I Traveled to Paris to Find the Next “It” Decor, and These 6 Trends Are Contenders

There’s something about trendspotting in France that just hits differently. Maybe it’s the Haussmannian architecture, which provides such a charming backdrop that you almost don’t even notice you’re literally running from showroom to showroom. Or maybe it’s the fact that some of the brands on display truly are new — and in some cases, not even available stateside yet. Whatever the reason, I look forward to Maison&Objet and Paris Déco Off, two furniture- and textile-forward events in Paris, each January. 

Walking these shows is a great way to kick off the year, as so many design-forward companies exhibit at this time. And trust me — the mass market is watching. This year I also had the chance to check out Shoppe Object Paris, a favorite New York City-based show of mine, which made its French debut as part of another trade show, Who’s Next. 

Inspiration is everywhere — showrooms, convention centers, and even the Paris streets themselves. Here’s a quick dispatch on what trends I saw. I’d expect to see more of these motifs, colors, and design ideas in the months to come. 

It’s no secret that the Art Deco movement of the 1920s and 1930s is having a renaissance in design. As part of the pendulum swing back towards maximalism, people are loving the glamour of it all. This time around, though, silhouettes are a little more modern, and I’m seeing a little bit more of a natural influence mixed in with the geometric rigor of classic Deco.

Case in point? Designer Corey Damen Jenkins’ beautiful lighting collection for Eichholz, which included these feather-look chandeliers. Part bird-influenced — but cast in decadent glass and glitz — these lights beautifully toe the line between the natural and supernatural.

Even though it can be a very specific and polarizing color, lime green is having a major moment in design. So many of the major textile collections — from Schumacher’s Paris Atelier line (shown above; inspiration board below) to Clarence House’s new offerings to Liberty of London’s 150th anniversary assortment — featured this shade prominently. I get it; chartreuse offers a zingy dose of jauntiness, but when paired with darker colors it can also read downright edgy and uber-stylish. Many of the applications I saw tempered the shade’s brightness with a neutral backdrop or surroundings. 

I also spotted furnishings at Maison and Shoppe Object Paris in this shade. From lamps and ottomans to smaller decor like vases and pillows, a pop of chartreuse is coming for your living rooms and beyond, if the Paris shows are any indicator. 

Maximalism definitely has a hold on home design right now, and I’m increasingly seeing this expressed as trims, fringes, and dainty details galore all over furniture and furnishings. Designer Martin Brudnizki’s absolutely gorgeous, forthcoming Romaunt collection with the iconic passementerie purveyors Samuel & Sons, shown here, may be the most literal expression of this trend. 

But everywhere I looked, I saw chairs, ottomans, and sofas dripping in fringe. I even saw lighting that looked like tassels — and tassels pinned to the back of chairs as dimensional detailing. If you want to temper this look a bit, you can always go with neutral colorways and tone-on-tone examples. But after staying at the Brudnizki-designed Le Grand Mazarin hotel in Paris, I’m all for the more colorful trims and accoutrements — especially when you can make them removable for two-in-one looks. 

The design world has been obsessed with fruits and veggies as of late. Tomato girl summer, anyone? This year, though, I think we’ll be trading tomatoes for lemons (and other citrus fruits). While Perennials was showing a fun, almost abstract citrus fabric in their Italian summer-inspired new assortment “La Dolce Vita,” brands like Bordallo Pinheiro and Bitossi Home used 3D lemon shapes to adorn dishware and small accessories like pitchers and vases. 

These pieces feel very Amalfi Coast-coded and are guaranteed to bring a dose of sunshine and fun into the home — even during the colder months. Keep an eye out for limes and oranges to take center stage, too. 

The ocean will be another source of inspiration for home decor motifs again this year. Instead of sardines and schools of fish, though, I’m seeing more oysters, shells, and mollusks this time around — I even spotted jellyfish pendants at Maison!

The renewed prominence of the shell shape in candlesticks, lighting, and as tabletop accents — from salt cellars to serving utensils — likely ties back to the Art Deco resurgence, as this form was used liberally during that era. I’m looking forward to seeing just how stylized these forms get. 

Designer Meghan Jay released a beautiful take on cabana stripes (shown here) as part of her new wallpaper collection, My Home by the Sea, with iconic French brand Isidore Leroy. The patterns and colorways were inspired by her childhood memories growing up in New England, but the way in which she presents coastal style feels light, fresh, and decidedly modern for 2026 and beyond.

Designer Sean Leffers’ new collection of textiles (shown below) also blew me away — the colors, the patterns, the texture. I loved how he reinvented the stripe — and plaids — in so many fresh widths and ways. My guess is we will see more stripe and plaid drenching in painterly iterations as the year unfolds. 

There’s just something so classic and chic about a stripe, and it’s surprisingly easy to mix with other patterns. Stripes, after all, really do go with anything. And plaids, for that matter, do too.