The Floral Revival of 2023

The Floral Revival of 2023

It would be plain wrong to say that florals are, or ever have been, out. Even in the most geometrically dogmatic days of Art Deco, florals were represented. Even under the imposing rule of brutalism, florals found their own means of expression – take La Tulipe in Geneva, for instance, which resembles a fresh, concrete bud waiting to bloom.

Then again, it would also be wrong to suggest that florals represent a universally beloved, enduring motif in interior design. Whether the fleur-de-lis or vivid and groovy 60s-style florals, what it means to feature florals uncontrovertibly ties an object to a particular point in history – and that particular point can and will age.

Under the broad umbrella of the term ‘floral’, the seasons of interior design continue to roll by. True, floral itself will never fall out of favour, but those many different florals will go through the same cycle to which any other trend is tied. And, at times, new trends will temporarily skyrocket above the constancy of florals.

So, while the term ‘floral revival’ may hint at a fall-from-grace that never actually happened, 2023 is beginning to reveal itself as a spring point for florals. Fresh interest in cultivating colour, form, and organicity in interior design is in full swing, and the results are as beautiful as you’d expect…

The New Florals

These days, interior design movements come faster and fade sooner. They have creative, easily-datable names like Coastal Chic and Granny Chic (also known as ‘Granmillennial’) – both of which emphasise the slightly chintzier, eclectic styles of homes that have never before positioned themselves at the forefront of interior design. Assimilation is key, too; these styles often integrate conflicting elements to achieve a sense of the individual – an individual who has a long history of collecting beautiful, if slightly random, pieces for their home.

Accordingly, the new headliners of 2023 combine what’s old with what’s new, nostalgia with novelty, and classic beauty with a more miscellaneous, bric-a-brac style in prints, wallpaper, and fabric.

Luxury fashion house Gucci has released its own line of kitsch-perfect wallpaper, which combines a very Victorian floral chain design with a contrasting black background for a novel twist. Pantone’s Colour of the Year is Viva Magenta, not all that dissimilar to the 2001 Colour of the Year, Fuchsia Rose. The Flower Council of Holland has named the ‘flower theme’ of 2023, ‘Collecting Memories’, and the result is reminiscent of a wild, cottage garden – a clutter of rough foliage interspersed with the likes of roses, baby’s breath and daisies. At the same time, bouquets of dried flowers and feathery pampas – oh-so-popular in the 70s – have regained popularity not just in interior design, but in the realm of bridal flowers, too.

Altogether, it paints a picture of florals as a form of nostalgia. Throughout the decades, we have been collecting stylistic florals – florals that, to modern eyes, instantly signify a particular point in time and fashion. Now, however, with the 2020s taking shape as a decade of nostalgia and romanticised melancholy, florals are the ultimate tool for such expression.

Using Florals in 2023

Florals have always been one of the most versatile tropes in interior design, and, as with any other, there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to use them. And, even when the trend calls for a more eclectic, unfiltered approach to using florals in décor, it’s always better to rise above and use them in a way that feels right and beautiful to you.

Still, it would never hurt to let 2023 be the year you shed the ‘old rules’ of mixing prints, using florals, and bringing nature into the home.

If the new florals of 2023 have captured your heart, then try to integrate them into your décor without too much tact. A spread of busy prints that break the rules of what it means to be complementary is not only in style now, but a classic for the ages thanks to its lack of connection with any particular point in history.

For instance, the ‘rules’ dictate that something like the classic femininity and vintage appeal of our Daisy Chain wallpaper should compete, rather than gel, with our Simla fabric in Brown and Pink, that’s the perfect reason to bring them together. Like a cottage garden, interior florals are at their best when they are left to grow a little wild – to come together naturally, rather than as a result of some grand and calculated design.

That’s what has proven so compelling about florals in 2023.