Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links, which means I may make a commission if you decide to make a purchase through one of my links, at no cost to you.
Part of keeping up a blog is keeping things organized. And then after a few hundred posts or so, you sometimes forget what you’ve spoken about. But thanks to a little attempt at cleaning up things around here, I rediscovered an older post that I had a lot of fun getting your feedback on:
Every year, there are a number of home décor trends. Some are a revival of a trend from yesteryear (hello, subway tile). Some are just fun to sprinkle around the house for a season (provided it can be done inexpensively or with minimal effort, like arrows on a pillow or your preschooler’s handiwork on a a cheap picture frame that you call “ikat” because it kind of looks like that when you squint really hard). And some simply leave us scratching our heads as to how in the world they are so damn popular. Take for example, my least favorite trend last time is still true today: the sunburst mirror. With rare exception (like the one below made from vintage Barbies), there isn’t much I find impressive about them. They’re easy to DIY, and I suppose that’s one of the reasons why I’m not a fan. They seemed to overtake the blogosphere before I got the chance to like them, so I was soon thinking sheesh, another sunburst mirror?
The rare exception to my sunburst mirror rule.
So, how about we have a little fun like that again? Considering that it was more than two years ago when I first asked this question (and I’m not even on Formspring anymore), there may be a few new readers who would love to throw in their two cents this time around. Like last time, I’ll start:
This one’s hard to confess, because I used to be strongly considering it for my own kitchen, and I still admire what a few other bloggers have done with this trend. But for my own home, I’m 99% percent sure I’m over the whole chalkboard paint thing and want to go in a different direction. If you’re at all on the fence like I am, a wall decal (like this one I spotted from Urban Outfitters) might be the way to go.
Again, I think it’s because of the frequency of seeing it. I’m sure there are plenty of you who also still admire it, too. But just like the shabby chic look, not everyone is going to have the same opinion, and that’s what makes a post like this all the more fun!
Ok, now, it’s your turn!
What popular home décor trend do you just not get?
(Remember, we’re talking opinions, not trashing someone else’s project or going overboard. So please be careful not to be “that commenter” who gets immediately deleted.)
The hubs HATES the trend of putting words and phrases on the wall. (Except for his daughter’s name in her room!) Wonder if that trend will end soon? It if it’ll continue on for years…
Cupscakes!! thank god thats so over.. it was making me gag
Oh man, thanks for this….ikat, CHEVRON, and I also never ever liked sunburst mirrors. Whew that feels better. However, I am going with subway tiles in brick and herringbone ( though when angled looks a lot like chevron, ugh) but both looks of subway have been popular for decades in the kitchen; hopefully that will stand the test of time versus a colored glass tile sure to get outdated when everyone moves on to a new color scheme.
Trends that don’t strike a chord with me…
– NEON! Sure it was exciting in third grade, and it was cool when Sharpie made an 80s neon collection, not that my mom would have bought me a $30 collection of sharpies, but neon is definitely not something I want to see daily. This also includes neon bar light signs, although I doubt that’s a trend you’ll be seeing in any of the carefully curated living rooms on the blogosphere.
– Black walls! I guess this goes hand in hand with chalkboard walls. I have painted a free metal wardrobe with chalkboard paint and called it a day, and I’d probably throw it out except the neighbors who looks dubiously at me as I hauled it off their porch as well as my boyfriend who humored me in helping haul it two houses down would undoubtably know they were right if I have to put it out on trash day. How do I get rid of a metal closet in a Honda civic without anyone noticing? Somehow I’ll be dragging it down the block in the dead of night.
But yes, I think all those dark gray/charcoal/fancy black painted walls are going to be the pain of everyone’s lives in a year and then there will be cursing to high heaven trying to paint over it. Home Depot is laughing all the way to the bank.
– Also, “Grellow” paint. I’m looking at you here, Sherry & John Petersik of Young House Love.
– I don’t know why these are all paint related, and this is probably an offshoot of shabby chic, but I hate chipped paint as a decoration find, and I laugh at the subsequent blog posts involving hysteria over lead in said chippy items. Oh man, I hope that wasn’t on this blog, if it is I am sorry and I agree it’s scary.
