In this episode of the Uploft Interior Design Podcast, I talk about why I finally joined TikTok and how balancing entrepreneurship, family, and creativity pushed me to get help and commit to daily content, then I dive into interior design trends that are officially “out” for 2026. I share my honest reactions—sometimes agreeing, sometimes strongly disagreeing—on jewel-toned sofas, boucle fabric, mid-century modern overload, open-concept floor plans, chevron patterns, pastel palettes, and patterned fabrics like ikat. If you have questions for me, make sure to submit them here.
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Launching my TikTok journey
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[music] Design inspiration, real life makeovers, and the [music] latest in pop culture. This is the Uploft Interior Design Podcast with Betsy Helmouth. New year, new social media platform. [music] That’s right, I am officially on Tik Tok. You can find me at Uploft
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Interior Design on Tik Tok. It’s been a long time coming, but you know, as an entrepreneur, you have to decide where to put your time. You have to grow your business. You have to manage your employees. You have to find new clients. You have to make sure your packages are
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still aligned with what people are asking for. You have to market yourself. You have to actually take the clients and do design work. And then of course you layer on family obligations and all those different things. You try and find some hobbies. You try and get some
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friends. And what time is left? Well, with my remaining time, I’ve decided to Tik Tok. So, I hired a local college student who has been amazing, Caroline. And she has been giving me a content calendar, sharing upcoming Tik Tok trends with me, making sure that my
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videos look branded and have proper captioning. She’s been a star. And then, of course, my son has been super curious and has been sort of looking at what we’ve been doing and he wants to optimize my channel. So, it’s become a new passion of mine and I’m posting almost every
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day. So, if you want more content, if you want to see me going crazy at HomeGoods, well, just head over to Tik Tok and look for Uploft Interior Design. Today, I’m sharing a topic that I think will be trending for sure, and it is trends that are out for 2026. Now, of
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course, I could come up with my own list, but I think it’s really interesting to see what other experts are saying to kind of callull different websites and choose the ones that I think are maybe most interesting, most controversial, or the ones that I am
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fully in agreement with. So, that’s what I am bringing today. I am going to talk about trends that are out for 2026. All right, let me refer to my notes here. The first one is jewel toned sofas. Jewel tone sofas are out for 2026 and that means navy, emerald, yellow ochre,
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that deep sort of russet orange. Those sofa tones are out. I am in agreement with this one. I think that jewel tone sofas, while having a colorful sofa isn’t something that’s a fad in my opinion, I think it’s something that’s hard to live with for 10 to 15 years, which is the
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ideal lifespan for a sofa. Additionally, the thing that was bothering me with all these jewel tone sofas is that the only fabric that they were coming in that wasn’t custom with a huge lead time was velvet. And for me, having a lot of velvet furniture in one room, if you
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have colorful armchairs, a colorful sofa, it’s just too much of the same texture. I have that issue in my own home. Full disclosure, I have a cat who
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Jewel-toned sofas: why they’re out and my own velvet-filled confession
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likes to scratch any fabric that has any sort of weave. So whether it’s chenille or linen, it’s just not going to go well with this cat, no matter how often I trim his nails. I found that velvet is one texture he just does not touch. I got a lot of velvet furniture to ensure that
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it has longevity. So, in my living room, which is kind of a long space that I’ve divided into three different areas, the dining chairs, cuz I have like my formal dining area and my formal living room and a formal sitting area and then like a puzzle table. Full disclosure, my
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dining chairs are a gray velvet. My sofa is like a deep charcoal velvet. My armchairs across from the sofa are like a plum or very rich grape velvet. Two of the chairs at the game table are like a yellow ochre velvet and then I have a yellow ochre velvet chase. So, I can
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admit not only to making a design mistake even though it was quite intentional because I just didn’t want this cat ruining any more pieces of furniture. But I can also attest to the fact that it’s a lot of velvet and it doesn’t look all that designerly. And
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how I break it up is I make sure to use throw blankets that are a different texture. I make sure that my pillows are a completely different look and feel. That way the accessories that are layered on top really distract from the fact that all those main foundational
