Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? The hottest fall home design trends are all remixes of older trends — gothic into whimsigoth, art deco into neo deco, cottagecore into forestcore, minimalism into warm minimalism, and maximalism into jewel-toned maximalism.
These trends have driven millions of impressions on social media — especially whimsigoth with the premiere of Practical Magic 2 — opening the door for homesellers and agents to leverage these trends for their listings over the coming months.
Samantha Senia
Elite Home Staging CEO Samantha Senia said using trending styles can be a smart move, with her staging team leaning into the apothecary vibes of whimsigoth to add organic elements to listings with jarred botanicals. “My stagers do that all the time,” she said. “The olive branches, the palm leaves, all of that kind of stuff.”
However, Senia warned against going all out on niche trends, noting that the typical homebuyer would likely be overwhelmed by a listing fully decked out in neo deco or jewel-toned maximalism. However, adding a few elements of a style is often enough to draw attention.
“Whatever you do, just do a touch of it because when you’re putting in your listings, you don’t want to focus too much on one thing, right?” she said. “We’re selling the home. So do a couple of things to bring in that vibe. But again, make sure you watch it. Make sure it fits your market. Neo deco would be perfect for Palm Springs, but not so much for Los Feliz. Los Angeles is all about warm minimalism. Know your audience.”
As for social media, Senia again urged agents to stick to a simple approach: videos that either show how to build a perfect forestcore (or organic, as she calls it) centerpiece or walk through a home’s color palette. Again, she said, most people watching your videos aren’t designers, so it’s better to highlight one element well than throw a bunch of information their way.
“You have to make sure that they understand, and it’s simple enough that they could do it quickly,” she said.
If none of these niche trends fit the bill, Senia said agents can never go wrong with embracing jewel tones and bold textiles for the fall. “The terracottas are coming back, the verde greens are coming back, the azul blue is coming back with textures like long-hair mohair and velvets,” she said. “Organic materials like pine cones, olive tree branches, stones, all of that. It’s very popular right now and appeals to a lot of people.”
Whimsigoth
Whimsigoth has taken social media by storm, with fashion and home design enthusiasts embracing rich textiles and textures, deep hues, antique furniture, layered lighting and moody decor to create a lair that would make any witch jealous.
Architectural designer and Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute co-founder Evan Collins coined the term in 2020, nodding to a new generation’s embrace of the “moody, sort of dark, but still weirdly playful” aesthetic that ruled the late ’80s and early ’90s.
While fashionistas are using Anna Sui, Stevie Nicks and Lisa Bonet as their North Stars for building a whimsigoth-worthy closet, designers have to look no further than Practical Magic, the 90s fantasy classic that inspired plenty of Gen-Xers to turn their rooms into Victorian masterpieces. Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, who designed the set for Practical Magic and its sequel, Practical Magic 2, said they were inspired by East Coast lighthouses, nineteenth-century scrollwork and classic English kitchens.
“It was beautiful to collect many generations of furniture,” Standefer told Architectural Digest. “We always had an obsession with those massive, remarkable English kitchens and were so inspired to create one of those.”
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- For staging: Leave the more macabre elements aside and lean into the more popular elements of whimsigoth — deep jewel tones, velvet, lace, botanicals (especially herbs) — and add more decor pieces with a vintage or apothecaric flair.
- For buyer clients: Snagging a Victorian home would be the ultimate victory for a whimsigoth, but if that’s not possible, a home with Victorian-inspired elements, like bay windows, high ceilings and elaborate woodwork, creates the perfect canvas for this style.
Neo deco
Like Whimsigoth, neo deco is a callback to art deco — the defining decorative arts and architectural style of the 1920s. Geometric shapes, symmetrical patterns, bold color pairings and metallic finishes were hallmarks, signaling the movement into an industrial and modern world.
The style persisted through the Great Depression, though it became more subdued, with devotees swapping jeweled pieces for more affordable materials like plastic and glass.
Neo deco still holds onto the geometry and symmetry of its predecessor, but with a more minimalist bent, featuring muted jewel tones, mixed metallics, tactile furniture and decor like velvet, bouclé, fluted glass, ribbed wood and softer, rounded geometric patterns.