– The brass/copper/goldification of everything this year. We hate it on our doorknobs but by God we will have a shiny roof, drawer pulls, light fixtures, table legs, etc etc etc.
This was fun! I didn’t even know I had opinions on any of this.
“Furniture” made of pallets or pallet wood. I just don’t get it. We get pallets in where I work full of dirty auto parts and batteries and I just do NOT associate having that in my house, no matter how clean the pallets are. Pallets are rough and full of splinters.
I totally agree! Everytime I see that stuff – all I can think is SPLITTER HEAVEN!
SPLINTER – See I got all flustered.
Agree with the chalkboard trend. I have a feeling that it only looks nice when you first apply and then {maybe} after changing up the design or content a couple of times. I remember how yuck chalk boards in grade school looked after a while and frankly I don’t want my walls looking dirty.
I think chevron is cute, but I am hesitant to use the design much at all since it is so trendy and EVERYWHERE. If I do use it then it will be on something that is easy to replace and small (i.e. a decorate pillow here or there, a frame, etc.).
White, white, white, white, white and then white on top of that!! I just don’t get it. People must not live in their homes like I do. Plus, it is boring! I get white walls or accents but white everything is too much.
Chevron. It just doesnt do ANYTHING for me!
CHEVRON. And geometric patterns in general.
Haha! Loved reading all the comments on this! You might all hate me, but I am so over the Keep calm and (fill in the Blank) posters. I love your stab at it here though… Who says keeping calm is always the best mantra! Calm people are boring people in my book :)
I can’t stand the “Keep Calm and…” either!
Taxidermy on the walls and animal skins on the floor. I love animal prints, but to flatten out and step on the poor thing just doesn’t seem right. And I really don’t get the antlers. Why?
I know there are trends but people like what they like. I know Chevron is totally being overdone in EVERYTHING but I still like the pattern. That being said I don’t own one thing with Chevron pattern.
As someone who just remodeled my kitchen that will incorporate BOTH a chalkboard paint area (not a whole wall) and Subway tile in either a brick pattern or herringbone pattern (haven’t done the tile yet) I’m a little disheartened reading this post and comments. I picked the subway tile because I thought it was a classic look. And the chalkboard paint we did because we don’t have kids but hope that when we go to sell that some family will love the chalkboard in the kitchen.
I think subway tile is one of those things that comes in trend and goes back out again, over and over. So if you like it, go for it! If you’re worried about the test of time, look to homes from the 1920s. Plenty of examples that are considered “classic” with lots of white.
Personally, I think subway tile in brick pattern (as long as it’s in a neutral color – like white) is really classic. Herringbone pattern seems a little more of a trend, but I would absolutely do a subway tile herringbone pattern in my kitchen!!
Also, we don’t have kids and I added a chalkboard in my kitchen about 1 1/2 years ago. We use it all the time. I meal plan for half a month at a time on it, and love crossing out the meals as we go. I also use it for a ongoing shopping list. The secret to keeping it clean is cleaning it with Coke. Seriously.
Thanks for the tip about cleaning the chalkboard with Coke, I will totally do that!
I came to comment thinking that surely I had some decor trends pet peeves, but I guess I’m getting soft. I tend to have problems more with the application of a design idea than the idea itself… So while I hate so much of the shabby chic I see, the problem is with the execution – there are fabulous old authentic pieces that I wouldn’t have a problem with. Chevron is overused, but can also be really classic and understated. It’s been around forever, and I think it’s just the bright, crazy, bold versions that we’re getting a little sick of seeing.
But Keep Calm and Carry On and every other variant thereof? Burn it with fire. That needs to die.
Agh. I don’t know if you are an ORB fan, but I am not. Oil-rubbed Bronze, I mean. I just don’t get the appeal or obsession really. It’s not so much better than any other paint color. Does it really bother someone that much to see brass or “gold” doorknobs and hinges? Not me. Maybe I will understand when I have my own house and I am updating it, but until then…no thanks.
Stuff that is dipped in paint halfway up. Dipped table legs, dipped baskets, lamps, etc.
Seriously! What is up with that??
I never understood the appeal of Ikat. It always feels as if I am looking at something with my glasses off.
@Lindsey – I am so with you on the grellow. I’m starting to hate it as much as I hate beige, and I really loathe beige. All of these walls that are supposed to be “fresh” and “Modern” are going to be drab and sad in a few years.
