Throwing around the word “tacky” isn’t exactly par for the interior design course. Most push against the concept, leaning into words like “refined,” “elevated” and “curated.” But, perhaps in response to mass manufacturing and an “overly polished” world of AI, people are craving weird, funky and unapologetically true-to-self home decor.  

“The elements being labeled tacky right now—lacquer, brass, velvet, ornate wallpapers, animal print—aren't actually tacky at all,” argues interior designer Page Finlay. “They're materials and motifs with deep design history that got pushed out by a decade of minimalist neutrality. What we're really seeing is a course correction. Our nervous systems are catching up to the fact that beige boxes don't feel like home.”

She describes it as a return to sensory richness as people realize stripped-back spaces don’t evoke that cozy, nourishing feeling we often crave in our private retreats. Our bodies read warmth, texture and pattern as cues of safety and belonging in a way that polished minimalism cannot replicate. 

Whether you’re a devout minimalist intrigued by this idea, or you’re a maximalist in need of tacky-embracing tips, follow this interior designer advice to curate a sensory-rich home. 

1. Choose a Bold Anchor Piece 

To ease into this aesthetic, opt for a single bold piece and let the rest of the room build around it. It could be a velvet headboard, a leopard ottoman or a single lacquered console. In this foyer, an ornate gold mirror dominates the space. 

“Some may find this level of opulence tacky; it is gilded with gold, intricately detailed, and oversized,” says Maggie Griesbeck of MNG Design. “For my clients, it was a piece they had had in their collection for 25 years, and it wasn't going anywhere. I loved it and chose to embrace it.” 

For balance and continuity, Griesbeck selected light fixtures with gold detailing and installed brass stair rods on the stair runner to weave the gold tones together. The neutral wallpaper provides a pretty, neutral backdrop and lets the gold elements shine. 

2. Treat Your Ceilings as a Fifth Wall 

For too long and in too many homes, ceilings have been an afterthought (if thought of at all). For that curated tacky feel, giving your ceiling “main character energy” treatment is the way.

“Lacquering or wallpapering a ceiling is the highest-impact, lowest-risk way to embrace this trend, and something that I think when applied with intention, is here to stay,” Finlay says. “It transforms a room without committing every vertical surface to drama, and it gives the eye a single moment of richness.”

Pro tip: Powder rooms and dining rooms are the easiest places to start. 

3. Curate and Showcase Original Pieces 

That mass-produced abstract painting or matchy-match couch and chairs is a shortcut to a space that feels, as Finley said above, “hollow.” Originality and one-of-a-kind pieces are what make a home feel lived in, texturally lavish and anything but minimalist. 

Pick up the weird little knick knack at the thrift market that makes your heart happy, showcase your collection of rocks or teacups or travel treasures, and source real artwork. The goal is to bring items into your home that are intriguing, capture imagination and double as conversation pieces. 

4. Mix and Match 

The sense of sensory richness comes from an infusion of color and texture. To maximalize this, Griesbeck says to mix and match your finishes, prints, colors and textures. “No room needs to be covered only in gold accessories,” she says. “A mix and match is always desirable.”  

This looks different for everyone based on their aesthetic preferences and style. For you, maybe it’s a funky cheetah print throw tossed over a pink velvet couch. For another, perhaps it’s a grasscloth wallpaper with ornate seashell art hung on the walls.