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pieces are the same type of fabric. Okay, so I am excited that jewel tone sofas are out because it’s so much easier to work with a neutral sofa and it’s so much easier to find options for neutral sofas. Hallelujah. All right, the next item that is out for 2026,
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according to quote unquote the experts, is Boulay fabric. Boulay fabric, if you’re not familiar, is a fabric that is kind of NY. It almost looks like a very soft teddy bear or like a textured fluffy stuffed animal. And it’s very soft to the touch. It has a raised pile
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that has a lot of irregularities. And it’s just very plush and cozy. A lot of armchairs, a lot of swivel chairs, a lot of like bar stools, ottomans. I’ve been seeing upholstered in this boulay fabric. It looks so fun. It looks so cozy. You just want to wrap yourself up in this
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furniture. However, there’s a lot of problems with boulay fabric. First of all, it tends to peel or that uneven texture tends to clump. And so just like a well-loved stuffy, it looks matted and old pretty quickly. The other thing is it’s very hard to clean. So a lot of the
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Boulay fabrics out there come in cream, believe it or not, and they get dirty or show their wear very easily, and it’s very tough to make them look fresh again. For me, my boulay chairs, the two velvet chairs at the game table and the other two chairs at the game table are a
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gray boulay. Huge mistake. The cat loves the boulay. That uneven texture, that sort of soft, ny, fluffy, sort of exposed area. He loves to sink his claws into and he just pulls and it pulls out like strings. this thing. It has like these protruding strings off
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of the little tus because he gets in there and just unravels these yarnlike clumps. It’s been a disaster. I’m so excited that Boulay is out. I love a Boulay pillow. I like a Boulay small accessory. I’m guessing like a small foot stool or ottoman. I guess I’m
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okay with. But you just have to know that this is one of those items not to invest a lot of money in that you’re going to be switching out on the regular
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Boucle fabric trends and durability issues
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in order for it not to look very worn. In fact, I got those cute little, you know, Pottery Barn kids stuffed chairs for my two kids. One for the little toddler. It’s like the little tiny armchair for children that’s stuffed with foam. But the outside cover I got
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in like a teddy bear type bouet. Then my son was so jealous. my 14-year-old because it was so plush that he was always sitting in the toddler chair even though he’s 6’4 and she’s, you know, not even 3 feet. He was always stealing her chair. So for Christmas, I got him his own chair, his
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own boulay chair. And Christmas was not so long ago. What was it? Two weeks ago. And already it’s looking a little matted and worn. It’s disappointing, but it’s fuzzy and it’s serving the purpose. and I just got it to be fun and playful and to replicate what I’d gotten for her.
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But of course, I’m replicating the mistake as well. So, there you have it. Let’s get to the next trend that is totally out. The next trend that is out is MCM furniture drenching, basically. And what that means is using a lot of mid-century modern furniture in one
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room. So much so that that’s almost the only style that you’re evoking. So, think about just fully furnishing your space with room and board or West Elm. That’s kind of the vibe because they have been so in the lane of mid-century modern in terms of the tapered leg
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profile, the midtone wood color, the emphasis on walnut, the emphasis on fluted detailing, sometimes organic like kidney style shapes, whether it’s coffee tables, in tables, things like that, even sofas. And um then of course jewel tones which are a signature of mid-century modern.
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I completely agree. For too long, I think really for a good decade, people have been buying mid-century modern pieces because they’re almost like a blank canvas on which you can overlay a lot of contemporary things. And they are not overly ornate. They’re pretty
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cleanlined and simplistic. So, they work well in contemporary spaces, but people have been buying too many of these pieces. Not necessarily true mid-century modern antiques, even though I think a room full of that is too Brady Bunch, but also these knockoffs or these
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reproductions that are meant to look very iterative of that mid-century modern style. And then of course the whole room starts to look like a throwback, starts to look like a theme room, if you will. I love a mid-century modern piece here or there. In fact, it’s
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almost my favorite style. I would say it’s waring with eclectic for me. But the thing about it is it’s such a chameleon. You can put a mid-century modern piece in a contemporary space, in an eclectic space, in a boho space, and it can fit right in even in a beachy
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space. There’s lots of ways to incorporate this because it is so simplistic, and yet it does have these hallmarks, right, of the tapered leg, etc., what I just went over. But I think people have been relying on it too much. And I’m not just talking about clients.
