Dopamine Decor Is The Home Trend That Will Heal Your Inner Child

It feels like there’s a new decor style trending on TikTok every week, so there’s basically no excuse why your space shouldn’t always feel fresh and inspired. The latest design trend to make a splash on the app, called “#dopaminedecor,” is a maximalist’s dream with its bright colors, fun patterns, and kitschy statement pieces. If you’re looking to fill your home with happiness, here’s the rundown on everything you need to know about the dopamine decor trend for a burst of fun.

Unlike other interior design styles that have gone viral in the past, like clustercore or Miamicore, dopamine decor doesn’t have many specific characteristics beyond the fact that it’s very colorful. Instead, the style seems to be a lot more open-ended to include pretty much anything that makes you feel happy, so every time you step into your space, you experience a dopamine rush. For some people, like TikToker @the_shoestring_home, that means adding as much color to your space as possible. Meanwhile, creator @thehexagonalhouse’s idea of dopamine decor seems to include a lot of knick-knacks, vintage-inspired furniture, and layering textures. TikTok user @honeyidressedthepug proves dopamine decor can also be as simple as hanging a few disco balls from the ceiling to create a little extra light around the room.

Despite its popularity on the app, TikTok isn’t exactly responsible for the phrase “dopamine decor.” There have been many studies to prove how wearing bright colors or sentimental pieces of clothing can improve your mood, and similar to the interior design style, there’s even a phenomenon called “dopamine dressing.” The design trend seems to be an offshoot of the term coined by fashion psychologist Dr. Dawnn Karen, as they have the same intentions at their core — to make people happy.

Dr. Karen explained to Today in June 2022 that “colors, patterns, and textures elicit different emotions for different people,” which may be the reason why there’s no right or wrong way to pull off dopamine decor. Similar to how you might not vibe with everyone’s fashion style, the items that make you happy (like food-themed decor, for example) may not spark joy for others, and vice versa.

The fashion psychologist also shared that the best way to begin dopamine dressing is to “think back to your childhood,” which is a helpful tip to keep in mind when filling your home with dopamine decor as well. Anything that makes your inner child smile is an instant dopamine decor win, and the best part is, none of it even has to match. Stans of the decor style on TikTok have been known to incorporate all the colors of the rainbow into their space or play around with different aesthetics from room to room. If that’s not a childhood dream come true, IDK what is.

If you’re looking for some inspiration on how to dopamine decor-ify your apartment, check out these TikToks underneath the tag #dopaminedecor, which has 4.7 million views and counting, to find the approach that best fits your style.

You can expect to find patterns, wallpaper, and gallery walls galore at @gordonglare’s house.

Geometric shapes and vintage game consoles can be considered dopamine decor, too — just ask @foreveryoursbetty.

The walls are covered from top to bottom at @thriftymaximalist’s house, and I’m here for it.

Whatever your version of dopamine decor looks like, just remember to make it happy, and stay true to yourself.