Unless you live on or near an ocean or coast or came from a family of sailors, don’t overdo the nautical theme and make your home look like it belongs on a beach condo.
If your home currently looks like this, there are many small changes you can make to update it. You could repaint your walls, add new throw pillows to your couches and chairs, and/or ditch the nautical wall decor. Whatever you decide to do will for sure modernize your space.
We’ll always have that grandma that loves her silk flowers, but they look obviously fake. With the natural trend, people are gearing towards real flowers bouquets. They’re a little harder to keep in a home, but a fresh bunch of flowers really upgrades any room in a home.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or money to constantly keep their home decorated with real bouquets. It would be lovely if we did, but it’s just not realistic. Luckily, many stores now make faux flowers that look extremely real. You’ll be so impressed. They’re a major upgrade from silk flowers.
Give your home some personality by avoiding matching furniture sets. By mixing different textures and materials in the furniture, your room will be more visually interesting and less cookie-cutter.
The easiest way to do this is to choose one furniture piece that will set the tone for your space. Once you decide on what you’re wanting, you can loosely match all other furniture pieces. We recommend purchasing neutral furniture so that you can allow your pillows and throws to add color and texture to the space.
Accent walls can be distracting and can unintentionally become the focal point of the room. If the accent wall is painted one solid color, it may clash with new decor you’re introducing if you decide to change color palettes.
To avoid semi-permanent accent walls, paint your entire room a neutral hue. This will become your base color. If you want an accent wall, don’t paint it. Instead, purchase removable wallpaper. This way, if you get tired of it, you can just rip it down in a matter of minutes.
Furniture with reflective finishes can look elegant, but only if you clean them constantly. Save yourself some headache by opting for furniture without mirrored accents.
You’ll be so glad you don’t have to constantly dust and shine your furniture pieces. There are so many other options that are trendy, updated, and not reflective. Don’t make hasty furniture purchases that you’ll regret later. Spend your money on pieces that you’ll love for years to come.
Can we stop with the mason jars now? They’re everywhere from the bathroom to the kitchen. Yeah, they’re convenient, but it makes a home look pieced together—like you never unpacked after moving. They can go back to their original job of canning preserves.
There are lots of other ways to decorate your home. Keep the mason jars where they belong—the kitchen. Shop for a variety of jars and vases that are different shapes, sizes, and finishes. It will make your home feel more eclectic and individualized. Trust us when we say that mason jars are outdated.
Granite is a classic choice for countertops, but classic doesn’t always mean it’s still in style. People are opting for lighter colored materials, like marble, to brighten up the space.
Most people are saying goodbye to granite because it’s a hassle to maintain. It must be sealed on a regular basis, unlike other countertop materials. Like we mentioned before, marble is a beautiful alternative. So is quartz. You can’t go wrong with either of these styles.
Avoid overdoing it on the tropical prints unless it will complement the rest of your décor. Otherwise leave it for the beach house.
Bold tropical and floral prints are best when used minimally. That being said, instead of using tropical or floral wallpaper, use tropical or floral pillows, quilts, or throw blankets. This will add a touch of color and pattern to your space without completely overwhelming it.
Inspirational quotes on the wall have become a cliche. Removable signs are better than vinyl stick-ons, but it’s best to avoid this cheesy decor altogether.
If you just can’t stand it and have to have inspirational quotes or song lyrics posted on your walls, don’t purchase this type of wall decor from your local homegoods store. Instead, make it more sentimental. Take the time to purchase a canvas and paint. Then, make it a DIY project. You’ll be proud to see the finished product hanging in your home.
Unless your home is rustic, barn doors can look out of place (and should really stay on a barn).
Not to mention, they’re also way more complicated to install. Make it easy on yourself and stick to the stereotypical doors that the majority of homes come with. These fiber reinforced plastic doors are durable and available in a variety of colors and finishes.
Open shelving went great with the industrial trend. That being said, dishes didn’t go well with open shelving. The issue is that everything gets dusty, and no one wants to see their mismatched dinnerware as decoration.
Once you ditch your open-shelving concept, you’ll feel so much relief. Although these seemed like a good idea at first, they require too much maintenance. Not only do you have to find pretty glassware and dishware to display, but you also have to wash that glassware and dishware on a regular basis because of all the dust.