@Courtney Subway tile will always look nice and never go out of style. Don’t worry about it.
At the risk of being banished from blogland, I’m going to say distressed furniture! I know it has its place in some types of decor, but I’m starting to think that soon the only furniture left in the world that doesn’t look like it’s been dragged behind a car will be in my house.
I’m totally with you Lindsay. I’ve never liked the distressed furniture look. I don’t mind a rustic wood piece but I hate it when people paint something and then sand off spots to make is distressed. I think it just looks like it needs a fresh coat of paint.
I with you too! Whenever I see a distressed piece of furniture I think it needs painted!
I have a lot of things I dont get and wouldnt use in my home, but I don’t really care that other people love them, you know?
The only thing that I cant stand anywhere are animal skins on the floor. I dont mean the puffy white faux sheepskin throws people use, but like the cow skins…in the shape of the cow? Like they just pulled it off of a dead carcass and threw it under the coffee table? I just dont get that – and I dont think I ever will. And god forbid it have a head. Why the heck would they have heads? I just…I don’t understand!
I’m pretty tolerant of a lot, but cringe a little when I see:
– labels on EVERYTHING! Put the silhouette away!!
– Keep calm and… prints. I actually have one that I bought a couple years ago, but should really give it away to the person I originally bought it for. :)
– Shabby chic. It drives me nuts when someone paints something really nicely, and then distresses it. 99% of the time I like the mid-project picture (post-paint, pre-distress) a million times better.
I think that’s it! Just to balance my negatives, trends that I like:
– subway tile
– hex tile
– chalkboard paint on walls (no trays, boxes, etc. – that’s just labeling things more!)
– chevron (although the stark geometric version is starting to get a little trendy/old, but I really like a more blendy (?? no idea how to explain this) version still)
– ikat
– brass
– sleek white furniture, walls, etc. So clean looking.
– grey walls
– animal hides. Would love a cow hide rug. I don’t mind mounted heads, but would hate one in my house (to my huge hunter/fisher husband’s annoyance) because they’re in every.single.living.room.in.wisconsin.
Am so glad someone mentioned dipped table legs etc, I just DO. NOT. GET. that look at all! Looks like you ran out of paint to me!
Also, I am not a gold fan. I really wanted to replace all the gold/brass in this house when we moved in but it is every socket, light switch, door handle, hinge & push plate in what is a pretty big house so I have learned to live with it (ie ignore it!) but there’s no way I want to add to it.
Chevrons don’t seem to have made it so big over here (UK) so I still like them, but don’t have any!
The trend I am most sick of is distressed furniture. It just looks old and beat up. Why would you go to great lengths to get that look?
I love chevron, but I hate that it is so trendy right now because I’m sick of seeing it everywhere!
And I am also very, very sick of the “Keep Calm and… ” trend. It’s just overdone.
I am totally cracking UP at this, and these comments. I’m sitting at my desk facing both a spanking new sunburst mirror (a metal one that makes my skirt fly clear up) a fish lamp that got a new coat of white paint Saturday, and my back is to a chalkboard accent wall that I added for my kids a few weeks ago! I’m apparently an unloved trend criminal. Ha ha! I actually don’t love the watercolor fabrics trend, neon, and I got rid of my Keep Calm shirt (That I ordered from England, people, ENGLAND!) years ago, but my only actual peeve in decorating is people (I’m looking at you MIL) who keep the same stuff FOREVER without changing things. Freshen it up, peeps! Oh, and if you want to see the above projects/crap, I Instagram EVERYTHING. loribell77
I’m with you on the neon! I had enough of it in the 90s, thank you very much.
Mustaches, I just do not get them! They are not funny on baby pacifiers, on fabric, on wall art, or even on people. Not a fan.
Yes! Where did they come from?! And why?! I was tired of them already the first time I saw them.
I never enjoyed that “Keep Calm…” thing. For me, it’s too much like having my walls preach at me everyday – since I tend to lose my schmidt on a fairly regular basis, what with 3 little boys, 1 big boy, and a big old dog running around here.
I also just don’t care for the whole Ikat thing, the Chevron Stripes thing or even the striped wall thing. Just too trendy for me.
