Nottingham Cascade Field in Ice Cap; Design: Childress Interiors, Inc; Photography: Nathan Schroder
Forget, “New Year, New You”. We say: New Year, New View. Here’s our roadmap to updated ways of thinking for 2023 and beyond, plus a few product previews to get you talking.
The 2023 perspective shift is here and it promises a path toward fulfilling projects and meaningful homes for those of us tuning in. We’ve put together a few key insights for 2023, starting with rejiggering the idea of timeless design and delving into wellness, sustainability, and living in novel ways at home. These concepts are bigger than color forecasts (though we’ve got those, too!) and make fine material for daydreaming, or even dinner-party pontificating. Come along as we find new life in the old joys of home reinvention.
Savoy 3"x9” Ribbed Field in Cottonwood; Design: Ashby Collective; Photography: Clay Grier
Let’s look closely at the idea of timelessness and the term classic design. These words are all over the media, adorning the latest-greatest coffee table books and marketing everything from loafers to Lambos.
When we use these words in design, we’re aiming to describe spaces and materials that are enduring, not eagerly chasing a trend. There’s pride, even righteousness in the language, and with reason: to know what’s timeless you must grasp those ineffable triggers of peace and beauty, the ways in which a marvelously conceived space exposes a visitor to the divine. This is far bigger than creating pretty. You’re creating a moment.
Mia 12”x24” Marble Field and Ceri 10" x 24" Field in Grey; Design: Mark Williams and Niki Papadopoulos
And it gets even bigger than that! To understand what is timeless implies a familiarity not just with the pleasing styles of the past, but true insights into how we’ll enjoy space in the future. No one paints a room for a brighter spring or lays pavers for a joyful summer — there are seasons upon seasons that unfold with a new space and when a homeowner and designer make decisions together, it’s for the coming years—at least.
There’s a caveat to this.
All this talk about lasting materials and enduring styles can be intimidating. A natural reaction is to choose materials that are deemed “safe” picks. You can already see the worktable with samples and mood boards and the client that says, Oh, I absolutely love the lavender and silver combination but I’m worried I’ll tire of it; let’s go with the gray, it’s safer.
When we make decisions based on what’s safe instead of the lasting, elements like color and pattern, irregularity and patina are left out in the cold. But that’s not what the passage of time teaches us. The most lasting designs aren’t the forgettable, safe ones, they’re the ones with integrity. There’s a difference between rooms and materials that don’t offend and those that delight. So why not push a bit harder for the sublime?
Consider these old-world ideas, aged well, and ripe for rediscovering:
Hand-painted Moroccan clay tiles. Rustic and rough-edged sun-baked slabs of Mediterranean stone. The black and white “Portuguese pavement” streets of Lisbon. Middle eastern glass mosaic, narrative or geometric.
Idris by Ait Manos 4”x4” Field in White Carrare and Metal Grey; Design: Carrier & Company Interiors; Photography: Annie Schlechter
These are hundreds, thousands, of years old. We’re still talking about them not just because of their enduring materiality, their utility or grace, but because they’re still loved and enjoyed. These are anything but time—they’re downright bold!—but they’re also certifiably classic. Point is: you can have it both ways.
Although we can’t quite yet divulge the Ann Sacks 2023 offerings, we can say that, according to DeeDee Gundberg, everything old is new again. The Ann Sacks Chief Designer says that many of the new products hint at tried-and-true aesthetics, even as their performance, colorways, or materiality evolves.
One eyebrow-raiser was a rustic, tumbled, surface with a touch of Southwest sun-baked warmth. Or is it Tuscany? It’s not so polished, certainly time-worn and plays into a craving she sees designers and homeowners seeking: comfort. “There’s something self-soothing about this material and a few other new introductions,” she explains. “That seems to be what people want these days, something self-soothing, reassuring…. I call it the familiar comforts. And what’s interesting about the familiar is that it can be both personal and relatable.”
Finding the overlap between aesthetic ingenuity and the heart’s desire is the great project of home-making. This mission also happens to support one of the most critical tasks of our generation: aligning our consumption habits with what our home planet can tolerate, even thrive with.
MADE by Ann Sacks Elements 3”x9” in Elephant Ear Gloss (Wall); Terrazzo Renata 16”x16” Field in White (Floor); Design: Studio McGee
Choice materials, applied thoughtfully and maintained lovingly is our responsibility. Cry once is the adage designers refer to when they make a case for a special material. The idea is this: This surface is not something you’re going to purchase again in a few years—it’s a good one, worth keeping—so spend once and forget it! Trends come and go, but integrity endures.
Savoy Large Stack Mosaic in Ricepaper; Design: Bethany Adams Interiors; Photographer: Justin Jordan
Later this year, Martyn Lawrence Bullard is unveiling a collection with Ann Sacks that plays with stone in ways both ancient and new. Kelly Wearstler will introduce a tile family that could fully reinvent how you use color, and we will welcome some very special guest collaborators along the way… let’s just say, they’re artful. Nearly all of the collaborations and special collections coming this way in 2023 display the genius of the human hand on earthly material. Imperfection, craft, even illustration all find a home around the house in 2023.
The kitchen reno conundrum: It’s hard to decide where to splurge, easy to carelessly overspend; and the choices you commit to are lasting. Here, some industry pros talk honestly about where the money’s worth it, where not—and why. There’s one thing they all agree on: The easiest choices are guided by love.
