Elements of style now considered timeless—chinoiserie, say, or burlwood—began as trends. So although true style transcends trends, it also evolves. Keeping an eye on trends ensures that your style doesn’t stay fixed in a particular time and instead accommodates your changing likes, dislikes, and needs.
With all that in mind, below are Pinterest’s design trend predictions, based largely on search terms that have seen significant growth during the past year. And if you’d like to see how accurate its 2023 predictions were, you can check them out here.
This giclée reproduction of an 1890 illustration is an understated, New Traditionalist way to incorporate jellyfish and the “aquatecture” trend into your home.
Aquatecture
If 2023 was the year of the mushroom in decor, this will be the year of the jellyfish—and other aquatic creatures. Pinterest is seeing increased interest in aquariums, turtle tanks, and the like, while searches for “jellyfish lamp”—an aquatic take on the lava lamp—have nearly doubled during the past year. Think of it as a twist on coastal chic, with seahorses and octopi subbing for anchors and buoys.
Five favorite aquatecture pieces
• Seahorse Coffee Table. Impeccably detailed silver seahorses make up the four legs of this glass-top cocktail table, combining classic artistry and a touch of whimsy.
• Escuela Lumbar Pillow. A school of illustrated fish swim across the front and back of this indoor/outdoor pillow. It manages to be both sophisticated and cute, no easy feat.
• Pesce Tableware. Handcrafted in Italy, these terracotta plates and bowls also balance refinement and playfulness. Between meals, they’ll brighten up any cabinet.
• Pair of Oscar Crabs. Each of these golden resin crabs is mounted on a stand, ready to bring aquatic finesse to a tabletop or shelf.
• Ginger Jar 2 by Sara Fitz. Perhaps the subtlest nod to the jellyfish trend, this is a framed reproduction of a watercolor depicting a ginger jar adorned with the aquatic invertebrates.
With its blue-and-white jellyfish wallpaper, this bathroom suggests that Sandra Asdourian Interiors is ahead of the aquatecture trend.
The chrome finish of the Calypso 6-Light Chandelier, along with the silvery nightstand lamp, ceiling molding, and curtain rod, gives this bedroom a contemporary glamour.
Silver and Chrome
Warm gold and brass, cornerstones of quiet luxury, are expected to give way to cooler silvery metallics. Which is not to say that these trending metals aren’t also luxe. A vintage silver teapot or champagne bucket, for instance, conjures up Gilded Age opulence, and sterling-silver picture frames are timelessly elegant. A cocktail table that pairs streamlined polished steel and burlwood exemplifies Art Deco élan; a nickel-finished chandelier with oversize glass globe shades pays homage to Mid-Century Modern finesse. Yet when teamed with sleek curves and burnished to a reflective gleam, silvery metals can seem more contemporary, even more youthful than other metallics.
Integrating flashes of silver into your decor doesn’t necessitate ditching your gold, bronze, or brass. Forget the old dictum that one shouldn’t mix metals, though you probably don’t want to feature more than three types of a metal in a room. By the same token, while it’s fine to have one dominant metal in a room, there should be some sort of balance: A lone silver frame amid a gallery wall of gold-framed art will seem jarring.
Five favorite silvery pieces
• Carrey Bar Cart. This round two-tier trolley comes in two finishes: high-gleam chrome for maximum flash and a deeper, more-subtle gunmetal.
• Theo Accent Chair. Dark blue button-tufted leather upholstery brings gravitas to the minimalist chrome frame, making this chair a welcome addition to traditional and contemporary rooms alike.
• Zebra-Striped Pillow, Silver. Available in three sizes, this pillow flaunts on its front silvery printed stripes on white hair-on hide, for a one-two punch of pattern and texture. The reverse is shimmering silver velvet.
• Metallic Books, Silver. Dress up a naked bookshelf with this set of vintage books rebound with sparkling silver spines.
• Jane Petal Table Lamp, Silver Leaf. The gold version of this lamp has been a perennial best-seller. This year we expect the silver finish, which beautifully shows off the body’s hammered texture, to outperform it.
The Mason Wall Mirror in Silver Leaf looks right at home next to a golden frame and above an antique golden candleholder.
The black paneling, nightstands, and canopy bed bring a goth touch to this Western lodge-style room.
Dawn Wolfe‘s Antler on Black might be the ultimate in Western gothic.
Western Gothic
Take hallmarks of Western Americana style: cowhide, antlers, wrought iron. Then swap out the typical Western palette of earth tones, taupes, and sun-bleached woods for black and the darkest, deepest browns. The result is what Pinterest dubs Western gothic. Aficionados of Santa Barbara style have a head start on the look; all they need to do is layer a black sheepskin atop a natural-fiber rug, toss a fringed black throw over their leather armchair, set the table with black flatware and black leather napkin rings, and maybe paint an accent wall black.
Those starting from scratch can easily incorporate Western goth by hanging some black-and-white photography of horses, mesas, or canyons. Bring in an end table made from a stump of petrified wood, an oak sideboard with a black exterior and a natural finish for the shelves and drawers, or a pendant with a shade crafted of porcupine quills—or maybe all three. And again, consider painting an accent wall black!
Five favorite Western gothic pieces
• Whisper Leather Small-Long Chandelier, Black. Strips of black leather make up this light fixture’s swags, giving it Western and gothic bona fides.
• Daisy Hide, Black. When it comes to incorporating Western goth, this rug is a no-brainer.
• Elson Woven Rattan Wall Mirror. Black and brown rattan make up this rectangular mirror’s frame, giving it rough-hewn texture as well as a moody palette.
• Bristol Tufted Leather Accent Chair. The juxtaposition of the black leather and the brown wood makes this update of a Mid-Century Modern sling chair a subtle, sophisticated nod to Western goth.
• Ada Long Lumbar Pillow, Black Linen. Perfect for adding a dash of goth to any sofa or bed, this pillow also works with just about every other style out there.
A study in moody blacks and gray, In Pursuit by Drew Doggett is an ideal focal point for a Western gothic room.
Kitschen
The kitchen is the ideal spot for all those guilty decor pleasures: avocado-green appliances and cotton-candy-pink utensils, ruffled café curtains decorated with anthropomorphic fruit, folk-art paintings of roosters, promotional tumblers adorned with characters from bygone cartoons. They’ll make you happy every time you grab a snack, but you can also keep them hidden from guests… though they just might delight your guests as much as they do you. Colorful vintage California pottery and Fiestaware allow you to ease into kitschen charm, as do figural majolica pieces, the odder the better. (This vintage piranha figurine would make a great centerpiece when serving fish.) Flea markets (and the vintage-tabletop section of our site) are a trove of kitsch. Just don’t forget kitsch’s cardinal rule: More (color, pattern, collections) is more.
Five favorite kitschen pieces
• Airplane Bottle Holder. Functional objects designed to look like something else are classics of kitsch. With its gleaming nickel finish, this bottle holder with corkscrew also fits in with the silver/chrome trend.
• Watermelon Pitcher. This artisanal earthenware pitcher is another example of a utilitarian item in disguise.
The kitchen in artist Camille Walala‘s studio is kitsch at its most refined.
• Odette Large Flush Mount. This ceiling light comes in your choice of three dome shades, with the pink ideal for any retro space. (It’s available in a smaller size as well.)
• Marcia Chippendale Tea Cart, Red. Also available in walnut and distressed white, this bar cart is crafted of mahogany to resemble bamboo. It’s the glossy red finish, however, that makes it an ideal addition to a kitschen.
• Set of 4 Flamingo Slim Highball Glasses. Glassware etched with flamingos—need we say more?
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