With the first month of the new year already over, now is the opportunity to reevaluate the decisions that were made to accommodate in-home offices or cozy nooks for cocooning, or to simply take your interior design to the next level. Here are some exciting new trends to incorporate in your home this year.

HIGH-GLOSS WALLS ARE OUT; TEXTURE IS IN
Plain white walls are still out, but so are slick, high-gloss finishes that can turn any room into a hall of mirrors. Lacquer had its 15 minutes of fame, and seeing your reflection in dining room walls doesn’t interest anybody right now. Brushed or hand-applied finish, like Roman clay or lime wash [with its suede texture] or hand-tooled plaster, is where it’s at.

BROWN WILL BE YOUR NEXT STATEMENT COLOUR
As ’90s neutrals were accurately predicted to replace drab gray tones in 2023, some of the same standout colours are poised to make an earthy splash this year. Brown is a great colour – it’s very warm and rich, and it’s actually a great neutral to layer with other colours. Everything was very gray, and now it’s much warmer – think sepia and caramel. When pinpointing this year’s hottest colours, interior designers determined that dark brown was in the top three, followed by shades of yellow and light brown.

ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS WILL BE THE STANDARD
Sustainability has transcended trendiness to become a wider goal for the design industry in an effort to significantly reduce negative environmental impacts, while also enhancing the well-being and spaces of those who embrace it. There is a lot of attention being paid to materiality – what it is, where it comes from, and where it’s sourced People are creating furnishings and products that are more interesting based on those parameters.

PREPARE FOR A TERRA-COTTA TILE TAKEOVER
In terms of popular materials, ceramic and terra-cotta have earned a top spot with nearly every other interior designer opting for it. Look into different colours like the beautiful greens and cobalt blues and, of course, the natural shades of ocher. The clay-based glazed – or unglazed – material’s appeal can likely be attributed to its use across a wide range of design and architectural styles, from Italianate and Spanish to Art Deco and Arts and Crafts. Antiqued terra-cotta makes for the most fabulous floor.

ARTISANAL EVERYTHING IS IN
There’s an art to creating exceptional design, and it’s never more evident than in bespoke pieces and artisanal work that showcase the incomparable skill of human hands, especially post-pandemic. Whether it’s ceramic tile or hand-carved wood furniture or handblown glass, human irregularity is soothing. In a world where anything can be mass-produced, there’s something incredibly unique and just plain fun about the way these human imperfections come to life.