our founder’s PREDICTIONs: 2023 TRENDS

HAPPY NEW YEAR

♥

HAPPY NEW YEAR ♥

Happy New Year! Wishing you all a joyous, prosperous, and healthy 2023.

I am so excited for this year, particularly design choices. Read on for what I think we’ll see in 2023 and what I’m hoping we move away from:

natalia’s 5 trend predictions

More Color

I think neutrals will forever and always remain a staple in homes. We played a lot with neutral textures in 2022, but we lost a lost of color. I think more statements of color will emerge this year, and continue through 2024. Get ready to see more yellows, blues, pinks, and greens in accent chairs, pillows, wallpaper, art and rugs!

Dark Kitchen Cabinets

I still find white kitchen cabinets beautiful … but nothing beats the beauty and warmth of wood. I’m positive (I’ve already influenced 4 upcoming kitchen remodels) this will be a heavy trend this year and stick around for the next couple. Don’t worry, we won’t be replicating your grandma’s orange cabinets!

Carpet’s Catching Up

Dare I say this dreaded word? Wood + rugs are an undefeated combo, but sometimes it’s just not practical. Areas with concrete subfloors, kids playrooms, staircases, basements, etc. will all get updates adding beautiful layered tones, textures and patterns of carpet.

Formal Dining Rooms

For the past handful of years, we haven’t seen many new construction homes with formal dining rooms. I don’t think these rooms were missed either, especially with all being in lockdown, no need to host! But I think with the world opening back up, there is going to be a shift from meeting up for drinks, to coming over for dinner. I’m confident homeowners and homebuyers are going to yearn for a formal gathering space.

Gardens

We saw a lot of home gardens and harvests since COVID. With our US economy forecasted to head into a recession, sustainability is going to be key! Most notably, I’m predicting a huge uptick in urban vertical gardens.

What I want us to forget …

1. Open concept floor plans.

2. Concrete modern homes.

3. White on white on white. No more all white kitchens.

4. Grey flooring … why was this ever a good idea?

5. Basic art.

2022 Black Friday Steals

Black Friday no longer means camping outside of Best Buy for 48 hours to get the best deal the day after Thanksgiving. It’s now a week-long sale that you can do from the convenience of your home (thanks internet).

The downside of internet browsing? It’s overwhelming and tiring to flip through so many pages of inventory. Read on for my favorite finds by store!

Click on any image to view product details!

ANTHROPOLOGIE

CB2

The container store

etsy

house of noa

MARK & GRAHAM

ruggable

West Elm

williams sonoma

a fabulous friendsgiving

Something you may not know is my love to host! Planning the tablescape, the guest list, the food, drink specials, music playlist, decor … all of it … it brings me so much joy. Every year, I host a Friendsgiving for about 45 guests and practice makes closer to perfect. Breaking down the best recipe and an approachable way to host a fabulous Friendsgiving!

Step 1 - be realistic with your space

There’s no reason to invite 10 friends, if you can only find sitting space for 5. You’re setting yourself up to be stressed and overwhelmed the entire prep phase and during the event, and that totally defeats the purpose! Your energy will set the tone for the party, so make sure you are relaxed and feeling good. When figuring out how much sitting space you can make (yes - it’s totally OK to push the couch over a little), make sure you have also accounted for a bar space and kitchen space to prep.

Step 2 - Your guest list

Now that you’ve identified how many you can seat, back into your guest list! If you’re on the fence about someone or need to cut to make a certain number, the best advice I can give you is to make sure you guests have some commonality to keep the vibe light and fun. If you have Jane, John, Jack and Jill who all know each other and you have space for one more, you may not want to invite Larry who’s never met anyone before. Also, no shame in an “A” list and then “B” list if someone can’t make it.

Once you’ve finalized your guest list, the next item to think through is a seating chart. Now this totallllllly depends on you and your guests. If you know there are some individuals who don’t get along that well, perhaps a seating chart would be best to make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible and to strategically avoid any confrontation.

Step 3 - invitations

I am a sucker for sending out invitations via snail mail. I look forward to the texts from my friends that say “So much better opening this than another utility bill!”. It’s a light-hearted break, and it sends some excitement leading up to the event. For the past several years, and for all events I host, I have been using Minted, but I found Simply to Impress and the price just couldn’t be beaten! The price included a matte or satin finish on the customized invites (I chose satin) & envelopes.

My favorite part of sending invitations is the tone that it sets! Last year, I did a potluck & housewarming together (we had moved!) and the invites read fun, dinner, comfy, and food-focused. This year, the focus is definitely light, bubbly, and more focused on the fun. Get these out the door 3-4 weeks before your date!

Step 4 - the menu

Helllllloooooooo. Probably the most important part of the prep & evening! Here’s my rule of thumb: If your guests can all fit at a single table, cook yourself. If your guests cannot sit at a single table, cater. I promise, it comes to about the same price and a lot of patience and stress has been avoided.

I created this little cheat sheet to help with food portions and drinks. Let the record reflect, my friends drink a lot. So feel free to discretionarily pull back a little.

Step 5 - DECOR

OK - I will stand by this forever and always. LESS IS MORE. Pause, go back, and re-read that. You are hosting a dinner party at your home, there is absolutely no need to overwhelm and clutter your space with decorations. Keep it tasteful, on theme, and simple! I continue to reuse these faux eucalyptus runners, tea lights, & votive holders.

For tablescape, tablecloths and chairs are non-negotiable. I’m not sure it fully counts, but the other ‘decor’ item I think through is disposable plates and silverware. One less thing for me to have to clean up and worry about! These, these and these have been my continual re-buy (I use them for Easter & Friendsgiving each year).

Step 6 - Something “Fun”

OK this is my favorite part of it all. Last year we had an old school boom box with a microphone and towards the end of the night, people just took liberties … totally instigated. This year, I wanted to do a fun ‘thing’ and make it a keepsake. A lot of my friends have moved into new homes and condos, and I wanted to do something fun to kick off the night (especially for my girl friends who actually care about these things hah!). So I took a trip to Michaels and bought a bunch of vases and pick stems. After everyone arrived, I brought it all out together and us gals did DIY floral arrangements they were able to take home. It was so fun and so cute. And then of course, the old school boom box and karaoke was resurrected.

Enjoy!!