Right now, as we’re looking back on 2023, highs, lows, and milestones, it’s also time to start looking at 2024. There’s so much I’m excited for, from completing existing client projects, serendipitous meetings with new clients, and finally completing my Coach House.

Every day in the design world is a rush, making the world more beautiful one room at a time. . .but right now, I’m really excited about all the big new things happening in design for 2024.

Let’s take a look together, shall we?

Inspo # 1 — Back to Color

Currently, gray tones are fading out of the design world. It’s minimalism that’s designed to look professional and symmetrical. There’s lots of one tone neutral colors for paint and furniture that give everywhere a bit of an office boardroom look.

Is that what you want your house to look like?

In 2024, I see us moving towards a wider color palette that doesn’t sacrifice taste. Think greater color contrasts and less neutral tones.

Inspo # 2 — Wallpaper To Add Texture, Color, and Depth to Walls

Let’s take #1 a step further, shall we?

Right now, the incredible variety of wallpaper options is mind-boggling and a true advantage for the creative designer. Today, if you imagine it, that design can be a wallpaper. There’s so many unique designs to choose from.

It’s not often people would call the bathroom a house highlight, but one of my client’s bathroom with nacy peacock wallpaper makes it a must-see in the house (for more than one reason, I suppose).

Additionally, a renaissance of faux-painting techniques will ensure that, optically, homes will appear to have a vast and unique number of material finishes—“real” or not.

In 2024, we’ll continue using the incredible variety of wallpaper available to put our dreams on the walls.

Inspo # 3 — Mixing Patterns on Fabrics and Walls

Don’t try this at home—or actually, with the right knowledge, please do.

Building off our first two “New Things” for 2024, we’re definitely moving towards less mono-everything and towards a greater mixture of styles and patterns. For example, it will be less surprising to see stripes, floral, and geometric patterns mixed together. Mixing is what makes a space truly unique.

However, don’t forget, this is when having an interior designer can help. The easiest way to ruin a room is to clash styles that don’t belong together. But hey, that still beats a lot of monochrome styles, so maybe make your walls a lab experiment for your imagination. . .

Inspo #4 — Vintage Furniture & Art Lead the Way

At Urban Lark, we love rooms that tell stories. But before we complete that puzzle, we need the right pieces. Finding high-quality, historical vintage furniture is a special inheritance where you tell the next chapter of a piece’s history.

It also becomes part of yours.

Though there are many talented furniture makers today that I cherish, I applaud many people using vintage furniture in 2024. It’s good for the environment and it looks amazing. These pieces are also one-of-a-kind so they become treasures. Instead of making your space a living Target or Walmart commercial—ditch the big box to represent you.

Close your eyes and imagine walking through your room, able to tell the history of each piece.

That’s special.

And I bet that room looks amazing, too.

Inspo #5 — Fuse Vintage Into Modern

Our Urban Lark tagline is “fusing vintage into modern”. In 2024, I see the appreciation for this style philosophy continuing to bloom as we achieve greater harmony between modern and vintage items.

Think about it.

If you can walk from one room with Neoclassical marble busts and trinkets to another with modern Mark Rothko-type art on the walls, you get to experience that much more in your space. Additionally, emphasizing handcrafted items adds uniqueness. Today, finding handcrafted items is easier than ever thanks to platforms like Etsy. You can find incredible work from artisans that form a lifetime treasure.

With wallets no longer forced to only buy “Made in China”, 2024 will continue to bring more handcrafted objects into homes. There’ll be more vintage and modern art hanging harmoniously, also.

Inspo #6 — Return to the Country French style of the 80s!

Organic is one of most beautiful words I can think of in the entire Dictionary of Design.

Some of you will remember the 80s with the Country French style appearing everywhere. In 2024, this is going to continue its resurgence. If “Cottagecore” is the egg of organic design, then Country French is the full-flying bird.

With weathered finishes, antique furniture, and some good warm neutral colors on the walls, the Country French style breathes home in a way few design styles can match. Welcome back.

Inspo # 7 — The Exit of Farmhouse Style

On the other hand, Farmhouse Style, exit stage left please.

A lot of home design in the 2010s is defined by the whites and blacks that mark Farmhouse Style. Look at the many black framed windows on your next walk around the block. See plenty of barn doors for entryways and garages, also? That’s Farmhouse Style, too.

Though this style has its real charms, the dial is turning more towards Country French and Old British styles (Mark D. Sikes is an excellent example) and more color variety. Maybe there will be some new neighborhood scenery during your 2024 walks. . .

Inspo #8 — Use of Natural Wood in Kitchens and Furniture

Right now, chances are in 2023, when you’ve seen a friend’s house (or yours), there’s a lot of painted furniture. Rather than emphasizing wood grains and natural stains, it’s been trendy to paint over whites, blacks, blues, and greens.

This plays into the trend of using old, lower quality furniture or damaged pieces to give it new life, and it has dominated home interiors lately. However, in 2024, it’s better to turn off that filter and embrace the natural! By showcasing the natural wood colors, you bring more nature into your home and it adds organic beauty.

Seeing the true quality of the world is like seeing the true quality of another person—their truest, best self.

There you have it! As we close 2023, I hope you’re excited for all the new promises 2024 offers in design and otherwise!

My Favorite Things Currently Happening In Interior Design — 2024 Edition