Design & Decorating Trends of 2023
In a recent interview with Stephanie Georgoulakis, owner and operator of Life by Design Interiors, LLC, we shared DMJ’s trade partnership with Stephanie and her journey to design in the building industry. If you haven’t read this interview, you can read the article here, “Spotlight Interview with Life by Design Interiors, LLC”. In a continuation of our spotlight interview, we asked Stephanie to discuss building industry partnerships and current market trends.
How Life by Design Came to Partner with DMJ
“I was [working on] some projects — a kitchen remodel and a master bath remodel — and we had gotten some pricing from other contractors that the clients felt were a little out of their price range. It was also during Covid, so in their defense there we were dealing with a lot of different supply chain and inflation issues and just all that stuff. But then one evening I was just scrolling on Facebook and [happened] to come across one of DMJ’s ads.” Stephanie reached out to DMJ to see if they remodeling work, and to give them details about her projects and who she was. Stephanie grinned, “We’ve been working together ever since.”
Stephanie does many things with DMJ, from helping with design work on some of DMJ’s projects to using her design expertise in facets of the process such as appliance selections, and other times it will extend to full designing, or even help with plan drawing.
“I think what’s unique about my background is that I’ve spent about 15 years in the industry and 12 of those years working for commercial firms. [Thanks to that], I have an architectural background, so I can draw architectural plans and elevations and details and things like that. I think that’s also a skill set that is helpful for [DMJ] if they don’t necessarily need to have an architect on board — if it’s just an interior finish or a few tweaks on the interior or something like that, or even a remodel that’s just only interior. I can come on board and help with that. So we’re a really good team in that way.”
Of course, if you’re a designer partnered with custom builders and contractors, you have to stay on top of the current trends. Stephanie, knowledgeable about many of these, shared quite a few of them in the interview.
Residential: Home Remodels and Custom Home Builds
Warm Neutrals and Materials
“Obviously it varies between the residential and commercial spaces. In the residential world, you’re seeing things like really warm neutrals and materials. You’re seeing blends of materials, ways to incorporate wood or textures throughout — maybe some woven wall coverings, textured fabrics, stone, marble, and other things like that in the neutral warm range.”
A Resurgence of Butler’s Pantries
“I’m also seeing a lot of butler pantries — closed off pantries that are larger than your typical pantry storage with power located in them so that your smaller appliances can go hidden away in there and you’re not displaying all these things on the counter. Your blenders, your coffee makers, mixers, things like that, they’re all tucked away, but they’re available to be used easily. One of the ways that those are executed are with a cabinet front panel. So it just looks like the cabinets continue, but it’s actually a door into a butler pantry.”
Minimal Aesthetic
On top of warm neutrals and butler pantries, Stephanie said minimalism is trending just now. “A lot more of a minimal aesthetic, not a ton of stuff everywhere, everything has its place. That allows you to actually highlight the material and the design and things like that.
Drawers in Base Cabinets
Another interesting trend and desire in homeowners is drawers in their kitchens. “Everyone wants drawers in their base cabinets instead of doors now.” Stephanie laughed. “There’s drawers everywhere, but they’re more functional for most people.”
Shower Rooms
Shower rooms inside master bathrooms was another recurring trend Stephanie mentioned. “A freestanding tub inside of the same compartment where the shower is located, with that as the feature element in the master bath. That [in turn] makes the master bath larger, so you need more space for those things, which is always interesting to incorporate.”
Commercial: Sustainability, Flexibility, Outdoor Elements
As for the commercial world, there were three prevalent trends Stephanie saw on that side of things: sustainability, flexibility, and bringing the outdoors into the workplace.
Environmentally Conscious
“There’s a lot of focus on sustainability and just being environmentally conscious, mainly because of Covid,” she remarked. “That had been going on for several years, but [Covid really brought it to the forefront].”
Workplace Flexibility
Before Covid, workplace flexibility was another thing that was “just a want. Back then we were just presenting some cool ideas for how companies could provide some flexible space for all the different ways people work. The marketing team might work differently from the sales team or the HR team, but back then it was really kind of a want and now it’s more of a requirement.”
Biophilia
The final commercial trend involves incorporating outdoor elements into the workplace. Called “biophilia,” Stephanie described it as “basically bringing those natural, outdoor elements inside — green walls, more natural materials like wood, things that warm up the space. You’re seeing a lot of that happen in interior commercial spaces.”
Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed getting a little look at Life by Design’s insight on both industry partnerships and current market trends. For more information on design trends or designing in general, check out Stephanie’s social media and Life by Design website. We are blessed to partner with talented designers like Stephanie and we enjoy teaming up with them on our projects. If you have a home remodel or custom home build on your wishlist, contact us through our website or call us directly. We’re ready to make your forever home a reality.