Trend Focus: Whimsy Goth

By Ana Zuravliova

Trend Specialist at Blinds Direct

Mon 7 Oct 2024

A new trend has taken hold that blends the warmth and communal spirit of a café with the comfort of home. Enter CafeCore – a design philosophy inspired by the cosy, inviting atmosphere of coffee shops. This trend is related to freshly baked bread, comfy chairs and well thumbed books. Perfect for both residential and commercial spaces, CafeCore creates a comforting, social, and relaxed vibe while maintaining modern aesthetics. In this blog, we’ll explore what CafeCore is, how it can be implemented in interior design, and why it has become so popular.

What is Whimsy Goth design?

Whimsy Goth design offers a nostalgic yet fashionable aesthetic that combines both gothic and bohemian elements. This partnership creates a dreamy, mystical atmosphere that’s very easy to relax in. Whimsy Goth is inspired by vintage fashion, dark romanticism, and nature using moody, muted colour palettes and soft fabrics like velvet, lace, and silk. What’s more, you can use a lot of fantastic patterns as part of a Whimsy Gothic decor, but more on that later…

In terms of why to pick Whimsy Goth as for your interior design, it’s a style that offers a cosy finish with the freedom to be eclectic. Whimsy Goth decor embraces both light and darkness, merging gothic themes of mystery and the macabre with playfulness. Capturing the feel of enchanted forest meeting a haunted castle, it’s not too dissimilar to the Dark Academia trend but more jovial.

So how should you go about adding it to your home? Well, these are our top tips for making a Whimsy Goth space.

Whimsy Goth fabrics and patterns

Gothic trends have had a luxurious quality that harks back to an idealised Victorian style. As a result, when curating a Whimsy Goth space, ensure you select sumptuous soft fabrics. Velvet curtains, Roman blinds and cushions are a great starting point, as are dark natural woods. A dark wooden curtain pole supporting a rich indigo blue velvet curtain is iconically gothic.

If velvet isn’t your style, look to similarly luxurious fabrics such as silk or soft wools. Layering a window with a rich dark curtain and a flowing white voile will add depth to the window while capturing more of the Victoriana effect.

Another important fabric type to consider are metallics. Metallic fabrics in a rich, dark tone have a magical quality that perfectly suits gothic rooms. You can learn more about metallic fabrics in our Exploring Metallic Colours In Interior Design blog. When it comes to patterns, there is a great selection you can mull over. Traditional floral and botanical patterns, especially in jacquard or brocade fabrics are the ideal choice, but so too are damask or other baroque styles. To capture a more whimsical style, paisley soft fabrics with a dark base but brighter coloured motifs make a whimsy gothic style statement.

Whimsy Goth colours

When considering a Whimsy Goth decor, you must first establish your colour palette. Because of the gothic element in this style, you should first consider the darker, more mysterious colours available to you.

Many will automatically go to black, but you don’t have to. Inky indigo blues, dark purples and even dark bottle greens will provide you with a calming yet moody backdrop from which to develop your decor. Using these colours to paint your walls or even as stylish curtains is an excellent place to start. You can even consider crimson reds and suitably dark oranges as secondary colours to add depth to the space but we’d recommend introducing these shades via accessories such as soft cushions and lamp shades.

With so many dark colours to choose from, you’ll also need to select some lighter colours to ensure the space doesn’t disappear into darkness. Dusky pinks are a great way of ensuring the whimsical element of this trend, as are ivory whites and calculated pops of warm yellows. Remember, the whimsical element is just as important as the gothic.

For lovers of the dark with a fun side, Whimsy Goth is a trend not to be missed. By taking time to research your desires and your options, you can easily create a space that captures the essence of gothic design but with a more convivial edge that makes the space as cosy and inviting as any other trend. If you’re not 100% sure on which soft fabrics are best for you, don’t forget you can order up to eight free samples from the website.