7 Current Design and Decorating Trends I’m Not a Fan Of

Hey everyone! Today, I’m throwing myself into the fire to talk about some current design and decorating trends that I am just not a fan of.

Now, if you like these trends and have them in your home – and let’s be honest, you probably do since they’re quite popular – that’s great. They’re simply not for me.

Maybe after watching this video, you might realize that they’re not for you either.

1. Geometric Accent Walls

Lately, I’ve been seeing more and more geometric accent walls in homes, and I’m concerned.

They give off trendy startup office vibes and just seem out of place in a home.

Even gridded accent walls are pushing it for me because they’re too much of a feature.

When something is too much of a feature in an interior, you’ll likely get tired of it quickly, and it will look outdated pretty soon.

If you’re okay with frequently switching things up at home, then go for the geometric accent wall.

But if you’d rather set it and forget it, I wouldn’t recommend one of these.

Instead, consider something more traditional like board and batten or picture frame molding.

Or, if you want to be trendy, a wood slat wall or adding pole wrap somewhere could work.

2. Tapered and Slanted Furniture Legs

The tapered leg is the pinnacle of mid-century modernism, and it’s finally happened: it’s been overdone.

My problem with mid-century modern-style tapered and slanted legs is that they’ve been exploited.

You can’t just slap some tapered legs randomly on a sofa and expect it to look good.

This kind of bad product design saturates the market and ruins all the things that were originally good about the design trend:

I’m not knocking mid-century modern style – I love a well-made, thoughtfully designed piece of mid-century modern furniture as much as the next person, whether it’s original or not. But I dislike what it’s become.

I do, however, think that the mid-century modern everything trend is on its way out precisely because it’s been overdone.

3. Fridges with Windows

Let’s talk about fridges with windows. They look great in the store and on websites, but unless my fridge is sparkling clean 100% of the time and stocked only with LaCroix water, it won’t look great in my home. It would just make me feel bad every time I looked at it.

The counter-argument for window fridges is that you save energy by seeing what’s inside without opening the doors and that they’re an incentive to keep things tidy.

I’m not buying it.

Sure, a few select superhumans clean their fridge frequently and have the time and willpower to keep it looking perfect at all times, but for me, a fridge with a window is just going to result in extra anxiety. Who needs that?

But wait, it gets better. If having a window in your fridge wasn’t enough, we need to talk about the “knock knock” fridge. You knock, it lights up so you can see what’s inside.

The first time I saw them advertised, I thought it was a joke. It reminds me of the clap-on, clap-off lights from the 90s. Now, I almost want one, but only almost. Let’s not get carried away here.

4. Live Edge Wood

Sorry, not a fan. For me, live edge wood just looks too rustic.

I prefer clean lines and finishes.

Don’t come at me with “live edge isn’t a trend.” I know George Nakashima’s work, how long it’s been around, and I’m still not a fan.

I can think of other ways I’d rather spend $75,000 than on this one coffee table, which also has a slanted leg, I might add.

I think there are settings where a live edge wood piece could work, like a nature resort, a library, or a tech startup – somewhere you can count the lines in the wood pattern when you’re stuck in a meeting that could’ve been an email. But live edge wouldn’t be my first choice.

This comes down to personal design preferences. Wabi-sabi lovers might really like raw edge furniture in their space. If you like the organic and imperfect look raw wood brings to an interior, it might be perfect for you.

5. Single Open Kitchen Shelf

I think the single open kitchen shelf looks absolutely beautiful in pictures when styled with expensive decor and paired with luxurious materials; all this bare wall space, and breathing room.

The restraint is undeniably gorgeous. If you have a live-in housekeeper and a pantry the size of an average apartment, this is a great idea.

6. Freestyle Gallery Walls

Gallery walls – I love a gridded gallery wall, but the freestyle ones? I rarely see freestyle gallery walls that actually look good.

Andrea here is a rare exception; she does an amazing freestyle gallery wall:

She’s always switching things up and manages to nail it every time. But keeping a gallery wall looking this good feels like a full-time job. More often than not, freestyle gallery walls look chaotic, cluttered, and busy.

Personally, I prefer large-scale art to gallery walls (like the example above). It’s hard to make a space look worse if you add a large piece of art to it.

7. Designer Coffee Table Books

Everyone is styling with the same three coffee table books, which is fine. But this trend broke me when I saw a DIY of someone creating fake designer book covers. It made me sad.

Your interior isn’t elevated by having Gucci and Tom Ford books, whether they’re real or not.

There are many beautiful coffee table books out there, whether you pick them up at the thrift store like I do or buy them new.

You don’t have to spend $80 to specifically buy AD100 to use as a riser for your candle. With that being said, I’ll link the AD100 book in the description so you can buy it. Just kidding. Your living room coffee table won’t look any better with that title versus another. And if your friends judge you for the titles of the books you style with, you need new friends.

Okay everyone, I think that’s enough controversy for one day. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Are there any other interior design trends you’re not a fan of that I should add to my list? Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one. Bye!