6 Design Trends the Internet Is Obsessed With and Where to Shop Them

Since moving into a newly renovated townhouse, I’ve become deeply obsessed with interiors and decor. My Pinterest boards are filled with pictures of all pretty much each of the interior design and homewares trends that’s got an honourable mention in Google’s trendiest interior design searches.

You’ve got design trends like maximalism, cottagecore, grandmillenial, dark academia, and japandi, to name a few, that come with a whole slew of homewares that fit into each trend, like mixing vintage materials and textures, high tech homewares, sculptural and curved furniture, and natural surfaces and objects.

There are so many options to choose from. The only problem is figuring out where to start. The good news is, I’ve scoured every inch of the Internet over the last few months on the hunt to find just where you can shop each of the trending homewares and interior design trends. You’re welcome!

Japandi

Japandi was 2021’s decorating trend leader, according to Google; searches for the term were up 1217% in 2021 compared to 2020. Japandi combines the minimalism of traditional Japanese decor with the functionality of Scandinavian interior design. The two countries are far apart geographically, but their aesthetic sense is similar. Both are prize tranquillity and simplicity, so japandi design is all about clean lines, light colours, and lots of open space. It’s a sophisticated look that is perfect for a person who sees their home as a calm oasis in a cluttered and troubling world.

If you’re looking for places to shop the Japandi trend, try places like eBay, Amazon and Ikea. The beauty of this trend is that it’s supposed to be kept simple, so you don’t have to go out and spend a whole paycheck just to style your home. eBay even has a whole section dedicated to Scandi simplicity to make shopping the trend that much easier.

Dark Academia

The second trendiest design term in 2021, dark academia, is close to the opposite of japandi. It’s a style characterised by dark wooden furniture, dense, cluttered rooms, classical greek statues, and tons and tons of old books. Dark academia lies somewhere between goth and steampunk, but minus the more cartoonish flourishes of each. Imagine how Mary Shelly might have decorated the study where she kept her dead husband’s heart in a desk drawer, and you have an idea of the dark academia look. Decorate like this if you are really into Harry Potter or a little too old for Sisters of Mercy posters.

Does dark academia sound right up your alley? Try shopping the trend online via places like eBay, Etsy and even Facebook marketplace to pick up some bargains.

Cottagecore

Next on the list is cottagecore, a social-media-powered design trend that suggests rural, country living. Think Irish knit sweaters, dried flowers, antique furniture, country plaid patterns, too many plants, and (God help us all) the return of macramé. Like dark academia, cottagecore is strongly anti-modernism, but it is without the focus on darkness and intellectualism. Instead, it’s about good, old country ways — but only the quaint parts. It’s ruralism with money and taste instead of surly insularism and meth addiction. Decorate like this if you wear flowered dresses and want a ton of Instagram likes.

If the cottagecore trend sounds right up you’re alley, you’re going to love shopping for it. Pretty much every online retailer from Etsy to eBay has jumped on the bandwagon.

Grandmillenial

A portmanteau of “grandma” and “millennia,” grandmillenial design references pre-modernism America with its combination of embroidered linens, needlepoint pillows, ornate chandeliers, and wicker and walnut furniture. It’s basically how your grandmother kept her house in 1947, or an anti-cool celebration of everything stuffy and outdated. It reminds me of the forgotten “normcore” trend of the 1990s. Grandmillenial is not as rural or fussy as cottagecore and not as gloomy as dark academia, but it shares a rejection of technology and the modern world with both. Decorate like this if you want to save money by making use of your dead relatives’ stuff.

Classic, simple and somewhat retro, the grandmillenial trend is becoming easier and easier to shop as the year goes on. Places like eBay, Etsy and Amazon are where you’ll be able to pick up reasonable priced retro pieces if you don’t have your parent’s garage to raid.

Maximalism

Rounding out the list of 2021’s trendiest decorating terms is maximalism. This is a style for people who want to make a bold statement by decorating their homes with literally everything. Imagine a dizzying decor of colours, prints, layers, patterns, and tchotchkes. Maximalism is like a middle-class Victorian house where every surface is decorated, and there’s crap everywhere but combined with the colourful, cocaine-and-conspicuous-consumption of 1980s chic. Decorate like this if you are the kind of person who says, “I’m not here to make friends” when you appear on a reality show, or you are nouveau riche.

Right now, our favourite place to shop the maximalism trend is eBay! They’ve got a whole section dedicated to the design trend that features decor like retro velvet lounges and chairs, freestanding floor lamps, and sculptural style vases.