This interior design trend 🛋️ is blowing up online & NJ's August real estate breakdown🏡

Happy Tuesday North Jersey!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm so excited that we're officially heading into the fall season. Between cooler temperatures, fall activities and festive drinks, there's a lot of things we can finally enjoy.

Right now, the thing I'm the happiest about is the start of the NFL season. As a Philadelphia Eagles fan (I'm originally from South Jersey so please spare me Giants and Jets fans), it was fun to watch them win their first game after such a disappointing end to last season, and in Brazil no less. And speaking of football season, I'll be putting together a roundup of the best North Jersey bars to watch this year's games, so stay tuned for that.

Let's get into this week's updates:

Cottagecore: Inside the interior design trend and how to achieve it

If you're not someone that spends a lot of time on social media, particularly on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, you're probably not familiar with the design style of cottagecore. But this aesthetic — which idealizes rural living and embracing a more simple existence — has taken the internet by storm.

The style is known for its charming and hard-to-duplicate interior designs, consisting of things like rustic furniture, antique art, vintage-inspired wallpaper, pastel tones and lots of patterns. Many consider this style to be both traditional and timeless, but also unique because it heavily involves taking the time to search flea markets, thrift stores and other similar places to really search for pieces that you love.

"This aesthetic is not something that you can run out to Target or Home Goods and instantly build for yourself. At least, if you want to do it the authentic way," said Dana Dore, creator of the Adored House Instagram page. "It's really trying to understand what you like and going to flea markets and antique stores. It's not necessarily buying something because you have a wall to fill, but buying something because you like it or you're drawn to it or the colors, or the feelings that it evokes."

Cottagecore is said to have rose in popularity as a result of the pandemic, when people were looking for ways to make their home's feel more cozy, and as a natural reaction to the years of sleek modern interior design that was trending for so long.

Read more about the interior design trend of cottagecore, including where it came from and how you can achieve it in your own home .

Home prices rose in August, but interest rates dipped

In August, there were more than 35.8% more homes actively for sale than this time last year, marking the 10th consecutive month of housing inventory growth across the nation. The total number of unsold homes, including those that are under contract, also increased by 20.9% from the year before.

Additionally, mortgage interest rates dipped in the beginning of the August to the lowest percentages that the market has seen since July 2023. This came after the Federal Reserve announced that an interest rate cut is possible in September.

For North Jersey's real estate market, Bergen was the only county to see new listings increase from this time last year, while the other five North Jersey counties saw new listings decrease from last year. Additionally, listings stayed on the market for more days in August than this time last year in Essex, Sussex and Hudson counties, while Bergen, Passaic and Morris counties had homes stay on the market for fewer days.

And for median listing prices, all six North Jersey counties had an increase in prices compared to this time last year.

Read our real estate market update for August , which includes a more detailed breakdown of median listing prices, the number of days properties stayed on the market and how inventory across our region has changed.

Our guide to all of the Oktoberfest brews and celebrations at North Jersey's craft breweries

Considering we're officially into September, and have just about reached the fall season, it's only right that we start talking about some Oktoberfest celebrations. Matt Cortina, a food and dining reporter for NorthJersey.com , created a guide to all of North Jersey's Oktoberfest brews and celebrations taking place at local craft breweries this year.

Between selections like Eagle Rocktoberfest at Four City Brewing in Orange, Mr. Oktober at Hackensack Brewing in Hackensack, Harvest Days at Seven Tribesmen Brewery in Wayne and Unsinn Machen at Fort Nonsense Brewing in Randolph, among many others, there's plenty of ways to get your märzen fix this year.

Read his guide for a full breakdown of Oktoberfest-themed beverages at local craft breweries .

5 unique NJ bookstores that carved out their niches

To me, one of the best things about living in New Jersey is discovering unique businesses that stand from the rest. Caitlin Brannigan, an intern at NorthJersey.com , discovered five unique bookstores here that have each carved out their own niches.

This includes [words] in Maplewood, which focuses on creating accessible spaces for people with disabilities. The bookstore has a dedicated section for disability-themed books, as well as a vocational training program that helps people with autism learn the skills needed to be a bookseller. The business has a section location in Livingston, which was specifically built for people with disabilities.

There's also Paranormal Books & Curiosities in Asbury Park, which hosts all kinds of ghost tours and investigations that follow the city's history. The store is also filled with decor that is meant to offer a unique experience of the supernatural as customers shop.

Read her full list of five unique North Jersey bookstores to visit for your next fall read .

Gallery of the week

As a final ode to summer, this week's featured gallery is dedicated to the annual Doggie Dip at Tom's Lake in Wayne . The event took place this weekend, where residents of Wayne were invited to bring their pups to Capt. Michael Kilroy Memorial Park for one last swim to close out the season.

So enjoy an array of photos of North Jersey pooches living their best lives.

Check out some more work from myself and others below. But for now, that's what's up in North Jersey. See you next time!

Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay , on X @maddiemcgayy , and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett .

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: This interior design trend 🛋️ is blowing up online & NJ's August real estate breakdown🏡