Is TikTok the new Pinterest?
Future Publishing via Getty Images
Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram have been the go-to for interior design inspiration in recent years, but TikTok is beginning to rival these platforms. While many people associate TikTok with Generation Z dance trends, it is also a great place for interior designers, hobbyists, and experts to share their tips, how-to advice, shopping hauls, etc.
I spoke with five interior design creators on TikTok to learn about how they started their accounts, what inspires them to create content as well as how they’ve cultivated their audiences. Whether you’re looking for inspiration for your own home or trying to grow a similar account, here are five accounts worth following on TikTok.
@CandyColoredHome
While Katie Mack might be known for her larger following on Instagram, there’s no doubt her TikTok will soon catch up. After all, she only started her account in January 2021 and she already has close to 30k followers. Her whimsical yet chic candy-colored house is the inspiration for both accounts. “When we bought our first home in July 2017, I knew I wanted to document the process of decorating it on Instagram. So I did, and it kind of just took off! I started getting a lot of great feedback and features and so I decided to put my all into it and realized that I was completed fulfilled doing this. I started posting every day and became friends with a community of other decor lovers and the rest is history,” she tells me.
Mack is truly enjoying the creative challenge this new platform brings. “I think a lot of the trends are so fun and I love coming up with a different spin on audio or music that has been used before. It’s a really fun creative outlet and it feels a lot less serious than Instagram.”
MORE FOR YOU
When it comes to creating social media content, she believes being yourself is the most important factor. “I think letting yourself and your process be somewhat uninhibited is truly the way to create a unique video. Gravitate towards what you love and don’t worry about what others think or what’s popular. Take risks! Just be natural and show who you are and how your home reflects that. My most popular video is just a 15-second clip of my kitchen. I think it took off because it was so polarizing. People either loved or hated it and I’m ok with either because they don’t live here.”
@KatieFeeneyy
With 6.1 million followers on TikTok, Katie Feeney might be known for her dancing and lip-syncing videos, but she is well on her way to becoming a design influencer as well. The Penn State Freshman recently collaborated with Dormify to design a “Danish Pastel” style dorm room. “ I (and my friends and even my new roommate) are all big fans of Dormify. I am also just about a month away from going to college, so my dorm room design was really top of mind,” she says.
Feeney’s room features a cheery mix of fun pastel wall prints, ivy string lights to create ambiance as well as a soft yellow ditsy floral comforter. Everything is available for purchase on Dormify. Feeney’s room is not only the perfect place to study, but it is also the ideal spot for the social media star to create new content.
Not surprisingly, Feeney used social media to get ideas for designing the space. “I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest. It is super helpful when you have certain aesthetics in mind, to then explore some creative options and imagery. It is also amazing to get real-time feedback from my community of fans/followers. The comments on posts literally become a back-and-forth conversation with everyone. It is awesome.”
@InteriorDesignDropout
Like many TikTok users, Chelsea Scott started on Instagram and began posting to multiple platforms. In February 2021, one of her videos began to go viral. “It led me to lean into the world of DIYs and interior design on TikTok, and I am so glad I did. I love how real and raw TikTok creators and content can be, and I am always learning something new that I never would have come across otherwise. I hope I can be a source of inspiration and information for others as well,” she says.
The content on the account runs the gamut from tutorials to how-tos, product hauls, favorites, before and after videos, along with DIY and home-related humor. “I always love trying out new transitions, which are especially fun for before and after videos. I also love being able to take a trending sound and put my own DIY/interior design spin on it.”
As for how Scott came up with her unique handle, it’s an interesting story. “I originally started college in 2005 as an interior design major, but the program I was enrolled in was more of an interior architecture program. I was interested in this, but I was more interested in the visual aspect of design versus the bones of the structure. I changed majors after about a year and a half to visual merchandising. While I was brainstorming names for my handle I was chatting with a friend who also was in the same interior design program as I was and went on to switch majors as well. We were joking that we were quite literally interior design dropouts, and the handle name was born.”
@HortonLane
Chrissy Horton like many other design influencers, started her TikTok account during the pandemic. She focuses her content on providing resources to mothers looking for attainable and practical ways to create a beautiful home. “I will show viewers ways I create an organized, stylish, yet functional space that can accommodate my children’s needs and items while remaining reflective of my style,” Horton tells me.
The event planner and mom also loves to share tablscape tips. “One of my biggest goals with this account is to prove you do not need a lot of stuff to have the design of your dreams, whether that is decorating your living room or setting the table for a dinner party! I share ways to reuse and restyle items that you already have.”
With nearly 300k followers and 6.3 million likes, Horton has learned the secret to growing her account very quickly. “I try to get to the point within the first three seconds. Every video has a title, so the viewer knows what they will be learning about immediately. Other than that, I always strive to be personable, genuine, and to keep it short and sweet,” she says.
However, Horton thinks the best way to create content is to be unique. “There are so many creators out there, but there is only one you! Don’t compromise your style, passion, and knowledge for the sake of views. If you have a video go viral based on the content you don’t usually cover, you will be gaining followers for the wrong reasons. Not only will this hinder your engagement, but the audience that came from that viral video may not be the ones you are trying to target.”
@GillaLeighHome.Designs
With nearly 140k followers, Gilla Nordike proves you don’t have to be Generation Z or a Millenial to create great TikTok videos. She was inspired to start her account when her 20-year-old daughter suggested it. “I replied ‘no way I’m too old,’ and she convinced me to create one anyway. From that moment on, I was hooked. I realized how many people needed help with their homes. It was a way I could give them designer tips that would help them in their own homes and how to do it even if you’re on a budget.”
Nordike features a variety of content on her page including designer tips such as how high to hang curtains, rug placement, furniture placement, designer trends, recommendation videos, and shopping hauls. “I love sharing home decor videos of how to set up a coffee table or centerpiece, sofa table, etc. I do throw a few funny ones in the mix of how I sneak in the house with home decor so my husband doesn’t see.”
However, she doesn’t have a specific strategy, “I just create content to help my followers know how to make their home beautiful and organized, she tells me. “I help them find ways to find the items they love and make their home beautiful and something they can be proud of even if they are on a budget.”