Milan Trend Report 2023

Illuminating the streets, showrooms, salons, patios, parlours and palazzos of Italy’s style capital, Milan’s inimitable furniture fair Salone del Mobile got its glorious groove on last month, as the interiors glitterati from around the globe descended. With the air humming with anticipation and energy, there were unveilings at every turn as the industry’s most luxury brands presented pieces that will come to define the next interiors season.

Our homes have come a long way since we were last here. Namely, we spent 2022 throwing the doors open and letting nature in, from every bucolic colour to organic shapes and new found-in-nature materials, creating a soothing, sometimes ethereal, mood. This year? Things are ramping up. Statement colour is here, bringing with it doses of joy, happiness and hopefulness. Textures are growing bolder, adding playful twists to elegant pieces, and shapes have taken a turn for the whimsical. Our homes are becoming places which make us smile – while remaining stunningly beautiful and carefully considered, of course. It’s an elusive balance, but one which is merged into individual designs to make curation all the easier and more enjoyable.

There is boucle and then there’s heavy, oversized, statement boucle, and it was big, brazen bumps that dominated Salone del Mobile 2023’s upholstery. A way to give life to neutral shades and add extra oomph to colours, bold boucle says, ‘Here’s where the funs at,’ inviting hands to nestle in and explore. With the larger looped pieces in the fabric creating a thicker texture and deeper shadows, the oversized boucle gives a light-hearted wink to whatever it’s covering, be it framed with an exquisite piece of crafted walnut or topped with bright, furry cushions.

Creating subtle yet characterful decoration, ridged markings and upholstery hit Salone hard, with furniture and accessories alike adorned with subtle stripes cut into solid materials and tailored onto the soft. Instantly adding a three-dimensional effect and forming a layer of shadows, ridges pull the eyes into them, highlighting the contrast they create and inviting you to re-examine their base material. The overall effect is one of craft and delicacy, the lines emerging gradually to form a pattern that’s simple and striking.

The ambience this year is hazy, dreamlike and illusory as textured glass takes over, casting beautiful, almost watery, shadows which transform a room into something ethereal and otherworldly. From textures embodying the organic to gentle patterns, in furniture, large textured glass slabs create the illusion of water frozen mid-movement, while lighting is embracing ever-so distorted glass shades, throwing a layer of mystery over their surroundings come nightfall.

At the top of the brightness scale this year are vivid, primary tones as interior design trends for 2023 take a turn for the kaleidoscopic. Playful and nostalgic, these happy shades remind us of our youths and bring intense splashes of energy inside. Introduction on simplistic designs big and small which let the colour itself create impactful bursts of joy and positivity.

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Sunkissed, Mediterranean, earthy tones are where it’s at for colour that makes a statement without being too dazzling. Green has been the darling of the interiors world for several seasons as we’ve sought to become more grounded, and this year a rich olive has emerged as the trending tone. Falling somewhere between neutral and bold, it speaks not only of nature but of tempting warmer climes and endless lazy days. Sun-baked terracotta red also dominated, the brick-like tone conjuring even more tranquil images of tiled roofs disappearing into the horizon. And relax.

DUSKY

For something colourful as well as calming, it’s dusky pink all the way. Suspended between pink and grey, this isn’t a sickly, classically pretty tone, but rather a dash of sweetness to top off a room. Used on accent pieces: a chair here, a cushion there, maybe the odd sofa – the hazy shade creates a slightly dreamlike feel, a sense of whimsy that’s at once delicate and daring.

Smooth, buttery soft, tan leather is all we’ll be sitting on this year. A tempting toffee tone took over sofas, chairs and upholstery in general across Salone, its laid-back vibe nodding towards the 70s and drawing attention to the beauty of shapes, tailoring and material combinations. With more punch than beige, think of it as an easy-yetstatement neutral, its milky, flat white-esque shade relaxed as well as elegant.

We look forward to welcoming these fresh Milanese trends – and more! – to our curated collection of designer greats both online and at our 25’000 sq ft luxury lifestyle showroom in Greater London. Want to get ahead of the crowd? Contact our Design Team to start your design journey, today.