The 10 Best 2024 Decor Trends That Our Style Editor Can't Stop Talking About

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Frankfurt, Germany, for one of the world’s most extensive trade shows: Ambiente. The event attracted manufacturers, designers, tastemakers, and buyers — representing brands like Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel, and Zara Home — from 170+ countries while offering glimpses of the latest cutting-edge home designs. Spread out across 12 different halls and 360,000 square meters, these products spanned furniture, dining, gifting ideas, and more. Essentially, Ambiente functions like one giant trend forecast, setting the precedent for lifestyle and marketplace innovations across the globe — pretty cool, right?

During the 2024 fair, which ran from January 26 to 30, the Ambiente team identified three distinct trend groupings — Aura of Progress (visionary + elemental), Quality of Silence (pure + familiar), and Spirit of Craft (bold + poetical). I’ll delve into these further below, where I also highlighted a few style standouts I spotted on my own, just by walking the floor of the exhibition. From unique decor and kitchen staples to emerging color palettes, read on to discover 10 trends with potential to dominate homes and the retail space throughout the upcoming seasons.

1. Iridescent Accents

During a trend lecture hosted on day three of Ambiente, international style forecaster Annetta Palmisano explained that the fair’s Aura of Progress category centers around the merging of nature and technology. That entails certain “dazzling” motifs, she added, present in the form of exciting iridescent pieces. For example, glassware brand Fortessa showcased their own transparent, shimmery plates, and Portuguese cutlery company Dalper unveiled a set of vibrant, rainbow-effect utensils. Color pairings evocative of opal stones, like light purple and yellow, were also in abundance.

2. All Fluted Everything

Fluted drinking glasses have already captivated the home scene (see: West Elm’s exclusive line with designer Aaron Probyn), but this tactile touch is now graduating to glass canisters, lidded meal prep containers, and more. Even ceramic dining sets are getting decked out with the ribbed effect, as well as the recyclable polypropylene collection pictured here from sustainable kitchen brand Blim+.

3. Cordless Portable Lamps

Designers expect portable lighting to take off in a big way, and Ambiente further proves that this technologically advanced category has staying power. Within both the interior design and tabletop sections of the show, mini cordless table lamps topped booth after booth, in a range of contemporary-looking silhouettes. Highlights included the “fluted,” hygge-friendly wood wireless lamps from Scandinavian company Eva Solo, and designer Francisco Gomez Paz’s unique task lamp that references African sculptures with its shape. Zafferano — a major portable lighting pioneer — also debuted a new addition to their popular (Oprah-approved!) rechargeable Poldina collection.

4. Design-Forward Bathroom Tools

I’m calling it: 2024 will be the year of stylish, small-space-friendly toilet brushes, given the amount I observed at Ambiente. The sleek, stainless steel style from Joseph Joseph pictured above especially caught my eye, plus a new-to-me company, Cosmic Studio, exhibited an ultra-thin version called Flat. It’s not the most, well, sexy shopping cohort, but this goes to show that even mundane bathroom cleaning supplies don’t have to be decorative party poopers (or compromise on functionality).

5. Bolder Color in the Kitchen

You’ve probably noticed retro, pastel small appliances grazing kitchen countertops everywhere — now prepare for brighter, more saturated takes on this trend. Here, Westinghouse experimented with bold red color options (among many other hues) across their assortment of electronics. Meanwhile, French ceramics manufacturer Emile Henry curated an ombré display of rectangular baking dishes in 31 different shades. Expect silverware and coffee mugs to get vibrant refreshes, too, for extra daily doses of color.

6. Tile-Inspired Patterns

Within the Spirit of Craft trend, Palmisano noted that designers often prioritize textiles as key focal points. Now, though, this stylistic concept celebrates the use of “unconventional combinations” and “free-spirited expressionism,” Palmisano added. That means that textures and patterns typically reserved for decor like rugs or blankets are now leaving their mark on more unexpected living essentials, like these tile-inspired dishes shown above. Italian brand Ariete followed suit with a series of decorative blenders, toaster ovens, and kettles that resemble elaborate Mediterranean-inspired ceramic tiling as well.

7. Dramatic Candle Holders

As a key fixture in Ambiente’s 2024 trend pavilion, STOFF Nagel reintroduced its iconic modular chrome candle holder from the 1960s (pictured above). This was just one of many nontraditional taper stands, both individual and multi-pronged, styled throughout the exhibition. These tall, fluid designs feed into Ambiente’s Quality of Silence trend, which embraces “everyday sculptures” — aka assigning an artful significance to ordinary objects — according to Palmisano during the event’s aforementioned style presentation. 

8. Organically Shaped Serveware

Within the same Quality of Silence vein mentioned above, Palmisano alluded to the trade show’s many fluid, amorphous designs, noting that “organic pieces with imperfections” tend to “pique our senses.” This felt especially relevant across Ambiente’s dining category, filled with asymmetrical, unfinished-looking plates and platters in subdued, earthy palettes. Further veering away from traditionally clean-edged serveware, 2024’s “it” shape, scallops, also made an undulated appearance on the border of a few charming dishes.

9. Marbleized Decorations

Alongside Ambiente is another consumer goods show, Christmasworld, that’s — you guessed it! — entirely dedicated to Christmas. It even had its own trend installation, where I saw ornaments, candlesticks, and wrapping paper all covered in swirly, marble-like patterns (which I initially identified as an up-and-coming decor motif last summer). Be on the lookout for more multi-colored, marbled paper decorations leading up to the 2024 holiday season.

10. Ducks in a Row

Ambiente spolighted plenty of chic animal-focused finds, but one species seemed to be the star of the trade show: ducks. Mallard motifs and illustrations adorned pieces like these whimsical dishes (which reminded me of products by John Derian Company in New York). Plus, I noticed cute felt hot-water bottle covers designed by German manufacturer dorothee lehnen, as well as detailed duck-shaped flower vases.