Swancore: What Is It & How To Incorporate The Newest Design Trend Into Your Home

If staying on top of the latest interior design trends is your thing, you might have already heard of cottagecore, steampunk, and Japandi. And, if you're a real design aficionado with a penchant for everything current, trending, and even micro-trending, it's possible that when everyone else is scratching their heads wondering why brutalism is one of this year's hottest trends and asking "What is goth cottagecore?" — you already know exactly how to nail those looks. One trend even the savviest internet sleuth might not have yet heard of is the up-and-coming swancore style. As its namesake implies, swancore is about all things swans — yes, the bird, not the band. 

In our current age, it can seem as if interior design trends are coming and going faster and faster – recycling once or twice a generation, enjoying a major boom, and then falling out of style until an eventual resurgence. Call it consumerism-driven, or perhaps it's linked to our appetites for instant gratification, until we bore and want to scroll onward to the next big thing. The life cycles of many emergent trends are surprisingly short. But, even the fast-paced interior design industry can't kill some styles that enjoy enduring popularity, such as mid-century modernism and Moroccan tiles. Which category swancore will fall into is still left to see. That being said, if you're wondering how the graceful waterfowl has come to be worthy of its own emergent interior design trend, and if you should incorporate it into your home, read on. We've got the scoop.

Swancore may not have been on your list of predicted design aesthetics to dominate in 2024, but in truth, swans are no strangers to art and design. In fact, interior design has always had a love affair with feathered fowl, with owls dominating the 1970s and flamingos currently holding sway in tropical-inspired homes. But, why swans, and why now? Interior designer Amy Exton explained in an interview with Apartment Therapy (via Yahoo!) that swans have been a popular design motif in 20th-century design movements like Art Nouveau and Art Deco, and in the Arts and Crafts movement, which traces back to 1860. So, swans have been poised for a resurgence for some time now, and contemporary designers are now beginning to take note. Today, the long-necked bird is popping up on wallpapers, bespoke fixtures, and artisanal decor.

Like every trend, it's hard to say exactly what lit the spark that set off the swancore fire, but like all modern movements, there's a good chance the internet played a large role. Amy Exton's now Instagram-famous pink swan mosaic backsplash is certainly one example of the growing interest around the bird. It's not hard to understand why the swan is currently coming back into style over, say, the pigeon. Graceful and poised, swans have long been symbolic of beauty, elegance, peace, and grace across time and cultures. The bird has also been used to denote romance, love, fidelity (think kissing swan-shaped towels in every hotel honeymoon suite), royalty, wisdom, and transformation (as every fairytale reader knows).

If you're swooning for swans, there's no better time to incorporate some swancore into your home. And, if you're cringing thinking about that outdated porcelain swan bowl holding candies at your grandmother's house — think again. With a few tips, the swancore trend can be implemented with elegance befitting these regal birds. First, instead of just filling your space with swan motifs like an antiques collector, take an assessment of your home to decide which room could use a little more of what swans represent: peace, grace, and love. Next, don't just pick the first swan you find online. Instead, look for decor that suits the desired vibe for your home. 

For example, swan wallpapers are popular in nurseries, but vintage Art Deco swans on a marble base may be the perfect addition to a moody and atmospheric office or library. For a contemporary, Scandinavian-styled, or minimalist home, a framed Picasso swan sketch would be a thoughtful bathroom addition. Like any trend, the key is knowing how to bring it into the home in a way that adds to your desired design scheme without overwhelming it. That way, you won't find yourself tiring of your selections if the trend becomes a passing fad, or wanting to redecorate after six months. Although there's no predicting the lifespan of the trend or if swancore will enjoy an encore, the truth is that the bird itself is a timeless motif. If you aim to bring its beauty into your home in an understated and sophisticated way, you'll make swancore sing.