I do have to confess to planning a large chalkboard wall into my kitchen – though I’m going with a tintable chalk paint in the same muted grey as the great room, so it won’t be an in-yo-FACE-sukah! blackish-gray board. Hey, I’ve got 3 boys with a marker-fetish. I figured giving them a huge wall to graffiti without ramifications was a good thing for all who live here!
May I please steal “lose my schmidt” for daily use in real life?!
Distressed furniture! So much work to make something look crappy, ugh. Also starting to get over all the super dark wood tones on furniture or floors. Loving medium tones and brass.
I’m completely over (actually, never really liked it to begin with…) realllly dark floors and furniture. Works for some people i guess but I’m more of a light and bright natural wood girl. Other things i no longer like include grey anything (tried to like it but nope!), animal hides and heads (ew), keep calm and words on walls, distressed anything, stainless steel.
Trends I loooove include white walls, natural light wood furniture, brightly painted anything, turquoise making a comeback, gold and brass (shiny!), gallery walls, oversized art and sunburst mirrors (I want to make one lol).
I know I’ll catch some flak for this, but GRAY! I don’t get it. I much prefer a crisp white or a warm ivory or cream for my neutrals. Gray is just so depressing and cold to me. I need sunshine and color to be happy in a place, and gray is just the opposite in my view.
And ikat! It’s like the tie-dye of this generation.
You are not alone in this. I feel exactly the same way about gray.
I don’t like gray paint . I think blue-gray is pretty in moderation, but that’s more than enough. I like white kitchen cabinets, but think an all white kitchen is just boring ( white subway tile, white counter tops..blech……..).
same here! i really dislike grey.
Love distressed stuff..Love all colors..however gray is not one of those..LOL Reminds me of an office and not warm and cozy or cheerful..just yuck… Dont care much for brass or really modern. Not fond of granite either..Like soapstone or concrete and some stainless steel..And yes the longer we live the more we learn to love flat panel cabinet doors that are easy to clean.Cleaning the corners of decorative wood with a toothpick does not appeal to me..LOL
I think that’s interesting. I love gray and painted 3 rooms in my house gray. But I live in a sunny area and we maybe get 2-3 months of cold weather in the winter and most of that is above freezing. But the summers are really hot and sweltering. So I painted all the rooms in my house cold colors and accented with brighter and happy colors. But I think that if I lived in a place where it rained all the time or there was 6+ months of winter I don’t think I would use cold colors.
Ombre and Chevron are the two I would love to not see any more. I think pinterest makes this aggitation even stronger. I just don’t think buying a pint of paint in every color of the paint chip is a good idea.
oh goodness, yes. i don’t mind the color-fade /idea/ behind the ombre thing, but really? do you need to do it to EVERYTHING in your house? no. no you don’t. stop it.
also, is it “ohm-bray” or “ohm-ber”? because one sounds like a meditating donkey, and the other a mispronounciation of “amber”.
I wonder about granite counters having seen their day. Ditto stainless steel appliances. I’m liking that new white ice appliance finish as a fresh take on the white
appliances I’ve always preferred. And a formica or butcherblock counter can be replaced so easily and cheaply when you redecorate, compared to granite. I have silestone counters
and while I like the look and durability, I have trouble keeping them clean without bending over to catch the light just right (to see smears) and running my hand over it
to catch stray crumbs. Never had that issue with Formica.
I’m also not liking the Shaker cabinets nearly as much as I used to, mainly b/c they have this little ledge that fills up with kitchen grime and can be difficult to clean a couple of years down
the road. Not crazy about horizontal door handles; they tend to break up the line of sight plus not offer as much oomph for pulling the door open.
I could not agree with you more about the Shaker Cabinets. We were going to redo our kitchen in them from IKEA after I had stalked them for years. Then I saw them in real life and I hated them and even stranger fell in love with the flat panel easy to clean smooth ones. Go figure.
Ahh! Such a good idea for a post! Let me start off with my most disliked trend that I see everywhere! Chevron Stripes! I just can’t stand them. my exception for chevron-ish stripes are the ones that have vertical lines running through the peaks and valleys. (here’s an example http://instagram.com/p/Vk218GoXsZ/) Also, mason jars. The faceted ones are ok, but seriously though. Everything doesn’t need to be put in a mason jar.
