White walls. Beige furniture. Neutral palettes. Been there, done that. If you’re tired of “adulting” when it comes to your decor, cue up the circus music — carnivalcore is here with the burst of energy you need.
What is carnivalcore?
This design craze arguably began with the feature of supermodel Cara Delevingne’s Los Angeles” fun house” in the July/August 2021 issue of Architectural Digest. Featuring tented rooms, mirrored ceilings, in-ground trampolines by the pool, and even a ball pit, the place felt like a wacky amusement park. Since then, the craze for mirrored frames and disco balls has reached dizzying heights and brought with it a passion for harlequin checks, squiggles, and circus stripes.
Connect with your inner child and bring some fun to your home with Artrepreneur curators’ picks, influenced by candy, Saturday morning cartoons, and saturated colors. Take it from Abby Schlackman: Your art doesn’t need to fit the minimalist mold if that doesn’t feel like you. Celebrate individual expression by breathing life into your space with bold strokes and cutesy characters you would have loved as a kid — and still do.
“With less pressure to have an ‘adult’ home filled with muted colors, home decor is getting louder and brighter,” Schlackman says. “Give yourself creative license on your life and your possessions to get closer to what you really want.”
Curated picks by Abby Schlackman
Get a sugar rush from candy art
An oil painting of a sweet treat feels irreverent. –Candy by Lea Laboy
Where sweets meet street art, Los Angeles-based artist Trew Love uses her works to uplift with a twist. –Blow Pop Green by Trew Love
Choose cartoon art for the ultimate Flashback Friday
“Hip to be Square” by Berlin-based Super Pop Boy is inspired by fashion designer Jeremy Scott of Moschino, “American Psycho” and the hit song by Huey Lewis & The News.
Kawaii and comics flip the script on grown-up home decor
Conjuring Lisa Frank notebooks and sugary cereal binges over Saturday morning cartoons, Maru Art makes joyful imagery that leaves Abby feeling pleasantly nostalgic. Inspired by Kawaii, the artist’s cutesy critters are equally at home with fans of Japanese art or frolicking through a child’s bedroom.
Make a bold statement with saturated colors
Éabha by Sarah Woods
Abby loves artist
Sarah Woods for her exuberant works as well as her artistic philosophy.
“These abstract pieces contain loads of mini color explosions that represent moments in your new life where you’re exploring and carving out a new trajectory for yourself,” Sarah Woods says about the inspiration behind her pieces. “They’re sort of like moments that weren’t meant to happen, but now here you are, being your own universe and making shit happen.”
We couldn’t have said it better.
What do you think of carnivalcore? Drop a comment below.
