Halloween is here. Time for costumes and sweets, scary movie marathons, and the suddenly ubiquitous presence of inflatable yard figures from The Nightmare Before Christmas or that 12-foot-tall skeleton thing with the lit-up eyes — have you seen that?! And whether or not Halloween is your jam, we’ve got a treat for you.
Because there’s a whole other side to Halloween when you step inside. Inside lives the possibility of offering a range of ghoulishly glam style vibes that — while certainly suited for this time of year — each offer a depth and elegance worth embracing year-round.
We’re talking about design styles like Gothic (of course) but also Hollywood Glam, and Dark Academia. All styles offering you the opportunity to elevate your home, or a room or two in it, to elegant new heights. Today we’ll give you an overview of a few of the most glamorous styles and how frightfully easy it is for the upholstery fabrics you choose to help you achieve whatever look is speaking to you (from here or the great beyond *wink*).
What All Glam Design Styles (And Fabrics) Have In Common — Simplified
There’s a through-line happily haunting all the styles we’ll touch on today. So let’s talk about that briefly, and then we’ll turn our focus to the differences and uniqueness of each style.
Leaning into your home’s “inner glam,” be it ghoulish or otherwise, there’s a rule of thumb that you’ll find time repeatedly in our furniture upholstery fabric ideas today. In some form or another, each style seeks to offer luxury. That means sumptuous textures, often soft and alluring. And it means rich, saturated colors. Though the palette for the styles can vary slightly, the depth of color remains foundational.
Bottom line: Glam design of whatever variation means fabrics rich in color and texture. Here at the largest online upholstery fabric store, we are here. for. It.
The Ghoulishly Glamorous Glory Of Gothic Home Interior Design
We kind of have to start with Gothic design, right? Because, clearly, Gothic interior design is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “ghoulish glam.” Often presented rather creepily in film and television, there’s more to Gothic design than that one-dimensional portrayal.
Gothic style revels in the ornate and intricate, often found in antique decor and details. Think pieces — small or large — that seem to have their own story. The ornateness and history of it all add to a mysterious vibe that’s part of Gothic’s charm.
Also, yes, it can be morbid. Imagery like skulls and other elements that look squarely at life’s flipside come alive in Gothic design. And upholstery fabrics are generally weighty in texture and moody in tone.
That might mean living room furniture, sectional, and lounge chairs all anchoring the space in a platinum grey plush velvet. In an adjacent dining room, upholstered dining chairs look deeply decadent in plum plush velvet or deep claret red ikat jacquard. And floor-to-ceiling curtains throughout the space tie it all together in a grey and black vintage foliage patterned tweed.
Hooray For Hollywood Glam Design Giving Your Home A Vivacious Vibe
If Gothic celebrates the macabre, Hollywood Glam celebrates living life large. Hollywood Glam is what comes to mind first for most folks when the subject of glam interior design arises. And just like its cousin Art Deco design, Hollywood Glam luxuriates in luxury itself, opulence rules the day.
Think brass and chrome, intricate mirrors on the walls and other pieces, contrasting tones, and bold patterns to add pop and playfulness. It’s Gatsby meets Greta Garbo. Spaces rocking a Hollywood Glam look call out for gathering and lingering, they’re spaces for socializing and celebrating. That means this vibe is suited for a single room or a full home.
The color palette here has more zip and pop than Gothic. And it’s less ghoulish and more gorgeous — and, for sure, glamorous. You’ll find fabric, wall, and decor colors that are sometimes high contrast, sometimes light and airy, always saturated, playful, and alive.
Like a dining room or living room welcoming you and your guests with large pieces dressed in sumptuous blush pink chenille and pearl white performance velvet. Accents or curtains enter the scene with even more allure and sensuousness in Robin’s egg blue geometric pattern jacquard and an abstract animal print in offwhite and beige, textured with raised fluffy areas contrasting flatter woven parts, creating an organic and non-uniform pattern — all right at home in Hollywood Glam.
At The Intersection Of Cozy And Glam Lives Dark Academia Design
Enter the overlooked but recently resurgent coziest glam design style of all. You read that right cozy and glam. Meet Dark Academia design. It’s the well-read, intellectual member of the Glam Design family.
If Gothic wraps you in mystery and the macabre and Hollywood Glam rolls out the red carpet and starts a party, Dark Academia throws another log on the fire, pours a cup of something hot, and settles in with a good book.
Hallmarks of a space embracing this style are decor that elevates all things literary and vintage, with details that come bearing stories and substance. The lighting is warm, the colors are rich and deep, and the whole vibe just feels cozy yet sophisticated.
To be clear, the feel you’re stepping into isn’t that of a museum with a “look but don’t touch” sign. This is a lived-in space where creativity and inspiration, exploration and deep connection, are all celebrated.
Imagine a space with warm wood and deep, comforting paint tones. There’s a sofa (perhaps classically tufted) donning an eclipse blue or deep moss green velvet and beckoning you to settle in. It’s flanked by two wing-backed armchairs looking stately in bark-brown Italian leather or saddle-brown breathable faux leather. Imagine that, and you’re cozying up to Dark Academia.
Final Tricks To Treating Your Home’s Design Style To A New Glam Vibe
While we certainly hope visions of Gothic, Hollywood Glam, and Dark Academia creep (in a good way) into your design dreams after our time today, let’s close things out with some more broad takeaways.
You may have noticed that all three design vibes we’ve touched on — when embraced fully — come in with a kind of maximalist edge. More is more. But that doesn’t mean that more is the only path to adding the charms of each.
As we said earlier, when you’re choosing furniture upholstery fabrics and other decor, these glam vibes live in a style zone that thrives in rich saturated color tones and textures that feed the vibe you seek.
So whatever space you’d like to use to embrace these (sometimes) ghoulishly glamorous vibes, add the colors and textures that reflect the vibe like you’re adding your favorite spice to a meal — to your taste. And we promise no tricks and only treats whenever you need help along the way. Reach out today.