Tiktok Decor Trends That Won't Be Making A Comeback In 2023

It's no secret that current pop culture, fashion trends, and social media heavily influence interior design trends. The social media app TikTok has become a hub for lifestyle niches, including home design. The hashtags #interiordesign and #furnituretok are full of up-and-coming design ideas and DIY projects heavily inspired by recent fads in the industry. Although trends can sweep the nation and seem like everyone is doing them, they are considered "trends" for a reason. These ideas are often temporary and fleeting, quickly replaced by innovative new ideas from influencers and professional designers alike.

The worldwide pandemic made social media more mainstream than ever, as it became people's primary method of communication in everyday life. TikTok became a platform for various home design trends that millions of users partook in. While many interior styles continue to stick around, many are past their prime. Below are some popular fads that are starting to lose steam.

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, widespread boredom led to very creative DIY home projects. One trend that took TikTok by storm was the "spray foam furniture" project. Instead of using insulation foam to seal gaps and cracks around their home, imaginative DIY-ers repurposed this commodity to create a unique layer around furniture pieces. Using hashtags like #expandablefoam and #cloudmirror, TikTok users shared video footage of their furniture now coated in a layer of bubbly insulation foam.

The effect was a billowing, cloud-like shape that was then painted over in the individual's desired color. This trend was exciting and unique, adding a dash of creativity to otherwise modern or minimalistic rooms, but it was short-lived and quickly replaced with other DIY projects. Ironically the foam's texture was popcorn-like and similar to another brief interior design fad— Bouclé furniture. These white, textured furniture pieces were reminiscent of the #cloudmirror projects, making them briefly popular from 2020 to 2022. 

Puffy furniture was indisputably a hit on TikTok, as insulation foam mirrors and Bouclé chairs weren't the only decorative items standing out in people's homes. Blob-shaped furniture and decor were pushed by many revered brands, including Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Tiffany's, and MoMA Design Store. The hashtag #furnituretok was flooded with art pieces, mirrors, lamps, ottomans, side tables, and seating in funky curvaceous shapes.

Like many other interior design trends, this fad was thought to be influenced by pop culture and the public's interest in '80s furniture. With Gen Z rejecting millennials' obsession with mid-century design, the blobby furniture pieces were reminiscent of Memphis design and post-modern decor. The addition of uniquely shaped furniture to more common interior designs added a touch of quirkiness to rooms, which encaptured society's obsession with individuality and authenticity. However, this interior design trend was too wacky to stick around. The reasonable explanation behind this is that it was fun for a short period but didn't fit with more long-term trends that were also on the rise, most notably naturism and sustainability. Therefore, many popular home designers quickly returned to more cohesive and traditional furniture styles for their rooms.

TikTok is a popular place for people to showcase their DIY ideas, and another concept that took off with a bang was fluted furniture. Characterized under hashtags like #ikeahacks, #diyhome, and #furnituremakeover, dozens of DIY TikTokers shared their carved furniture designs. Fluted furniture refers to interior decor with long grooves on the sides, which adds texture and complexity to its appearance. Many of these designs are expensive, which explains why so many people were intrigued by DIY instructions.

Depending on how much people trusted their artistic capabilities, they would either directly carve the furniture or cut separate wood pieces and superglue them together. This type of woodwork requires more skill and power tools than many people realize, and the end result is only satisfactory if you have a lot of patience and practice. Overall, crafting fluted furniture is more trouble than it's worth, and people have turned to professionally-made pieces rather than attempting to craft the grooves themselves.

As with most TikTok trends, users of the app surge to interesting DIY ideas but quickly turn away when they realize the realities of those trends. #Tiletable has over 58.3 million views from its short stint on interior design accounts and involves TikTokers repurposing old furniture into new eclectic designs. Users would take a used piece of furniture, such as a coffee or end table, and glue tiling over the topside or entire piece. The end result was a beautifully tiled surface, but unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20, and this isn't the most practical idea.

Tile is usually made of ceramic, porcelain, marble, and other stone-like materials, which are very heavy and dense in composition. They're not as easy to clean as laminate or wooden pieces, and they're also prone to chipping. Once a tile cracks or an edge splinters off, your table will look worse for wear. It could end up being a lot of maintenance, which isn't ideal for a fad.

Many art history aficionados must have felt personally attacked by the "overpainting" trend that took over #painttok in early 2021. This trend involved artists picking up classic paintings from thrift shops and upcycling them by painting over the art pieces with their own colors and ideas. Talented and trained artists made impressive art pieces through this trend. However, amateur artists don't have the knowledge or discipline to make remarkable custom work.

