Any inclination towards minimalism is currently gone (with the wind!), and in its place is a celebration of decorative interiors. As interior designer Briellyn Turton told us in a guest column for Home Beautiful, 2026 is the year of whimsical interiors. Consider it a retaliation to the rise of AI, mass production and just general sameness as a consequence of social media.
“We want spaces that feel truly ours – one-of-a-kind, human, handmade, money-can’t buy. That’s the heart of the whimsical era,” she explains. “Cornices, mouldings, architraves, window framing – decorative details are back and they serve no function beyond delight.”
Even if a completely customised home full of decorative details and handmade decor isn’t necessarily realistic, we can at least aspire to a home that’s a little bit romantic and one-of-a-kind. Looking for inspiration? You might want to start with Emerald Fennell’s take on Wuthering Heights, which is full of hidden details you might have missed. Then work your way back through the decades.
Add these classic films to your watch list.
1. Atonement (2007)
Few cinematic spaces illustrate the darker poetry of whimsical interiors like the Tallis family estate in Atonement. The 2007 film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel begins in the flouncy yet suffocating bedrooms of the mansion, where a precocious Briony watches her beautiful older sister Cecilia plunge into the fountain under the gaze of Robbie, the housekeeper’s son. The house itself is a maze of tension and beauty: the formal dinner party unfolding within heavy drapery, and the infamous library scene crackling with desire amid polished timber and towering shelves. Whimsy isn’t always light – it can be atmospheric and romantic.
2. Marie Antoinette (2006)
Set within the opulent Palace of Versailles, Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, with Kirsten Dunst as the young queen, reinterprets period drama through a lens of pastels, modern music and a frenzy of food, fashion and excess. Parties spill across sprawling grounds, pastries pile high, and couture becomes its own form of architecture – all rendered with a visual boldness. The cinematography does the emotional heavy lifting, turning ornament and colour into narrative. It’s less a tragedy than a celebration of girlhood, desire and aesthetic delight – a reminder that whimsy can also be about boldness, abundance and the pleasure of being surrounded, quite unapologetically, by beauty.
3. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
If you’re looking for the cinematic blueprint of whimsical interiors, revisit Rivendell. Author J.R.R. Tolkien’s hidden Elven sanctuary, realised on screen by filmmaker Peter Jackson, is the ultimate aesthetic reset: a place of peace where Frodo heals, the Fellowship forms, and stories and songs drift through carved arches and cascading light. Its ethereal detailing, organic forms and lived-in beauty feel deeply handmade, deeply Elvish and deeply comforting. Emulate Cate Blanchett’s luminously serene Galadriel and cultivate a home that feels protective and poetic.
4. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
When it comes to stylised, emotionally charged whimsy, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet is impossible to ignore. The film’s heightened, neon-soaked Verona Beach turns Shakespeare’s tragedy into a visual fever dream of billowing fabrics, glittering religious iconography, bold colour blocks and set pieces that feel half holy, half runway. Consider the Capulet party, where Romeo first glimpses Juliet through the surreal glow of a giant fish tank, turning a moment of recognition into something dreamlike. Or the balcony scene, above a turquoise pool. Even the church where they tragically die, amid crosses and candlelight, insists that whimsy can be theatrical and lets us lose ourselves for a moment.
5. The Sound of Music (1965)
A real-world touchstone for whimsical interiors can be found in the lavish von Trapp villa in The Sound of Music. Brought to screen with sweeping Baroque splendour, it’s a masterclass in decorative storytelling: The gilded mirrors, intricate wainscotting and grand ballroom where Maria and the Captain dance the Laendler with barely disguised longing. The staircase is breathtaking, becoming a stage where the children sing ‘So Long, Farewell’, while the bedroom curtains transform into play clothes, thanks to Maria’s creativity.
