Appealing decorations with a homespun vibe

Along with bread-baking and closet reorganizing, another nesting trend on the home front is “cottagecore” style.

“The cottagecore aesthetic swarmed the internet this year with its revival of traditional ideals and the glorifi - cation of a simple yet charming cottage lifestyle,” says Amanda Brennan, trend expert for Tumblr.

Engagement on the social platform for cottagecore began spiking in early spring and hasn’t abated, she reports.

Now it’s flowing into the holiday season, she says, “with posts of farmhouse-inspired holiday decorations, homestyle seasonal recipes, warm winter décor, and knitting.”

Etsy. com trend

expert

Dayna Isom Johnson agrees: “The nostalgia-inspired movement is all about bringing back pastoral aesthetics and

activities.”

Characterized by romantic, nature- oriented themes and homespun design elements, cottagecore started around the mid-2010s. But it’s taken off this year as the pandemic kept people at home.

“It’s no surprise that the trend’s extending into the holidays,” says Isom Johnson. “Shoppers are opting for décor that’s reminiscent of a time that was filled with simpler pleasures in life, from baking to crafting.”

Etsy saw an increase in early fall in searches for crocheted, knitted and embroidered ornaments, as well as holiday quilts, she says. They’ve seen a nearly 200% increase in searches for DIY kits.

Kits come at all levels, for kids, beginners and skilled crafters, and with a variety of holiday-friendly themes. For instance, Fancy Tiger’s felting kits offer alpacas, squirrels and sheep, and cross-stitched mini

MINTED VIA AP San Francisco Bay-area based Mariam Naficy, founder of online design marketplace Minted, has been making garlands this year out of various materials, including fragrant dried orange slices, like these shown here.