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Interior fixtures that made 2023

Porcelain tiles have become an important part of interior design this years as people have used them for decorative walls in living rooms and kitchens. Photo/Promise Twinamukye.

What you need to know:

There have been trends in the interior design world that have shaped the property industry in 2023 and we will attempt to look at some of the more pronounced ones.

Every year comes with a different trend that sticks because a big number of people jumped on it for one reason or another. In the construction world, especially the interior design world, there have been many highlights from the beginning of the year to date. Experts say some of the trends in this year, 2023 are predicted to go into the next year as well, and probably a few more years to come.
There have been trends in the interior design world that have shaped the property industry in 2023 and we will attmpt to look at some of the more pronounced ones.

Natural light
According to Hajara Nambalirwa, an interior designer at Interior Spacez Construction and Carpentry Company in Kitintale, people have not only embraced the use of natural light but also the design solution that compliment it like the picture windows, grey colors, and mirrors among others.
Interior designers are creating opportunities for natural light to beautify the interior through the use of large floor-to--ceiling glass windows and large sliding doors. This way, energy is saved because there is no need for artificial lighting at all during the day.
This, in the night, has been complimented by spotlights, which move well with the new style of ceilings, accent lights, wall lights, and strip lights among others, providing lights in all the right places according to Ricky Sommervell, an architect at Dot4studios.

Colour combination
Most interior designers concentrated on emotions and moods. We have seen many greys and whites combination and added more boldness to the space. Assuming the world of colours and meanings to transform spaces into extraordinary spaces and experiences. Grey complimented with white have been the most used colors this year. A few years ago we had much of soft white but clients are now getting more exposed to other colors. Even in the coming year, we will be able to see more greys and neutral colors in the interior spaces.

Gypsum ceilings have made recessed ceiling lights more common. 

According to Furniturelightingdecor, these days, homeowners seem more adventurous and willing to take a chance on creating brighter, more vibrant spaces. Wallpaper is also helping fuel the rush to color, with many homeowners using wild patterns and colors to add pop and personality.

Art
Home owners have been consuming more art pieces on walls this year than before according to interior designers. Having blank walls seems boring, and tends to make interior design incomplete. The wall art has included the flower paintings, accessories like rugs,with meaningful art, sentimental and functional artwork which will also make its way in 2024.

Ceilings
“Designers are pacing between extravagance and simplicity. We are seeing more of gypsums ceilings and the concrete ceilings are slowly fading out, with the prediction that they may resurrect in the coming years,” Nambalirwa says.
The gypsums come with added beauty, lighting, improved outlook, and the finish of the interior, taking them places. They have worked in both residential places, commercial places, and they are not going away soon.
The ceilings, according to Sommervell, have less clatter as well.

“Let us say you have a chandelier. Around it, there will be some ornamentation. And that is pretty much a modern classical approach. But if you are going towards a contemporary and a minimal approach, you will not find that much ornamentation. As opposed to that, you will find a lot of squares and regular shapes,” he says.

Tiles
“We have used more of China tiles because they are shiny and Goodwill tiles have been used more on walls. This is because they have different shapes and are good for the walls,” Nambalirwa says.
Porcelain tiles have creeped their way into 2023. However much they need a sufficient budget, people are learning to go for more and more value for their money, even if it means this will help in the long run.

We have seen and are yet to see more of stone tiles even in the next year, since people are still learning about them. There will also be more of trifold, china and Spain tiles still in next year and Goodwill will also make it there for those on a tight budget.
Many more interior trends have rocked the year, most surrounding décor, bathrooms, more on kitchens among other fixtures.


Kitchen
According to Nambalirwa, clients are embracing the functionality of kitchen cabinets. We were used to our traditional kitchens with the top and bottom cabinets. We have however, seen new trends of kitchen accessories that go well with  modern kitchens. 

‘‘Kitchens have transformed to modular, where everything in the kitchen is functional and everything can be hidden in plain sight. The dustbin, for example, is not necessarily in a place where everyone can see, it is in one of the lower cabinets. The fridge, cookers are fixed in the same line as the rest of the cabinets and smart accessories added to the mix,’’ Nambalirwa says.

“Children are put in consideration in the modular type of kitchen as well. Upper cabinets can be made with flexible accessories which one can pull down to pick a cup or a plate and push back into the cabinet before closing it without calling on a taller person to help,” Baker Ainebyoona, the manager Danube Homes Uganda says.

Customization, in this instance, sums up everything about the modular Kitchen. Unlike in the traditional set up, the residents have a vast amounts of options to choose from, ranging from the top covers, board types, wood types, handles, knobs, storage units and spice racks to mention but a few. Anything dreamt can be accomplished or achieved.