19 Defining Decor Moments of 2022—And Which Ones Are Here to Stay

By Hannah Martin

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There were many memorable decor moments of 2022—some fresh and innovative, others that perhaps could do better staying in 2022. In AD PRO's bimonthly Having a Moment column, AD senior design editor Hannah Martin reports as a weathervane for fads big and small, documenting the patterns she's clocked in the pages of AD and beyond. Here are her year-end takeaways.

This year, there have been a few through-lines among the trends: People are pining for nature. Foliage-forward designs by the likes of William Morris, Tiffany Studio, and Josef Frank have had moments in the spotlight. As production times and supply chain issues continue, designers are leaning into ready-made industrial staples like track lighting and stainless steel kitchens, taking aesthetics in the direction of ’90s loft style.

Some of your favorite stories had to do with the materials of the moment, namely iridescent Moroccan Zellige tile applied in monochromatic swaths and sandy-hued travertine. But the biggest winner in 2022 was a bit of a wild card for us: statement range hoods. These amped-up versions of the everyday workhorse kitchen feature have seriously sustained reader interest. Here, a look back at the top decor moments of 2022, plus our predictions for which we think are here to stay in the year ahead.

Interior designer Jessica Ayromloo used cork, mixed in with patterned cement tiles, on the floors in a colorful Mexico City apartment.

Cork was the material of the moment this fall—and for good reason. Made from the outer bark of the cork oak tree, it's eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, moisture- and fire-resistant, and sound- and heat-insulating. This fall in New York, the French designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance and Washington-based studio Grain unveiled their experiments with the material at Demisch Danant and Colony galleries, respectively, and London-based designer Matilda Goad used it to make lamps and urns with a classical twist. Interior designers embraced the sustainable material as well, using it liberally on floors and walls. Jessica Ayromloo mixed cork in with patterned cement tiles on the floors in a colorful Mexico City apartment, and the guest bathroom in influencer Emma Chamberlin's LA home is clad in cork tiles.

Our 2023 prediction: We see people leaning even further into cork in the coming year, as sustainable materials become an even bigger priority for both clients and designers. This one has too many benefits to go out of style, and we can't wait to see what designers will do with it next.

A mountain compound in Washington State by Olson Kundig Architects features track lighting throughout.

In stories about houses, track lighting is typically part of the before scenario—a dated feature to be stripped away for something warmer or more sophisticated. But this year, design pros such as Ash's Will Cooper and Hem's Petrus Palmér revisited these workhorse fixtures, which offer flexible and directional light from their ceiling-mounted track.

Our 2023 prediction: As supply chain issues and shipping delays continue to slow things for design professionals, we think off-the-shelf industrial staples like track lighting—and fellow list-maker stainless steel kitchens—that reflect the high-tech vibe of the ’70s and ’80s are here to stay.

In Plum Sykes home in the English countryside, Morris & Co.'s Willow Boughs Green wallpaper adorns the drawing room.

This year the nature-inspired motifs, which designer, artist, and thinker William Morris conceptualized in the latter half of the 19th century, had a serious come back. Morris & Co.'s whimsical patterns depicting a vine weaving through a trellis, a gang of mischievous thrushes stealing strawberries, or a scrolling Acanthus appeared in the homes of tastemakers like Emily Ward, Plum Sykes, and Rose Uniacke; proliferated in movies and television shows; and even appeared on plates and napkins at Williams Sonoma.

Our 2023 prediction: Looking back, there was a clear lean into the natural motifs of yore—William Morris, Josef Frank, even Tiffany lamps—this year. We see this trend only growing stronger in 2023, as people continue to rethink their relationship with the outdoors.

An antique mirrored wall brightens the dining room in Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent's New York City family home.

Want to make a room feel more open and light-filled without removing a single wall? Just add mirrors. This year, the mirror grid was the design move du jour—often antiqued, rather than super polished and reflective, and covering a large swath of one wall. It opens a room, and it still achieves a certain decorative neutrality. You might take examples from Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent's New York City pad or Sienna Miller's English cottage.

