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There was a time when a stack of magazines on the floor meant you needed to clean up. Now, put a lamp on top and, suddenly, you have a side table. Cluttercore, the decorating ethos that favors abundance over empty surfaces, has been bubbling up for a while, but Pinterest’s 2026 Hobbies Trend Report makes a compelling case for letting our homes get even more crowded.
Pinterest has dubbed one of its rising aesthetics “Curated Clutter,” pointing to collections of vinyl, DVDs, coins, figurines, travel stickers, and other personal artifacts being incorporated into decor. After years of increased screentime, the visual platform says people are gravitating toward hobbies that produce something tangible, too. Think: crafts, pressed flowers, preserves, and tiny handmade worlds. More than half of Gen Z respondents say having a hobby contributes to their joy, which means that engaging in these activities can result in having more things.
But the most appealing version of the cluttercore look doesn’t necessarily feel particularly staged. It’s the stack of books that never quite makes it back to the shelf, the postcards stuck around a mirror, the ceramics multiplying along a windowsill, or a wall where paintings, photographs, and odd little objects have accumulated over years.
Other trends in Pinterest’s report only add to the pile. “Backyard Botanists” are filling sketchbooks and pressing flowers; “Kitchen Witches” are accumulating jars of herbs, spices, infusions, and ferments; and “Casual Crafters” are making everything from pottery to miniature rooms. Instead of relegating all those interests to closets and carefully labeled storage bins, leaving things out for everyone to see lets them become part of the landscape of a room.
And that’s perhaps the difference between clutter and cluttercore: objects don’t need to be strategically placed, but, collectively, they tell you something about a space’s inhabitants. So maybe your next organizing project isn’t a purge at all. Leave the books stacked. Keep adding to the wall. Let the evidence of your obsessions pile up a little and you just might call it decor.
