Furniture style is taking a thoughtful turn in these top trends for next year.
Hallie Milstein is an Editorial Fellow for Southern Living covering food and culture. She has been published in Modern Luxury magazines, Our State Magazine, and Hudson Valley Magazine. Kitchen Storage Container
Trends come and go, but furniture can last a lifetime—or even multiple lifetimes. Grandma’s passed-down dining room table won’t ever go out of fashion, no matter what trends dictate. So, when purchasing new pieces or furnishing a home practically from scratch, it’s important not to buy into a trend that will fade fast. The trick is choosing furniture that’s both stylishly in line with today’s design sensibilities, but timeless enough to withstand multiple trend cycles. Plus, unlike a trendy throw pillow or accessory, furniture is just too expensive to replace every time the wind blows.
“Most of us don't have the budget to change our spaces from year to year, but I think if you look for a broader understanding of the shifting design landscape and incorporate elements into your space, you can stay fresh and updated without being trendy," says interior designer Brad Ramsey. "And always remember, if you love it and it speaks to you, then do it! Our homes should be more of a reflection of our individuality and personality than a showroom showcasing the latest trends.”
In 2024, designers predict that furniture will be a highly personal and thoughtful choice, considering longevity in more ways than one. This way, 2024 furniture purchases can be on-trend and still have the potential to one day have the same legacy as Grandma’s table.
Approaching 2024, Ramsey reveals that furniture is more widely being considered a long-term investment. Rather than buying any old piece on the showroom floor and becoming discontent with it just a year or two later, Southerners are prioritizing custom furniture that speaks more precisely to their home layouts, lifestyle, and taste.
“Unless it is a vintage find, I would say that impulse buying of immediately available furniture is out. Even retail furniture stores are trending toward custom selections over buying it off the floor today. Too many impulse purchases mean lots of cheap furniture being tossed and wasted because it doesn't retain its value. Investing in quality custom furniture and vintage pieces over trendy furniture store-stocked pieces [is in for 2024].”
Interior designer Shelagh Conway predicts a shift in what wood tones will be popular for furniture in 2024. “Darker wood is finding its way back into our homes,” she says, sharing that rich walnut is one of her favorite woods for furniture.
Chocolaty-brown wood furniture isn’t the only way we’ll be seeing this color in 2024, reveals Ramsey. Rich, brown wood furniture will be taking Southern homes by storm in 2024, as well as warm, brown upholstery.
“We'll be drowning in brown in all the best ways in 2024,” he says. “Think about coffee, cappuccino and lattes and how those warm colors hit the spot just like your afternoon Starbucks fix.”
Brown isn’t the only earth tone that’s trending. Browns, greens, grays, muted reds, and other warm shades inspired by nature will be at their peak popularity in 2024. This means (thank goodness), that green furnishings that have taken over the South in the last few years will remain in style.
“While 2023 saw bold bright colors trending everywhere, I think we are feeling more earthy and grounded in our color palettes,” Ramsey shares.
Interior designer Ginger Curtis agrees with Ramsey’s prediction. “The grounding essence of earthy neutral tones that provide a versatile canvas will be in the foreground of 2024 furniture trends,” she says.
Taking even more cues from nature, Curtis foresees a floral new year ahead. “A botanical resurgence will take center stage with the revival of botanical prints, breathing new life into upholstery and accents,” she says.
Laurey W. Glenn; Stylist: Matthew Gleason
We may sound like a broken record at this point, but once again, designers reveal that 2024 is the year of natural beauty. This trend not only leans into earthly inspiration but considers the impact of the furniture—both inside and outside the home. Building from 2023, sustainability is on the radar for 2024, says Curtis. Homeowners are taking an interest in where their furniture comes from before it finds a place in their home, and are loving eco-friendly materials like bamboo.
Curved furniture ran rampant in 2023, and the experts say that rounded styles are here to stay for at least another year. In many cases, Conway reveals that curved edges soften more structural pieces—balancing out furniture like a dining chair with a rounded back and straight-leg base. Meanwhile, Curtis sees furniture with curved scallops used to add fluidity and break up harsh lines in rooms.
“By and large, curves are in,” says Ramsey. “Whether they are on a furniture silhouette or in the actual architecture, they are back in a big way and softening our living experiences.”
While some years may be associated with a specific school of design, like Modern Farmhouse or Mid Century Modern, designers say that this year’s trends are decidedly less structured. Moving forward, the experts reveal that folks are not sticking to one strict style. Instead, they’re choosing furniture on a piece-to-piece basis in line with their personal taste and nothing is out of bounds.
“Almost anything goes, and we will continue to see more mixed styles,” says Conway. “The range will be from soft neutrals to bold colors and we will begin to see squares mixed with round.”
Mixing new and old will continue to prevail in 2024, says Ramsey. Eclectic—as in collected, not cluttered—is a look that’s continuing to rise in popularity.
“I think we will continue to see a progressive look back in design. Meaning, that designs will incorporate collected pieces and new pieces together to make spaces feel timeless,” explains Ramsey. “I like to call it ‘tailored eclectic.’ That term usually elicits images of cluttered rooms with no true design direction, but no more. It's time to layer it up the right way.”
Boring furniture has no place in 2024, says Conway, who noticed a shift in the last few months.
“2023 began turning mid-year to these gorgeous, more artistic pieces,” she says. “After being in white, light, and airy for a few years, it is a welcome change to embrace the new pieces on the horizon.”
Over the last few years, performance fabrics have become incredibly popular, but Ramsey suggests that this trend has still yet to see its heyday. In fact, he believes that performance fabrics won’t ever fall from grace.
“I predict we will increase our use of performance fabrics even more,” Ramsey says. “Now that we can do anything from exterior to interior fabrics that look like linens, velvets, and everything in between, I see that always being a staple in design.”
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