{"id":245319,"date":"2026-01-18T21:05:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T21:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/245319\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T21:05:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T21:05:18","slug":"everyone-is-nostalgic-for-2016-right-now-what-does-that-mean-for-interiors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/245319\/","title":{"rendered":"Everyone Is Nostalgic for 2016 Right Now. What Does That Mean for Interiors?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated3 min read<\/p>\n

The internet has decided that 2016 is making a comeback in 2026. TikTok searches for 2016 have spiked, and over 55 million videos<\/a> now feature the platform\u2019s rose-tinted \u201c2016 filter\u201d that makes everything look like it was shot through an early Instagram lens. On TikTok, the Chainsmokers soundtrack videos showing Kylie Jenner\u2019s original lip kits, bottle flips, and yes, the Snapchat dog filter. And on Instagram, both content<\/a> creators<\/a> and average users are sharing photos taken in 2016, showing themselves posing against statement murals and wearing graphic tees, with high contrast editing on every shot.<\/p>\n

Yes, the trend originated because of 2016\u2019s 10 year anniversary, but it also may stem from a collective yearning for the social media of that time. \u201cSocial media was a little bit more carefree,\u201d says ELLE Decor A-List designer Nathan Turner. \u201cEverything wasn\u2019t as draining.\u201d Younger members of Gen-Z are romanticizing 2016 as a golden era (a funny prospect to older members of the generation, who remember that 2016 was also the year of the Mannequin Challenge and the phrase \u201cNetflix and chill\u201d). But that\u2019s a part of the nostalgia\u2014that era\u2019s social media was messy, unpolished, and fun. Creators describe<\/a> 2016 as a time when the internet felt less judgmental and more communal\u2014ultimately, a prime year of social media.<\/p>\n

\"best<\/p>\n

That sense of lightness and possibility showed up everywhere, including in interiors. \u201c2016 was all about maximalism and color saturation,\u201d says designer Sasha Bikoff, who appeared in ELLE Decor that year. \u201cWe were seeing a lot of jewel tones and bold patterns.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the colors that saturated many 2016 interiors was the infamous (or famous, depending on who you ask) millennial pink. That year, an all-female co-working space, The Wing, opened in Flatiron that October\u2014right before the election\u2014and it arrived with all millennial pink furniture. Those interiors were widely shared on social media, and The Wing later opened up multiple other locations. The color was a signal to young professional women that you could have pink velvet and be taken seriously. You could build a professional network in a space that looked like it belonged on Instagram. It was optimistic feminist energy rendered in furniture form.<\/p>\n

Also in 2016, Pantone named Rose Quartz<\/a>\u2014a dusty blush quite similar to millennial pink\u2014as one of its Colors of the Year<\/a>, alongside a baby blue called Serenity, citing a \u201cgender blur\u201d in fashion and culture. Millennial pink became the visual shorthand for an entire cultural moment, showing up on Glossier packaging, in Acne Studios collections, and Instagram grids. Male artists like Bad Bunny, Harry Styles<\/a>, and Tyler the Creator incorporated pink into their wardrobes, sparking more nuanced conversations about masculinity. The color was a physical manifestation of the belief that things were opening up, and that there were new models emerging for how to live and work.<\/p>\n

\"Stylish<\/p>\n

As Bikoff noted, maximalism also started threatening minimalism’s decade-long dominance, bold wallpaper came back, and black emerged as a new neutral. A \u201970s revival\u2014saturated jewel tones, rich textures, pattern on pattern\u2014was gaining real momentum. Turner remembers it well\u2014one of the first things that popped up when he searched his 2016 photos was a story that ran in ELLE Decor<\/a>\u2014an apartment he’d done in New York that was \u201csuper traditional, pattern on pattern, every wall is upholstered, a ton of color, a ton of antiques.\u201d<\/p>\n

People weren’t apologizing for wanting more color, more texture, or more personality in their spaces. Maximalism celebrates individuality and says you can use bold patterns and jewel tones and antique furniture all in the same room, and no, you won’t be toning it down.<\/p>\n

Ten years later, people are ready to feel that way again. \u201cI’m always up for things coming back, as long as they’re done well,\u201d Turner says. \u201cI always think it’s fun to see the interpretation of something from 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago, because it’s never the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

The signs are already here. The recently opened Printemps department store is maximalism in its fullest form. Turner just completed a library that reinterprets the 2016 rose-quartz palette and deepens it with burgundies and plums, and Bikoff is watching bolder color palettes creep into accessories and art. Millennial pink may not come back\u2014but we may meet its Gen-Z sister.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Julia Cancilla is the engagement editor at ELLE Decor, where she oversees the brand’s social media and writes about the intersection of design, pop culture, and emerging trends. She also authors the monthly ELLE Decoroscope column. Her work has appeared in Inked magazine, House Beautiful, Marie Claire, and more.<\/p>\n