Design Trends for 2023
Here at Decorum Studio, we focus on timeless design – whether it’s drawing on the natural beauty around us here in Cornwall, or contemporary inspiration that really stands the test of time.
We love to see what the latest design trends are and how we can be a part of that creative process. We’ve been keeping our eyes open and our ear to the ground to see what’s taken 2023 by storm… here’s what we’ve spotted so far.
Gold Edged Ceramics and golden tones
This is news that put a smile on our faces!
Gold edged or highlighted ceramics have really taken off in the last year. Thanks to the rise in ‘quiet luxury’, designers are finding ways to add touches of glamour here and there, rather than all out bling. High end ceramicists and crockery makers are using gold paint, gold leafing or golden tones to turn otherwise discreet household items into discreet luxury pieces.
A well-placed touch of gold can transform a flat, ‘traditional’ looking design into something that glows with a bit of magic. For our tropically inspired Glasshouse Collection, we use gold highlights to represent the sun shining through foliage and on to our leaves. Each one has a hand painted golden detail glimmering somewhere in the motif – meaning it catches the light and adds a twinkle to your home no matter what time of day it is.
Printed patterns
Whether it’s wallpaper, tiles, furniture or crockery, printed patterns are back with a bang for 2023. Printwork means that you have an exact, perfect replica of your design, each and every time to reproduce it. It’s a guarantee of absolute regularity. This is true anything from a complex floral image to more modern graphic designs.
At Decorum everything we do is either hand painted from scratch, or hand decorated using a stencil.
To ensure our Arc and Arc Blends designs are perfect every time, we use a pre-cut stencil to create the shape and then hand apply paint into that area. It means that the arc is always the right size, but that the individual tiles are unique pieces in and of themselves. Put a set of ‘arcs’ together and you have a perfectly regular, repeating pattern – but if you look more closely you can see the sponge work and slightly mottled effect that comes with the hand decorated technique. For us it’s an ideal combination as it allows us to recreate our iconic arc design time and again, but remain true to our artistic roots.
Heritage tiles
This one is close to our hearts. ‘Decorative tiles are perhaps the biggest trend at the moment as they give the opportunity to inject some creativity and personality to the room,’ says Richard Fox, a senior designer at Ripples.
We can’t help thinking that heritage-style tiles have been one of the biggest trends for as long as we can remember. Designs and tastes might have changed but the idea of ornamental tiles transforming a room or building is as old as the history of decoration itself!
Much of what we do has a heritage element to it – but we often like to add a twist. Our abstract Stargazy design is inspired by the age old Cornish recipe for Stargazy pie. As far back as the 16th century, pilchards were baked into a pie with their heads or tails left sticking up through the pastry. Our modern take on this is a clean, directional design with bold colour stripes representing the fishes’ tails. No pastry crumbs here as we move our imagery firmly into the 21st century!
Paprika
According to LivingEtc’s editor, Pip Rich, Paprika is the colour of 2023 – it’s “the punchier cousin of terracotta that adds a dash of heat”. It goes beautifully with grey or cooler toned furniture and fittings, as it warms up potentially cold colours whilst remaining earthy. A bit stronger than terracotta, but not so brash as closely related orange, paprika stands out without overwhelming the rest of the room.
We were working on a new colour palette for our Arc range before paprika took centre stage, and we’re pretty pleased that we came out ahead of the game! Our new ‘bronze’ blend is a gorgeous warm, earthy colour that errs on the side of mellow paprika, rather than anything too fiery. It brings a touch of Mediterranean warmth to any design and whilst it might be this year’s colour, we have a feeling it is here to stay. 
Outdoor lifestyles
One of the most prominent trends from this year’s Milan Design Week was outdoor living and creating a sense of the outside, inside. The long shadow of the pandemic lockdowns still makes its presence felt as more and more people try to find ways to incorporate nature into their lives – whether it’s by physically spending more time in outdoors, or by inviting nature into their homes.
We’ve spent the summer working on our new Wilderness range as part of the Delft collection. We wanted to bring a tiny slice of the gorgeous Cornish landscape into any home, anywhere. Whether it’s a refreshing dip in the sea or that first blast of salty air when you get out of the car from a long journey, everyone knows what it feels to like to ‘be beside the seaside’ – and now the seaside can be beside you all year round.
At Decorum we’re always looking for new ideas and exciting developments in the design world as we feel we’re both observers and participants to the trends we see around us. We also love to hear from our customers and readers as to what they are enjoying, or their design projects. Please do get in touch to let us know if we’ve missed anything from our 2023 list and what you think might be coming for the rest of the year!
