally well hidden. Not even a salt cellar is left on show.
Seeking homes that are more relaxing than ever, designers are firmly encouraging calm palettes. Grey comes to the fore once again. As the spectrum’s most neutral colour brings balance, design voices also see a need for a touch of nature: “Choose wood or a jewel colour and use it in one place; let it become the focal point.”
Combining materials in kitchens is a longstanding tradition: wooden cabinets with a marble worktop, for example. The kitchen trends for 2023 take the mixing of colours and materials a step further, pointing towards antique metallic reflections on cabinet doors and wood on worktops.Antiqued brass, for instance, has a rich, deep texture, while smooth, unembellished wood offers a natural counterpoint to metal’s industrial character. Prepare for more contrasting material pairings like this.
You have heard of a spa atmosphere in the bathroom, but what about the kitchen? The themed kitchens of 2023 become calm oases and meditative spaces for cooking and living. With natural materials, cool tones and raw textures, stripped-back details and a place for craftsmanship, spa-style kitchens appeal to those who turn the pleasure of cooking at home into a ritual of settling and unwinding.
One of 2023’s biggest surprises is black taking over the kitchen. This dramatic colour may seem daring, even risky, but applied thoughtfully it can achieve an effect no other colour can.Previously paired on cabinets or worktops with natural wood or bright colours such as white, black now makes its case as “black on black”. The only departure might be a different colour or material for the table or lighting. Brass taps and fittings can act like jewellery against it. Materials can still be mixed, but everything should be black: black cabinets, black concrete worktops and black marble floors, for example.
If the kitchen receives plenty of daylight, there is little need to fear black’s dramatic effect. It can even create intriguing depth.
Kitchen lighting is often chosen mainly for tasks and treated as a secondary part of the overall atmosphere. Yet the right lighting can transform a room and play a highly influential role. A successful kitchen lighting plan should be layered, combining mood, task and local lighting.
2023 may be remembered as the year kitchen lighting came into its own. Large central fittings with sculptural designs and an architectural presence are set to attract attention. Modern, futuristic designs will lead the trend, particularly as a counterbalance to the kitchen’s more fixed, traditional features, such as its layout.
As we have noted, kitchens are becoming as carefully styled as living rooms and bedrooms, and influential enough to guide the whole home. The same applies to vintage textures. Worn, lived-in and imperfect surfaces are the new favourites: brick, brushed metals, honed marble, leather or textured stone surfaces and veined concrete. The aim is to add depth to the kitchen and create a layered look through abundant tactile materials.
Marble, a material that has remained at the forefront of trends in recent years, looks set to make a striking entrance in 2023. Beyond the familiar neutral shades of white, ivory, honey, grey and anthracite, its new colours take inspiration from jewels. Shaped by themes of feminine luxury and sophisticated appeal, the trend gives priority to emerald green. Marble in topaz and sapphire blue or ruby red will also appear on worktops, islands and splashbacks.
One of the greatest gifts of the 2020s has been making more room for the earth and nature at home, strengthening the connection between indoors and outdoors in all its beauty. In 2023, we welcome another natural delight: trees and large plants in kitchens. Olive and lemon trees stand out among these indoor choices, bringing a relaxed Mediterranean spirit.We also expect the trend for bringing nature indoors to continue in 2023 through botanical palettes and prints, with a focus on green glassware, ceramics and tables. Fruit- and vegetable-printed linens and botanical jacquard kitchen textiles add a more playful dimension.
