People Are Calling Out The Popular Home Design Trends They Think Will Be "Outdated" Very, Very Soon

Yahoo

6 days ago

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which of today's popular home design trends they think won't last very long, and honestly, some of these surprised me. Here's what they had to say:
1."Solid painted brick. If the brick looked like a business park building from the 1980s, I get it, but I think staining or limewashing looks much nicer than just painting over all the brick and mortar with grey or white. It makes it look like a plastic doll house."
—heroicskeleton526
2."Electric fireplaces. I live in a community where storms cause power outages every year. An electric fireplace is a waste. Only gas or wood burning will work. And don't put a fireplace in a place like Florida (that's just unnecessary)."
—Anonymous, 45, South Carolina
3."All-white homes without personality look like hospitals. I'm tired of designers saying there is so much warmth in a room they finished, and it's white-on-white. It looks like every other asylum."
—Anonymous, 45, South Carolina
4."Open-concept bathrooms without doors, with doorless showers, and with massive freestanding tubs. I don't want to know about someone doing their business, let alone see it, so bathrooms should absolutely have doors for privacy, especially for the toilet! Showers need doors to keep the water from splashing all over. Slips and falls on wet floors are truly dangerous!"
—Anonymous, 57, New Jersey
5."Making really small spaces for kids or pets. The child-sized spaces under stairs and whatnot — I cannot imagine that is easy to clean, and you know your kid ain't cleaning that up. What if they spill chips, punch, gummies, etc., and you have to army crawl to clean it? That seems like a nightmare."
"The ones for pets seem to be easier to clean (cabinets are the most common ones I have seen), but still, if they pee in there, and you don't have a THICK pee pad inside, your cabinet is going to smell for a real long time. They make cat towers, dog houses, and play rugs for a reason."
—Anonymous, 21, Texas
6."Rounded and arched everything. We've seen it all: arched-shaped candles, rounded chairs, cabinets, and even various arch-shaped throw pillows. While they are initially different, cute, and chic, I think they will soon be referred to as post-COVID style and outdated."
—Anonymous, 38, Georgia
"I VERY much think freaking ROUNDED cabinets will be outdated. My friend had them, and they just look so…wrong."
—Anonymous, 21, Michigan
7."I cannot imagine the dopamine decor trend surviving the next few years! The whole concept relies on excessively bright colors and shapes in a way that reminds me of the bold '90s aesthetic you see in shows like Decorating Cents. It's very fun, but in the long term, I think most people would want to create a home in which they can feel more relaxed."
—Anonymous, 31, Colorado
8."Black exterior paint on houses. The color fades, and it just looks bad."
—Anonymous, 30, Tennessee
9."White exterior walls with black trim. I don't know why it's so popular, but it's popping up everywhere. Not only is it lifeless due to being completely devoid of color, but white is really difficult to keep clean. One of the houses in our neighborhood that was painted white has already been repainted because it looked awful after a couple of years."
—Anonymous, 39, Florida
10."Freestanding tubs. They look great but are uber impractical for kids or older people."
—Anonymous
"Those freestanding massive tubs are so hard to clean and clean around (especially behind, if they are next to a wall). I'd happily do away with bathtubs altogether (except for one in a child's bathroom), and go with a shower with a built-in bench for older family members."
—Anonymous, 57, New Jersey
11."Rose gold. I don't care if it's doorknobs or furniture or picture frames. It doesn't match everything, like silver, white, or black. If it's a permanent installation, especially, you have to change everything to accommodate it. Plus, when it gets tarnished or dirty in any way, it looks disgusting. I bet in 10 years, we'll look at it like we do floral granny couches."
—Anonymous, 25, USA
12."I think the trend of painting everything in a room — walls, ceiling, trim, and doors sometimes — all the same color, usually dark, will go out of style very fast. It's too dark, it makes every room feel claustrophobic and bland. For something interesting to look at, you need a variety of colors and textures, which this trend does not give."
—Anonymous, 29, New York
13."I don't know why, but so many houses here have built-in niches for some reason. Not shelving — just a tiny scoop taken out of your wall that requires you to fill it with junk. Why?"
—Anonymous, 38, Arizona
14."Boxy homes. Modern homes that look like a bunch of boxes stuck together just look ugly to me. Also, where I'm from, there are a lot of beautiful older homes, and there's always one super modern boxy house in the middle of the older classic-looking houses. It sticks out and looks unimaginative and just plain ugly."
—Anonymous, 28, New England
15."I think the trend of a wood accent wall, especially the dark ones, will go out very quickly, like wood paneling. It's very distinct, but it again makes rooms dark and claustrophobic, and there's nothing to do once it's there. It's a total pain to install and remove, making a mess of the wall in the process."
—Anonymous, 29, New York
16."Rift oak cabinets, walnut slat walls, anything 'mini-shaker' — at some point, all things shaker. I see a cleaner, more modern version of a raised panel cabinetry style coming into style. We see influences from Bridgerton, the Gilded Age, and more formal programming that is driving more elegance in homes."
—Anonymous, 53, Florida
17."A totally open floor plan is terrible because when you actually use your kitchen, the smells and noise go everywhere. I have an open floor plan house and an older house with a large eat-in kitchen at the back. Because of that, the older house is where I end up doing holiday dinners."
—mellowglue327
18."Watermelon kitchens. Pinks and greens mixed together in one room to create a hideous space. It's definitely different, and different isn't always good."
—Anonymous, 29, Ohio
19."Painted cabinets. Why can't we let solid wood be?"
—Anonymous, 31, Wisconsin
"Open shelving, blue or colorful kitchen cabinets, or two-color cabinets in the kitchen."
—Anonymous
20."The boxy, personality-less look of home interiors. Sameness. Everything looks like an office or a hotel. And not in a good way."
—Anonymous, 46, Oklahoma
"Neutral tones everywhere, boring and unstimulating. From greys to beige, people will want to bring a splash of color back."
—Anonymous, 25, Nevada
And finally...
21."For me, it's the trend where Pinterest has people adding trim to every wall in the middle of the wall, up and down the wall, empty trim boxing everywhere, just trim trim trim, but in the middle of the wall, every wall..."
—Anonymous
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Do you agree with these? What other popular home design trends do you think will seem "outdated" very soon? Tell us in the comments, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can use the form below.