2023's Hottest Decor Trend Isn't Messy, It’s "Clustering"
Explaining the interior design trend you might already be following.
You’ve likely seen clustering before: coffee tables stacked with niche art books, Diptyque candles, and matchboxes from a favorite café. The space feels unpretentious, lived-in, and chic. This relaxed approach to interior design has been seen all over TikTok as of late. Liken it to the set of a teenage girl's bedroom in a Sofia Coppola movie: It’s not a regular clutter—it’s pretty, semi-intentional clutter. Each item reveals a bit about you, the owner, and every “cluster” tells a story. According to TikTok creator and self-proclaimed “cluster queen” Avery-Claire Nugent (@acnugs), these “clusters of personality” become “the movie set of your own life.”
So what’s in a cluster? The short answer is anything you want. Though, for maximum impact, choose your most cherished items. It's a wonderful way to display a collection of favorites, such as an antique necklace that you love but never wear, decorative perfume bottles, minuscule figures purchased abroad, and beloved tchotchkes without a home. You can cluster in any room, from the bathroom to the kitchen. The beauty of the trend is that it doesn’t necessitate buying new objects, or even getting rid of old ones, rather, giving integrity to items you already own.
But before you get cluster-happy, Nugent warns against being overzealous. Too many clusters can err on the side of cluttercore (a far busier technique of intentional clutter), or worse: an actual mess. The art of clustering is less of a question of what to cluster as it is how often to do it.
Somewhere between minimal and maximal, a clustered space is one that is beautifully scattered with conversing collections of ordinary objects. There’s something quite freeing about rebranding clutter as personally meaningful. This is your excuse to empty your drawers, go shopping in your living room, and celebrate the mess. Romanticize your life—clusters and all.