Home Sweet Home
Home décor trends come and go, and while some styles stand the test of time, others… not so much. Remember the days of shag carpets, popcorn ceilings, and “Live, Laugh, Love” signs everywhere? Come back in time (sometimes to fairly recent times!) as we explore home décor trends that didn’t age well.
Nautical-Themed Decor
Ship's wheels, rope accents, and striped stuff was supposed to make you feel like you were at the seaside. But no-one wants to be at the seaside forever, and soon the trend died down. The odd wooden boat decoration is fine, just don’t go over the top.
Shag Carpeting
Shag carpeting was huge in the ‘70s – it was practically one of the symbols of the era in fact. But it didn’t stand the test of time. The long fibers trapped dirt, dust, and odors, making it a nightmare to clean. Homeowners just don’t want to get groovy anymore.
Popcorn Ceilings
At one point, popcorn ceilings were the quick fix for hiding imperfections. But the textured look soon felt heavy and they were incredibly hard to clean. And once homeowners realized many contained asbestos, which causes cancer, they were out of there.
Inflatable Furniture
Remember those see-through inflatable chairs that seemed so fun and futuristic in the late ’90s and early 2000s? They were fun for about five minutes until they deflated, leaving you with a bit of useless plastic. Oops.
Wall-To-Wall Mirrors
Covering an entire wall with mirrors was once the ultimate way to make a room look “bigger” and more glamorous. In reality, it often looked tacky, showed every smudge, and gave living spaces a strange feel, like you were in a gym or an elevator.
Waterbeds
Back in the ’80s, waterbeds were the next big thing. But like so many “next big things” they soon faded away. No-one wants a leak hazard in their bedroom, and also the water beds weren’t exactly great for back support.
Tuscan Kitchens
For a while, everyone wanted a kitchen that looked like it came straight from a villa in Italy. And to be fair, you can see the appeal in pictures. This wasn’t a terrible trend or anything, it just went out of date fast, and now everyone wants sleek and shiny kitchens instead.
Glass Block Walls
Glass block walls were once considered modern, if you can believe that. Now, they seem hopelessly out of date. They do let in light, but not much, and they just look like the sort of thing that belongs in a hospital, not a modern home.
Heavy Drapes
Rich, floor-to-ceiling drapes with tassels and fringe once felt elegant and sophisticated. But they were dust magnets and made rooms feel dark and stuffy. Unless you’re decorating a historic mansion or Dracula’s castle, it’s best to stay well away from heavy drapes.
Word Art Signs
You know the ones: “Live, Laugh, Love” and so on plastered on walls, shelves, and everywhere in between. At first, these signs felt charming. But soon, they became vastly overdone. The trend lost its personal touch when every home had the same phrases stuck above sofas.
Plastic Slipcovers
These were once thought of as a practical way to protect furniture, but plastic slipcovers ended up being uncomfortable, noisy, and sticky in warm weather. They were common for a while but never actually looked good. While they did preserve the couch underneath, they made living rooms feel unwelcoming.
Beaded Curtains
Beaded curtains once seemed like the ultimate way to divide a space, and they did look pretty good when the light hit the beads. But the constant clinking noise, tangled strands, and overall cluttered look wore thin fast. You still occasionally see them in more “bohemian” homes, but they don’t have that many fans anymore.
Faux Brick Panels
The idea of adding “exposed brick” to the home really took off for a while in the 2010s. But the glossy, plastic-y finish often looked cheap and unconvincing. Instead of giving homes that popular industrial vibe, it came off more like a theater set, and not a very good one at that.
Conversation Pits
Sunken living rooms with built-in seating were once all the rage in mid-century homes. They looked cool in magazines, but in reality, they wasted space and were awkward for everyday living. Some are still nostalgic about them… but many just roll their eyes at the memory.
Accent Walls
If you had more than one favorite color, that was where an accent room came in. Paint the room your favorite neutral, then use your favorite bold color for the accent wall. Alas, the trend didn’t last long, and now a lot of people have an accent wall they’d rather be rid of.
Vertical Blinds
For years, vertical blinds were everyone’s favorite window treatment, especially for sliding glass doors. But they rattled in the wind, broke easily, and made some rooms look more like an office than anything else. Basically, they just weren’t cozy, and homes should be cozy.
Sponge Painting
In the ’90s, sponge-painted walls were the DIY project everyone thought looked artistic. Dads went at it like no-one’s business. Unfortunately, most of the walls ended up looking blotchy and chaotic instead of textured and sophisticated. Eventually, they got quietly painted over.
