Skirted furniture may not be the chic upholstery detail you were expecting for 2025, but a cheeky ruffle or box pleat has completely captured the heart of the interior design world. There is something unexplainably charming about that extra little bit of fabric that hangs from sofa edges and ottomans. I never thought I would be envious of my grandma's old sofa, but here we are.
"All good things come back. Skirted furniture is definitely on trend again," says interior designer and founder of New York-based 1818 Collective, Analisse Taft-Gersten. And it's true. Skirted furniture is certainly not a new thing. But the recent resurgence of skirt-adorned pieces can thank a growing shift towards reimagined traditional pieces in current interior design trends. "We think people are moving on from the mid-century modern and minimalist look and enjoying a bit more of the traditional design that we all used to love in our homes," adds Analisse.
All the cool homes are incorporating skirted furniture, and here is everything you need to know to embrace it, too.
"Traditional, layered interiors are really big right now, and skirted furniture is a fun and feminine way to play into that," says interior designer and founder of the W Design Collective, Marianne Brown.
But that's not the only reason behind the growing demand for skirted furniture. "Skirted furniture can also soften an interior by adding in a fabric element in place of where there might normally be a solid panel or open space," interior designer and director at Vaughan Design and Development, Holly Vaughan, says.
It’s a simple way to create a cozy living room without having to layer in the textiles, making it a cost-effective way to elevate a space, too. "Skirted furniture can also hide a multitude of sins, whilst being a good space saver — you can hide so much behind them," adds Holly. It's a triple threat scoring for both form and function.
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How to Style Skirted Furniture
Much like a skirt you would wear, there are many ways to style your skirted furniture. "It can be billowy and tooled, it can be more structured and tailored, it can have pleats — none are better than the other, it just depends on the space," says Analisse Taft-Gersten from 1818 Collective.
Consider the fabric and the style of skirt you want to have. If you want to go for a pattern or a heavily gathered skirt, an all-over print, or something like a modern slipcover sofa will be the most adaptable.
"Really large-scale prints don’t always translate well, although there are exceptions," warns Whitney McGregor, an interior designer and founder of South Carolina-based studio Whitney McGregor Designs. Instead, "Skirted furniture is a good way to bring in saturated solids, but I suggest using an interesting texture, like linen or velvet, to add interest and adding a trim at the bottom."
Sofa trends have picked up on the latest love of ruffles and pleats, too, and it may be my favorite iteration when it comes to skirted furniture. Though I love the look of embracing a 'granny-core' moment — a flowy ruffled skirt on the bottom of a patterned sofa is what I am imagining — there are plenty of ways to make this look work no matter your design style.
"We have recently tried a box pleat skirt on a sofa, which can have a slightly more modern, edgier look as it is not as frilled and feminine as a gathered skirt," says Holly Vaughan. "You can also have a straight skirt with box pleats on the corners, which again is a more structured look than the gathered skirt."
Skirted furniture may be a trend from the past, but it's one I'm happily welcoming back. And, the even better news is that you don't need to buy a whole new sofa or piece of furniture to embrace the trend — this clever SODERHAMN IKEA sofa skirt DIY recreates the look for less than the price of a throw pillow.
