Ria Bhagwat is the lifestyle editor at Real Simple, where she covers stories related to health, wellness, life, and home. Prior to joining Real Simple, Ria was a freelance lifestyle writer at a variety of publications, including Apartment Therapy, Well+Good, and House Digest, where she wrote about everything from color coordination to holistic wellness. In her spare time, you can find Ria taking walks across Brooklyn or obsessing over which romance novel to read next.
As we inch closer to the new year, you might be wondering what everyone was curious to learn about in 2024. In hopes of quenching our global thirst for knowledge, Google just released its 2024 Year in Search report, which curates a collection of trending searches that everyone's been looking up and reading about this year. More specifically, we took a look at the interior design and aesthetic trends that have taken off in 2024 -- and the results might surprise you.
Google outlined data that reflects the top trending searches this year, which means topics and questions that received a high spike in traffic in 2024. These trends might be subject to change -- much like our ever-changing world. Read on for a list of what's been popular in the design world this year.
The Nancy Meyers aesthetic has been in the spotlight for quite some time. The aesthetic calls for interior decor that evokes the same feelings of comfort and nostalgia as most of Meyers' movies do -- think Parent Trap and The Holiday. The trend reached its peak popularity in early July, with the most sought-out location being North Carolina. The Nancy Meyers aesthetic includes everything from fresh flowers in the kitchen to warm interior paint colors.
The Y3K aesthetic proves that young people are searching for a style that's almost otherworldly, playing with futuristic, sci-fi, and Y2K-inspired fashion -- like metal fabrics and glittery makeup. The metallic, glossy, and future-forward look reached peak popularity in early June, with Illinois and California ranking as its highest searched states.
If you're active on social media, chances are you've heard of the mob wife aesthetic. The aesthetic is stylistically inspired by mob wives -- a way to admire the glitz and glamour of women in the '80s (with some levity). Think animal prints, fur coats, gold jewelry, and designer accessories. The trend reached its peak in mid-January, with most searchers hailing from Washington, D.C. and Rhode Island.
The modern colonial design trend took off this year as a way to blend traditional colonial features with elements of modern design -- for example, an open concept layout with natural-material fixtures. This trend got the most search in January, February, March, September, and November, with most searchers residing in Connecticut.
The term "quiet luxury" has been tossed around a number of times this year. The quiet luxury lifestyle embraces purchasing high-quality, timeless pieces that last (in order to shop less) rather than showy displays of wealth. While quiet luxury peaked in early January of this year, the conversation surrounding it has never gone out of style. Once again, the highest number of searchers hailed from Washington, D.C.
Last but (definitely) not least, cottagecore has taken over the world of cozy-girl aesthetics. The cottagecore aesthetic is rooted in creating a simple, comfortable, and sustainable lifestyle that's inspired by the English countryside -- think peasant dresses, embroidered art, baking bread, gardening, etc. The art of simplicity took off this year, and it's likely to carry over into 2025. Cottagecore reached peak popularity in late July and early August, with most searchers based in Alaska.