40+ Nail Design Trends and Ideas to Inspire You in Every Season

The vast majority of us open every day with a warm cup of coffee. But, how about starting your day with a look at these gorgeous latte-inspired nails? This design makes it look as though you’ve just stirred your morning Cup o’ Joe.

While this design is pretty difficult to create with simple nail polish, you could just buy the wrap design online and then attach it to your nails with a clear varnish (it’s best to follow the instructions that come with the wraps).

Some styles are always going to look good — no matter the current, fleeting trends. This deep cherry single-color look is beyond timeless. We do, however, recommend keeping it seasonal so that you don’t get sick of it.

Such a warm tone is especially charming during the cooler months as it beautifully contrasts with the weather. For example, this is a good style to have during the winter holiday season for the person that wants to look chic and sophisticated at their holiday party.

We’ve recently seen the nude fingernail come back into fashion. This design idea is a great way to take that trend one step further by playing with the full range of skin tone colors. Thanks to the nude upper half, the chunky and colored French tips just pop.

It’s also an incredibly easy design to recreate — so no need to go all the way to the nail technician. Instead, with a few different polish colors and clear varnish, you could get this inspiring design from the comfort of your own home.

In the past year, we’ve seen neutrals and nudes take over the nail design world. We especially love this fun, swirly take on the classic browns, à la triple-chocolate color scheme. This design just beautifully showcases your natural nails.

While this design might be a bit difficult for a novice painter at home, a more experienced nail tech shouldn’t find it too difficult to recreate for you. You can also order nail wraps with a similar design.

There’s nothing new about floral patterns, but this design is a true through-back to the hippie ‘70s. While recent years have been dominated by light pastels, this pattern goes to show that this vintage color palette is back in style.

Thanks to its laid-back look and its not-too-serious mood, this beautifully muted design should be fairly easy to do at home. Pick a light base coat color, and on top, draw your flower design by lightly dabbing five dots and then extending them to the middle point.

We’ve been happy to see in recent years, a change in the general attitude toward certain colors. While blues and reds are always a popular choice (along with the whole range of purples between them), finally, yellows and greens are getting their time to shine.

After all, you can’t tell us that this forestry take on a French tip isn’t absolutely enchanting! Not only is it showcasing an underrepresented color, but it’s also displaying the beauty of the full spectrum of green. This style is especially great to rock in spring.

People have long known that to feel like an apex predator in the urban jungle, you need to look on the outside as fierce as you feel on the inside. This beautiful take on the popular tiger-stripes pattern is a fabulous way to let that inner feline out.

Choosing this warm-brown color palette alongside black and white accents turns what could have felt like a heavy and tacky design into a classy and powerful look to complement any tailored suit in the corporate jungle.

The fall season is a favorite of many people, and we can hardly blame them. After all, what’s not to love about the crisp air, the kaleidoscope of changing leaves, and the smell of pumpkin spice from every corner?

It’s the perfect time to embrace your inner fall girl and go all out on flannel-inspired nails. This cozy design is sweet and warm, but thanks to the pattern being on only a single nail (or two), it stops it from feeling overwhelming.

Can we all agree that glitter absolutely makes everything more fabulous? Because if you don’t, this nail design is the perfect proof that we’re right! This glittery bronze color elevates this look in a single stroke from drab to glam.

To make it even better, the design adds a half-vertical pink coat to two nails for a sophisticated extra oomph. This look is absolutely perfect for a glamorous holiday outing. Can’t you just imagine how heavenly it would look with a New Year’s Eve dress?

There’s no better way to welcome the end of winter and the beginning of spring than painting your nails with bright colors and pretty patterns. This design manages to steer clear of the overdone pastels while still feeling colorful.

As for the art on top of the colors — the artist who created this design cleverly used golden flakes to create a “sunlight between leaves” effect between the darker branches. It’s truly a beautiful and simple trend that we highly recommend trying out!

While we might love the classic French tips look, even we can admit that that white and pink combo is somewhat overdone. Plus, let’s face it, it’s kind of boring. So, here’s a perfect way to spice up this old classic.

Creating a fun pattern like simple flowers, leaves, or these pretty hearts is a perfect way to change your French tips up for any occasion. These dual-colored hearts would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day date or a cool “Queen of Hearts” costume on Halloween.