Our 2023 prediction: This one is feeling a little dusty. We see designers trading in antiqued mirrors for a full on reflection in 2023—polished mirror, mirrored chrome, you get the picture.

A pair of reclaimed mother-of-pearl-inlaid doors from India are hung as saloon doors in Justina Blakeney's LA home to create some privacy for the loo.

The short and double doors—call them café doors if you prefer—swung into fashion this year, making star appearances in Justina Blakeney's LA home, Miller's beloved English cottage, and Green River Project's buzzy River Bar (in New York's Chinatown). There, a twiggy set carved from sarsaparilla, a climbing vine, is installed at the entrance. The kitschy portal proves actually quite practical for restaurants and bars, or even in residential spaces to lend a touch of privacy to the toilet.

Our 2023 prediction: Okay, every year has a few campy moments. Were saloon doors really a thing? Maybe not entirely, but we’re still here for the few people pulling it off. 2023 is sure to have its own unique twists on kitsch for us to write home about. Bead curtains? Lava lamps? Let's see.

At Miller's English cottage, a gravel driveway and parking area were scrapped to make way for a poetic wildflower meadow with a simple track running at the perimeter for cars.

Miller's totally charming 16th-century English country house ignited a handful of design trends this past year. One of them is the vogue for wild and seemingly unkempt landscapes, a.k.a. meadow gardens, where minimal intervention and an emphasis on native species allow pollinators and biodiversity to flourish. Is there anything dreamier than a meadow of tall grasses and wildflowers? We think not.

Our 2023 prediction: This good-for-the-earth planting style is here to stay. As garden trends move towards what is most sustainable, meadow gardens are still relevant, and we expect to see more of them in the coming year.

Designer Nicole Hollis's San Francisco house features a black-and-brass washstand sink.

This year, design folks pivoted from the theatricality of the chunky and funky statement sink to the simple console sink—a less-is-more and basic washstand in which a basin and simple stone slab rests on tubular metal legs, exposing the plumbing. Designers like Oliver Freundlich and Jessica Davis have used it in projects, praising its clean lines, simplicity (particularly for smaller bathrooms), and vintage flair.

Our 2023 prediction: More head-turning sink trends may emerge in 2023, but we think there's always a place for the console sink, a sturdy workhorse design that steers clear of drama.

A Tiffany lamp from his mother's collection in Remy Renzullo's New York bedroom.

When Christie's auctioned off 44 Tiffany masterworks in June earning a whopping $6,662,124, it reignited our interest in the stained glass lamps that became something of a poster child of the turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau movement. Designers like Remy Renzullo, Stephen Shadley, and Giancarlo Valle have all pledged allegiance, placing the eye-popping wonders in projects—or imagining how to use the lamps once they get their hands on the perfect specimen.

Our 2023 prediction: We think this trend is still coming into its own. Let's give the Tiffany lamp a little more time in the limelight as an appreciation of this more decorative corner of history gets explored and re-contextualized. We’re seeing a Tiffany lamp—or firescreen—really shimmering in super modern and even minimalist interiors.

A spiral stair leads to a petite home office in the Vincent Van Duysen–designed LA home of fashion designer Jenni Kayne.

Over the past few years, the plaster (or plaster-esque) staircase has become a sort of status symbol among the well-heeled homeowner. You might remember Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's iteration, conjured by AD100 hall-of-famer Axel Vervoordt, which graced our March 2020 cover. Vincent van Duysen has created several, as have other AD100 talents like Jake Arnold, Valle, and Beata Heuman.

Our 2023 prediction: We’re just going to say it: The plaster staircase is getting a little gimmicky. We understand the sculptural appeal, but like anything eye-catching, it gets old after a while. Let's try something new next year.

