The Old-School Erin Napier-Favored Furniture Trend That's Making A Big Comeback

Old-school floral decor has been making a gradual comeback after years of being branded unstylish and relegated to the realm of kitsch. The 468 design pros who responded to the 2025 1stDibs Interior Design Survey indicated that they're embracing floral themes the most as they head into 2026. In particular, furniture with floral patterns is returning to favor as flower-forward grandmillennial and cottagecore styles take hold in homes. This means retailers are carrying more rose-printed couches, tulip-embroidered stools, and upholstered dining chairs festooned with peonies, the likes of which have been gaining popularity since Vogue declared floral sofas "back in fashion" in 2021.  Erin Napier of HGTV's "Home Town" couldn't be happier about these developments. For her, a floral sofa is the perfect way to bask in '90s nostalgia and create a warm, welcoming retro vibe.

Napier shared her affection for floral couches and other '90s decor trends in an Instagram reel, tying them to fall memories from her childhood and encouraging her followers to do the same. "Your mom had this wonderful, colorful, cozy sofa, and it was probably plaid or striped or floral, and I feel like there's just none of that anymore," she recalled, adding, "I want it back." She made this proclamation while curled up on a blush-colored sofa covered with blue-green vines and red-and-pink blossoms.

You can outfit your home with floral furniture whether you're drawn to contemporary looks or designs from decades past — say, the 1990s or even the 1950s. A balanced approach to decorating helps these special pieces stand out. To keep them from drowning in a sea of competing patterns, choose solids and neutral colors for most of your other decor and read up on how to match curtains with sofas. If you bring a fabulous, '90s-inspired floral couch into your living room, surround it with other furnishings from the same era to make it look at home. 

Incorporate a range of textures and materials when choosing throw blankets to drape on your couch, rugs to place underneath it, and more. Adding leather to the mix tempers a floral couch's intense femininity and lends a relaxed vibe to the room. In contrast, pairing floral upholstery with animal-print accents can play with that femininity — and the possibilities of eclectic design — in an appealing way.

HGTV's Erin Napier also suggests studying pop culture from the 1990s and early 2000s to channel the warmth of floral furniture from this era. As she wrote in the caption of her Instagram reel, "I want to put down my phone and turn off 2025 and cozy into the sofa from Kathleen Kelly's apartment or Lorelai Gilmore's house or the pages of 'Martha Stewart Living' in the '90s." Or, do what a lot of people would have done back then: Phone loved ones who remember this era and have them help you pick out patterns. They might just summon the nostalgia you're seeking.