Shades of Light
Light wood finishes are trending all over the place and look exceptional when teamed up with darker colors like black and navy.
1. Lighter, Brighter Wood Finishes. Wood flooring with character-rich, lighter stains shows no sign of waning in popularity, says Margaret Donaldson, founder of Margaret Donaldson Interiors. “Homeowners are primarily using white oak, but walnut is starting to surface more, especially with lighter finishes,” she says.
You might pair Cordovan Brown with Blank Canvas—a soft, warm white—which Behr chose as its 2023 Color of the Year for interiors. The paint firm PPG also chose a deep brown stain as its 2023 Stain Color of the Year: Chestnut Brown. The rich brown tones may be part of the resurgence of 1970s design styles.
Lacquer is a modern wood finish that is commonly used on high end furniture, but not usually on flooring. It is fast drying, impervious to water, and maintains its transparency as it ages. Lacquer finishes are popular because they don't yellow with age, protect well against liquids, and require very little maintenance.
Warm woods
Paired with earthy, grounding natural tones, warm-hued woods will continue to be in demand. Gone are the cooler beiges and greys that have dominated design in the last few years, as we see a return to cosy spaces and a need for designs to be as comforting and comfortable as possible.
If you're looking for a wood finish that will really show off the natural beauty of your wood furniture, cedar oil is a great option. It penetrates deep into the wood, bringing out the grain and giving the wood a warm, rich glow. In addition, cedar oil provides excellent protection against water and UV damage.
Digital Lavender, Luscious Red, Sundial, Tranquil Blue and Verdigris are the color names for 2023. Who chooses the names of the new colors? Names are selected by the WGSN and Coloro color team, before being verified by our in-house Equality Vision Team to ensure a proper translation on a global scale.
Forest green is the lucky color for 2023, a color that can represent both – earth and water. But as we discovered, everything is based on the balance in Feng Shui, which is why other colors can help complement the lucky color of 2023.
The Color of the Year for 2023 is Viva Magenta, which the company describes as powerful and empowering.
Darker Wood Tones
This may be a surprise to many, but we are expecting more dark wood tones to pop up in homes in 2023! Last year we saw a lot of DIY bleached furniture and light wood floors. This year, as dark and moody interiors are rising in popularity, we believe darker wood tones will also become more admired.
Classic medium-toned browns such as cherrywood, mahogany, oak, maple, walnut, birch wood, and hickory are all timeless colors that never go out of style.
Blue comes into color trends every year, just taking a slightly different form. It's such a grounding, a familiar color that there's so surprise we are drawn to it year after year, and this year it's deep blues that are looking to be the most on-trend.
When it comes to deciding on wood colors for furniture, the most timeless color is Classic Walnut. With its rich, medium-brown tones, it goes with just about any color scheme, and can seamlessly cross over from a traditional to contemporary design style (and vice versa).
Here, designers, decorators, and color experts reveal why beige is replacing gray for 2023, and how to decorate with beige for a beautiful scheme every time.
The verdict is in: Paint color experts have revealed the color trends we can expect to see less of this year, and what hues will take their place as 2023 progresses. The latest color trends predict that muted, gray, and pastel tones are dropping off in favor of brighter shades.
Rounding out a year of blush-tone selections, Pantone selected Viva Magenta 18-1750, a bold pinkish red, as its 2023 color of the year, calling it "an unconventional shade for an unconventional time." But this isn't your Barbie pink. Viva Magenta is a saturated shade that's not for the color-shy.
Colour of the Year 2024: Apricot Crush - 02465-27
Moving it into Colour of the Year 2024 signifies the importance of orange as a versatile, transseasonal shade.
Color of the Year 2024: Apricot Crush Color Palettes and Inspiration. Welcome to the world of Apricot Crush! The official color of the year 2024 was announced by the experts at WGSN and Coloro back in September.
Behr's announcement of their 2023 color of the year, Blank Canvas, is further evidence that stark whites and greys will take a back seat to warmer whites and beiges in 2023. Regarding this warm neutral, Danielle McKim of Tuft Interiors tells us: “Creatives love a great canvas to work from.
Satin or semi-gloss paints are ideal for most furniture pieces. No matter whether you're choosing an interior or exterior paint, you'll see a range of sheens: flat (matte), eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high-gloss, in order of lowest to highest luster.
Polyurethane wood finishes are synthetic coatings that are highly durable and water resistant, making them the best clear coat for wood protection.