Interiors reminiscent of a royal chamber? A new trend is winning the hearts of design enthusiasts.

Minimalism is fading away – 2025 is the year of drama, heavy fabrics, and medieval romanticism. Castlecore, inspired by castle chambers, Gothic architecture, and feudal opulence, is taking over TikTok and Pinterest. If you can't live in a castle, it's time to make the castle live in yours.

Japandi introduced us to Zen, dopamine decor instilled childlike joy, raw minimalism offered a sense of connection with nature, and cottagecore made us all want to remodel our kitchens into rustic cottages . But 2025 has a new obsession: Castlecore . A style inspired by medieval aesthetics , full of drama, heaviness, and... romance worthy of Rapunzel , Shrek, and Sleeping Beauty. If you can't live in a castle, you can make the castle ... live in yours.

Castlecore-inspired interior / Unsplash, Nick Nice

If you think " castlecore " and imagine the charming interiors of Bridgerton and Versailles , well, it's time to disabuse you of this. Castlecore is a bit dark, theatrical, but still impressive—just like Nosferatu's castle. It draws its inspiration from medieval , Gothic , and Renaissance architecture.

The surge in interest is no accident. Pinterest has declared Castlecore one of its top trends for 2025 (searches for "castle house plans" are up 45%, and " medieval core " is up 110%). TikTok is already filling up with videos of living room transformations in the medieval modern style . But why? The answer is simple: we long for something permanent, solid, and unchanging. Furthermore, we've become somewhat nostalgic and sentimental. Gen Z, on the other hand, makes no secret of their fascination with gothic and fantasy —just look at Wednesday , the stories of The Witcher , or Nosferatu .

Castlecore is the antithesis of the minimalist "white box." Instead of open spaces and Ikea cabinets, we have carved tables , massive chandeliers , heavy curtains , and playful sofas.

Materials and colors: dark, carved wood, marble, iron, heavy-weave fabrics, tapestries. Velvet, brocade, lace, fringe. Deep greens, burgundy, black, and cool beige dominate, but accents of gold, alabaster, and brown also appear.

Forms: everything is massive, layered, and tells a story. Tables look as if they could be used to forge swords. Candelabra cast light as if in a chapel. Drapes transform windows into theatrical stages.

Designers and interior design brands are already reacting. Kelly Wearstler 's new collection forgoes polish in favor of patinated bronze. Roman and Williams are designing interiors reminiscent of Gothic refectories. A real hit is The Castlecore Collection from South Loop Loft, a brand specializing in Victorian, carved furniture.

Zara Home, H&M Home and Westwing also have echoes of this trend in their offerings – decorative frames, dark glass, imitation carvings and velvet textiles.