Trends in 2023 – A wide base inspired by nature

Black, white, anthracite and khaki. The deep and natural colour tones will remain in vogue, but in 2023 you can also expect sombre yellows and greens to be included in Brafab's collection.  People want to feel safe in uncertain times, and thus “low-maintenance” and “durable” have become keywords in relation to fabric and design.
"However, we are also expanding on our style. We aim to have something for everyone," said Paul Thur, one of the heads of production at Brafab.

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Paul works as the Head of Production at Brafab and comes from a background in furniture-making, which still very much interests him. Together with the team at Brafab, which works on the design and product development, he had already started sketching the new line for 2024 in 2022.
"The season is certainly becoming longer—each year, retailers like to start displaying new merchandise as early as January. It's great, but also challenging," he said.

Paul believes that the trends we have seen over the past couple of years will continue to be fashionable in 2023.  Basic colours that can be combined are of great relevance and furniture should also be low-maintenance and durable. The overall look should also be pervaded by nature, ideally by Scandinavian nature.
'Black, white and grey, leaning towards anthracite, are still going strong. Khaki is a colour that you can add to the mix, and so are our new colours Dusty Green and Lemon. These are summery colours, but not too bright. You can combine them with everything in our collection.
A broad base that can be combined endlessly was the main idea behind this season's collection. The focus was always on broadening the style and thinking in terms of durability.
"You don't buy new outdoor furniture every year, of course, so you should be able to add new elements that work with what you already have. We do not have a particular or small customer base in mind—on the contrary we want there to be something for everybody."

Outdoor furniture in summery and happy colours.

Materials that are easy to maintain and that withstand bad weather and wind are still popular options. Aluminium and stainless steel are two examples of this. While aluminium is a lightweight material and therefore easy to carry and move around, stainless steel is somewhat heavier but still maintenance-free.  
'We have also worked with a new material, composite stone, which we have, among other things, used to make a new range of coffee tables. The tables in the Zten range are square and look like big blocks. But they are nonetheless easy and lightweight to carry, only the surface consists of composite stone. Inside is an aluminium frame. The table is low-maintenance and is a great example of the indoor-becomes-outdoor trend we have seen lately.

Paul himself has named the new sun lounger in the collection, Poul Chair, which is wordplay on the words "pool" and Paul's own name.
"I have designed the chair from scratch, which is what we do here at Brafab with most of our products."

Outdoor furniture in summery and happy colours.

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The team is constantly focused on competitive intelligence and trend spotting to be prepared when it's time to go back to the drawing board. They study indoor furniture and visit fairs and even take inspiration from other business sectors.
"I'm personally very interested in the industry, and will visit mechanical workshops to see how they work." By studying what the handiwork looks like, we are inspired and sometimes even get ideas for our own, new trends.
In the coming year, Paul believes people will be more hopeful, which is something that will be reflected in interiors and shapes.
"Something that signals hopefulness is colours. It doesn't necessarily mean that our customers will start buying bright, strong colours—they might rather want a somewhat muted colour scale, which is often preferable if you're looking for durable outdoor furniture. Our new colours Dusty Green and Lemon are two examples of shades that imbue hopefulness and happiness, but which we also believe will stand the test of time."