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- For staging: Fluted dinnerware is having a moment, so bring neo deco flair to the dining room with a beautiful setup for an imaginary dinner party. In the living room, add jewel-toned velvet throws, geometric-printed pillows and pops of metallic with gold, silver or pewter door or cabinet handles. Pendant lights are a win, too, especially in bedrooms or bathrooms.
- For buyer clients: Sleek surfaces and geometric tiles offer the perfect foundation for a neo deco space — think about black-and-white tiled floors or lacquered countertops. Lacquer can be hard to maintain, though, so consider applying a polyurethane coat for extra strength and waterproofing.
Forestcore
Cottagecore’s rugged cousin, forestcore, is taking over this fall. Forestcore still focuses on creating an inviting and cozy vibe, but instead of the delicate floral prints, vintage fabrics, and wicker accessories that rule cottagecore, it’s all about deep green hues; handcrafted wood furniture and decor; textiles that have an unfinished look, like jute and linen; and landscape art and botanicals that you’d find in a forest, like wild mushrooms, pinecones or moss.
While cottagecore is distinctly inspired by the English countryside, forestcore draws mainly on Celtic and Nordic culture. However, designers have also drawn inspiration from Indigenous cultures throughout the Americas, focusing on handwoven textiles and fabrics, sustainably sourced animal hides, artisanal decor and eco-friendly design.
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- For staging: Deep green is having a moment, so if you and your seller are feeling bold enough, paint an accent wall in this hue. But if that’s a little much, a mantle or entryway table with branches and fragrant greenery, carefully stacked wood near a fireplace, and forest-hued pillows and throws offer an easy touch of the outdoors.
- For buyer clients: Look for homes with paneled or stone walls, wood floors and the opportunity to create a natural flow between indoor and outdoor spaces, like a living or flex room with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Warm minimalism
Minimalism’s history stretches back millennia, with many of the concepts that undergird the trend coming from Buddhist cultures throughout East Asia. However, the term itself wasn’t coined until the 1960s, when a group of New York artists and designers began creating pared-down, geometric pieces. “What you see is what you see,” said Frank Stella, one of the artists credited with starting the movement.
Minimalism found its spark again in the years after the Great Recession, as people were drawn to its austerity and, at times, coldness. Now, designers are remixing the trend again, swapping cool tones and hard edges for softer hues, like wheat, ivory and beige, and materials like high-grain woods and low-vein marble. Linen and bouclé add texture, and natural lighting offers a reprieve from the harsh glare of electronic screens.
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- For staging: Thoughtfully declutter your homeseller’s space, leaving room for standout features, like a stunning wood coffee table or a one-of-a-kind art piece, to shine. Give walls a fresh coat of paint — Sherwin-Williams has named Universal Khaki its color of the year — and embrace linen and bouclé touches, like West Elm’s best-selling European Flax Linen curtains.
- For buyer clients: Minimalism is all about simplicity, so look for homes with clean lines, thoughtfully placed windows and light sources, and wood flooring. You can go toward a modern minimalist home or opt for a traditional minimalist home, like a cottage or bungalow.
Jewel-toned maximalism
If warm minimalism isn’t your jam, then take a look at jewel-toned maximalism. Burgundy, oxblood, plum, mustard, chocolate and navy are the star hues of the trend, with their sophistication offering a “grown-up” version of the maximalism that most people are used to — bright, high-contrast colors and a smattering of prints and textures.
This form of maximalism leans on creating a “comforting chaos” with textile art and tapestries, vintage rugs, well-stocked bookshelves and storage nooks, sprawling botanicals, glass pendants and unique lamps, and plenty of vintage furniture. The key to pulling off this trend is building a room like an art curator and resisting the urge to overcrowd the space with tchotchkes that don’t offer any design value.
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- For staging: Carefully layer tapestries, throws, quilts and blankets of varying textures, weights and colors. Use an eye-catching rug to add spark to a living room or bedroom, and use plants and flowers, like dahlias, hydrangeas and roses, to add flair to an entryway or kitchen.
- For buyer clients: Look for homes that give you the opportunity to show off your treasures — a large salon or entertainment room, or rooms or hallways with built-in bookshelves or storage nooks — that offer the perfect place to display your maximalist finds.
