By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-30 17:30:45 | Updated at 2024-10-04 01:32:11
3 days ago
When it comes to seasonal aesthetics, there’s something distinctly gothic about autumn. A lot of that is (of course) down to Halloween, but there’s also the darker evenings, constant grey weather, and smell of smoke that hangs around bonfire night. It all combines to create a distinctly spooky few months, before all the gaudy lights and kitsch baubles of the festive period.
Enter TikTok’s favourite new seasonal aesthetic: whimsigoth. The trend – which has racked up more than 61 million posts – is about leaning into all the moodiness and opulence associated with autumn, but giving it a ‘whimsical’ twist. Architectural Digest describes whimsigoth as a ‘warmer, more playful’ take on gothic interiors; we’d summarise it as the type of home decor Wednesday Addams would choose, with a sprinkle of her rainbow-loving best friend, Enid Sinclair, thrown in.
If you’re the type of person who loves Halloween decorating, Sabrina the Teenage Witch or Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, this is the trend for you. Think fabrics like velvet and faux-suede in rich, jewel-like tones: plush purple or deep red. Ornately carved wood or metallic pieces are also perfect for creating the grandiose, refined feel you want a gothic room to have.
But the important qualifier is the whimsy, which stops it feeling as though you’re in some abandoned haunted house and makes your space feel warm and personal. Use candles and lamps for added cosiness, particularly ones with faux-stained-glass lampshades or celestial designs. And, for obvious reasons, ditch motifs that are too ‘gothic’ like skulls and ravens for more bohemian ones: feathers, flowers and stars.
We’re fully onboard with embracing the dark side as we move into autumn, and, with that in mind, we’ve collated 15 of our favourite pieces to inject a little whimsigoth into your home. Prepare for your houseguests to be bewitched…
