When it comes to design, getting caught up in the latest trends is very easy. After all, many of us feel overwhelmed by endless decorating possibilities, so interior designers try to lend a helping hand — they collectively predict what’s in this year to steer us toward the next big thing. But if there’s one thing we’re pretty sure of, many solutions that have become almost alarmingly ubiquitous tend to age fast. And not in a graceful way.
Several threads over on Ask Women and Ask Reddit opened the floodgates after inviting people to share the current interior and home design trends they would just love to toss immediately. What followed was an onslaught of responses rightfully tearing apart the latest things we would already wish to forget.
From all-white everything to tropical print overload, masses of people found plenty of answers to agree on. So if you’re moving to a new home or simply looking for ideas for renovation, grab a pen and take some notes to avoid opting for questionable interior choices. Below, we gathered some of the most illuminating replies from the thread, so upvote the ones you can sign off on and share your own design pet peeves with us in the comments!
Buddha heads. Buddha heads became fashionable because American soldiers decapitated many statues in Laos and Thailand during the Vietnam War and smuggled them out. They were sold to museums across the world and people copied them to stick in their living rooms/bedrooms because “it’s so peaceful /I’m open to Buddhism”
Now when you go to Thailand you’ll see decapitated statues all over the country, statues that had remained intact until recent history.
Kim and Jo are a Canadian and Australian duo who set out on a mission to inspire the world, one room at a time. The self-proclaimed interior design junkies are running the blog Desire To Inspire filled with clever solutions and endless tricks and tips to help anyone lost in the world of decor to create jaw-dropping designs. We reached out to them to get some insight about the questionable trends that won’t age that gracefully, and they were kind enough to have a little chat with us.
When it comes to building your home from scratch or organizing a renovation, the bloggers are firm believers that focusing only on what’s considered in this year is not such a great idea. “In the 15+ years we have been blogging we have always advocated against being too trendy with interiors,” they told Bored Panda.
“We very much appreciate creativity and individuality when it comes to décor. Sticking to trends means in a couple of years when the trend is oversaturated and you see it all over social media, it will be a very expensive mistake when you’re sick of seeing it and need to redesign your space that you’re now bored of,” Kim and Jo explained.
I love smart tech in a home, but most of it is horribly implemented and just bad. You shouldn’t need touch screens everywhere to control your lights, or have to pull out your phone.
Pulling out your phone to change the colour of your lights isn’t “smart” that’s just making your lights dependent on your phone. Having your lights auto dim when you start a movie; that’s smart.
Also; my refrigerator doesn’t need to connect to the internet, ever.
I live in an older subdivision in a suburb that is seeing a ton of development. Mostly McMansion type subdivisions are going up everywhere. There’s two things about these areas that drive me nuts.
First off, why do these developers hate straight roads so damn much? Trying to navigate through a newer subdivision is the biggest pain in the a*s because roads always seem to turn back on themselves. That s**t is dumb.
Second: why cut down every single goddamn tree you see and then plop down a bunch of big, ugly-a*s houses with zero personality and THEN plant a bunch of little baby trees? Why would anyone want to live in a house with no trees anywhere? If they spent any amount of time planning what they’re actually trying to build they could very easily leave large trees and patches of nature in yards or between houses. Instead they treat the development like a kid playing The Sims.
I effing hate new housing developments. They all look horrible and since most of them have HOAs it’s probably a bigger pain in the a*s to live in one.
In the last few years, we spent more time in our own place than we have ever before, and it became clear to many that interiors need to speak to our lifestyle. What became even more evident, as you can read in the examples in this thread, is that certain design solutions are simply not cutting it anymore.
When asked about the trends we should immediately say farewell to, Kim and Jo had a few design solutions in mind they were eager to share with us. “A trendy color that is not here to stay is grey,” they mentioned. “Due to people being at home more these days, warmer, more inviting colors that are earthy are definitively beating our cool colors like grey.”