Chevron made its way into just about every corner in every house a few years ago. It’s become outdated and can easily cheapen the look of your home and make it look childish.
If you still have chevron-patterned anything, it’s time to toss it. This pattern was trendy for a very short period of time. Now, it’s just extremely outdated. Stick to the patterns that have been around for decades. Polka dots, stripes, and gingham are just a few that we love. They look trendy in the home and never go out of style.
White-on-white kitchens have been the latest rage recently, but the kitchen is usually the dirtiest place in the house. All the white will make it harder to clean on a daily basis.
We recommend choosing a countertop with lots of intricate details and patterns. Instead of a white marble countertop, look for a countertop with blacks, greys, or browns. This would allow you to have white cabinets or light floors without completely washing out your space with one hue.
Moroccan rugs are everywhere, but not for much longer. They started showing up in houses all over the United States, but now, many people are trading their Moroccan rugs for a Persian-inspired floor piece. They’re just as great and can be beautiful to design around.
Or, if you don’t want a Persian-inspired rug, just keep it simple. Buy an oversized neutral rug to warm up your space. If you decide later on that you want to add more color or print to your home, you can layer another rug on top of the neutral one. And thankfully, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to find a cute indoor rug!
While wood is still in, reclaimed wood is out. Wood décor and furniture are gearing toward a sophisticated, refined look rather than the worn appearance that can come from most reclaimed wood.
Sanding and re-staining reclaimed wood is pretty easy to do. If you watch a few Youtube videos explaining the DIY process, you should be able to figure it out. You’ll be able to save your reclaimed wood furniture and save money on new furniture. The cost to restore it will be significantly cheaper than purchasing a whole new bookshelf or dining room set.
Wood is a weird trend. While wood flooring and furniture never really goes out of style, it goes through cycles of shades. Apparently, experts are saying that light wood is phased out in favor of medium tones. French oak is a good option and will bring a little color to a room.
As of now, your best bet is to choose a dark wood or a painted wood. And like we said, different shades of wood are constantly cycling between trendy and untrendy. Choose a wood that you love now and hopefully you’ll still love it 10 years from now. If not, you’ll have to go through the trouble of painting or staining it—which isn’t fun.
Honestly, everyone is getting tired of seeing “Home,” “Family,” and “Live, Laugh, Love.” The worst is when you’re in a room designed for something, and there’s word art that encapsulates it. We know that the kitchen is for eating.
Short, choppy phrases have zero sentimental value. They’re pointless. Replace all of your word art with paintings, portraits, or other meaningful decorations. You’ll be surprised by how updated your home will feel after binging decor that doesn’t hold any sentimental value or bring you joy.
Wicker got a little popular late last year and stuck around—why? Wicker isn’t convenient. It’s cheap because after a while, the wicker starts to wear down. This makes for uncomfortable furniture. Instead, play with color by purchasing a saturated sofa.
The only time we recommend purchasing wicker is when it’s something that’s more decorative and less necessary. Wicker furniture won’t last, but wicker decorative pieces have the potential to hold up. Because they’ll only be used for looks, they won’t deteriorate as quickly. Wicker baskets, planters, and poufs are still in.
Mirrored furniture just looks dated. They’re difficult to keep clean, and they don’t add a lot of personality to a room. Thankfully, this trend is on its way out. A lot of people are choosing wooden furniture in its place.
Unfortunately, because this was so trendy at one point in time, many houses are filled with mirrored furniture and mirrored furniture sets. If you can, we say try to sell it. Then, if it does sell, you can use the profits to purchase new furniture pieces.
Metal has been pretty huge lately, but brass won’t see the next year. It’s a fine example of too much of a good thing. Nickel and distressed silver are becoming the top metal accouterments to add to a room. While we’ll always love brass, it’s time for a break.
And while you’re taking a break, you’ll most likely realize how nice it is not to have to clean your brass on a regular basis. It requires a lot of TLC, unlike nickel and silver. So when you switch, you won’t just be updating your home, you’ll also be lightening your workload.
