• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, December 11, 2018

When it comes to knowing what will decorate consumer’s newsfeeds, no social media platform can ace predictions like Pinterest. This is the inspiration machine that can trace the rise and fall of the world’s infatuation with cupcake, slime and henna.

According to search increases among Pinterest’s 250 million users, smart marketers should start gearing up now for 2019’s next big things. (Calculations are based on searches from January through September of this year, compared to the same period in 2017.)

At home, people are mad for mustard yellow, with searches up 45%. They are also eager to paint their own floor tiles, with searches surging 1,276%. Contemporary fireplaces are hot, both inside and out -- up 763% -- and textile art is in demand, with such searches climbing 1,718%.

Food trends include a stampede for ideas about pegan diets — part paleo and part vegan — up 337%, family-grazing tables, up 163%, and foil-pack dinner recipes, up 759%.

In terms of magic ingredients, expect to see much more of mushrooms (up 64%), oxtail (up 209%) and oat milk (up 186%).

In travel, Pinterest says there are spikes in zero-waste tourism (up 74%) and the baffling surprise destination trip, up 192%. Women are on the hunt for new ideas about how to go gray (up 879%), while baby bangs are up 51%. (Those cut well above the brow, sometimes called a mini-fringe.)

Witch hazel is making a comeback, and there is plenty of buzz building for bakuchiol — a natural alternative to skin-care ingredient retinol — up 275%.

Expect to see more weddings using custom neon signs and more birthday parties with number-shaped cakes. But there may be less booze at parties than you expect: Searches for sober living advice are up 746%, and ideas for nonalcoholic drinks are spiking.

But Pinterest isn’t just about stuff to buy, bake or imitate — it has also become a source for new ideas that reflect shifting values. Trending now? Side hustles (where folks take on extra jobs, often based on their interests) (up 690%), backyard weddings (up 441%) and the intriguing rise of the godparent proposal, up 152%, with invites almost as elaborate as gender-reveal parties.