All white everything. I have so many friends (20-25ish) doing the all white furniture in an already white room with white or silver accents and I just don’t get it. Any little bit of dust shows up and it’s so stark that it’s borderline painful to look at if the room is sunny.
It’s totally personal, though. My partner and I do all black everything in white rooms. A lot of people absolutely hate it.
Those stupid “barn doors.” Absolutely HATE them!
Also, those “Eat” “Sleep” “Sit” “Gather” signs people like to put around their house. It’s as if common sense is nonexistent to the point where people need reminders of what they need to do in said rooms on their walls.
Another interior fad that the bloggers would love to see gone is farmhouse style. “This trend is sooooo overdone it needs to politely disappear never to return again,” they said. “If you live on a farm go for it. If you don’t — STAY AWAY!”
Moreover, “Terrazzo is a material that while it has a fun graphic quality, has been a bit overused in the past couple of years. Don’t go there,” Kim and Jo suggested.
Putting the microwave hideously low to the point where you have to crouch in order to move things in and out of it.
I hate words in my house, in basically any form, hate the f*****g live laugh love signs, hate it even more when people do it like my mom and plaster everything in a combination of bible quotes, motivational quotes, and the worst of all the names of our family members.
Also hate anything that is clearly supposed to have a practical use that is only around for decoration, pillows, chairs, tables, if it’s something that anyone has to be told not to use because their first instinct is to treat it like any other thing of it’s kind then it’s stupid and I hate it.
I’ve been an interior designer part time for multiple years and I could go on for hours about all the design choices many people make that just deserve to be kissed by a sledgehammer.
But if I had to narrow it down, I’d say these three things:
1. Tile Countertops. The look is massively dated and it’s impractical. You’d have to scrub the cracks a lot to get water stains and other substances that will be trapped inside. And when the tiles get damaged and loose your counter will be a pain in the a*s.
2. Popcorn ceilings. I was working with a crew to renovate a house and the ducking bathrooms had popcorn ceilings. The steam from the shower was making it fall to the floor. Ridiculously tacky. Avoid popcorn ceilings and just paint it.
3. All white interiors. Just writing that irritated me. An entire white room psychologically bothers me. No color whatsoever. Unappealing to the eye and mind as well as near impossible to maintain from stains. All white is only good for rooms you never use which will never happen.
But the duo also went into detail about timeless design solutions that are making us feel emotionally at ease, the ones they can’t simply get enough of. “Marble will always and forever be something we advocate for. It is classic, absolutely beautiful and has such a wide range of colors and can be very graphic and bold if need be. Or on the other hand, it can be very subtle.”
They continued: “Polished chrome or nickel is here to stay also (nickel preferably). Brass has been very popular for some time but it has been too on trend and we’re loving the comeback of chrome. Also very classy and looks great with marble. Win-win!”
“Warm woods will always be high on the list of things to gravitate towards that always look great. Stay away from yellow and red tones,” Kim and Jo added. “Those can very easily look dated.”
Mason jar decor. Need a new light fixture? Mason jar! A place to store your extra writing utensils? Mason jar! Flower vase? Mason jar! Tealight holder? Mason jar! Porcelain toilet bowl too boring and normal? BIG mason jar!!!
When they use too many different materials on the outside. This wall is brick,this wall in vinyl,and none of it matches.
Millions of pillows and cushions on a bed. It makes the room look instantly messy when you have to move them and stack them on the floor to get in.
Of course, taste is a matter of preference and everyone has the right to make their place look the way they want. While we’re not the ones to judge you on what makes you happy, there are still many things to consider to make sure you wouldn’t end up with impractical and regrettable choices.
To help you out, Kim and Jo had a few suggestions. “Add your own personality,” they said. “Do what makes you happy not what’s on trend. You have to live with your design choices so make it speak to you on another level. Where you walk in the door and feel comfortable and at ease.”
