Interior designer and stylist Jonny Carmack has a “fruit room” in his Danbury, Connecticut, home. Colorful faux produce bedecks every inch, from the cherry-shaped ceiling fixture to a strawberry side table and a bunch of other juicy gems in decorative forms. He's part of a trend: Love for fresh fruits and vegetables is showing up not just in the kitchen but in imagery throughout the home.
Carmack sees it as fun escapism, and “a cause for conversation and celebration.” Design experts say it also reflects a cultural embrace of sustainability and an upbeat connection to nature. “There’s a certain romance to the farmstand — it speaks to the pastoral lifestyle everyone’s craving these days,” says Rachel Hardage Barrett, Country Living magazine’s editor-in-chief. “This gravitation toward produce motifs intersects with spikes in interest around gardening, wellness and antiques.” Barrett sees the trend in everything from home decor to apparel.
She notes the recent viral trend Tomato Girl Summer; along with the color red, and various iterations of tomatoes, the vibe was one of Mediterranean cafes, beach walks and lazy summer days. “Tomato Girl Summer obviously had a good run, but now there’s a whole bumper crop of produce to choose from, from cabbage and radishes to strawberries and peaches," Barrett says. Nostalgia is in play, too Barrett sees a revival in interest around items with cabbages and lettuce, which were common motifs in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Cabbageware and lettuce ware enjoyed a revival with the Palm Beach crowd in the ‘60s, with fans like Jacqueline Kennedy, Bunny Mellon and Frank Sinatra. Now, they’ve found a new audience. “It ties into the ‘grandmillennial’ design movement that champions beloved heirlooms," Barrett says.
"Target recently introduced a cabbageware-inspired collection that garnered more than 15 million TikTok posts.” Social media has helped drive the fruity décor trend. In 2023, TikTokers went wild over a lemon-shaped ceramic stool at HomeGoods. The piece sold out, but the popularity of tables shaped like citrus wedges continued to grow.
This winter’s interior design, décor and lifestyles shows in Paris and Frankfurt, Germany, sometimes felt more like vibrant produce markets than trade fairs. Booths at Maison et Objet and Ambiente were full of planters festooned with 3D grapes and watermelons; mirrors encircled in peapods or pineapples; tomato-covered cups, glasses and tableware. Lamp shades and tablecloths wore artful imagery of berry baskets and carrot bunches.
Cushions burst with juicy prints. Vases were peppered with — well, peppers, in clay or papier-mache.