I know it’s not home related but I’m over seeing t-shirts turned into any type of garment. Unless you’re super attractive this is just not a great look! I am loving the shift to aged brass. It makes me laugh b/c 2 years ago I would have sworn I would never buy another brass finish ever. I’m a little over gallery walls (of course I have my own filled with white IKEA frames). At first I liked “word art” but now I’m over quotes all over the walls. I would rather talk to someone to find out their opinions, not see them splattered all over the place.
In real life though, I rarely see any of the super popular trends in my friends or neighbors houses. Most people don’t update their houses as often as pinterest makes us believe people do :)
I agree with the “Keep Calm” signs–would never hang one. The sunburst mirror I have never cared for (or the cluster of small mirrors) BUT did see a really pretty one made with the shell/bone thing from Ballard Design. I really like the natural palate of it. I do not like the ombe fabric or the IKAT really. It will be out so soon. I HATE the ceiling fixtures that have the wine bottles hanging down or the mason jars in a clanking clump. I see these in PB (which I like alot of their stuff) and don’t get it–ugly and trendy personally. I HATE furniture made to look old but overdone soo much it looks fake (sorry PB!). I personally like chevron (yes, commenting and agreeing/disagreeing with other commenters) and use it often in my shop. It will never hold up to the classic polka dots and gingham though–LOVE those! The chalkboard thing I always picture as a big white-ish, smeared mess. And do we really have that much to say on a wall? Not to say it doesn’t look nice in some of the pics I have seen. I am not “passionate” about to many home decor items that I can think of. Now if it included ANYTHING I have a whole page of items my daughter compiled for me as a gift called “Mom’s Passionate List”–items that I basically hate/go bonkers over when I see them. I won’t get started :)
Oh this is so much fun and I agree with a lot of other comments. Here’s my list, some repeats.
I don’t understand distressed furniture and anything made from pallets. I also don’t get putting wood flooring on walls. Or seagrass wallpaper. Or burlap. Burlap, yuk. Also, random stacks of books that aren’t for reading, just for color. I hate dusting. I hate nick-knacks. I don’t like owning things that don’t have a purpose beyond taking up space. Plants, I can get behind plants.
I feel better, thanks!
Your comment made me laugh…a little tangent and all better–ahhh. The pallet thing is so true. I appreciate the creativity behind the ideas but can’t see going to my local store to get a pallet, tear it apart (and my hands in the process) to make something that will probably end up looking like poo in the end no matter how much work I put into it!
I agree with the ladies above. I never did get the mustache thing. I hate it. And it is everywhere! I also am not a big fan of chevron, although I loved it when it first came out. Then suddenly everyone was doing it and I was just over it. It’s not original and funky when every single person is doing it!
This may not count as a decorating thing but I totally don’t get the mustache thing. At all. I have even asked some people about it I am so baffled by it.
Love this post. Reading through the comments has been the much needed dose of laughter in the middle of my work day.
I feel kinda bad because when i thought about it there are quite a few trends I dont like…
Ok so here’s my list. I will never ever ever ever ever like shabby chic/distressed furniture. That goes for glazed kitchen cabinets as well. I’m just really over it. I, too, am way over chevron and beyond over faux taxidermy. It’s one trend I could never get on board with. Also, although I understand the concept, ill never be on board with white walls. Ever. It’s my biggest pet peeve actually. I’m a total color advocate.
I’m also over the words on walls trend.
I’m also not a fan of the pallet furniture trend, but I do love wood plank walls. I like the textural element of them.
I’m with you on the oil rubbed bronze-over it.
And as a working parent with 2 active children and a 9-5 I’m sooooooo over seeing hyper organized spaces. I just can’t wrap my mind around it. Yes, I believe in a place for everything and everything in its place but labeling the sock drawer and cereal container is madness to me. Spaces like that seriously stress me out.
I may lose some friends here but I actually really like chalkboard paint. We have a framed out area of wall in the kitchen painted in chalkboard paint and we love it.
Reading through the comments it’s painfully obvious how Pinterest and blogging has changed how fast trends go. Because I have friends that don’t read blogs who literally are just discovering some of the stuff that everyone (including myself) is tired of.