Colorful Appliances
The ’70s were full of avocado green or deep red refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers. They were kinda fun while they lasted, but now the trend has been overthrown in favor of bright white kitchens and stainless steel appliances.
Faux Plants Everywhere
There’s nothing wrong with a well-placed faux plant, but the trend of filling entire homes with plastic greenery quickly felt tacky. Eventually, you just ended up with a room full of dust magnets that looked terrible. Nowadays, most people opt for low-maintenance real plants.
Glass-Top Dining Tables
These seemed so cool when first introduced, but glass-top dining tables turned out to be more hassle than chic. Every fingerprint, smudge, and water ring showed up instantly. And then there was the element of danger. Some people just didn’t like having their young kids around something so easily breakable.
Neon Lighting
Neon lighting was still big just a few years ago, but it’s slowly going away. The harsh glow didn’t exactly make a space feel cozy, and cozy is what people want from their homes now. They leave the neon signs for old-style diners and nightclubs.
Wicker Furniture Indoors
Wicker is great for porches and patios, but when entire living rooms were decked out in it during the ’80s, it just looked off. The pieces fell apart pretty easily, especially if you had young kids fiddling with them all the time, and they weren’t the most comfortable either.
Pastel Bathrooms
Pink toilets, powder-blue sinks, and mint-green tubs once felt cheerful and stylish. But over time, people began to tire of pastels. Who wants to look at just one color every day? While some older homeowners do still have pastel bathrooms, most younger people prefer neutrals.
Animal Prints
Animal prints were once the go-to for adding “exotic” flair to a room. Leopard rugs, zebra pillows and the like felt so edgy during the ‘90s and ‘00s. But over the years, they’ve become a little over-the-top and kitschy, and some people just roll their eyes at them.
Granite Countertops
Granite countertops once spread like wildfire across fashion-conscious home designers, and suddenly, everyone wanted them. But kitchens with dark, heavy slabs everywhere started looking dated before too long. Basically, they made a kitchen feel unfriendly, and no-one wants that.
Wallpaper Borders
In the ’90s, every room seemed to have a wallpaper border - floral, fruit, ivy, or even teddy bears for kids’ rooms. It seemed charming at the time, but now it’s just out of date. People also associate them with their childhood rooms, and so don’t want to have them in their adult houses.
Patterned Sofas
Floral or plaid sofas had their moment, especially in the ’80s and ’90s. But not anymore. These days, people prefer their sofas to be just one solid color, and then they can build the rest of the room around that color. It’s harder to do that with patterns.
Wall-To-Wall Carpeting
For decades, carpeting was the default in living rooms, bedrooms, and even dining rooms. While it felt cozy and everything, it trapped stains and eventually looked awful. Over time, entire carpeted homes started feeling dated, and people started going with hardwood instead.
Barn Doors
Sliding barn doors became a huge farmhouse-chic trend back when that was a thing, popping up in bedrooms, bathrooms, and even closets. At first, they felt rustic, but the practical issues quickly showed up. They don’t seal well for privacy, they’re loud to slide… and frankly they’re just overdone.
Lace Curtains
Maybe you remember your grandmother’s house having lace curtains? But you won’t see them in many houses anymore. They’re just not cool… they look like something out of the Victorian era. Plus, they would start out white and slowly go yellow no matter how many times you cleaned them.
Neutral Children’s Rooms
In the later ‘10s, there was a curious trend: making a child’s room entirely white or beige. As you can imagine, this didn’t work well, because kids are messy and love to draw on walls. Plus, it’s thought that being surrounded by colors helps with a child’s development.
Open Shelving in Kitchens
Thanks in no small part to Pinterest and Instagram, open shelving became a big trend. The idea was, you could show off all your kitchenware on the shelves and you’d buy it in colors or finishes that matched the rest of the kitchen. But people just don’t have time to keep their house looking like a showroom, and the trend died off.
Tile Countertops
Tile countertops were a popular option for kitchens and bathrooms for decades. At first, they looked charming, but the grout lines quickly became a cleaning nightmare. Chips and cracks were common, and everyone just got fed up.
Vessel Sinks
Vessel sinks - those bowl-like sinks that sit on top of the counter - were once all the rage in bathrooms. They looked modern and artistic, perfect for Instagram photos. But soon reality set in for vessel sink lovers: they were hard to use and even harder to clean.
Hunting Trophies
Hunting trophies are one of the most controversial things you could have in your home, as so many don’t agree with hunting. Yet for decades, people put deer heads and the like above their mantelpieces as a sign of what they could do. This is one trend people are very glad to see the back of.
