State of The Home: The 2018 Modsy Trend Report
At the end of each year, the Style Team at Modsy loves to “peel back the wallpaper” and reflect on another year in the world of home design trends. We dig into the most-popular items and design styles across the country, and even place our bets on what trends 2019 will have in store.
Read on for a peek behind the curtain at what our Modsy customers loved most this year and what we think will be on the home design trends horizon for next year.
Want to get the full scoop? Download the Full Modsy Trend Report here.
Most-Popular Styles
As an online interior design company, we have the unique opportunity to help people all across the country (and even the world!) design their homes. We were curious about which styles were popular in which states, so we dug into the data and found some surprising results.
Two styles in particular dominate almost every state in the US: Mod (Mid-Century pieces, natural wood tones, and pops of color) and Rustic (warm hues, layered textures, and cozy spaces).
Rustic Styles
Midwest and Southern regions of the US are drawn more to a Rustic style.
- The most Rustic state was Mississippi at 55%
- The least Rustic state was Alaska at 25%
Mod Styles
Eastern and Western regions were the opposite, with Mod styles coming in at #1.
- The most Mod state was New Mexico, with 47% of customers opting into that style
- The least Mod state was Oklahoma, with only 17%
One of the bigger surprises, Texas (home of Chip and Joanna Gains’ famous farmhouse style) turned out to be more modern than rustic (at 38% versus 33%).
What’s trending?
Industrial styles are rising in popularity. The “craft” trend is spreading into smaller up-and-coming cities that are drawing in millennials, craft beer, and loft-style living. Think exposed brick, mixed metals and masculine structures.
The most industrial states were:
- South Dakota at 27%
- Wyoming at 23%
- Oregon at 17%
Most-Popular Products
What were our customers’ favorite pieces across the board this year? It turns out, 2018 was a big year for personalization of the home. We found a large majority of our customers stocked up on decorative accents, like rugs, art, and pillows – pieces that all work together to make a space uniquely yours.
What’s on the rise for 2019? Here were the top 3 categories trending through the end of the year and beyond
Faux Plants
Green thumbs are out and Black thumbs are in! Fake plants dominated the shopping cart in 2018. A ton of retailers sell them, and they allow you to get that jungalow look without the effort of keeping a plant alive.
Natural Textures
People are bringing the outdoors, indoors with the natural fibber/texture trends. These neutral, earthy elements fit well into a Rustic style and can adapt to multiple color palettes.
Statement Rugs
Rugs are the biggest investment pieces of 2018! No surprise, as they can easily make a room come together (and without them your room will likely feel unfinished!).
Not sure how much to spend on a rug? These 4 factors will help you decide.
Color Trends
Our Modsy Style Quiz tells us a lot about what colors people like and what they actually want to see in their homes. Spoiler alert: Pantone’s color of the year, Ultraviolet, was not a frequent favorite.
These popular color combinations come across in items purchased, especially artwork, pillows, and decor pieces.
Most-Loved Colors
Neutrals and blues are the top most-wanted colors in Modsy designs. Not surprising as both are highly versatile and layer nicely with many styles of furniture and decor. Blue in particular can even act as a neutral – or a “bleu-tral” as Carson Kressley calls it!
- 33% of Modsy customers requested blues
- 27% requested neutrals


Least-Loved Colors
The not-so-popular hues? Pastels only accounted for 3% of customer requests.
Greens were also low on the list, making up only 6% of customer requests. Turns out people prefer their greenery in the form of plants, not furniture.
2019 Trends
Graded on a Curve
Hard lines are being traded in for softer curves. We’re already seeing curved furniture, such as sofas, armchairs, even beds, and think this is a trend that will be everywhere in 2019.
Classic Whimsy
We’re going to see Classical subjects of art presented in a whimsical style creating a modern spin on a once very serious theme. Shop all these pieces and more in our Trend Studio!
Painterly Strokes
While it might be no surprise to see this trend in art, we’re going to see patterns that reflect the artist’s hand and brushstroke in rugs, pillows, and other textile prints.
Learn more about 5 of our favorite upcoming trends here.
Nature, Naturally
The natural textures and plants we saw in 2018 are here to stay and 2019 is all about layering them. Bring some zen into your home, no matter your style with a few key pieces. To add natural textures into your space, think: jute rugs, storage baskets, rattan chairs and woven wall-hangings.
Not sure how to style your plants? Here are 5 of our favorite ways!
Boldly Neutral
While neutral color palettes have been all the rage, we’re going to see more and more dramatic neutral palettes. Think dark neutrals paired with lighters colors to create high contrast spaces.
Love the look? Shop it in our Fall Trends Design Studio.
Hello.
Seems none of these links are actually linking to the pictures, they all link to the same image with all neutrals. Trying to find out where you got those Classic Whimsy pics? Thanks!
Hi Beth! You caught a small technical glitch on our end, so thanks for that. Should be fixed now. Happy shopping!