Versace Home's presentation at Milan Design Week

This year, starting in Milan during Salone del Mobile, we were seeing red. A juicy tomato-y hue was everywhere at Milan Design Week—Lara Bohinc's new Peaches collection, Luca Nichetto's collection with La Manufacture at the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, and Versace Home's dramatic presentation are some of the examples. Designers like Ashley Hicks and Massimiliano Locatelli have embraced the saucy hue in their projects. The latter wrapped his bed, linoleum floors, sofa, and even the awnings on the outdoor terrace in the color—picture the produce market staple and dial the color up a notch.

Our 2023 prediction: This was one of the most controversial trends of the year. Is red really so shocking? Come on, you have more guts than that. 2022 was its year but we see the bold hue—perhaps joined by other fruity shades like fuscia pink or purple—carrying through to 2023.

In artist Cindy Sherman's New York penthouse, AD100 designer Billy Cotton used stainless steel all around, even for the light fixtures.

After the endless reign of the white cooking quarters (it will never really end), the stainless steel kitchen—once considered sterile or cold—made an unexpected comeback this year. As a vogue for industrial-tinged ’90s minimalism reemerged, designers revisited the utilitarian material, deploying it on counters, backsplashes, and even light fixtures to create sleek spaces that feel modern but never chilly. See: Billy Cotton's all-over riff for artist Cindy Sherman in New York or the prewar stainless steel cabinets Neal Beckstedt restored in a kitchen on New York's Upper West Side.

Our 2023 prediction: Our prescription for stainless steel kitchens is related to the verdict for track lighting. We see these industrial and workhorse materials (many of which can be simply sourced at hardware or restaurant supply stores) becoming stylish staples of the home.

A mirrored Milo Baughman games table fits perfectly in Instagram founder Kevin Systrom's Lake Tahoe retreat designed by Ken Fulk.

After two years of staying home, 2022 saw the return of the games table, a chic furnishing of yore that gets people off their phones and screens and engaged with one another. AD100 designers including Robert Highsmith of Workstead, Ken Fulk, and Frank de Biasi have used them in projects to brilliant effect.

Our 2023 prediction: Maybe it's the upcoming holidays talking, but we can't really see games tables going out of style anytime soon. What better way to reconnect with family and friends? In fact, we love the rediscovery of these old-school furnishing staples. What's next, the telephone table? We’d love to see it.

Paris-based designer Diego Delgado-Elias created a travertine kitchen island and matching light fixture in a French farmhouse in Provence.

From Louis Kahn's 1960s Salk Institute to Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion, the sandy-hued and porous variety of limestone—often found around mineral springs—has had a star-studded history. This year, it reemerged as a quiet star in the decorating landscape. We got some glimpses of it on a kitchen island in a French farmhouse by Paris-based designer Diego Delgado-Elias and as a monumental dining table in cover star Macey Musgraves's blush-and-sand–hued Nashville haven.

Our 2023 prediction: Travertine is officially played out. We’re ready to see this sandy stone exchanged for something a little less beige—bold colored marble perhaps? That's our prediction.

A bedroom at Charleston farmhouse. Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant's home in Sussex served as a sort of clubhouse to the Bloomsbury Group.

The delightfully cluttered interiors of the Bloomsbury group, characterized by wild mashups of color and pattern, spirited ceramics, and decorative painting on almost every surface—lampshades, fireplaces, doors, and even bathtubs—had a moment in the spotlight this year when Fendi released its Rizzoli book titled The Fendi Set: From Bloomsbury to Borghese. Interior designers like Jermaine Gallacher and product designers such as Flora Soames have tapped into these artsy turn-of-the-century interiors for inspiration.

Our 2023 prediction: We’ll always love the Bloomsbury vibe at AD, but the Bloomsbury-as-inspiration narrative, particularly among the British, is feeling a little worn out. Let's look somewhere else for creative fodder in 2023, shall we?

Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's Plain English kitchen features nods to the Shaker style that takes center stage at their new West Village restaurant, The Commerce Inn.