Big windows in the front with no curtains or blinds. Who does that? What type of weirdos are like yeah what if all the neighbors and whatever strangers happen to be walking by can see into our living room at all times? I usually see this on homes that have that modern minimalist architecture thing going on, which tend to be ugly anyhow. They’re trying to look futuristic but in the near future they will be considered lame and out of style.
Moreover, they suggested avoiding too much of the same thing. “Having cohesive elements throughout each room can add to the relaxed nature of a home but too much of the same thing can get boring really fast. Think about adding an accent color that can be found in small doses in each space and then maybe done in a big way in one room.”
Then, think about scale and placement because they add a lot of value to your dwelling. “Don’t feel that if you have a small space all the furniture needs to then be small,” Kim and Jo said. “It will only make your space look smaller! Adding a large piece or two will trick the eye into thinking it’s bigger than it is.”
“And placement keeps things interesting and dynamic. Don’t think you need to place all furniture up against the walls. BORING! Try angling pieces or floating them more in the center of the room. It makes the space feel less stuffy and formal too,” they noted.
I know it’s popular rn but the sort of minimalist modern furniture in rich people houses, especially one’s that need a remote to unfold or something. How is that better than a normal chair. Also why make these big sitting rooms no one wants to hang out in
Full open concept – especially when people take all the walls down in an older home with a traditional layout. I like seperation of space and defined rooms. I can handle partial open concept but that’s about it. We actually extended a wall in one of our house to create a more defined den and living room
Floor to ceiling windows in the private rooms of the home like bedrooms and bathrooms. Or giant window at the bath tub. If you in the middle of no where and have no neighbours I guess, but in a subdivision or city the curtains or build have to be closed most of the time.
Those sinks that are a bowl on top of the counter. It’s like they didn’t install the sink, and glued it to the bathroom counter.
Lastly, the bloggers suggested it’s always a good idea to add in some vintage pieces. “We loooooove vintage. The thrill of the hunt is an added bonus. Also, Facebook Marketplace is an absolute treasure trove of awesome at often great bargains and it helps keep décor items out of landfills,” Kim and Jo said, adding that it’s another win-win.
I’ve noticed this weird trend recently of dolling up your house like it’s supposed to be some sort of studio example home or something instead of just making it a comfortable living space for you and your family and I absolutely hate it it just feels so fake and paper thin
Mirrored furniture and crushed velvet cushions. I also hate crude prints in the bathroom that have “cheeky” quotes about bowel movements or urinating. It’s very tacky to me.
Farmhouse design makes me cringe. Putting up shiplap, and barn doors in your suburban home is dating the hell out of your house. Like a tribal tattoo in the 90s, I’m going to know exactly when you decorated. Gag.
I hate it when the front facade of a house has like nice siding, expensive stonework or brick, good quality windows with nice trim, windows and door sizes and arrangement are aesthetically pleasing, etc., but then the sides and back of the house are cheap vinyl siding with different, cheaper, uglier windows and trim, and the fenestration layout is hideous chaos. Like…you know people can see your house from angles other than directly in front, right?
Having to pass through the master bath to reach your closet. Or on a similar note, having a door to separate off the toilet, but not the shower.
PAINTED WHITE BRICK. It feels like it’s on every HGTV show I watch; they ruin beautiful classic brick with white paint. It has to be repainted constantly to maintain the “look,” shows way more dust, and doesn’t age as well as regular brick.
Flat roofs. The buffer area between the roof and the room inside is an absolute breeding ground for mold, and whenever it rains, water pools on top of the roof and leaks in. In some cases, it looks modern, but for some houses built in this style in the 70s or 80s, it looks stupid, and is insanely impractical.
Wallpaper getting back in style. After nearly a month of steaming and stripping down old wallpaper in a house, I cannot for the life of me understand why you would put that s**t up.
Also, it looks horrid. Yes, that includes “that” design, and also “that” design.
Too many rooflines. This trend has to stop. It’s over-architecting to the degree where there’s nothing of substance anymore.
Any kind of pillars… why? Just why..? It always looks gaudy.
