Find inspiration — and optimism — in styles, materials, colors and features expected to be on trend this year. A lot of homeowners are emerging from the last couple of years with renewed vigor for creating lively homes full of color, pattern, texture and optimism.

Here are some home design and remodeling trends that homeowners and pros are excited about. 

Kitchens

Modern Rustic Style

A few themes weave throughout 2023 design trends. Among them are the use of natural materials and a general feeling of warmth. You’ll find both in a modern rustic style that is showing up in kitchens.

Think natural wood cabinets and other wood details paired with natural stone countertops and backsplashes, with a few modern elements thrown in.

Elegant Farmhouse Style

Another style showing up in kitchens is a more elegant take on the modern-farmhouse style that’s been popular in recent years. Shaker-style cabinets, apron-front sinks and furniture-style islands and cabinets are the elements being seen. But you’ll also notice the use of dramatic cabinet colors, oversize range hoods and slab stone backsplashes.

Modern Spanish Style

Meanwhile, an updated approach to Spanish style is also taking hold. Terra-cotta floor tile, an arched range hood with hand-painted terra cotta tile backsplash, a custom island with an end-grain walnut butcher block counter or spindle leg details update old-world style with a contemporary twist.

Warm and Soft Palettes

While some homeowners are desiring more bold color in their kitchens, many are looking for warm and soft styles that elicit a restful, relaxing atmosphere. To do that, embrace greige or off-white cabinets, light woods, subtle patterns and warm bronze and brass finishes.

Natural Materials

Natural materials are always in style. Homeowners are installing quartzite and other natural stone countertops, as well as marble tile and wood cabinets and vanities, especially white oak. Homeowners are also gravitating to natural materials that add character, uniqueness and authenticity to a space.

Blue Features

White and gray are by far the most popular colors used in kitchens. But when homeowners stray from that palette, they often choose blue. In fact, when a homeowner chooses to go with an island color that contrasts with the surrounding cabinets, more than a quarter will select blue.

Green Cabinets

In addition to blue, green is quickly gaining favor in kitchens, especially for cabinets. Both light and dark greens work well with wood details and brass finishes, creating a warm, rich look.

Wood Cabinets

Wood cabinets are trending along with the surge in natural materials. White oak seems to be dominating the choices, but walnut is also popular.

Creative Island Seating

Casual seating is just one of many appeals of a kitchen island. While the traditional seating arrangement has typically been a row of stools on one side facing the cooking area, some homeowners are seeking alternative setups to accommodate a variety of needs, such as the ability to sit face to face with guests or sit at a standard dining table height. As a result, we’re seeing a lot of islands with creative seating arrangements, such as two-tiered designs with seating for 10 and dropped-down or raised-up areas for various needs.

Commercial-Style Faucets

Many home chefs are gravitating to commercial-style kitchen features to better tackle cooking tasks. In response, many faucet brands have launched new commercial-style faucet lines that blend industrial and modern looks.

Workstation Sinks

Workstation sinks are also part of the drift toward commercial-style features. These have been around for many years now, but manufacturers have caught up to the demand and now offer all kinds of sizes, styles and accessories for things like chopping, straining, drying and other functions.

Induction Cooktops

It seems these days many people are jumping on the induction cooktop bandwagon. For the uninitiated, this method uses electricity to heat pots and pans directly through magnetic induction. These cooktops work with many types of pots and pans — such as stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain enamel on metal — but they don’t work on all, so you might have to replace some of your cookware. If a magnet sticks firmly on the bottom of a pot or pan, the piece will work with induction.

The benefit is that those pots and pans heat much quicker and cook more evenly than with gas or electric cooktops.

Bathrooms

Natural Materials

As mentioned, natural materials are experiencing a surge in interest. In bathrooms, that means natural wood vanities, stone countertops especially marble and stone tile flooring and walls.

Curbless Shower With Continuous Flooring

Curbless showers have been a popular bathroom feature for a while. Often the shower flooring is tile in a smaller size or different material than the main flooring, to provide a nonslip surface in the wet area. But more recently, many designers are running that mosaic tile continuously through the entire bathroom, including the curbless shower area. This approach further enhances the sleek, streamlined effect of a curbless shower design, extends the nonslip surface and helps a small space appear larger than it is.

White-and-Blue Palettes

Similar to blue accents in kitchens, this color is becoming a go-to in many bathrooms to perk up popular all-white palettes without veering too bold.

Bathing Experiences

Many homeowners are looking to create bathrooms that function for more than just bathing. They want relaxing experiences.

To create that, many are embracing pamper-me features like multiple shower heads with various spray settings, such as deep massage or warm mist.

Bold-Contrast Bathrooms

All-white bathroom finishes continue to dominate homeowners’ choices. But in recent years some people have been inching toward hits of dark contrasting colors. Navy blue vanities and accent tile have gained popularity, and some homeowners are taking a step further to the dark side with jet-black vanities and other black details set against crisp white backdrops. The white finishes keep things light and airy, while the black creates a touch of drama. Brass details and wood-look tile flooring help add warmth to the classic palette.