Some things just go perfectly together — like peanut butter and jelly in a delicious sandwich, or ketchup and mustard on top of your hot dog. So, why not be inspired by our favorite picnic combos?

While this might feel simple and almost basic, out in the park or having fun at the pier, this red and mustard look is perfect for any sunny day. After all, if it’s good enough to eat, why not let it decorate your nails?

Do you want a fierce nail design that works perfectly both for your day at the office and your night out at the club? Then this look is absolutely perfect for you! Let your nails move with you through the day with the gradient design.

Look, technically, you can create this style by using any color gradient. But, we definitely recommend using shades of brown like in the photo for a look that is extra professional while still giving off a fun flair.

After a few unsteady and nerve-racking years, design companies around the world felt that we all needed calmer colors in our lives. So, 2022 was the year of greens and sages — symbolizing purification and wisdom.

So, of course, this interior design trend made it into the world of nail art… and we’re so happy it did. Sage is the perfect color to add a calm influence to your daily life. Plus, it goes beautifully with the beiges and grays that are so popular right now.

Alright, this is definitely not a design for amateurs, although we do encourage creators of all levels to try — just for fun. Themed nails are the perfect way to ward off that seasonal blues and make you feel like every day is special.

For something that looks this good, we suggest either going to a really talented nail tech or ordering glue-on nails with a cute seasonal design, so you look perfect for your day out to the pumpkin patch.

Although we love seeing super complex designs on people’s nails, you don’t have to sit with your nail tech for five hours in order for your nails to look absolutely fabulous. A two-toned design can be just as effective as a complicated pattern.

We do suggest keeping to two similar colors so that the full effect feels effortless and clean — going with a lighter and darker hue of the same color is perfect for this. Then, you can play with the added features (like drawing a simple line instead of a dot).

Cow prints (not to be confused with the similar yet more intricate leopard prints) are definitely a nail art staple, mainly because you can easily freestyle the splotch shapes, and they should still come out looking cute.

Keep in mind, though, that overdoing any print like this can make it look overly tacky. By creating the pattern only on the tips (and extending them just a little over the line), you can perfectly keep this style looking stylish and unique.

Cottagecore — the aesthetic that romanticizes life in the countryside — like simple dresses and picking mushrooms, is hardly new. In fact, it’s had a pretty serious online presence since 2017. But, it’s definitely gone viral in the last two years.

This intricate design brings together different aspects of Cottagecore imagery in a beautiful collage. This is, however, one of those designs that are going to be extremely difficult to recreate at home, so just get a wrap with it on! It’s the perfect accessory for fall.

There’s nothing cozier than a beautifully knit sweater as soon as the weather turns and starts getting cold. So, why not let your fingernails join in on the cool fun with this snug design?

This look might seem complicated at first glance, but the truth is that it’s made up of easily created shapes (lines and diamonds). The illusion works by making it feel more complicated than it actually is — just by using different colors and several knit designs to adorn your nails.

The sakura tree, also known as a Japanese cherry tree or the cherry blossom, is world famous for its beautiful delicate blooms that flower every year in early spring. So, what better way to celebrate that than with a minimalist design that reminds us of that marvelous sight?

It’s also pretty easy to do on your own — although you might want some help if you want a small extra pattern like the leaves and branches in the photo or white sakura flowers.

Say hello to the hot season with these bright tips in the perfect summer palette. Keep in mind that a design this sunny won’t be the most diverse accessory — it sadly won’t work with every outfit in your closet.

Your best bet is to either wear something with at least one of the colors from this palette on it, or stick to neutral whites and browns. Whichever you choose, you’re sure to look like a ray of sunshine.

From hair color to nail art, for the past few years, ombre designs have dominated the styling world. It looks, however, like there’s a new colorful trend around — the color wheel look. We think there are two reasons for this change.

Firstly, creating effortless ombres at home is pretty hard (using a single color on each nail is just a whole lot easier). Secondly, it lets you play with a whole lot more colors to create this edgy look. Will you try it out?

Before we dive into this trend, we want to make one thing clear and that is, muted nail polish colors (like pinks and whites) aren’t going anywhere! After all, the classics are classic for a reason. That being said, it looks like many of us are looking to shine bright right now.