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I’m talking about furniture store vendors. I think they’re just making too much of it. and selling too much of it. And they kind of just got in this lane and everything is starting to look the same. Everything is starting to look like a version of something that they
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sell at Design Within Reach, but that’s a cheap knockoff. And I’m ready to see what new is coming forth. I’m ready to see chunkier styles, maybe more decorative and more ornate pieces. I’m ready to see pieces that have some intrinsic character that can’t just be
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tossed in any style room and work well more that drive the bus or have a real presence in a space versus just merely existing and being an organic shape that fills in a blank. I’m ready to move away from excessive MCM furniture. All right. The next thing that I have
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been saying is out for a long time and I don’t think I’ve been saying it on the podcast, but with my clients, I’m constantly struggling is the open concept floor plan. Now, you’re saying, “Buty, I love an open concept. I love being able to make dinner and watching a
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show on the TV in the family room. I love being able to sit in the dining room and do my work while my husband is hanging out with his friends in the family room. I like that when my kids make dinner, I can talk to them from the couch, right? I hate that stuff. I know. Is it just
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me? Not only do I hate the fact that there’s not separation. I don’t want to hear the show that my kids are watching. I don’t want to hear the conversation that my husband is having with his work colleague when I’m making dinner and he’s in the living room. I want walls to
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separate spaces. And I like doors so that I can open the door and quote unquote open the wall, right? And let that sound permeate, let my voice permeate so that I can talk to someone. But then I can close it when I just want to turn on my podcast real loud and you
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Mid-century modern overload and why furniture stores all feel the same
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know it’s a true crime podcast so it’s not appropriate for everyone. I want to turn it on real loud and I want to cook and I don’t want anybody talking to me and I don’t want to hear who they’re talking to. It’s not just for the privacy of it. The challenge I face as a
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designer and the struggle I have when working with clients in open concept spaces is that there’s no parallel walls. Now, we don’t just use parallel walls for mounting a TV across from a sofa or gazing at the fireplace across from a sofa. We use parallel walls in
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lots of different ways. Save for a conversation space. If I’m on the sofa, I need people across from me to talk to. Floating chairs in a space can definitely work, but it also creates a different traffic pattern, which can be complicated. It can block walkways,
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hallways, all sorts of different things. And a lot of my clients come to me and maybe they’re in an older home and they want it to feel more contemporary and they’re like, “Betsy, should we blow out this wall? Should we blow out that wall?” And sometimes it does make the
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space feel more current. But sometimes it really limits your floor plan options and it really limits the place where not only you can put furniture, but also where you can put artwork. Because one of the challenges is sometimes I walk into these homes and I’m like, we have
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no walls for your art. We have no places to hang anything. And that’s okay. I mean, it saves you from having to buy art, but also it prevents you from being able to express yourself through that medium to be able to introduce color or new textures or new patterns through
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that medium. I find it to be so limiting and I find walls, while they may feel confining, to ultimately be very freeing. Let’s go to my next trend that is completely out for 2026. Chevron fabric. I completely disagree. Now, chevron, if you’re not familiar, is
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like Vshape fabrics, right? And it can be a zigzag. It could be a Vshape. A lot of people were laying their tiles in a chevron pattern. A lot of people were laying their hardwood floors in a chevron pattern. And in my mind, that is a classic geometric look that will never
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go out of style. Do I think we need a ton of chevron? No. I think it should be used judiciously. Maybe one time on each floor. So, would I do throw pillows in a living room and a armchair in a family room if they’re both on the same level? No. But I really don’t think that
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somebody’s going to look at your zigzag rug and be like, “That is so pvron is here to stay.” I’m just going to say it. It is not trendy. It is not out. Keep buying your V patterns. Next thing that people say is out are pale color palettes. We’re talking pastels. We’re talking
