Is It Just Me, or Is This Beloved Design Detail Starting to Feel Too Familiar?

"Yep, that's headstone copy. And ordinarily I'm not one to yuck another's yum. I firmly believe tracking trends should be fun and informative for people who geek out about design - not a pejorative practice in the least. But where have all the clean lines and right angles gone? How has the all-curved-everything fad given way to frilly little scallops on everything from built-in bookcases and moldings to furniture, lampshades, rugs, and even toilet paper?"

"What's child-like in design, though, often gets a more sophisticated glow-up. Scallops still might remind you of your Pottery Barn Kids bedroom from when you were growing up, or maybe even the drapery your fanciest aunt had, but they have a touch of Art Deco in them too. And this tiny little half-moon-shaped motif sure looks a lot like cottage garden edging. It feels vaguely familiar, but still fresh - the stuff of fairytales, but also classic architecture."

"And so, everything got the scallop treatment because, well, many people like cute things. And can't we all use an extra reason to smile sometimes? But the past few years have reminded me a bit of the "put a bird on it" bit Portlandia made funny back in 2012. Nothing sums that iconic skit up better than this line: "What a sad little tote bag," Carrie Brownstein's character says. "I know - I'll put a bird on i"

Scalloped decor surged between 2021 and 2025, appearing on bookcases, moldings, furniture, lampshades, rugs, and even toilet paper. The trend emerged from neotenic design impulses and nostalgia, offering playful, childlike forms that provided a joyful retreat. By late 2023 scallops felt pervasive but generally not aggressive. Designers refined the motif with Art Deco references and cottage-garden associations, creating pieces that read as both familiar and fresh. The broad application of scallops across many objects reflects a cultural tendency to repeatedly deploy an appealing, cute motif much like the "put a bird on it" impulse.

Read at Apartment Therapy