Fabric Trends 2023
What are we seeing this year in trending fabrics? White boucle is still holding steady, with no sign of being out just yet. So don’t throw out your curvy white boucle chair just yet! This year, we’re seeing fabric trends lean heavily toward velvet — in jewel tones, soft pastels and warm neutrals. Embrace velvet furniture in all its forms — Postmodern curved pieces and new interpretations of Mid Century modern chairs, such as these examples. Rust and warm reds are trending big-time in soft supple velvets.
Watercolor-soft blues and greens can be chameleon-like when used in home decor fabrics. The best patterns have a slight abstract quality, or are handmade like tie-dye, Shibori or batik. Batik blues, like in these pillows, are a great way to pull in these cool watery hues.
Muted enough to be almost neutral, and with subtle patterns, these pieces can find their way into sofa pillows and bedding, like comforters and sheets.
Ochre for the win! And highly-textured chenille fabrics (bonus points if they have tassels!) are still hot, hot, hot.
Abstract color-blocked pillows and a curved white boucle sofa. What could be better? The abstract pillow is making a splash this year. Interior Designer Kelly Wearstler (KWID) is the absolute best at this artistic fabric design. Is it a pillow or is it art? You'll be asking yourself this question once you try this fabric trend. KWID fabric (like Graffito in linen) can be found online and made into eye-popping oversized pillows. In this example, an H&M pillow cover does the trick.
Kuba cloth, mud cloth and tie-dye cottons continue to rule in interior design. Earthy, rugged and durable, these heavily textured cloths using organic vegetable dyes will see a continued rise in popularity in 2023. Their earth tones are right at home in today's warm neutral spaces.
Unapologetically subtle yet optimistic, the folkloric influence is seen in a resurgence of embroidered silk fabrics, fine detailing and ethically sourced materials. Cactus silk pillows are a perfect example of this pattern. The soft embroidery is like naive art against a muted cotton background.
Color blocking is in! Just use solid-color pillows in on-trend colors like blush and ochre. Or try jewel tones and neutral colors used together in blocked out squares in a large-scale pattern that resembles ceramic tile or a quilt. Color blocking was used quite a bit in the 1980s as a way of working stronger colors together with high impact. We see this as an emerging trend for 2023.
Lately we’ve been seeing striped furniture with a neutral-enough colorway to hold their own in a room without screaming, "Look at me, I'm a striped chair!" Stripes are so very retro in the best possible way. If the fabric is a wide-wale corduroy, then all the better.
If there’s just one fabric update you make for 2023, buy something — a pillow, a throw, a blanket — in soft rose or blush. This simple upgrade can go a long way toward making your home sing.