4 interior design trends 2023 is bringing us

Lorraine from interior design consultancy Willow & Maine shares the interior design trends 2023 won’t be complete without – plus, how affordable interior design can really be…

A new year brings with it a wealth of opportunities.

New chances to make the changes you’ve always wanted to make; to reinvent your life or maintain everything that makes you happy; to build, create, shape and grow.

And a whole boatload of fresh inspiration.

We probably hear ‘exercising more and ‘eating healthier’ as the most common New Year’s resolutions, but in recent years more of us are using the quieter month of January to refresh our homes.

As the Christmas decorations come down and our walls and floors feel strangely empty, we’re given the time to look critically at our interiors and pinpoint where we’d like to improve.

And, of course, every new year starts with an influx of new interior design trends, colours, styles and textures that promise to be everywhere in 12 months’ time.

But home design can be expensive and we’re not exactly flush right now – how to tell between a fashion fad and style saviour?

Well, we’ve enlisted the help of an interior design specialist to find out. Introducing: Lorraine McGill from Willow & Maine.

ABOUT WILLOW & MAINE

Four years ago, Lorraine decided to follow her lifelong passion for everything interiors and started a side hustle.

Her intention was to work on client projects on evenings and weekends, while fulfilling her full-time occupation as Operations Director at a Newcastle based IT company. But Lorraine never expected Willow & Maine to grow quite as exponentially as it has…

Working with clients across the North East, Willow & Maine offer bespoke interior design and styling solutions for every size of project, with packages to suit all budgets.

By Spring 2023, Willow & Maine will have completed more than 30 client projects, including plenty on the quirkier side of the scale – think an old rectory in County Durham, a famous cricketer’s Grade II-listed cottage and a Darras Hall bistro.

Oh, and the name? It’s a combination of ‘the Willows’ – a nature reserve in Lorraine’s home village of Ryton, on the banks of the River Tyne – and ‘Maine’, chosen to reflect the classic, New England décor the business loves to incorporate so much.

WILLOW & MAINE’S SIGNATURE STYLE

While every project the Willow & Maine team take on is entirely bespoke – meaning the client’s lifestyle, design dreams and budget are forever at the top of the agenda – Lorraine doesn’t hide the fact that classic New England décor is where she finds most of her inspiration.

‘I would describe New England as a relaxed style of design,’ Lorraine tells us. ‘Clean lines, shaker doors, wooden floors, shutters, muted colours and a lot of textures. Pale colours are prominent; in my own home, I have a lot of white.

‘Fabrics are often striped, with layers created using cushions and throws. And accessories are a must – candles, lanterns and baskets always make for a finished look. If you’re trying to visualise it, think about the style of The White Company, (that’s my favourite larger store).

‘Ultimately, though, it’s always about the client’s style – not mine!’

INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS 2023

‘We would never suggest changing a whole room to follow a trend,’ Lorraine says.

‘However, having fresh trends in mind when completing a redesign can make a huge difference and really bring your home into modernity, with subtle features that can stand the test of time.

‘Here’s what we’ll be looking out for here at Willow & Maine over the next 12 months…’

Gallery Walls

A relatively easy and inexpensive way to change up a room can be to add a gallery wall. It’s not necessarily a new trend, but it is an evolving one. Whether you go for a wall full of prints or your own photos, these can really personalise a space.

Gallery walls don’t necessarily have to be full of pictures; a collection can be added to a wall, too – plates, for example. More recently, baskets have become popular to group together and these can look quite striking.

There’s also the possibility to mix in prints and decorative items or plants, which we particularly like.

Wall Coverings

Wallpaper is becoming a favourite again, set to replace paint colour trends in 2023 in many ways with big designers bringing out a swathe of new ranges.

This year, floral prints are becoming popular thanks, in part, to Laura Ashley bringing out a range of bold, Victorian-style designs. Geometric prints are also continuing to adorn walls with the resurgence of ‘60s and ‘70s styles we’ve been seeing over the last couple of years now.

One of our favourite trends, which really is gathering momentum right now, is a love for murals indoors. There are so many to choose from and can be extremely reasonable. We’ve used a beautiful, exotic mural in a master suite and a mountain range up the stairs in a modern townhouse recently, and we’re about to start a countryside mural on a reception room in a Victorian rectory.

Indoor Plants

Bringing the outside in with rattan and wicker is still extremely popular and, as part of this trend, indoor plants have well and truly staged a comeback.

Whether you’re a faux or a real plant lover, there’s so much choice out there. If you aren’t particularly green fingered (a bit like us!), then the options with faux plants have vastly increased. Lots of high street stores have jumped on this trend, along with higher-end outlets. In most cases, you can’t tell the real from the fake.

Then again, if you are green fingered, then the garden centres and nurseries have lots of great houseplants that you can then accessories further with your choice of plant pots and stands.

Cabinetry

Panelling has been extremely popular for a few years now and can transform any space.

Following on from this, we’re now starting to see a significant increase in people wanting more traditional cabinetry. Whether that be the extremely popular ‘boot room’ or utility, or in more central rooms of the home, old school cabinetry is fast becoming a favourite.

Media units have also become very popular over the last 12 months, along with built-in bookcases and larders. We can expect to see demand for these continuing to increase as 2023 goes on.

TOP TIPS FOR AFFORDABLE INTERIOR DESIGN

We get it guys – interior design can be expensive and we’re in a cost-of-living crisis right now. Other things may well have to take priority.

But saving our pennies doesn’t have to mean putting the whole home on the backburner. Not where Willow & Maine are concerned, anyway.

See, Lorraine and the team are firm believers that interior design doesn’t have to be expensive. Simply changing up a few smaller details can make a big difference to our interiors.

Which is why we’ve asked Lorraine for her top tips on how to bring our homes up to date without spending a fortune. Here’s what she shared…

Feature Walls

A relatively easy and inexpensive way to change up a room is to create a feature wall.

This could simply be painted, wallpapered, or you could create a very on-trend gallery wall. It’s a quick and easy way to introduce a new pop or colour without redecorating the whole space.

Think outside the box with accessories

With sustainability being on everyone’s minds right now, one of things to consider is to ‘shop your home’.

In other words, instead of buying new items, look at what’s already in your other rooms and move pieces around. Changing up accessories from room to room can have a surprisingly big impact.

Mix it up

Whenever we’re working on client projects, we always like to mix pieces from bigger brands with those we’ve found in boutique shops.

Not only does this achieve a unique look in any home, but it can also be a lot of fun seeing what one-off accessories you may find in smaller independents. Plus, it means you don’t have break the bank by relying wholly on bigger brands when it comes to adding those finishing touches.

To find out more about Willow & Maine and how the team can transform your interiors, visit their website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram and you can read their customer reviews here (the 5 stars on Google speak for themselves).

Or if you already know you’d like to speak to Lorraine about a potential project, send her an email or drop her a line on 07709 320 692

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