A very Happy New Year to you, I hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas. Rather like the Roman god Janus, interior design style for 2023 looks both to the past and to the future for inspiration. Finding decorative ways to capture the beauty of nature in our homes continues along with antiques playing an even greater role. You can look forward to lighting ideas that don’t require electricity (could be useful!) and inspiring ways from the past on how to use colour and pattern. There are some welcome ingredients of quirky humour as well as new designs from top UK interior designers.

Capturing nature

I think it is is difficult to imagine the desire for a connection to nature in our homes ever being broken now. As well as wallpapers and textiles, bringing the outside in can be achieved with a fabulous green paint or the celebration of a foraged foliage arrangement. Then there’s the drama of a view framed by a picture window or the capture in an oil painting.

Colour: Neutrals

My copy of the February 2023 issue of Period Living magazine has got held up in the post but I wanted to share with you the theme of this month’s 6-page decorating with colour feature I have written on neutrals.

As a stylist who is fond of many colour combinations, I have always found it a calming and useful backdrop. And it becomes a particularly powerful look when used on its own with layers of gentle textures.

If you love both the effect of neutrals and colour but are not sure how to incorporate both in your home, Amanda Ransom of Amanda Ransom Design Ltd who specialise in historical interiors gave me this inspiring quote for the Period Living feature:

“Entrance halls in Georgian buildings were seen as an extension of the exterior of the house so stone colours are common and neutrals would become warmer as you went further into the interior. I love the way that Robert Adam in the Georgian period would take you from one calm neutral space into something brilliantly colourful which allows the eye to travel.”

Antiques

The design and craftsmanship of period pieces means that not only were they built to last but are of wonderful design.

Here are a few of my favourites from the lightly upcycled pieces by Attica Studios to the elegance of the keenly curated finds from Ralfes Yard in Somerset to an eBay cupboard reinvented with the expert eye of Nels Eyre Interiors.

Lighting up time

Creating pools of ambient light couldn’t be easier or more stylish than choosing from a myriad vintage and antique lighting options – some of which are available from my vintage online shop.

I am very excited about a new product which to all intents and purposes looks and feels like a real candle but in fact takes two AAA batteries and comes complete with faux flickering flame and a remote control. They are available in two dinner sizes and various colours from Jo Beavan’s Polkadot Parsley whose Oxfordshire farmhouse home you may remember featured on the blog in April 2021.

Although real candlelight is always magical, these battery-operated alternatives offer a safe option for wall sconces and candlesticks. Brilliant for event styling too. You can see how they work here.

Interior designer collections

Several top UK interior designers have brought out their own wallpaper/fabric and furniture designs this year. This perfectly proportioned sofa was designed by Sarah Van Renen (who has a fab new collection of wallpapers) and has been upholstered in Nantes Baltic Blue fabric by Lewis and Wood and is dressed with cushions and lampshades from Sarah Van Renen Interior Design Studio.

It’s always curtains on the blog

Colourful ceramics from Wicklewood London with a very pretty scalloped curtain idea.

Quirky design

Cork poppingly luxurious cushions designed by Bonfield Block Printers for The Merchant’s Table are just perfect for a spot of New Year’s Bacchanalian lounging.

Lambs wool large bolster leaf cushion knitted in the softest lambs wool with removable cover for washing from a selection at the woolly wonderland of Donna Wilson.

Bathroom colour

If you hated colour bathrooms the first time around, then avert your eyes now. However, like me, you might be inspired by the companies who are rescuing coloured suites from landfill and by the use of exuberant pattern and colour in our once white Edwardian-inspired bathrooms. If you fancy reading the full 4 page feature, it is in the January 2023 issue of Saga magazine. Click my Instagram reel here to see a sneak peak!

Thank you

Thank you so much for reading this post which I hope has given you some inspiration to give your home new shape and if you need any help with this, don’t forget to take a look at my Styling Box interior design service. In the meantime, I wish you a very healthy and happy New Year.

With best wishes, from Charis x