© Cooked in a rushTikTok has a new look every week, so there's basically no excuse why your space doesn't always have to be fresh and inspiring. The latest design trend on the app, dubbed "#dopaminedecor," is a maximalist's dream with its vibrant colors, playful patterns, and beautiful details. If what you are looking for is to fill your home with happiness, here is a summary of everything you need to know about the trend of decoration with dopamine to have fun.
Unlike other interior design styles that have gone viral in the past, such as clustercore or miamicore, dopamine decor does not have many specific features other than being very bright. Instead, the style seems much more open, including almost everything that makes you happy, so every time you step into your space, you get a dopamine rush. For some people, like TikToker @the_shoestring_home, this means adding as much color to their space as possible. Meanwhile, creator @thehexagonalhouse's dopamine decor deal seems to include plenty of gorgeous pieces, vintage-style furniture, and layered textures. TikTok user @honeyidressedthepug demonstrates that dopamine decorating can be as simple as hanging some disco balls from the ceiling to create a little extra light in a room.
Despite its popularity on the app, TikTok is not responsible for the phrase "dopamine decoration". There's been a lot of research done showing how wearing bright colors or sentimental clothing can boost your mood, and just like interior design style, there's a phenomenon called "dopamine clothing." The design trend seems to be the result of a term coined by fashion psychologist Dr. F. Dawnn Karen that was created because they are based on the same goal: to make people happy.
Dr. Karen explained today in June 2022 that "colors, patterns, and textures evoke different emotions in different people," so there may not be a right or wrong way to decorate with dopamine. Just as you might not be offended by everyone's clothing style, items that make you happy (like food-themed decor) might not make others happy, and vice versa.
The fashion psychologist also shared that the best way to start dressing for dopamine is to "remember your childhood." Anything that makes your inner child smile instantly lights you up with dopamine, and the best part is that none of them have to match. TikTok decor-style boxes are known for incorporating all the colors of the rainbow into your space or playing with different aesthetics from room to room. If that's not a childhood dream come true, I don't know what is.
If you're looking for inspiration on how to decorate your apartment with dopamine, check out these #dopaminedecor TikTok hashtags, which have reached 4.7 million views and growing, to find the approach that best suits your style.
@gordonglare's house has lots of prints, wallpapers and gallery walls.
Even geometric shapes and vintage game consoles can be considered dopamine decorations, just ask @foreveryoursbetty.
The walls of @thriftymaximalist's house are covered from top to bottom and I'm here for that.
Whatever your version of the dopamine decor, just remember to be happy and be true to yourself.