ITA with a lot of the above and most of it for me isn’t about it being a trend as much as it is just not my style and never will be i.e. Ikat, granite counter tops, purposely distressed furniture (and I love vintage and old things), pallet redone anything. I have so much IKEA in my house that I honestly joke that the rooms in my hoke could be placed into their showrooms. There are crafts and decor in my house that I have done that I am already over and it hasn’t even been a year.
My fav comment in this is the shaker cabinet thing. I SO agree. The ledges. The dirt that gets stuck in them. I wanted them for years then I had kids and everything changed. Now I want smooth flat panels. I love how shaker looks but for day to day life I want smooth washable cabinets.
The biggest for me and I can’t believe I am about to put this in print, is that I think I am growing out of my love for MCM furniture. That is I love the calmness and style of whenever I see it in other peoples homes, but I am realizing for my own home, it’s not the look I want. White walls, wood, natural decor with pops of colour. I am trying to bring a bit of more Canadiana cottage style in our home.
I do not, and will never, understand empty picture frames, hung or leaning, and books sorted according to the color of the jacket. Also, I know this is just my own idiosyncrasy, but I hate the phrase, “pop of color.”
Hahahaha! Me too! So totally overused, yes?
I think the other comments have covered everything I can think of.
Never understood-
dipped in paint
ombre
sunburst mirrors
Way overdone-
chevron
keep calm…
distressed furniture
gallery walls
chalkboard paint on everything (I can understand giving kids a space but still question how overwhelming it could be to keep clean)
I had to google shaker cabinets and Ikat. Also, I didn’t realize that animal skins and mounted heads were trends…I thought that was something hunter people just do and didn’t realize it had gone beyond that.
I do like cute throw pillows but don’t own any.
I just don’t get the whole chippy paint look, curtain rods from tree limbs, and some of the strange things people use to make chandeliers. Burlap for everything and drop cloth curtains, slipcovers over everything, all white! Who can keep those clean?
Chalk boards. Being an older person I cringe when I see this as I remember well the sound of nails on chalkboards, and the dust.
But you know what? All things come back in style sooner or later over the years, look at neon and tie-dye, lol
Just discovered your blog and love this post! Hate the following: grey/gray paint, burlap, animal heads (so ugh!), neon, chevron, words on walls and stairway walls, the mustache thing AND subway tile. I still recall filthy subway tile from an East Coast visit and don’t get why anyone would want that reminder in their kitchen of all places! Thanks for the opp to comment. Will continue to read your entries and blog!
I never understood chevron. It is not attractive to my eye.
I don’t get mustaches, owls, white everything (I would be cleaning all the time) knickknacks (just one more thing to dust)
I love functionality you don’t see. Can lights, frosted windows on doors in leu of window treatments. Straight lines and surfaces that can be quickly cleaned so life can be enjoyed.
I also love that no matter what you like you can find stylish ideas on pinterest. We all get do do our own thing and that’s ok. You can even find a place to shop thanks to all the online shops.
The whole thing with all white all the time. I do admit I think it is pretty a lot of the time, but it is so unrealistic for me in my house filled with three children, a messy husband, and a dog. It is never going to happen!
I don’t get Ikat and tired of chevron. I don’t want to buy household goods from Target anymore! LOL I think that’s a bit of the issue with reading DIY/decor blogs, you get inundated with the trend and so it seems everyone is doing it.
Also, gallery walls, of people especially. It’s just too much for me.
I am so over the words/definitions on the wall. Eat Pray Love. Who cares. How about some useful ones for a change, like “Use the damn trash can!” To sweetly remind your forgetful husband. Or “Don’t yell at the kids!” When they have destroyed the room YOU JUST PICKED UP in the time it took you to make dinner. And I certainly don’t need the definition of Laundry in my laundry room. I barely have time to do the laundry as it is and quite frankly if my walls know the definition, then they can do a little bit of laundry for me.
Haha, SO true!!
My cousin had to hang up one of those “Laugh Live Love” signs in the spa salon belonging to his loopy girlfriend and even loopier and completely vile mother. She used to take advantage of his position as “her daughter’s boyfriend” do get him to do a ton of handyman work and never pay him.
I want in as he’s hanging them and he turns around and says to me “fuck this! I’m going to make my own damn signs that reflect real life – Work work work!”