A neon nail color — such as bright orange, zingy green, or loud yellow — is perfect for a little extra oomph to your day. While these might seem perfect for the summer months (and they are), we also recommend getting these colors in the winter to bring a little sunshine to your rainy days.

What’s more luxurious than marble? It’s no wonder that marble-effect nail art has become so popular over the years, and it’s still going strong. While you can go to a nail technician to get this style, this is actually a look that you can achieve at home!

Take a cup of water and drip some nail polish drops in the colors that you want on top of the liquid. Then, with a toothpick, swirl the color until you get a marble look. Finally, gently dip your nails in the polish. Then, just clean the excess polish from your cuticles, and you’re done!

While it might not seem like it at first, this trendy design proves that sage and baby pink goes perfectly together — especially when you pair them with this delicate gold line. Combining these colors gives this whole design a light and classy feel.

While half-and-half nails are nothing new, making the barrier a wiggle definitely adds an extra whimsical layer to this design, which goes perfectly with the unusual color combination. We absolutely love this look for early spring!

If you’re a “friend of Dorothy” (or a friend of a friend of hers), this over-the-rainbow nail art is the perfect way to display your pride (this is also a great look if you just like pretty rainbows, of course).

Keep in mind that in order to create this delicate and striking design, you might need the help of a professional nail artist. Also, don’t forget to add that sweet little cloud at the corner of your nail.

This butterfly and cloud look is one of the most delicate and feminine designs we have on this list — and it’s absolutely perfect for spring! It’s also not as difficult for a good nail tech as you might think.

The secret behind this beautiful look is using nail stamps. If you’ve never seen them used, nail stamps are created by using a plate with an inlaid design where the nail polish can pool. Then, with a special tool, the design can be transferred to your nails.

While overly complicated and ornate designs feel like the trendiest thing out there, we can assure you — a sweet and simple look can be just as effective and popular. This lovely nail art, for example, is the perfect way to dream of sunny weather.

It’s also extra easy to do at home. Choose a light and breathy shade of light blue for your base layer. Then, on top of the base, dab small blots of white nail polish with a thin brush until they look like cloud clusters.

If there’s one time of the year that’s not ruled by light, soft, neutral color combos, it’s summer. Summer’s the perfect time to go all out and embrace those bright, neon-esque looks. But, that may not work for everyone.

This design, though, manages to blend the fun pop neon brightness — while also keeping it on the softer side by going for a more pastel color palette. We absolutely love their multi-colored rainbow nails for the warm months.

This delicate design is the perfect way to bring back a bit of that child-like innocence back into your everyday adult life. Also, keep in mind that for a professional nail tech, this shouldn’t be too difficult to recreate.

You see, this design uses a whole lot of nail stamps to achieve this adorable emoji look. This is definitely not a quick and easy nail art to do at home. But, we absolutely recommend it for a special occasion!

In the fashion industry, every trend you thought was long gone, tends to find its way back into the popular looks. We’ve seen it happen with bell-bottomed pants from the ‘90s and fanny packs from the ‘80s. So, why not bring back psychedelic?

The psychedelic patterns that dominated the ‘60s are definitely back — and honestly, looking at this nail art, we have no idea why they ever went away. This fun and colorful heart design is absolutely perfect for Valentine’s!

With semi-nude nails, where most of the nail only has a transparent base on, being so popular nowadays, the creative artists of the internet have found all sorts of ways to still make our nails look exciting!

This pop art-inspired design adds a fun and colorful twist to this otherwise neutral look. It’s especially great for beginners to try because the flowy drip design means that you don’t have to try so hard to make everything look uniform.

In recent years, it has become more and more popular to use 3D objects and gems to give your nails that extra pop. While, technically, you could glue on just about any small thing on your nails, we recommend going with subtle touches with this.

The best way to achieve this majestic look is to start with a clear or light base color, then glue on the 3D decorations. While you could go all out with an intricate nail polish design as well, if you don’t, you allow the 3D décor to be the star of the show.

Judging by these trendy nail designs, baby pink, sage, and gold are the color combo of the year — and for good reason. Just look how beautiful they look together! While this design is extra luxurious (it even uses gold leaf!), you don’t have to copy it.

