We've been asked a lot lately to reflect on design trends for 2023 so we wanted to share some of our thoughts.
CURVES...
Much as we love rational design with rules, order and geometry, we are excited about the curve and the calming or sometimes sensual nature that it can evoke. Modernist architect Niemeyer embraced curves in his own home, Das Canoas residence, built in 1951, to allow for nature to enter freely. Expect shapes in 2023 to be gentle, human, and ergonomic, just like the various shapes our bodies and the organic world around us. In the furniture world. the curve and strong organic forms are being embraced in both new works by Christophe Delcourt and embracing classic furniture pieces, “Hello Vladimir.” (pictured below).
CNC cutting and fabrication allow for organic forms to be achieved more easily and with less labor providing greater accessibility to curved stone and wood forms, others are the result of inherently soft surfaces such as round stones or curved plaster walls that convey the hand that made them. As for small details, we believe every edge should be soft and gentle to the touch. So keep those soft radii coming. Even Lutron agrees with its new Alisse keypads with soft rounded corners and hand rubbed finishes.
Above: This Upper West Side Duplex celebrates nature's role as sanctuary and sustenance in its play of organic materials, curvilinear forms (including the iconic Kagan sofa), soft textures, and dusky hues. Photo by Albert Vecerka/Esto.
Above left: The curved stair at the East End House is made by extruding solid cypress. Photo by Albert Vecerka/Esto. Above right (top): Detail of the Gal Gaon Pebble Dining Table. Above right (bottom): Detail of the Christophe Delcourt sofa.
Above: Das Canoas Residence by Oscar Niemeyer, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 1951. (Image source unknown.) Oscar Niemeyer said about the house: “My concern was to project the residence freely and to adapt it to the unevenness of the field without modification, making it into curves, so the vegetation could enter them without separation or departure from the straight line.” “And I created the living spaces to be in a shadow, to avoid the need for curtains and allow the house to be transparent, as I preferred."
SOFT TONES AND COLOR PALETTES
In 2023 we’ll continue to see softer tones and warmer color palettes. Less contrast and more natural, subtle, soothing tones are trending this season. Calm, welcoming blues and greys, and soft warm tropical undertones create serene and inviting places to counter the disruptive world. The spaces are complemented with natural materials and unstained woods. Patinated metals and hand-crafted surfaces, fabrics, and coverings contribute to conveying a human and irregular touch that creates perfectly balanced imperfection.
Above Left: The bedrooms at the Hillside House feature a soothing color palette complemented by subtle and soft textures. Above Right: At the Meadow Beach House soft hues and fabrics respond to the sundrenched light and calming views to the beach and meadow. Photos by Albert Vecerka/Esto.
Above: At this Miami Beach residence, the use of warm and dusky tones, subtle textures, and natural stone and wood brings back memories of South Florida's colorful modernist architecture and a sense of domestic intimacy sometimes lost in contemporary large-scale developments.
Above: The serene primary bedroom suite at an Upper West Side Pre-war Duplex enjoys layers of softly textured surfaces and a subdued color palette. Photo by Albert Vecerka/Esto.
HANDCRAFTED AND TEXTURED SURFACES
Similarly, people are seeking more natural and handcrafted surfaces. Trends are responding with curved stucco walls, irregular wood tones, and lots of texture. The desire for these textures may be a result of trauma from the pandemic. However, it is also an extension of the “organic movement” which has had a resurgence in both city and country dwellings. People are less inspired by the manufactured, formal and urban sleek that predated the pandemic. In the wake of a calamitous upheaval of public and social life, it's trending towards relaxed and casual, re-used, and– at times even rustic — surfaces. It’s a “homey” trend we are seeing in so many new house and renovation projects.
Above: At the East End House, natural materials such as stained cypress panelling, oak flooring, and subtly textured plaster walls add a sense of intimacy and richness to the modernist house .Photo by Albert Vecerka/Esto.
Above left: Final touches to the solid white oak stair at the Hillside House. Above right (top): From MarbleBuro's Terazzo collection. Above right (bottom): Handcrafted rugs.
Above: The wood louvered walls at the Shared Office are fabricated from leftover or undesirable pieces of Birch wood which were selected for their inherent variety in color. Photo by Albert Vecerka/Esto.
BUILDINGS AND SPACES ROOTED IN PLACE AND HISTORY
We’ll see more site specific design influences, materials, and handcrafted details in our homes. This has always been a part of our philosophy, as well as part of the movement towards greener design. Connecting your home to its site, the region, local craft traditions, and tradespeople with long-established family businesses, all of this delivers richer and environmentally responsible spaces, rooted in place and history.
Above: Responding to the rural upstate New York setting, this two-family home is is marked by twin gable forms clad in shiplapped cedar siding and local Connecticut fieldstone. See full project here.
Above: The renovation of this expansive Miami Beach apartment takes cues from the Art Deco movement to ensure a sense of place, and the use of stone, terrazzo, and plaster together with natural woods continues the dialog with the local architecture and geography of Miami as a whole.
Above: This seasonal home on Martha’s Vineyard distills the New England Victorian beachside cottage while introducing a casual Scandinavian sensibility. To blend in with its surroundings, this house is sided in the region’s typical cedar shingles. See full project here. Photo by Albert Vecerka/Esto.