Expect to see these 6 macro design trends in 2023

After a year of forecast research, seminars, design show trips and keen observation, the team of creatives behind wallpaper brand Hovia break down the top macro design trends that they say will be everywhere in 2023.

Joyful design focuses on evoking specific emotions and feelings through a room’s interior layout, colours, materials, textures and finishes.

Expressive decor featuring colourful and abstract paintings are a key part of joyful design, and this invites lots of opportunities to get hands-on and personalise furniture pieces with playful licks of paint. Use uplifting shades of warm oranges, pinks and yellows.

Consider more than just the visual things, too: Joyful design should speak to all the senses. Incorporate scents like calming lavender or energising lemon, as well as sounds or music that set a certain mood.

This trend takes the textures and forms found in nature and uses them as the inspiration behind design choices.

Think mesmerising topographic maps, showing the elevations of the land. Close-up views of tree rings, leaf fractals, and cracked marble. Or dry textures inspired by desert sands and rocks.

Some of the main ways nature’s contours are finding their place in 2023 interiors is through mineral-inspired marbleised design, curvy dinnerware, and stone texture accessories.

Digital realism ties virtual design and real life together through use of colour, lighting and furniture. Ombre gradients are at the heart of the trend: Created by the shifting colours of hue-changing lights, and inspired by bright digital colour palettes.

Draw inspiration from the digital worlds of gaming, streaming, video content, and metaverse aesthetics. Contrast LED light strips and soft neon mood-lighting with dark rooms to create a surreal and immersive space.

Multiple smart bulbs allow for the mixing of cool and warm colours, turning a room into a tech haven that feels out of this world.

The new kitschy style is an evolution of retro revival trends from the past year, and falls under the umbrella of Newstalgia.

This 2023 trend is a mix of vintage and retro that results in a nostalgic yet modern aesthetic. It focuses particularly on joyful wiggles and up-to-date colour palettes.

Take inspiration from chintz design, 70s decor, colourful velvet, bold patterns, ric rac sewing, eclectic furniture, colourful gingham, and lots of playful wavy lines. Have fun and stay sustainable by repurposing old furniture and buying second-hand, too.

This continuation of minimalism is all about warm tones and 'barely there' patterns. The trend ties in well with feng shui, and mainly incorporates neutral colours, calming shapes and tactile elements.

Inspired by botanical studies, foliage and florals are the new romantic aesthetic in interiors.

Bring the outdoors indoors with whimsical hand-drawn botanicals, soft feminine design ideas, and delicate patterns with a paired back colour palette. Get creative using plants to create artwork, too, like cyanotype prints.

Feature dried grasses in vases, embroidered elements, sweet and simple colours, and plant or flower-themed wall decor to bring liveliness to flat surfaces.