Finding safe shelter has been another challenge.

“But I don’t take it to mean we’re bouncing from trend to trend super quickly. To me, it means people are defining their own style, and really getting to the root of the designs they love, even if that’s a little more colorful, kitschy or funky,” says Phillips.There’s lots of inspiration on the internet. “If, 15 years ago, we all wanted the picture-perfect kitchen we saw online, today it’s all about taking a trend or beautiful interior that you see on TikTok or Instagram and pulling out the details you love,” says Phillips.

“Gen Z is on the cusp of becoming our new homeowner,” says Amanda Kruse of Upspring PR, a New York-based marketing firm for real estate, design and interiors.And they’re more likely to mix styles for a personal spin, she says.Emilie Munroe began designing a San Francisco family’s Victorian home by leafing through a sheaf of torn-out magazine images from the client.

“We knew immediately our design should exude happiness and inspire curiosity,” says Munroe.A tiny powder room got an

animal-print wallpaper. In a tight hallway next to a window, there’s a kaleidoscopic wallpaper, an abstract rug and a Basquiat-patterned chair.

London-based design editor Cara Gibbs, meanwhile, has noticed the free-wheeling use of paint.Jiang also defended the importance of international students at Harvard, recalling how 60% of the students stood up at the Kennedy School of Government commencement when the dean, Jeremy Weinstein, asked how many came from outside the United States. Then he asked if they had learned something from their international classmates, and most everyone stood.

“A lot of us clapped and cheered. A lot of us were in tears,” she said, as Weinstein told them to “look around, this is your school.”Yurong “Luanna” Jiang delivers an address during her commencement ceremonies at Harvard University, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Yurong “Luanna” Jiang delivers an address during her commencement ceremonies at Harvard University, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)Without international students, it would be a challenge for Harvard to achieve its mission, Jiang said. Campus culture depends on its globally diverse student body, studying and hanging out together.