Living Rooms

Modern Rustic Living Rooms

In living rooms, demand for natural materials is leading to a modern rustic style that’s both rugged and cozy. Natural stone fireplaces and surrounds, wood beams and off-white walls mix with comfortable furnishings in organic whites, browns and beiges to create an updated look that feels anchored to a rural past.

Color, Color, Color

A renewed interest in bright and bold color is one of the trends design and remodeling professionals are talking about. The shift away from mostly neutrals and whites is something many pros attribute to the pandemic. These days, homeowners seem more adventurous and willing to take a chance on creating brighter, more vibrant spaces. Wallpaper is helping fuel the rush to color, with many homeowners using wild patterns and colors to add pop and personality.

Warmed-Up Gray Palettes

Despite the resurgence of interest in bold color, neutral palettes still dominate many homeowners’ preferences. White and wood remains popular, but warmed-up gray and greige palettes are on the rise.

Layers of Textures

One phrase that is coming up again and again is “layered texture” in decor, wallpaper, materials and accessories. We’re seeing a lot of designers layer wood, rattan, stone, metal finishes, concrete and various textural fabrics in a room to create a dynamic style full of visual and tactile interest.

Connections to the Outdoors

Homeowners have long craved deep connections to outdoor spaces. Sliding glass doors that completely open interior spaces to the outside are at the top of many dream features lists. But many pros are helping homeowners find more affordable ways to bring the outdoors in. Adding large windows can maximize views and bring in tons of natural light in a less expensive way than fully glazed walls. Meanwhile, a focus on natural materials and colors, as well as wallpaper prints that recall nature, are also helping homeowners feel connected to the outside.

Built-Ins

Custom built-in cabinets give homeowners storage and display space as well as a finished look, which is why they’re one of the top design features professionals recommend in a living room.

Multiple Seating Options

If you want to create a living room that can handle intimate occasions and lively parties, pros recommend integrating various seating options that can accommodate multiple family members and guests.

Consider combinations of sofas, love seats, ottomans, armchairs, swivel chairs and even window benches and fireplace hearths. 

Large Area Rugs

Another living room feature pros often recommend is a large area rug that anchors the room and provides a jumping-off point for building a cohesive color palette and adding texture and softness.

Other Interior Trends

Wallpaper

Wallpaper is contributing to an expansion of bold color and pattern being used in the home. 

Playful Traditional Style

In light of homeowners embracing bright color, wild wallpaper and layered looks, many pros are seeing a maximalist decor style take hold, specifically a perked-up traditional look that combines vintage pieces with lots of upbeat pattern and wall coverings. Think of it as a traditional style returning in a fun way. Some pros say supply chain issues during the pandemic helped spawn the trend by forcing homeowners to look locally for antiques and recycled, repurposed or reupholstered pieces with whimsical details and a pretty patina.

Home Offices

Built-Ins

When storage and organization are a top priority, going the custom built-in route is what pros recommend. Similar to what we’re seeing in living rooms, built-ins are showing up in many home offices to tackle storage and display space.

Laundry Rooms

Moody Cabinet Colors

Moody cabinet colors are an ongoing trend in kitchen-inspired looks showing up in laundry rooms. 

Mesh Cabinet Fronts

One interesting feature showing up in laundry rooms is mesh-front cabinet doors. These allow users to air-dry delicates inside without leaving them on display to visually clutter up the room.

Bedrooms

Dark Millwork Accent Walls

Speaking of moody colors, the approach is also making its way into bedrooms as a dark accent wall behind the headboard, most often accompanied by millwork. The approach helps add depth to a room, allows the bed to stand out as a focal feature and creates dramatic style.

Color

Beige Is Back

As mentioned, greens and blues remain popular with homeowners, especially in kitchens and bathrooms, but warmer colors seem to be dominating many interiors. 

The big news is that beige is back, but it has different undertones than those from ’90s beige. It’s less yellow and instead has pink or green undertones.

Dramatic Exterior Palettes

When it comes to exteriors, white board-and-batten or vertical siding continues to be popular. Lately, these bright whites are being contrasted with black details such as window and trim to create graphic curb appeal.

On the other hand, there is a shift to less contrasting colors. Darker siding colors in muted shades of blue, green, warm gray or tan are complemented by trim and accent colors that are just a few shades lighter or darker than the siding. Depending on the architectural style of the home, a fun accent color for the front door also remains popular.

  

Landscapes

Outdoor Lounges

Over the last couple of years, homeowners are looking to their outdoor spaces to accommodate a variety of activities, including cooking, dining and exercising. But few things trump lounging, and increasingly these areas is garnering a lot of attention.

Durable, comfortable furnishings, stylish shade structures and pampering features like outdoor heaters, fire pits, chandeliers and water elements can create an enviable lounge area. 

Sustainability

A desire for sustainable materials and features has been common for a number of years now. But it seems an intense shift is on the horizon. Many homeowners, manufacturers and design and remodeling professionals appear to be converging with a shared interest in using long-lasting materials, water-saving features, both inside and out, energy-efficient appliances and windows, and products sourced and made in environmentally friendly ways.