Recently, I asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell me what are the home design trends that they hate, yet everyone else seems to love."
I got lots and lots of responses, as everyone has some sort of opinion about home design trends. Below are just some of the comments that you may or may not agree with:
1. "Unpopular opinion: open floor plans. I like to escape from the noise and activity of the living room and go to the kitchen for some time alone. I can concentrate on my recipe, hear the food on the stove, and listen to whatever music I want. And having a separate dining room is more relaxing and intimate, to me."
2. "Children’s rooms that are totally void of color, toys, children’s aesthetic, and is just basic/mass decor that is devoid of any unique personality."
3. "Modern farmhouse. I think updated versions of it can look OK. But people are still doing the whole all-white, shiplap walls, chalkboard wall in the kitchen that Joanna Gaines popularized 15 years ago. It just feels redundant and tired."
4. "Brass and 'brushed gold' hardware and fixtures. They seem to be everywhere and on every HGTV show. As a designer, I don’t care how you’ve 'modernized' it, it still reminds me of the '80s/'90s fixtures I grew up around. I will never think it’s cool."
5. "Removing bathtubs and putting in a large shower. That used to decrease the home value, i.e. creating a 3/4 bath. How are you going to bathe the baby?"
6. "Interior Designer here and I HAVE A LIST! Cheap subway tile; Open shelving (congrats on removing storage and letting us all see your mismatched bowls); TVs above fireplaces. Would you add a 65" black painting there? Decorating for the next owner/resale instead of YOU. If you’re going to be there more than five years, make it something you like."
7. "Gray! Why does everything in brand-new homes need to be gray?? I don't get the appeal."
8. "Everything beige. I cannot understand why anyone would decorate their home this way. I'm all for minimalism and color coordination but, why everything...beige? It makes me feel really depressed."
9. "I actually like Hollywood Regency interior design, but the co-opted one from the 2010s is just hideous, it's all gray, silver, and mirrored surfaces. It's supposed to scream old Hollywood glamour, but it just screams cheap, cold, and dated. And I know people must still be decorating with it because there's always a huge section of that style at Home Goods."
10. "How could I forget painting beautiful Victorian woodwork white to modernize the home!"
11. "They might have been around too long to qualify as a trend, but stainless steel appliances. You have to clean the fingerprints constantly or else they look so gross, and they seem so out of place in any kitchen that isn't super modern."
12. "People putting in arch ways in there homes when it doesn't fit the architectural style of the house. While I'm at it, people building or buying bookshelves with arches on them, I feel in 10 years everyone is going to look at them and think, Oh wow, that is so 2022."
13. "Words on signs and things. Like, why do you need a 'coffee' sign above your coffee pot? Or 'eat' in your kitchen? Do you need a reminder? Cheesy AF and super tacky."
14. "Pampas grass arrangements. Not only do they look very 1970s (not in a good way), but they're also very messy. Also I only associate them with generic Insta/Pinterest all-beige decor."
15. "Pallet wood furniture! Never understood it. Sure they are free, but it’s for a reason. Most of the wood is straight trash. I’d rather pay a few more bucks and use quality wood so your projects will last a lifetime or at least until it’s no longer in style."
16. "Dark accent walls. Makes the space seem too small even if you add lighter colored decor. Especially in large rooms like kitchens, living rooms, etc."
17. "Enough with the white quartz/marble counter tops with grey veining!!! EVERY SINGLE remodeling show ONLY installs these counter tops in every kitchen and bathroom. So sick of seeing only that exact look over the last 5–6 years."
18. Books placed backwards on shelves concealing their bindings for a lighter, neutral look. Show what you read if you read, not a blank pallet reflecting a culture void."
19. And lastly, "Barn doors. They just make a space look ridiculous."
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.