The 2024 Squiggly Interior Design Trend: Should You Score Or Skip?

One of 2024's most prominent interior design and decorating trends is ditching sharp, straight lines and embracing curvier looks. "Mother Nature does organic shapes best, so it makes sense we'd want to pull that inspiration into our homes," Joshua Smith, an interior designer, told The Spruce. The designs are getting bolder and quirkier with trends like the curvy decore trend, bubblecore, and even squiggly decorations.

Although the trend is super fun at first and looks adorable, it's not the most practical for adult homes and can make your place look cheaper if you overdo it. So, you should score some squiggly decor to embellish a kid's room, but if you want a more sophisticated vibe for the rest of your home, you'd typically be better off skipping the trend or only using it in small, subtle doses. After all, can you imagine trying to host an elegant dinner party or social gathering with more than two or three squiggly pieces in the space once the look is no longer trendy?

So, where did the squiggly interior design trend even come from? The 2020s also introduced the kidcore look, which is all about flaunting fun and silly colors and shapes that were once typically only deemed suitable for children's clothing. "Tapping into childhood nostalgia, this aesthetic is characterized by a bold rainbow color palette and playful pattern clashing. Driven by comfort, color, and enjoyment, you can dress it up or down while looking and feeling as carefree as a child," Agustina Panzoni, Trend and Category Manager at Depop told Harper's Bazaar. Therefore, the squiggly home decor was likely a result of the youthful fashion trend trickling into interior design.

While some people initially found kidcore fun and cute, it eventually received backlash, with people interpreting it as immature and even creepy. Similar comments can be made about the squiggly interior design trend. Although there isn't necessarily anything creepy about it, too many squiggly details in an adult's home can look immature, goofy, and even offputting. So, be mindful of loading your physical or virtual shopping carts with an abundance of squiggly decorations and home products.

The squiggly trend is not super practical, but there's no need to 100% avoid the squiggly interior design look if you genuinely enjoy it and think it would complement your home. For example, a small lamp with a squiggly design — such as the Zigzag Table Lamp, available for $99 at West Elm — can add a fun touch to your home without looking too over-the-top. Or, consider starting even more low-key with a squiggly bath mat, like the faux hide bath mat, selling for $99.50 at Pottery Barn. 

If you decide some squiggly decor would be fun, there are ways to incorporate it into your home successfully and things to avoid. For instance, buying huge squiggly mirrors to fill up your walls can look tacky. Molly Torres Portnof, founder and principal designer of DATE Interiors told Apartment Therapy, "[There are] way too many knockoffs and cheap copies to keep track of at this point. It's such a cool piece, but it's been done to death over the last few years." It's probably a good idea to avoid committing to squiggly furniture as well, because larger items like that are more expensive to replace than wall hangings or squiggly candlesticks, and could lead to regret.