Instead, get inspired by this fabulous look and create your own simple design that incorporates all three colors. After all, you already know that they go together absolutely flawlessly. How would you do it?

While we usually think of confetti as a loud and overwhelming experience (also fun and magical, of course), it can become the perfect inspiration for a beautiful and elegant New Year’s Eve nail look.

You can do that by taking the confetti down a notch. These black, white, and gold dots on a clear base have taken the essence of the New Year’s confetti and turned it into the perfect elegant accessory.

If you’re looking for a mature yet whimsical look, nothing works better than a minimalistic graphic design. This adorable yet sophisticated take on a rainbow and sun makes for the perfect subtle nail composition.

What you need most when attempting to recreate a look like this is a really steady hand — seriously, it’s a lot harder than it looks to get such clean lines! This, though, just proves that everything is better with a bit of gold.

Taking inspiration from nature to create beautiful and touching art is hardly a new thing. So, understandably, nail artists have wholeheartedly embraced the natural world and brought it into their work. We’ve seen all sorts of depictions of nature in this list.

This design, however, is particularly beautiful, in our opinion. With the help of small pieces of sponges, this design manages to capture the breathtaking, dream-like quality of a perfect sunset. If you decide to try it out, we think you’ll discover that it’s actually not that difficult to recreate.

What better way is there to celebrate spring and summer blooms than with the lightest and simplest flower around? Creating a rose in full bloom or a large sunflower on your nails might feel like an overwhelming project.

This daisy design, though, is perfect for those warmer months and, with some practice, easily achieved. It’s also simple enough that you can easily add your own personal flare to this look in accordance with your skill level.

Just like other current vintage trends, it looks like polka dots are back to being beloved by all ages. Seriously — you don’t need to be a kid to rock this fun and whimsical pattern this coming year!

Luckily it’s both fairly easy to create and to customize to your own personal taste. For a polka-dot summer look, go for bright rainbow colors. For a more nuanced winter ensemble, go for neutrals or the classic black and white.

Many of our younger readers might associate pearls with their grandma (or your elderly aunt). But, we’ll let you in on a little secret — pearls are ageless and timeless. So, no time like the present to embrace this accessory.

See for yourself how elegant this light and subtle sprinkling of fake pearl jewels makes this nail design look like a million bucks! Let your inner Audrey Hepburn out and adopt the pearls into your personal style.

With the flowers and fruits slumbering, fall and winter are the perfect time to pay homage to those less celebrated parts of our beloved trees — the leaves and the bark. This natural tribute consists of simply embracing shades of brown and green.

The reason this design isn’t plain and boring is, of course, due to the clear shimmer nail polish that has also been applied to the nails. This look is the perfect accessory for hanging out with your friends at your favorite cozy coffee shop.

Abstract nail art has been a major trend for quite some time now. But, it looks like this year is the year of the swirl, and we totally understand why. This trend has near-infinite possibilities, as changing the colors you use, or the size of each swirl is going to make every design completely unique.

Also, out of the abstract nail art “family” (like blobs or random shapes), swirls are fairly minimalist and subtle enough that they still make you look elegant no matter what. Finally, with this design, you can match your nails to the seasons!

Obviously, we love how color wheel nails (where each nail is a different color) have become so popular. But, we want to make it super clear — the classic ombre look is still extremely trendy. After all, it’s a classic for good reason.

Nude or pinkish ombre styles are always going to be in style, as their simplicity and elegance effortlessly go with everything. A night out with your friends or a day at the office, these nails are perfect for all of it!

Red and green might feel like the ultimate color combination for the winter holiday season. But there are all sorts of other ways to make your nails feel festive without looking like a Christmas tree.

These purple and white nails are very merry, yet they’re still subtle and elegant enough to make you feel like you fit right in at that fancy holiday party. What really cinches this look is the light use of gold.

Who said that you need to celebrate the coming of snow with dark colors? We say, embrace the light during the darkest days of the year! This design takes inspiration from everything that makes the winter months magical.

By incorporating those detailed snowflakes and the intricate knitting pattern alongside the light blue and white color palette, this design manages to be both cozy and light. It’s perfect for enjoying those first few snow days of the year.