Everyone Had Them In Their '80s Living Room — Now They're Making A 2026 Comeback

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Home decor trends are often cyclical. Currently, the accessory that once dominated 1980s living rooms and is having a major comeback in 2026 is couch pillows with a twist! "Throw pillows with tassels and fringes have become popular, be it a contrast fringe or in the same shade," designer Mugdha Girish Uma told The Spruce. "It just adds a little bit of a glam touch to the pillows." This touch of glamor is consistent with the overall aesthetic of the '80s, where bright colors and bold silhouettes dominated both fashion and home design. 

This daring look has regained plenty of popularity in recent years, as trends have shifted away from showroom-chic, minimalist spaces and towards more maximalist living rooms that actually look lived-in. Throw pillows with tassels and fringe are a fun, quick way to add a lot of personality to your home without much work. It's just enough texture to be fun, but not enough to be overwhelming. That is, modern iterations of this '80s design don't carry the potential for any residual tackiness from the era. "Fringe doesn't have to be this gaudy, over-the-top design element," artist Analuisa Corrigan told Architectural Digest, later adding, "redefining the way that it's used and almost leaning into its practicality again is a cool way to look at it now." 

These playful throw pillows will amp up any room that they're added to. Plus, one of the best things about this trend is that it's easy to immediately incorporate into your space. While fringe and tassel elements are showing up in living rooms in other ways — like on couches and chairs — you don't have to go as bold. In fact, you don't even have to get rid of the throw pillows you currently have to make things work. You can instantly add both color and texture to your living room with a single addition, like the Fancy Homi Boho decorative throw pillow cover 2-pack. By choosing a pillow cover that has a subtle pattern — in this case corduroy — on the body of the pillow, you add a lot of personality (beyond the tassels) with just one piece. You can let the texture do all the talking, or select an option in a bolder color for a bigger touch of glam. 

While this maximalist '80s decor trend is returning stronger than ever in 2026, you can avoid becoming too "theme-y," by not going overboard with tassels. Use them as accent pillows among the plain ones you already have, so they stand out instead of blending in and losing their spark. In even numbers, a 1:1 ratio of plain to fringed is fine, while a 2:1 ratio, favoring plain, is better for an odd number of pillows.