Directly applying a paintbrush to a canvas takes a person to the point of no return, and unless they have very steady handiwork, their end result won't meet expectations. This trend has fallen off for the most part since most attempts led to botched art pieces. Although the novices have mostly abandoned this trend, some popular TikTokers continue to add inventive or personalized elements to their thrift store art hauls. Many people buy these unique creations online through independent seller sites and Instagram, but the overwhelming majority have abandoned this fad.

Minimalism in interior design re-emerged in the 2000s, and homes are slowly becoming less colorful and abstract as the years pass. In 2022, monochrome-themed houses swamped TikTok's algorithms, flooding people's home pages with white and black clutter-free homes. The popularity of these homes was amplified when Kim Kardashian did a house tour for Vogue, revealing her white, gray, and black-toned home. The internet was torn between applauding and insulting the design, as it looked more like an art display than someone's home with its curved furniture and lack of decor and clutter.

Although monochrome homes befit the current trend of neutral colors, interest in gray and white color schemes has decreased. Like many other online trends, monochromatic homes require too much upkeep to maintain their aesthetic, and they aren't realistic for people who have children, pets, or hobbies scattered around their residences. Ultra-minimalistic is a fun design to indulge in for a little while, but at the end of the day, most people prefer to fill their homes with personalized accents and meaningful souvenirs from their past.

The anticipation behind the "Barbie" movie release influenced a vibrant design style that doesn't correlate with other trends on the rise. The "Barbiecore" tag on TikTok has over 300 million views and counting, and people of all ages are embracing fashion, makeup, and interior designs inspired by the all-pink Barbie doll aesthetic. The blend of hot and pale pinks is taking over bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and even the house exteriors of the most daring designers, bringing back a style that typically arises due to pop culture influences. When cult classics like "Pretty in Pink" and "Legally Blonde" hit the big screen, this color palette also spiked in interest. However, as these movies were replaced by others at the box office, the interest in such colors also diminished.

There's no denying this is a playful and exciting trend, but it's unlikely to stick around past the release of the "Barbie" movie. Once the hype dies down, the bright color scheme of these doll-inspired rooms will lose its charm and appear flashy, especially when compared with more classic styles that are on the rise. Pink has a romantic and energizing psychological effect, but this can be overwhelming when used excessively. Many prefer neutral and less vibrant colors in their homes to invoke more relaxing and peaceful vibes. Although it appears like this fleeting craze is returning, consider its future before jumping in headfirst.

Cozy farmhouse always stays in style, and according to Google Trends data, it fluctuates in popularity throughout the seasons. Although it's sure to return in the future, the cozy farmhouse look is on the out for 2023 and is being replaced by a newer internet trend; Cottagecore. Cottagecore is an aesthetic first popularized by the social media site Tumblr and has gradually spread to the TikTok community as well. This concept favors traditional rural ideas for interior design, fashion, and lifestyle. It has the same foundations as the farmhouse style but has more feminine features and pastel shades. Cottagecore is less minimalistic and simple, instead favoring grooved and patterned textures in its furniture and textiles.

Since minimalism is fading into a more maximalist approach, it's only natural that Cottagecore is overtaking Farmhousecore interior styles. The line between these two designs is blurry, and many #farmhouse videos on TikTok are also tagged as #cottagecore, obscuring the transition of current trends. The best evidence for this trend fading is that people are turning away from decorative phrases and lettering that are popular in "cozy farmhouse" interiors, such as giant signs that read "Kitchen" or "Live, Laugh, Love." Instead, they opt for more functional and purposeful accents, such as throw quilts, rustic coasters, and bowls of potpourri. 

With over 150 million views, the #rattan hashtag proves TikTok's interior design crowd is obsessed with this furniture style. The tags #tropicalhouse and #coastalhome are overwhelmed with fully-rattan rooms, including woven furniture, wall decor, and rugs. As popular, practical, and affordable as this material may be, its appearance is too striking to play a major role. The woven appearance is unique and stands out in a room, making these pieces distinct and eye-grabbing. Due to these characteristics, rattan objects are better suited as accent pieces rather than the dominating furniture style. The woven strands and neutral colorings add a touch of naturalism to rooms, giving them an air of coziness that meshes well with boho, coastal, Cottagecore, and rustic styles.

Although all-rattan rooms once dominated the "FurnitureTok" crowd, coastal and boho aficionados are transitioning into using wood, metals, and other materials that complement wicker accents. Since maximalism is on the rise, all neutral-toned furniture has less hype than it once did, contributing to this prominent trend's decline.