Last year, there was a lot of craze about gray. Rooms were monochromatic, but not anymore. Now it’s about saturated colors, meaning grey is out the door. Now, people want neutrals with more personality like warm tans and browns.
Monochromatic color schemes only work if done exactly right. And because they’re difficult to master, we say don’t even bother trying it. Find a light grey, tan, or beige to paint your room and then add colorful furniture pieces and decorations to brighten it up.
The industrial trend was fine while it lasted, but people went overboard. As usual, that kills any trend. This industrial revolution brought us exposed brick, metal, and piping. It doesn’t make a home look like a home. It just makes it feel like you’re living in a warehouse.
Allow yourself to soften your home. While the exposed brick, metal, and piping may look neat, they’re not details you want for years to come. So, it’s all about balance. If you decide to keep the brick, ditch the metal and piping. This will allow your home to have one element of industrialism, which is all you really need.
Tufted headboards used to be the thing to have in your bedroom, but that’s changing. Instead, home decorators are choosing headboards that look more sophisticated.
Wooden and iron headboards are becoming super trendy. They’re stylish for both genders, which we love. If you have a wooden or iron bed frame, you’ll love how easy they are to style and restyle. They go with literally any and every design and will be a trend for years to come.
It’s hard to take care of plants, and we get that. That being said, there are a plethora of easy-to-care-for plants, and that’s caused the fake plant movement to die down quite a bit. In its place, people are choosing real plants from snake plants to succulents.
If you need a little help getting started, check out The Sill. They’re a subscription box company that ships indoor plants to your doorstep. Not only will they help you find the perfect type of plant for your home, but they’ll also give you tips and tricks to help you care for it!
This one is controversial because some designers say it’s in while others say it’s out. Basically, the argument is that large pieces make a better statement than a smaller gallery wall. We’ll let you decide what you want to do about this one.
In our opinion, gallery walls are okay—as long as they’re done correctly. If you want to create a gallery wall of your own in your home, you must plan accordingly. Gather a collection of portraits and paintings (of all shapes and sizes) and create a template of your gallery wall before actually hanging each piece on the wall. This will ensure that you like the look of it before going through with it.
Finally, Millennial Pink is seeing its end. We’ve been waiting on this one for a while. The trendy color popped up a few years ago, and suddenly, it looked like ‘70s kitchens all over again—pink everywhere.
To replace all the pink, you’ll need some help. Purchase lots of neutral-colored furniture and only add pops of pink to your home. This way, you can still enjoy the color you love, but in smaller doses. Then, if you ever decide to change things up, it will be an easier and cheaper fix.
The marquee, Hollywood-style bathroom lighting looked good while it lasted. Now, it’s beginning to phase out. Thankfully, this is a pretty easy bathroom remodel.
Instead of marquee lights, trends are pointing toward sconces or overhead lighting options. It’s an easy fix to swap marquee lights out, so what are you waiting for? You can still have bright bathroom lighting without the oversized and exposed bulbs.
Pastels are getting the boot. Designers are now gravitating toward saturated palettes that have a mature feel to them. Rich shades of deep blue, green, purple, and orange give a room a more luxurious feel.
These are the colors that create warmth and depth. We don’t want you to completely do away with pastels and neutrals, but to think about incorporating saturated hues into your home as well. A mixture of all of these shades is sure to make your space feel cozy and updated.
Boho can still make a home look like a magazine spread, but it looks too commercialized today. Everyone adopted the boho trend in the last few months to a year, and it’s too much. It’ll have a special place in our heart, but it’s gotta go.
Because it’s so overdone, we’re more than eager to say goodbye. Feel free to keep your wicker basket and tan coffee table, but make room for color and texture. Find a bold rug and a textured throw blanket, experiment with untraditional lighting pieces, and search for eclectic decorations.
These antique style lights looked good, but they’re not practical. There’s a reason everyone swapped over to LED lighting. You can get the same warm look by choosing a “warm” light instead of cool or neutral. Exposed Edison bulbs belong in the past.
If you’re still not convinced that edison bulbs are outdated, here are a few more issues with this lighting option. The bulbs are extremely fragile and must be handled with care. In addition to that, they’re also anything but energy efficient.
