Gen Z is rejecting minimalist interiors in favour of ‘cluttercore’, so what is it exactly?

“Whether you’re anti-Marie Kondo or simply struggle to let go of items in your physical space, the pressure to keep things aesthetic and organised at all times is unrealistic for many of us.”

​​Collecting knick-knacks is one of my favourite pastimes. The items I accrue are usually inexpensive but impractical which makes finding the right space for them complicated. Over the last two years, my bedside table has been used as a storage box. I stash years-old birthday cards, pieces of paper scribbled on by friends and other seemingly useless but sentimental objects.  

‘Cluttercore’, the interiors trend of every hoarder’s dreams, has been popular on TikTok since the beginning of the pandemic and celebrates everything maximalist, excessive and messy. Videos of bedrooms packed wall to wall with stuff – plants, pictures, trinkets, books and general mess – are garnering hundreds of thousands of views, with commenters confessing that clutter just makes them ‘feel more at home’.

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Although I’m not too extreme with what I consume and hoard fashion-wise, my living environment has always been clutter-prone. I could spend hours in the silverware section of any op shop or antique store, just to return home and shove my new tiny novelty piece in between all the others to gather dust. Luckily, after moving interstate, I’ve had to let go of many of my (questionably) valuable goods, but my bedroom remains a slightly chic mess.

This trend of embracing clutter and maximalism speaks to Gen Z’s rejection of minimalism and perfectionism. Whether you’re anti-Marie Kondo or simply struggle to let go of items in your physical space, the pressure to keep things aesthetic and organised at all times is unrealistic for many of us.

@thenames_fish Anybody wanna help me clean my room? #fyp #roomtour #cluttercore #cleangirl #foryou #foryoupage #room #roomdecor ♬ som original – remy

As someone who wouldn’t necessarily boast about the interior design of their bedroom, I know all too well how hard it is to create a space that reflects my personality while still being functional and neat. Of course, there’s no shame in wanting your space to look aesthetically appealing, and everyone’s stylistic preferences vary depending on a multitude of factors. But Gen Z, in particular, seems to feel a need to identify themselves within the different subcultures and ‘cores’ that continually crop up.

Gen Z’s fascination with these cores, most of which have seen a surge in popularity thanks to TikTok, influences people’s fashion choices as well as their interior design. Whether it’s what’s inside our purse or how we organise our bookshelves, every item we hold on to can be seen as a reflection of our style, aligning us with one or several of these trend cores, like balletcore and cottagecore, just to name a few. 

@simp3dwomen I don’t want to talk about the spiders 🥲 #cluttercore #roomtour #room #decor #queer #junk #trinckets #fyp ♬ Phantom of the America CREDIT ME IF YOU USE THIS – ༉‧₊˚🕯️༉‧₊Teacup ༉‧₊˚🕯️༉‧₊

The refreshing element of cluttercore is that it can be whatever you want it to be, which is perhaps why it’s become so popular among such vastly different groups of people. It embraces the inevitable mess and chaos that living a life entails, and provides respite from the endless striving for a pulled-together, ‘clean girl’ lifestyle. If you find maintaining consistency in how you decorate your physical and visual spaces exhausting, you might unintentionally collect clutter without meaning to, just like me.

While I feel too old to conform to any ‘core’, my dislike for strictly identifying with anything stylistically is what drew me to cluttercore in the first place. Whether the inside of your bedroom is minimalist, maximalist or just a downright mess, there’s no harm in romanticising our clutter (or doom piles) if they make our environments feel more like home.

@weeny_victorian_house IT WORKS FOR ME #cluttercore #moreismoredecor #moreismore #maximalistdecor #maximalistinteriors #eclectichome #eclecticdecor ♬ I Dont Care – Lily Olsen

Of course, something to keep in mind with cluttercore is not to mindlessly accrue stuff for the sake of it; make sure that what you’re purchasing is important to you, and something you’ll keep in your life for a substantial chunk of time. How you style it is completely up to you. Arrange your clutter, or leave it a mess – it’s your space after all.

For more on cluttercore, try this.