Sheffield School of Interior Design Distance Education

Special Report: Design Trends for 2003

As you’re recovering from your holiday hangover this January, you may be looking around your digs thinking, “What animal lives here, anyway?” Well, you do. You and all the stuff you’ve been accumulating since you got your first apartment — from that neon-green sofa your sister gave you when she moved to that chartreuse lamp with the little beaded fringe you thought was so cute in the store 15 years ago.

Taking a hard look at your décor doesn’t mean you have to have a giant furniture sell-off and start from scratch, but January does provide a time-honored excuse for starting anew. And here at Designer Monthly, we’ve gone to the source to bring you the latest in design trends for the coming year. We’ve asked some of New York’s top design firms to give us their decorating forecast for 2003, and they’ve come up with some answers that are sure to revitalize your home – or the homes of your clients.

Just as styles of clothing change, so too do styles of interior design. You’ve changed your Dorothy Hamill hairstyle to a shag cut and, we hope, changed it again after that; you’ve gone through your corduroy jumper phase, your leather miniskirt phase, and your faux fur-everything phase. If you can’t remember who was President the last time you made a major change in your décor, it may be time to re-examine your home’s look as well.

We weren’t surprised here at Designer Monthly to hear a decidedly similar note in the responses of the decorators we surveyed: after all, that’s what trends are all about. What was surprising —and pleasantly so — was that this year, it seems as if simplicity is the watchword, and a look of simplicity can be less costly to create in your home than the overly-brocaded silks and satins and heavy mahogany furniture that can cost a fortune.

“I feel that the most exciting trend in interior design is the movement back to basics, back to simpler and more natural interiors,” Sheila Bridges, of Sheila Bridges Design, told us.

Katie Ridder of Katie Ridder Inc. also sees clients backing off from opulent looks, and spending less money in the process, something we’ll all be happy to hear as we continue to sally forth into the uncertain times ahead.

“I think we'll see less over-the-top decorating, better ideas instead of spending a lot,” she said.

For many people, this will mean using their creativity, and may even encourage people to take a lighter touch and play more with fabric, color, light and texture.

“One good idea is the use of stencil, because it's custom and can really have a big impact but it’s relatively inexpensive,” Ridder said.

Robert Couturier of Robert Couturier Inc., whose career and work were featured in a recent issue of Vanity Fair, agrees.

“I think the trends are: greater simplicity, effortless elegance, great comfort, all in muted colors and soft materials; the shapes are sinuous and feminine,” he said.

There’s also a call more light in the home. As Katie Ridder says, “I would love to see the use of mirrors more, for example in paneling or painted mirror ceilings, like Tony Duquette has done.”

“Comfort” seems to be another keyword along with “simplicity.” Maybe it’s the shaky political climate in the world this winter, or maybe it’s just the predictable cycle of changing styles. Whatever the cause, it’s certain that more people will be making a conscious effort to make their homes their sanctuaries in the coming year.

Sheila Bridges sees this trend as reflecting a change in the thinking of our culture.

“In our society we seem to be plagued with this inquietude that has made us all more interested in transforming our homes into personal refuges rather than show places. We are becoming less materialistic, placing more emphasis on quality rather than on quantity. It truly is a wonderful time, as ‘comfort interiors’ like ‘comfort foods’ make a come back,” she noted.

One way to create this more natural look is by going to the outdoors.

“Designers are bringing the outdoors indoors, rather than creating flashy and over-the-top interiors, and colors, textures and even furniture profiles are becoming softer with more muted colors,” Bridges said.

For Couturier, the result will mean more of a clean sense of design in a home.

“The most interesting trend is the greater sense of design as well as a certain sense of purity and honesty, no faux this or faux that, no heavy patterns and dark colors hiding bad shapes or hideous furniture, just clarity and clean lines,” he said.

Of course, this doesn’t mean relinquishing sensual fabrics and rich colors.

“I think luxe fabric will always be big but in smaller spots, like pillows in silk velvet instead of the whole sofa,” Katie Ridder said. “I think color will be important. It makes people happy. I really think we'll see more of it.”

So here’s our forecast for 2003: softer colors, cleaner lines, less clutter, and freedom from the cloying cloak of heavy dark décor. What could be more refreshing for the new year?

–Sarah Van Arsdale

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