Accent wall, anyone?
Passionate voices from the world of design have once again come out to pronounce the death of various design trends. Some seem slightly unfair or personal, while others don’t go nearly far enough for me. Surprisingly macrame is highly divisive! So I’d like to make a contribution to the list of year-end list-making with my extremely scientific list of design trends that are over and things we hope to see next year:
Barn doors:
Nothing screams upscale like wagon wheels and rustic barn doors! I mean shucks, they were cute for a minute, but they don’t actually close well, and I am especially bothered by them when used as bathroom doors. If you live in an actual barn, enjoy, otherwise, you no longer have permission to use this hokey design element.
Floating kitchen shelves:
I admit, they look lovely, but how can a person living in California not look at them and think about cleaning up broken glass after an earthquake? Also dusting.
Waterfall counters:
This is a look that says you have found extra places to spend even more money on a kitchen remodel without the pleasure of any functional benefit. Unless you really like preparing food while lying sideways on the floor, this is a huge waste of money and resources.
Word art:
You may want to LiveLoveLaugh and be surrounded by signs with cute jokes about how much wine you drink, but everyone else is judging you, so consider other ways to enjoy typography.
Feature walls:
Designers hate this one because they claim it destroys the architectural continuity of space. I actually like the occasional accent wall to add some warmth and texture without overwhelming an entire room with a super bold color or pattern. But please don’t do a feature wall of skinny glass rectangular tiles because that look is not coming back!
White and grey everything:
Who doesn’t want to take refuge from the cold and cruel world by living in a cold, cruel house? Superman was never cheerful in the Fortress of Solitude! I get it, the world is chaotic, and you want peace, but while the appeal of a clean, minimalist life is a lovely Pinterest aspiration, all that white and grey everything feels a bit clinical and sad. Thankfully, the grey look has ended and bright, bold colors and patterns are back to save us!
