Trendiest Interior Design Styles for 2024: Brutalism Makes Strong Debut, Japandi Style Fades

Brutalism claimed the #1 position on our list of the fastest-rising interior design styles with online searches for this design almost doubling over the year. Maximalism and organic modern rounded out the top three interior design styles for 2024, while Japandi — the leading style in the previous two years — dropped to fourth place.

Our homes are a reflection of our personalities and tastes, and different design styles cater to different lifestyles. As a result, we feel more connected to some styles than others and may be devoted fans of a particular design. However, certain home decorators enjoy keeping up with trends and changing up their home decor to stay in vogue.

So, like every year, we were intrigued to unveil the latest preferences in interior design. To get a clearer picture, we turned to Google to analyze search trends and gauge which design movements were gaining momentum; which were gently fading; and which styles were currently the talk of the town. Here’s a peek into what we discovered about the most popular and emerging trends in home decor for 2024.

Trendiest Styles for 2024: Brutalism Makes its Debut, Japandi Falls to 4th Place

1. Brutalism

• Deep, rough, honest
• One-year change in search volume: 91%
• Average monthly search volume: 3,780

The fastest-growing trend for this year, brutalism is a 1950s style that has frequently been associated with utilitarianism and industrialism. It made a strong comeback in 2023, almost doubling in search volume. This style was brought to the forefront of the interior design scene by architects and designers who argue for the honesty and beauty of raw materials; monolithic structural elements; and a simple, strong color palette. Romanticized in movies, magazines and runaway shows, brutalism is now in the spotlight — and we expect it to be a strong presence in interior design this year.

Specifically, brutalism is characterized by an absence of ornamentation and a return to the simplicity of concrete; the sophistication of bare bronze; and the beauty of natural materials. However, the new approach to brutalism complements the once-utilitarian style with warmer hues through softer colors and the addition of wood and plants at the core of its design. At the same time, contrasting pieces create depth without the need to clutter the space with trinkets, wallpaper or ornaments. Even so, brutalism allows each person to make it their own by incorporating signature pieces, such as statement furniture, unique artwork or antique finds to really bring life to this style.

2. Maximalism

• Abundant, loud, eclectic
• One-year change in search volume: 50%
• Average monthly search volume: 18,480

Maximalism was already a popular style — and a direct response to the predominant trend of minimalism throughout the last decade. With an increase of 50% in search volumes, we now see an even higher interest in what maximalist design has to offer.

In this case, the aesthetic of maximalism is centered around more — colors, textures, patterns, and layers all combining in a celebration of exuberance and surplus. However, the style is not random, but rather intentional and curated, which brings it closer to art deco or even Baroque, rather than the more eclectic shabby chic. Meanwhile, the core of maximalism is bold colors and loud patterns — meaning wallpaper, geometric furniture, statement pieces, weighted materials and fabrics. Overall, the goal is to amaze and overwhelm viewers in the best way possible.

3. Organic Modern

• Nurturing, minimal, warm
• One-year change in search volume: 39%
• Average monthly search volume: 4,910

Completing the top three fastest-rising design styles was organic modern with an increase of 39% in search volumes. This spin on modern design embraces nature and organic elements to add warmth and freshness to clean, sleek lines of modernism. At the center of the design is a combination of greenery; earthy and natural materials; and cozy fabrics with minimal furniture, soft lines and neutral colors.

Lighting is also important in this design style, which emphasizes a preference for large windows and light curtains that help diffuse natural light. Moreover, the addition of some worn pieces — such as ceramics or candles — can lend authenticity to the style, thereby emphasizing its timelessness. Simple and yet refreshing, organic modern is becoming more and more popular as people crave a return to nature.

4. Japandi

• Tranquil, zen, harmonic
• One-year change in search volume: 26%
• Average monthly search volume: 9,900

Japandi, our previous champion, saw a smaller change in search volumes this year but, nevertheless, it’s still increasing. With an average monthly search volume of 9,900, the style is maintaining its popularity and bringing people a way of decorating their homes that emphasizes simplicity and harmony.

A combination of Japanese and Scandinavian design, Japandi is a cousin to warm minimalism by implementing elements such as warm, neutral color palettes; simple furniture; diffused lighting; light-colored wood; and greenery.