Taking cues from Commerce Inn, the hot new West Village restaurant from chef-couple Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, the simple but beautiful style of the Shakers—a radical utopian Christian sect that settled in New England in the 18th century—had a major moment this year. Intentional Shaker communities prioritized gender and racial equality, environmental stewardship, and the making of near-perfect buildings, furnishings, and objects as a spiritual practice. And now, some of their hallmarks—like peg rail, traditional joinery, and ladder back chairs that are equal parts beautiful and useful—have become desirable design essentials.

Our 2023 prediction: Does something as elemental and simple as Shaker style ever really go out of style? We don't think so. It might not be having a moment next year, but the Shaker's simple and well-designed staples will continue to serve into 2023 and beyond.

Kate Rheinstein Brodsky's Hamptons getaway features painted floors galore. In the sunroom, decorative painter Chris Pearson created a checkerboard floor with Benjamin Moore's Onyx White and C2 Paint's Bombay.

This year, designers amped up spaces with a simple but impactful decorating move: painting the floors. Kate Rheinstein Brodsky's colorful Hamptons home featured checkerboard in the sunroom and speckled cherry red in the kitchen. In a London flat for two 20-somethings, Beata Heuman brightened things up by coating dark wood floors in an electrifying raspberry.

Our 2023 prediction: We don't feel like this one has totally played out yet, but we’re a little exhausted by the super-bold checkerboards (let's leave carnivalcore in 2022). For 2023 we’re seeing painted floors that lean into a single hue, like that raspberry Heuman used or even white epoxy, which Ash's Will Cooper has used to inject several projects with a cool and loft-like feeling.

Petrus Palmér, founder of the Scandinavian design brand Hem, commissioned artist Jon Buck to create a sculptural and cloud-like riff on the vent hood.

The latest kitchen essential to get a stylish twist is one that rarely gets much airtime: the range hood. Usually clad in stainless steel or some other designed-to-disappear material, this hardworking appliance keeps steam, smoke, and cooking exhaust from sticking around the house. But lately, designers are embracing the hood as a canvas for color or a venue for something more sculptural. Hem founder Petrus Palmér commissioned his cloud-like hood from contemporary artist Jon Buck, and Heuman recently crafted one out of copper.

Our 2023 prediction: We’re all for putting a fun and creative twist on a ho-hum kitchen staple. We’re hoping the statement range hood is here to stay. Why not?

Danish starchitect Bjarke Ingels applies the wood-burning stove trend to his houseboat in Copenhagen's harbor, where the living room features a floating fireplace by Focus.

This past year we saw the rise of a cozy-weather design staple: the wood-burning stove. More of a freestanding fireplace than the typical attached-to-the-wall situation, the old school way to warm up the house promises less harmful emissions than a standard fireplace. Plus, it's easier to install. Designers are loving them for rustic country houses, but we saw them appear everywhere from a Berkshires, Massachusetts, farmhouse to Bjarke Ingels's Copenhagen house boat.

Our 2023 prediction: Chalk it up to the below-freezing temps or the rainy day blues, but as we hunker down for winter, we’re not seeing this wood burning stove trend going anywhere. So keep that fire wood chopped and ready.

AD100 interior designer Giancarlo Valle used a creamy swath of Zellige tile on the hearth in this colorful Manhattan town house.

For centuries, hand-cut mosaic tiles called Zellige (also Zelige or Zellig), made from a particular clay mixture found in Morocco, have covered walls, fountains, pools, floors, and more across the western Islamic world. And recently the age-old decoration—likely a spin-off from Byzantine mosaics—is having a resurgence across the globe. In its latest incarnation, the Zellige tile trend is veering away from the traditional mosaic and into monochromatic territory as designers like Nicole Hollis, Valle, and Ash apply shimmering surfaces of a single glazed hue to surfaces in kitchens, bathrooms, and more.

Our 2023 prediction: We love the textural sheen of Zellige tile, but this look has officially hit the saturation point for us. For tile lovers looking to turn the page, we’re seeing a move towards dazzling mosaics, like Martin Brudnizki's over-the-top nightclub at Costa Palmas, Mexico, or hand painted Portuguese tiles like those used in this Connecticut home by Virginia Tupker.