Deck the Halls: Top trends in 2024 décor By Carly McFadden

As seen in Holiday Shop 2024.

With social media as a major influence behind home styling trends, customers are embracing nontraditional approaches with their holiday décor in 2024.

While traditional reds and greens will always perform well for the holidays, there are now myriad alternative colorways, themes and aesthetics that customers can opt for when trimming their trees and sprucing up their homes.

“There were a lot of times that we’d have a product launch and it may have just been a little too early for the retailer to feel like they were ready to catch onto it,” said Alicon Lee, vice president of product development at Transpac Brands. “But now social media has started to really speed that up because at your fingertips, you can see what everyone has. Trends are now just so much faster coming into the forefront.”

Industry wholesalers and designers identified four common trends they’re seeing for the 2024 holiday season.

VINTAGE & NOSTALGIA

Décor that harkens back to memories of childhood or simpler times are on the upswing in 2024.

Many customers will take a vintage, nostalgic or retro approach to styling their homes this holiday season. Gaining traction in the realm of nostalgia is patchwork on items such as quilts, throws, pillows and even stockings.

“For a little bit, checkerboard was huge,” said Celisha Racicot, product manager at Peking Handicraft. “Instead of checkerboard, I think patchwork is taking over. The Y2K trend, which was so big, is being replaced by more feminine nostalgia.”

Ragon House’s vintage products have always performed well, said company president Mary Ragon, but the company has also witnessed an increase in demand for the nostalgic style.

“Vintage continues to grow and grow to be more widespread in popularity than ever before,” Ragon said. “We have always had a unique line of handmade papier mache items that are reproductions of vintage Belsnickles (Santas), snowmen, deer, angels, children and many more. We add new versions every year.”

One 2023 trend that reemerged, especially on social media, from years gone by was the use of bows and tinsel on Christmas trees.

“Tinsel added to products immediately gives that vintage feel,” Ragon said. “Textiles fit well into this grouping as well.”

STARRY-NIGHT SPLENDOR

Darker palettes with opulent jewel tones and midnight hues have emerged for holiday this year after making waves in everyday décor. This trend can be seen throughout categories like tabletop, pillows and throws, and even ornaments.

“Moody colors have been coming on strong, especially with antique gold accents,” Ragon said. “Deep burgundy, forest green, navy blue, jewel tone elements — these colors tend to create a more sophisticated look. Beautiful handcrafted glass kugels continue to do extremely well in this line.”

Dark wood is trending within this palette, and it creates a luxe look that is both high-end and modern.

“There’s a whole darker component that’s coming into play that we’re seeing as consumers have fun creating more looks that feel more upscale,” Lee said. “Darker wood has been coming into the forefront in everyday — you see it starting to filter into Christmas, and you see this black and dark brown come into play, as well.”

Peking Handicraft is embracing dark backgrounds through its mushroom holiday pillows. Racicot predicts 2024 will be the biggest year for mushrooms in holidayware after several years of popularity. The company is coupling these trends by placing mushrooms against a dark background for a high- contrast, elevated look.

SWEET TOOTH

Candylike colors materialized as an unconventional holiday colorway in 2023, and the trend remains strong. Customers are turning to soft hues like blush, lavender, baby blue and sage green to embrace levity and joy in the 2024 holiday season in what Racicot calls the “Taylor Swift Effect” at Peking.

Transpac is seizing this aesthetic with a holiday line complete with pinks, whites, greens and even iridescent finishes.

“We’re seeing a lot of different pastel colors,” Lee said. “The retailer and the consumer are both really just having fun with mixing and matching. They’re also a little bit more apt to try new things.”

In a similar, sugary vein, sweets have emerged as unexpected holiday iconography in tandem with the pastel color palettes.

“Having more fun with holiday items is a trend we see that is carrying over to this year from the year before, like a wider acceptance of the pastel and bright colors. … Sweets are also playing into this look. We’re seeing lots of food-inspired icons and décor, whether in ornaments or different forms,” Lee said.

WOODLAND WONDER

Woodland is one of the most versatile holiday décor styles because it translates to everyday winter décor, and the rustic, enchanting theme will continue to dominate the home goods landscape in 2024.

“We are seeing lots of natural influences, earthy elements such as woodland creatures, pine cones, mushrooms, branches, feathers and florals,” Ragon said.

Ragon House meets this demand with products like its mushroom ornaments and mossy pine cone filler, which mirror nature and create a cozy, festive feel within a home.

Additionally, Peking is taking a new approach to its woodland-inspired products, with soft blues, greens and whites taking command.

“Woodland is a perennial theme, but we’ve been showing this collection to a few of our larger customers and getting a really positive response on it,” Racicot said of Peking’s upcoming woodland collection. “It’s a little bit softer than you see traditional woodland being. We’ve got green and blue here, and I think that makes it feel a little fresh. … We normally try to stay away from doing white animals because they don’t always show up as well, but I love [owls and bears] in white.”

Transpac sees an uptick in woodland creatures, as well, but with an undeniably adorable twist.

“We’ve seen woodland creatures that have sweaters on or have added components to them trend [in 2024],” Lee said. “Those items could sit out for the entire holiday season and even throughout winter, as well.”

Sentiments of Peace

In times of global tumult, customers naturally gravitate toward sentiments of peace and love. TrendBible, a global trend forecasting agency, cited this in its 2024 Festive Forecast Trend Report.

“In today’s heavy world, creating moments of lightness is key,” said Danika Morris, creative trend editor at TrendBible. “For 2024 this will continue, with particular focus being placed on finding joy and hope in and amongst the chaos of everyday family life.”

Wholesaler Peking Handicraft also sees this trend resonating with customers. As a response, its holiday 2024 collection debuts Peace, Joy and Love throw pillows, complete with folksy doves and soft colors.

By the Numbers: 2023 Winter Holidays

• A record 200.4 million consumers shopped over the five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday.
• Those who celebrated the winter holidays were expected to spend $875 on average on gifts, decorations, food and other key seasonal items.
• Holiday spending was expected to reach record levels during November and December and would grow between 3% and 4% over 2022 to between $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion.

Source: National Retail Federation