5. English Country

• Comfortable, reminiscent, free
• One-year change in search volume: 21%
• Average monthly search volume: 5,380

Rounding out the top five was English country with an increase of 21% in search volumes. Notably, this style is flexible and offers a lot of room for individuality in its design. Centered around antiques, large pieces of furniture, paintings, and floral patterns, the English country style is one that embraces chaos and allows for imperfections.

Furthermore, English country doesn’t demand clean lines, well-rounded shapes and a clutter-less environment. Rather, there’s randomness and chance in its creation, and each designer is free to add their own touch to create a comfortable and cozy space where everyone can fit right in.

Fast-Fading Interior Design Trends Led by Modern Victorian & Modern Country

At the other end of the spectrum, we also looked at the trends that saw the highest declines in search volumes.

1. Modern Victorian

• Ornate, luxe, affluent
• One-year change in search volume: -30%
• Average monthly search volume: 4,030

Modern Victorian dropped the most in search volumes with a decline of 30%. This style is centered around ornate elements, highly complex decor and rich colors. An exuberant style, it celebrates grandeur and reminisces about the Victorian era, while also bringing it closer to a modern audience. With a growing trend toward a return to nature, raw materials, and an organic lifestyle, the modern Victorian no longer seems to answer the demands of the public.

2. Modern Country

• Clean, light, practical
• One-year change in search volume: -30%
• Average monthly search volume: 5,470

Another style declining in popularity was modern country, which tied modern Victorian for first place with a 30% drop in search volumes. Modern country is a spin on the traditional, wood-centric, warm-and-cozy country style that brings in clean lines and more texture to balance out the informality of country. Here, the practicality of the style is maintained, along with the focus on natural materials and an organic layout of the space and the decor.

3. Transitional

• Clean, textured, intersectional
• One-year change in search volume: -29%
• Average monthly search volume: 9,870

Although it made the trendiest list last year, the transitional style seems to have been a temporary guest as it has now declined in search volumes by 29%. A combination of large-scale and focus items (such as big furniture) with more minimal, elegant design features in lighting fixtures or artwork, transitional design allows for a lot of customization and individuality.

Mid-Century Modern Continues to Reign as Most Popular Interior Design Trend

1. Mid-Century Modern

• Practical, organic, textured
• One-year change in search volume: -12%
• Average monthly search volume: 38,410

Once again leading the way (according to the net volume of monthly searches) was mid-century modern. This style is a classic that combines some of the tenets of interior design, such as the fusion of practicality and aesthetics. Focused on the use of statement furniture pieces complemented by simple accessories, the mid-century modern design is easy to implement and fits almost all spaces naturally.

2. Modern Farmhouse

• Charming, cozy, traditional
• One-year change in search volume: -21%
• Average monthly search volume: 21,140

Despite a significant decline in search volumes, the modern farmhouse style is still among the most popular with more than 21,000 monthly searches. Modern farmhouse is a cozy style that lends warmth to any space by blending the rustic elements of the classic farmhouse with more elegant and modern accents.

3. Minimalism

• Light, clutter-free, calming
• One-year change in search volume: -3%
• Average monthly search volume: 20,090

A constant favorite in the last few years, minimalism is still among the most popular styles with more than 20,000 monthly searches. The style is focused on the principle of “less is more,” which enhances the space not with trinkets or accents that might clutter it, but with naturally complementary items, such as elegant artwork; plants; or cozy, clean textiles.

Methodology

RentCafe.com is a nationwide apartment search website that enables renters to easily find apartments and houses for rent throughout the U.S.
To create the ranking of trendiest interior design styles, we extracted the search volumes for 55 interior design styles using Google’s Keyword Planner. Of these, styles that had fewer than 1,500 searches in 2023 were eliminated. After this, 47 design styles made the final list.

The ranking was based on the percentage increase in Google search volumes. The increase was calculated by comparing the average monthly search volumes on Google between January and October 2023 to searches between January and October 2022 by using Google’s Keyword Planner. For each style, we used a combination of six relevant keywords to reach the total monthly volume.

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