I need a “Use the Damn Trash Can!” sign, stat.
I can’t quite wrap my head around the chalkboard thing. All I see is chalk-dust carried throughout the house.
And this new polished brass trend? I don’t get that.
I’m with you on the brass thing! It just screams 80s/90s to me – and I have no desire to go back to that, especially since it can look so crappy and so fake. Give me ORB or polished chrome anyday – just no brass!
I think these have already phased themselves out a little, and I actually enjoy the accent in my bathroom I re-did, but small glass tile. I think that’s a trend that’s moving out and I’m really OKAY with it.
Brass is coming back in and it makes me shiver. I really can’t stand brass and gold (which goes almost hand in hand with the neon clothing trends)
and I’ve personally never been a fan of the modern, simple, styled furniture – but that’s just me.
Painted wall maps and chalkboard paint everywhere! One in the kitchen to keep a grocery list or to-do list is fine, but all over the house! yuck!
this is soooo much fun!….here we go
1) Distressed furniture/shabby chic- I think that plays into my dislike for all things fake, genuine vintage is AWESOME, but beating something to make it look old just seems so odd to me
2) Pallet wood anything- I don’t hate it, but it’s a fine line. I think many DIY projects I’ve see look awesome, if you have a mansion and the odd quirky rustic element…in is lesser house they can just look like trash- reminds me of my wooden beer crated turned on it’s side for a sideboard table when I was dirt poor in college, looked like turds, but in the right house would probably be artistic
3) While I do like white painted kitchen cabinets, I still think there is a warmth and timelessness in great wood cabinets (not ick 60’s oak, which we are currently living with)
4) chalk board: eek, the sound of even chalk on a chalk board makes me CRINGE
5) polished brass- don’t get that either
6) words anywhere on walls- don’t know why, but just not my thing
now for the things I’m totally on the follow-the-sheep bandwagon with
Industrial: can’t get enough of beautiful figured wood combined with steel (I’m a woodworker, might explain why I have pallet wood snobbery!…..gorgeous grain in hand polished wood makes me tingle….sad I know).
Concrete: concrete anything, we did a polished concrete counter in our bathroom reno, it’s held up well with no staining, and I’m in LOVE- will do our kitchen counters next
wallpaper: I can’t even believe I like it! but in small doses it can works miracles on the mood of a room- and with the modern easy peel stuff I’m not too worried about tearing it down if I get tired of it.
Outdoor rooms: I little summer oasis in the back yard with a fire pit, seating and an outdoor kitchen with awesome landscaping (I can dream). We have a tiny house (1100 sqft), with a huge yard….both are a work in progress
Did you DIY your concrete counter? We would love to do concrete counters in our kitchen, but I’m still on the fence about the best way to go about it. Any advice you have would be welcome! Also, did you stain the concrete, or just polish it? Thanks!
Oh my gosh- I really don’t need any encouragement to preach about concrete counters!
If you do your homework/research they are super easy (I completely DIY’d, husband helped with pouring and lifting though) and sooooo cool: these were my experiences
I went into my first concrete project with the “even if it turns out blotchy and full of cracks I’ll consider it art” outlook, but actually it was the opposite, it’s totally gorgeous and professional looking -I think so anyway ;-)- I’m convinced the only reason it turned out so well is because I bought Cheng’s DIY concrete book, he gives a step by step process and I followed it almost to the letter (google Cheng concrete his stuff is amazing!). I used menards concrete counter mix, don’t use regular concrete- it doesn’t have enough tensile strength, and mixed a small amount of charcoal grey dye in the concrete (to give a medium grey) and sprinkled chipped marble and black stone in the bottom before pouring (I mixed with a shovel in a wheel barrow liner….HUGE messy pain in the but- rent a mixer), after the concrete is cured we removed the mold (concrete is HEAVY need at least a couple of people) and within a week polished with a wet polisher with diamond pads (this was the most expensive part- I think I paid $150 for the tool and pads, you can rent it, but since I’m planning the kitchen and the countertops on our outdoor patio it didn’t seem like a big deal). After the first polish I went back and filled the micro bubbles (they are unavoidable, your first polish removes the “cream” and reveals little voids) with a concrete slurry. The final finish is so “polished” you can see your reflection in it.
