16 Home Design Trends That Are Gorgeous Now, But Will Be "So Early 2020s" In Just A Few Years

We all have to watch out, or some day a House Hunters couple might walk into our home and say, "Wow, this is really dated."

Hi. I'm an HGTV fanatic, and I pretty much watch at least one HGTV show every evening before bed. All that time spent has taught me which interior design trends are being overused right now and will look "so early 2020s" in a few years. Here are my warnings. Heed them.

1. Wainscoting or board & batten

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Wainscoting is being added left and right in order to infuse some (often, much-needed) character into homes. Sometimes it's done right and looks original to the home, but other times it's the cheaper version where you just nail some trim to the wall and leave textured walls in between. I think this latter, TikTok-ified version will have people in ten years asking, "Why did the previous owners do this?"

2. White kitchens

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All-white kitchens have already been on their way out for a couple of years now, so it won't be long before people start walking into houses, seeing a white kitchen, and thinking, "Oh, this was renovated in the early 2020s."

3. This specific tile

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That long Zellige tile (specifically in green or blue) is all the rage right now, and for good reason. It's gorgeous! But it's being used so often that I worry it's becoming the white subway tile of the 2020s, and any home that has a green tile shower will look very "of the time" very soon. 

4. Brass finishes

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There are two elements at play here. One is that brass finishes have become super duper prevalent, so they're going to be one of the defining looks of the early 2020s. The other is that brass faucets are much harder to keep clean and water-spot-free than most other finishes (except matte black, which is a curse on any bathroom), so I think eventually people are going to look for a less maintenance-heavy option.

5. Marble anything

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Obviously, marble isn't going to go away; it's been a high-end choice for a long, long time due to its beautiful look. But have you ever had a marble countertop? Drip the slightest drip of anything on it, and voila, you now have a permanent etched spot that will irk you every time you look at it. I'll bet most people are going to shift toward the more durable stone options very soon.

6. Neutrals neutrals neutrals

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Kim Kardashian is doing her darnedest to kill the neutrals trend as quickly as possible with her sad beige Christmas, and honestly, she might be right on time. I say this as a big fan of minimalism and neutral colors in design: It might be time for some color. I think Kim's beige mantle with beige stockings will look especially 2020s in retrospect.

7. Open kitchen shelving

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Personally, I think a little bit of open shelving in the kitchen is very pretty. Also personally, I need every single square centimeter of cabinet space in my kitchen. I shudder every time I see a home on HGTV with a smaller kitchen waste space on open shelving. You're gonna want more cabinets! Sure, if you're rich and you have a gigantic kitchen plus a walk-in pantry, then go ahead and add some decorative open shelves. Otherwise, I think this is going to be one of those trends that stays in the early 2020s just based on practicality alone.

8. Open concept living/dining/kitchens

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You can bet on one thing happening in every single episode of every single HGTV show: A wall is going to be knocked down. I blame HGTV for the prevalence of the open concept mish-mash living area, where there's no delineation between the living room, dining room, and kitchen, except for the kitchen island creating a de facto border. Sure, it's nice for entertaining, so you aren't separated from your guests if you're cooking. But generally, kitchens are messy! You're really gonna keep your kitchen neat and organized all the time? Or else you're planning on looking at a messy kitchen 24/7? No, thank you. I'm betting that the late 2020s are going to bring back walls, at least a little bit.

9. Light wood floors

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Just like grey vinyl floors are the floors of the 2010s, light wood floors are going to be the floors of the 2020s. White oak with a natural finish is being overused, and I'd bet good money that darker stains are coming back soon.

10. Monochrome offices

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I love this look, and I do think that generally, we're going to see more moody, dark colors in interior design over the next several years, but, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the "mono-color" look — where everything including the trim and the ceiling and the built-ins and so on are all the same color — is going to stay in the early 2020s, in favor of some more visual variety.

11. Built-ins

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Speaking of built-ins, you can't watch a single episode of an HGTV show nowadays without some built-ins being, well, built in. Of course, the extra storage is nice, and I don't think that will be going anywhere, but I do wonder if people are going to start realizing that they've limited their redesign options by placing such a permanent and expensive fixture. 

12. Banquettes

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Same thing as the built-ins, TBH. The Property Brothers love these and put them in just about every single kitchen they do. Here's how I see it: If you've got a table and chairs, you can move things around, but if you have a built-in bench, you're stuck with that layout. Of course, if you have a dedicated nook for your banquette then it makes more sense, but even then...isn't sliding in and out of a booth sort of inconvenient? I think that people who like entertaining will eventually find that they prefer their guests to not have to say, "Can you scoot over and let me out? I have to pee," to the person next to them on the bench.

13. Farmhouse sinks

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Farmhouse chic has had a chokehold on kitchen design ever since Joanna Gaines burst onto the scene. Thankfully, we've already done away with most of the shiplap, but single-basin farmhouse sinks remain in just about any modern kitchen design you see currently. Yes, having a big basin can be helpful for washing large dishes (or large babies), but where's your drying space? I anticipate a more seamless look soon, with dual sinks instead of singles.

14. Gigantic showers with no bathtub

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Speaking of bathing babies, what's with people doing renos that get rid of every single bathtub in the house? And for what, so you can make a shower that's the size of a small garage? You don't need that! What you will probably need at some point, though, is a bathtub. I get that they're not useful that often, but they are useful. And even if you don't plan on having kids, you might sell your house to someone who does! These monstrous, bathtub-banishing showers are going to be very early 2020s.

15. Shaker cabinets and doors

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This is just a matter of saturation. Eventually, people have to start shifting to another cabinet face style, and when they do, they'll be able to place an all-shaker home squarely in the late 2010s or early 2020s.

16. Gigantic kitchen islands (or, god forbid, double kitchen islands)

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I get that a big kitchen island can be nice. Your family can hang out there, it can serve as a less formal and more convenient dining table, and you can fit a bunch of stuff on it. But there's a limit, people. This thing is in the middle of your kitchen. If it takes you two weeks to make the long journey from one side of your kitchen island to the other, you've made the thing too big. You need flow! And when it comes to double islands, I have zero sympathy for the inconvenient monstrosity you've made for yourself. The Property Brothers did one of these a couple years ago and I nearly passed out with rage. Nobody needs two kitchen islands coated in expensive stone and sitting right next to each other. What are you doing, hosting cooking classes? Are you shooting the next season of a baking competition show? Get outta here and take your secondary island with you.