Everyone Called It Gaudy — Now It's The Statement Piece We Want In Our Homes

For a long time now, "modern" has been all about white, clean, and simple. While minimalism will probably never go out of style entirely, this popular design aesthetic is becoming quietly outdated. As more and more people get tired of living in shades of white, they're turning to classic furniture, which is all about storytelling — it adds a sense of depth, history, personality, and just the right dash of nostalgia. These features really speak to people searching for more than white walls and hard lines when creating their home. Though it may have been seen as gaudy in recent decades, velvet has seen a huge increase in popularity in 2026, and furniture just may be the perfect place to embrace the style. "Classic, hard-wearing fabrics like linen velvet and mohair velvets are in," designer Melissa Morgan told Martha Stewart.

Textures play a huge role in creating the feel of a place. Adding velvet to your home decor conveys an instant sense of both luxury and coziness that is hard to replicate. Velvet is associated with royalty and provides a lot of visual depth because of the way it plays with light, creating both shimmer and deep shadow. It is also an incredibly soft and tactile fabric, which elevates your home by adding more senses to your decor than sight alone. While it is often thought of as a winter fabric, velvet can easily be incorporated into your home design all year long.

While velvet upholstered sofas and arm chairs are a beautiful and decadent choice, they aren't the only way to get this look. You can also get velvet ottomans and dining room chairs. Play around with textures, too. "I love using a patterned velvet on ottomans to bring depth to a room. When you add a print to velvet, especially in a bright or bold pattern ... it becomes something really special," interior designer Kim Armstrong told Southern Living. If brand new furniture isn't in the budget, consider looking for preloved pieces at thrift stores and antique shops. 

Try pairing velvet with other textures to help it come to life — or add even more velvet with some dramatic curtains to further elevate your home. Think marble, matte gold, and glass, as well as chunkier textures like imitation fur or heavy knits. Saturated jewel tones are really popular, and look beautiful in velvet because the way light interacts with the fabric intensifies the depth. Look for chocolate brown, oxblood, plum, or deep earthy green.

Of course not everyone is in the market for new (or used) furniture for their home. Fortunately, there are ways to lean into this trend without buying a single piece of furniture. Velvet throw blankets are a great option — a perfectly draped throw is the ultimate way to showcase the way velvet makes light dance across its surface. If your couch or armchair is a standard shape, you can also try tossing on a velvet slip cover to get the look for a significantly lower price tag — and without the need to figure out how to haul away your old couch.