Total cost breakdown was:
melamine sheet for form $37
screws and caulk for the form (already had them)
2 bags menards concrete counter mix $30
menards liquid concrte colorant: $8
rebar reinforcing aprox $10
Cheng acrylic slurry $25
Cheng penetrating sealer $26
Cheng concrete polish $13.50
total= around $150 ($300 if you include the polishing tool)
TIPS: 1)make sure to vibrate well if you want to get rid of all the bubbles- you don’t need the concrete vibrating wand that the pros use, an orbital sander with no sandpaper vibrated all around the form works fine. Also, the mix should be way drier than you would think- i.e. when I mixed according to the bag instructions it seemed waaaaay to dry and flakey, but one you start shaking and vibrating the form it kind of flows. If you add too much water it weakens the concrete and you’ll end up with pooled water on top after vibrating
2) Don’t skimp on reinforcing. I probably overdid it, but a year later still no hairline cracks
3) buy a good penetrating sealer (not one from the big box stores, I used Cheng’s sealer- you can buy it online).
hope if helps!
I will never understand the whole “painting upholstery” thing. I just think it seems like a dumb idea, with such a huge number of things that could go wrong. And even if you manage it perfectly, you end up with a somewhat crunchy/crusty chair that I highly doubt anyone could sit in comfortably, especially if they were wearing light clothing or sweating!
Also, I dislike 99% of accent walls.
Love this topic!
Shabby chic has got to go! Don’t people want things to look new and in good condition? I especially can’t stand when people do this intentionally to perfectly fine pieces of furniture. I guess its fine if you’re trying to save something but don’t ruin one purposely.
And for the record, I JUST painted my dining room gray. Couldn’t help myself ;)
I don’t get this whole mustache thing..what have I missed?? They have baby clothes with mustaches printed on them, parties themed on mustaches, straws come with a mustache on them to make the user look as if they had one even jewelry. I don’t get it??! I missed something somewhere. I LOVE chalk paint but totally agree on the chalkboard!! Why would you make labels written in chalk, wouldn’t that rub off with handling?
Distressing furniture. As a single mom…all I could afford was used (usually hand me downs).
It always distressed by the time I got it! I want my furniture to look clean and new!!
Wow! Really enjoyed reading the comments. I have never liked Chevron. The chalkboard walls are overdone. Not a fan of starburst mirrors. The keep calm thing is overdone. I’ve always hated the Live, Laugh, Love signs. All white rooms are getting to be boring and it would never work in my home. Planked walls and planked headboards. Don’t like themed rooms. Oh, and why would you put a huge EAT sign in your kitchen or dining room? I guess to each their own. After all, we have to do what makes us happy but it is nice to vent about the things we don’t care for. It seems that wooden rocking horses are becoming a trend. I love the rustic french look but it’s getting over done too. I do NOT like real cowhides or other real animals for rugs or hanging on the wall. I think the deer antlers sitting on a table are overdone. I don’t get putting books with the spine facing inward so all the pages match?
I love an eclectic mix and think we should surround ourselves with things that make us feel good. I tend to stay away from trends when it comes to large expensive items but for an accessory or two it works for me. Subway tile is a classic timeless look. I tend to go with neutral colors when picking out tiles and countertops. I’ve always liked white cabinets. I do like stacks of books sitting on the table. I usually have my hard cover gardening or decorating books stacked on a coffee table.
This was fun!
Repurposed lighting. Don’t get me wrong, I am all in favor of creative reuse and recycling. Its just that simply “putting a light in it” is gimmicky and and cutesy in an almost shabby chic sort of way. I predict it will soon look dated and contrived. That being said, reusing materials in a way that is design driven rather than trend driven is a great idea. Its greener too as designers can focus their energy on finding creative uses for discarded materials that are in over abundance rather than spending energy and fuel to source individual “repurposeable” on-trend items.
In a word: “ball jars.”
Just one more thing…Library print wallpaper. No, just no. The joy of decorating with books is that they are useful, meaningful and beautiful, all at once. They also add depth (visual and figurative) to a space. And they tell a narrative of your mental travels. The solution to achieving this look? Read more! Oh, and build yourself inexpensive floating shelves. :)