The Year of the Horse is still fresh off to the races, but everyone’s still scrolling backward – eyeballs deep in the camera roll archives of a not-so-distant past, hunting for evidence of bone-dry matte lipsticks, mirrored sunglasses, Mannequin Challenges – and, if you were really ahead of the curve – a handheld accessory featuring either a Starbucks Frappuccino (phone eats first) or a Givenchy Antigona.
Yes, it’s 2026 – but 2016 has never felt more culturally correct.
And if ballet flats, skinny jeans, and ankle boots can stage a runway renaissance, it stands to reason that a few interior design trends we swore we’d buried for good might deserve a re-trial.
So stop and smell the YSL Black Opium. A decade later, these are three quintessentially 2016 design trends I’m ready to see back in rotation – along with a few designers who, somewhat shockingly, agree.
1. Millennial Pink
Think pink. We treated it like a neutral then, so follow suit now by matching the subtle shade with equally soft accents – or, if you’re really ready to relive the fantasy: a new paint job.
(Image credit: Oakley Moore)
‘Twas the time of the #Girlboss. Pastel pink – or, as Véronique Hyland christened it in The Cut, ‘Millennial Pink’ – rebranded a once ‘pansy’ hue into a shade of subversion. Empowered in our pastel hoodies, we queued up for our turn in front of that supersized salmon wall on Melrose without a shred of shame – dyeing our hair and lacquer-coating our walls in Pantone’s 2016 Color of the Year, Rose Quartz, to match.
Not that we necessarily needed to color-drench to the nines, but one can only wonder: why did we ever leave this sweet shade behind?
‘It was soft and inviting and easy on the eye!’ exclaims Scottsdale-based designer Jennifer Beget – ‘a great way to ease color skeptics into using color.’ Then, and arguably now, it remains one of the least committal shades on the wheel. Jennifer notes it slips seamlessly into soft goods – such as lampshades, throw pillows, blankets, rugs – across nearly any scheme.
Of course, if we’re revisiting this properly, pink might just as feasibly be the scheme itself. And for that, even now in 2026, Jennifer insists: ‘paint, paint, paint.’
‘I worked at a small design studio, and we painted one door a super soft dusty pink that gave a bit of pop to our space without it being too distracting,’ she says. If it was good enough for a designer’s studio, it’s more than ready for your at-home office revival.
2. Gallery Walls
The gallery wall recently earned airtime on ‘New Billionaire’s Row’: this art-filled NYC parlor room, designed by husband-and-wife hoteliers and designers Sven and Sara Simon, is anchored by oversized, monochrome B&B photographs of pop-cultural icons.
(Image credit: Joseph Velasquez of Five7 Media. Design: dasCasa)
2016 would have scoffed at today’s tiny-art trend. Back then, the more asymmetrical and intentionally cluttered the gallery wall, the better. It was a rite of passage for any self-respecting design obsessive – and the unofficial blueprint for peak-era Urban Outfitters, Polaroid-papered Brandy Melville interiors.
Macramé hangings. Tumblr prints. Postcards. If your walls weren’t layered edge to edge, what exactly were you doing?
‘The gallery wall symbolized identity,’ recalls Lauren Saab, founder of Dallas-based Saab Studios. ‘It gave people a way to show who they were, what they loved, and what shaped them, especially at a time when everything else lived on screens.’
It stands in direct opposition to today’s hyper-curated, one-artwork-per-wall discipline. ‘Now, after years of empty ultra-minimal walls, people want their spaces to feel personal again,’ Lauren continues. ‘To make one feel chic in 2026, limit the palette, use fewer pieces, and choose larger, more meaningful works so it reads confident instead of chaotic.’
3. Chevron
Herringbone floors – which, really, are a form of chevron – never left. H&G recently identified them as one of the flooring choices that instantly make a home look more expensive.
(Image credit: Interior by Sarah Vanrenen)
Chevron had been building its fanbase since 2012, but by 2016, it was unavoidable. You’d be hard-pressed to walk into a big-box store – be it for furniture, clothing, even office supplies – without encountering at least one bold graphic zigzag.
‘Chevron landed at a time when homes were craving energy,’ explains Denver-based designer Peggy Haddad. ‘It felt playful and graphic, and it was everywhere, from big-box pillows to custom drapery. The pattern adds instant movement to a space, even in neutral tones.’ The issue, she says, wasn’t actually chevron itself – ‘it was overexposure.’
Sound familiar?
Much like Millennial Pink, the return doesn’t require full pattern-drenching. ‘Now, as bold patterns are trending in interiors, I see chevron coming back in quieter, more refined ways,’ notes Peggy. ‘Smaller scale, softer contrast, more thoughtful placement,’ are the name of the game (her two favorites so far this year are Rebecca Atwood’s Chevron Dots and Schumacher’s Simon Mini Chevron).
It’s also worth noting that at Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel Spring–Summer 2026 debut in New York, the former Bottega Veneta creative director sent out an all-chevron envelope-style bag in burgundy, red, mint green, white, and black.
Coincidence? Probably not.
Turns out, some of these interior design trends have held up better than we expected. But according to designers, a few have aged less like fine wine and more like the almond milk we were all pretending to love.
For Dallas-based designer Lauren Saab, the accent wall is firmly in that category. ‘Statement walls deserve to stay in 2016,’ she says. ‘They created a single moment of impact while the rest of the room fell flat, which ultimately made spaces feel incomplete rather than intentional. A lone dark wall or bold wallpaper often read more like hesitation than confidence.’
Sorry, 2016. Some things are better left with the dog filters.
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