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muted flesh tones. We’re talking muddy blushes and pale pinks. And I will say those tones, whether it be like a pinky cappuccino or just like a very pale silvery sage, those tones are kind of out. I think that people who were afraid to use color were kind of dabbling in those. But in
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my mind, some of them were so pale, so unassuming that they were almost neutrals and people began to use them like a crutch and just really use them as the only color in their space rather than just a part of that 6030 tin color palette that I’m asking
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you to create. So, I think one pastel as a part of that 603010 formula is beautiful. I think relying on only pastels in that 603010, even if you’re going for a super relaxing vibe, like a beachy vibe or a more traditional calming vibe, I still think it’s a big miss. I still think
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it’s somewhat of a copout. I’m really glad that all these very muted tones are on their way out. Lastly, e-cat fabrics. So, e-cat fabrics look somewhat hand dyed. They have a very organic nature to them. They’re not always symmetrical. They’re not always
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perfect in terms of their pattern
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Open-concept floor plans
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repeat. They often involve a lot of different colors that sort of blend into each other. Or you can find some beautiful tone on tone like I have these amazing in my nursery hot pink e-cat print on a cream background and it looks so fun in there. I do not think e-cat
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prints are out. Let me just say h as I’m reflecting on both the e-cat print and the chevron print. I’m thinking to myself, are there any prints that are like for sure out? Hm. I think print mixing, whether it be plaids, stripes, polka dots, botanicals,
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if it’s not very specific, like only palm leaves, I think that could be out. Like only black and white stripes, I think that’s out. But just the general category of stripes, the general category of e-cat or chevron, I think it’s very problematic to say it’s fully out. Same
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with like animal print. I could see leopard print being played out. I do not think animal prints as a genre are over. I think they are timeless. So, I’m challenging the fact that really any print or pattern could be fully out. Maybe it’s a specific segment of that
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pattern. Like maybe if you were saying deep, rich, jewel toned e-cat prints that have three colors or more or out. Well, I could see that. Sometimes it’s a little busy. Sometimes it may be too bold for that year’s particular trend bundle, but overall, I think it’s
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problematic to say a complete pattern or print is fully out. That’s my two cents, guys. What do you think? What do you think is completely over? Now, going outside of what I saw online, I do personally think some things are completely over. One of the things is
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that very, very, very light wood, almost um cool in its finish, not warm because I still think that kind of Scandinavian warm light wood is in. I I don’t necessarily think that’s a trend, but it was that almost almost gray hue, but still a little bit of warmth, but very
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very light stained wood is out. It’s hard to match. It was so IKEA. It doesn’t look expensive. I was disappointed by it. I’m excited to see that dark woods are kind of creeping back. Whether it’s like an ebony or black brown, they’re kind of in vogue
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again. And I think often times they can look very rich. and they were out for so long, pretty much since I started designing back in the early as and midtone wood isn’t going anywhere. It’s a classic. When in doubt, go walnut. That’s all I have to say there.
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But um I’m always thinking about what’s out, what’s in, what’s going to have longevity, what um is a flash in the pan. So if you guys have thoughts or feelings, I would love for you to write me. Head over to uploft at inter um uploft.commpodcast, excuse me. Once again, that’s
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uplift.commpodcast. There you can send me an interior design question. You can tell me what you think is in or out. And of course, you should hover over to Tik Tok because that’s where I am now every single day creating new silly content, whether it’s in my
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living room and all my velvet furniture or at HomeGoods with a college kid just running around being silly and ridiculous. So check it out. Until next time, everybody. Bye. [music] A big thanks to our producer Jeremy Young and to Eton and the Embassy for
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our theme music. And shout out to our parent company, Uploft Interior Design, your trusted source for expert interior design. Visit uploft.com to explore our services and book a consultation with one of our talented designers. If you’re enjoying the Uplift Interior Design
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