Sorry Minimalists, but Fringed Sofas Are the Next ‘Old-Fashioned’ Style to Have a Design Renaissance

Modern living room with mint wall and shelving unit with gray floors and dining table with pink velvet sofa with fringe and matching ottoman.

Passementerie, or the art of upholstery trimmings, has long been associated with a sort of 'OTT' style of traditional decorating — but not so in 2025. Interior designers are increasingly making the case that the look deserves a modern revival, and they’ve convinced us that the time is right to invest in a fringed sofa (again).

The wider fringe furniture trend — which has seen armchairs, footstools, and even occasional tables given this decorative detail — works especially well on sofas as the treatment really has the space to become a tactile focal point. “There’s something incredibly rich about a fringed sofa,” agrees sensory designer Lauren Davies from HEKA. “Visually and texturally, it’s all about zooming into the detail.”