You’re About to See This Fun ’80s Decor Trend Everywhere (With a Twist!)

First it was Memphis design, and now another iconic ‘80s look is making its way back onto the home decor scene. The squiggle, similar to the super-trendy scallop, is popular again, and it’s making furniture extra fun.

Squiggle details have been popping up in stores like Lulu and Georgia and 1stdibs recently, on items like sconces and tables. However, there’s a marked difference from their playful look in the ’80s — they’re popping up in a much more sophisticated manner, and the new takes on squiggles are making waves on social media, too.

In a recent TikTok, creator Taylor Simon (@intayinteriors) shows extremely cute and exciting squiggle items like table legs, staircases, headboards, and chairs, and on smaller items like candlesticks, cabinet pulls, and doorknobs. 

Designer Amanda Jacobs says curvy designs and squiggles, which first became popular in the 1970s, are back because people are looking for comfort and familiarity — especially in the face of the stark minimalist design that took over in the 2010s. “We were trained to stay away from what our parents and grandparents liked in design, but as people are gravitating to the romanticism and softness of previous eras, curvy furniture and squiggles are becoming popular again,” she explains. 

Rope design, bobbins, and ball leg furniture have also rolled back into style, adding a touch of whimsy and “making furniture fascinating,” as Jacobs says. But don’t worry about investing in these shapes if you think it’ll look too trendy in a few years — Jacobs says the squiggle is here to stay, especially now that’s being used with traditional, sophisticated materials like wood and wrought iron. Plus, its shape may get even more funky in the future. 

If you want to incorporate the squiggle into your everyday life, check out some of our favorite products!