Moe’s Home Collection moving in 3 design directions for 2023

As the design team at Moe’s Home Collection was thinking about trends and introductions for 2023, the idea of a reset was top of mind.

“We’ve been thinking about the wider culture. There are a lot of things that maybe worked for us (as a wider culture) pre-pandemic that don’t work for us anymore,” Maura Dineen, creative director for the Vancouver-based home furnishings source and retailer told Decor News Now during the High Point Market. “And there’s a lot we learned during the pandemic. I think people are evaluating what works and what doesn’t and moving on for a fresh start.”

Burl wood is part of the design directions envisioned by Moe’s Creative Director Maura Dineen and her design team.

As part of its own “reset,” Moe’s is heading into 2023 focused on three design directions: Enduring Sentiment, Free Form and Earthened. Also new from the company is a look book of new outdoor pieces.

But let’s talk about the overall design trends first. Enduring Sentiment is a nod to nostalgia but not a trend stuck in the past.

“It’s all about the idea of future heirlooms, of pieces that will look even better five years from now than they do today,” Dineen says. “I think we’re having a resurgence of a mentality to buy less but buy better — better materials, better finishes, solid woods. … We had this conversation with our team and we were laughing: ‘I want one of my grandkids to fight over this chair.’”

In a digital presentation designed to create excitement about the 2023 design directions, Moe’s calls Enduring Sentiment “the next chapter of grand-millennial style” where midcentury gets a makeover with new materials and compositions. The company’s Cara sideboard in a blocky, simple silhouette of warm birch with sculptural wavy antique brass handles exemplifies the look. (You can see the digital presentation here.)

The curvy, low-slung silhouettes and other styles of the ’70s have been inspiring Moe’s recent designs and that will carry forward into 2023, Dineen says. She notes that the ’70s were a time of high inflation, political unrest, global uncertainty and concerns about the environment. (Sound familiar?) And yet, many people met those challenges with a sense of “exuberance and positivity and enthusiasm,” she says. Moe’s is addressing this ethos with a playful design aesthetic it calls Free Form, characterized by its Zeppelin slipper chair with a low-profile and rounded edges. Key materials for this look include corduroy and sundrenched velvets, chrome and burl wood, lacquered finishes and ribbed details.

The Cara sideboard exemplifies Moe’s Enduring Sentiment design direction.

The company’s third design direction, Earthened, draws on modern rustic and cottage core aesthetics, as well as ancient forms — and elevates them, Dineen says. “It’s not just linens and woods and stones, it’s also metals. We’re bringing in really rich materials and details.” The Alvin sofa with clean lines and a neo-traditional silhouette is an example of Earthened design and fits well with wood tones and textures or a reinvented shag rug.

Heading outdoors

Moe’s also is highlighting outdoor pieces for 2023 with a new look book devoted to the category and the “beauty of living al fresco.” The introductions are characterized by architectural silhouettes, amber wood and wicker woven seating, as well as dining chairs in muted earth tones.

The Tempo dining table and bench and the Luce dining chair are showcased in Moe’s new look book.

Outdoor pieces include the clean-lined Tempo wood dining table and bench and the Luce dining chair with a “string theory” back.

The Rocca dining table and bench make a dramatic statement with columnar legs and oval silhouettes. Moe’s pairs them with leggy Silla dining chairs.

Outdoor entertaining is made easier with stackable, durable Fare chairs.

Also featured are modern Fare chairs available in black, white, Desert Red and Charcoal gray. Stackable and durable they can be stored and moved to accommodate groups of any size.

A diverse demographic

Moe’s goal with its current and upcoming designs for both indoors and outdoors is to reach a variety of consumers, Dineen says.

“We have a diverse demographic and don’t sell to just one type of customer profile,” she says. “… When we’re designing, we want a piece that can be for very traditional customers but that can live in a contemporary space with a millennial family. It’s that push and pull: Finding the balance in developing items that appeal to different demographics. That’s the complex part — and the fun part.”