Gee, where to start with white appliances. Sure, they look nice when you first buy them, but that's it. Over time, they start to turn this gross yellow color, and they show off dirt and grease much more than another color of appliance. But the madness doesn't even end there.
White is just boring, and frankly, a bit dated. Your mother probably had white appliances and it may have been fine at the time, but at this point, even she doesn't want to touch the white appliances. Do your kitchen some favors and choose black or stainless steel like any smart person would do.
The fluorescent look is just not a good look for your home. Fluorescent lights provide the look of daylight, but more like daylight that doesn't quite look right. Sure, it's brighter, but it's not flattering light—and honestly, it just makes your home look like a hospital or morgue.
Just stick with regular incandescent bulbs or nice LED neutral or warm lighting. They'll make you feel right at home. The lighting provides a warmth you can't beat. Fluorescent bulbs may be more energy-efficient, but they look terrible, so if you want to save money, just keep the lights off when you don't need them.
Kitschy knick-knacks and collectibles you may have around your home can surely show off your personality – that is, if your personality is based entirely on pop culture. As a child this is fine, but as an adult, it's time to grow up. Throw the kitsch out and discover other ways for your personality to shine through your décor.
Color choices, furniture styles, flooring, and lamps are perfectly acceptable ways for you to make your personality blossom through your décor. You don't have to announce to the world your love of Disney with Mickey Mouse figures all over the house, when you could have décor that exudes the essence of Disney by modeling your home after Disneyland. Just something to think about.
When it comes to the color palette of your rooms, it's quite easy to overdo it. Too many colors in a room can be overwhelming to the eye. It's a bit much to take in and quite silly, actually. Your room doesn't need to have all the colors of the rainbow to show you have a lively personality.
Frankly, a room with too many colors is going to look like a clown room. Avoid this by choosing maybe two or three colors as the focus of your room. The colors should complement each other and not clash. remember that complementary colors are colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel. If you don't know what a color wheel is…Google it.
If you want to show everyone how ancient you are, by all means, pick up some doilies and place them all over your house. Candle? Doily! Glass elephant statue? Yes! Remote control? Why not?! Oh yeah, that's right, doilies literally serve no important function, and they look a bit ridiculous with modern decor.
The time of the doily has passed, and there are about a million other ways to fancify your home décor. On that same note, lace tablecloths – also, not that fancy. It's time to ditch these things, and if you want to be fancy like a five-star restaurant, just put on a basic white tablecloth. You're welcome.
Almost as insane as jeans that have been made to look distressed, the distressed cabinet look needs to go away for good. If you want the look of an unmaintained home, just stop maintaining it…I guess. But certainly, don't buy or repaint cabinets in a way that makes them look distressed.
The distressed cabinet look is not a good look these days. It's had its time and the only acceptable usage of the distressed look is if you live in an old farmhouse. Otherwise, it's just embarrassing. It just looks like you are putting off repainting or replacing your cabinets. Do you want to look lazy or do you want your home to look spectacular? You can't have both!
It's definitely time to do away with kitchen desks. When you have a kitchen desk, it just tells your guests one thing – you couldn't figure out where to put your desk. It doesn't matter if you actually had the room to put your desk anywhere. Having a desk in the kitchen makes it look like there was literally nowhere else to put it.
And honestly, a desk in the kitchen seems like the worst place for one. If someone is cooking or putting away dishes, you probably have a lot of noise going on in the kitchen, making it a difficult place to get any work done. Plus, there's all the food smells going on that can be a distraction, and you run the risk of your papers or computer getting exposed to moisture.
Sure, plants are nice to have in the home. They can help provide some fresh oxygenated air that makes breathing inside your home a lot easier. Plants also look nice and provide some non-distracting décor. Rarely, does a plant become the center of attention – that is unless you have too many.
Too many plants can turn your home into a jungle. If you want the experience of being outside, just go outside. Don't turn your inside, outside. A few plants, here and there, are no big deal but you don't need to go overboard with a plant at every corner. Plus, that's just more plants to keep track of, which is more plants to die and more plants to attract bugs.
If taking care of plants is a challenge for you, don't have them at all. Fake plants are pointless because they aren't serving any function beyond their look - and on that note – they don't even look good. Fake plants look fake, and everyone can tell, even if they don't say anything.
If you like keeping a vase of flowers on the table, don't go cheap with fake flowers. Everyone can tell they are fake and they don't even provide the fresh flower smell that people love. If you want to save money and not buy a $20 bouquet every week, a solution would be to grow your own flowers and pick those. You're welcome.
I'm not even quite sure what the goal is with these room reminders. Did you honestly forget where your kitchen or your bathroom was? Probably not, and if you did, it may be time to think about moving to senior community center.
And I'm also sure your guests can figure out where the kitchen or bathroom is without needing it specified in writing. And if you are using it to help guests find the bathroom behind a closed door – well, you've just given your home a store or restaurant vibe. Congratulations.
Your kids might enjoy these, and you might enjoy them too, but really only the kids have any business having a lava lamp in their room. Lava lamps just about anywhere else in your home are all kinds of tacky. They don't go well with any kind of décor.
Sure, they look cool but do they look cool enough that you want to destroy the whole look of your home? The '70s have long passed and there's no excuse to be having a lava lamp in the 2020s. Live vicariously through your children and give them one, or even put one on your desk at work, but it’s a décor mistake for just about everywhere else.
Unless you are living in a college dorm, or as a bachelor in a studio apartment (and want to remain so), under the bed lighting is a décor no-no. There's nothing cool about a grown adult lighting up their bed with some neon lights or fog lights like it's some kind of tricked-out ride.
If you think you need some light for getting out of bed in the middle of the night, maybe try a dim nightlight by your bedside. Otherwise, just turn on the light when you need to.
If you want your home to look like the dirtiest place imaginable, make it look like the subway or at the very least, a public restroom. That's exactly the look you'll achieve with subway tiles. We don't know how these ended up trending, but they don't belong anywhere inside the home.
There are countless other styles of tiles available, so there's really no excuse to rely on subway tiles. Smooth tiles in general, really don't look so great. they show cracks easily and they are quite boring. Textured tiles or even patterned tiles are a whole lot better.
Typographic art may seem inspiring to you but personal quotes that have relevance to you don't necessarily resonate with others. Most of the time, the typographic art people hang on the walls or put in picture frames comes off quite cheesy.
Whether it’s the cliché "Live Laugh Love" or some quote about family and following your dreams or whatever – it's all cheesy. if you want to show everyone how thoughtful you are, out up some real artwork or fill a bookshelf with books.
Futons are another thing that doesn't have any place outside of a studio apartment or a college dorm. Futons are, of course, a sofa that turns into a bed. Futons are really meant to be a temporary sleeping solution and not something you'd want to willingly display in your living room. get a real couch.
If you want somewhere for guests to sleep, consider something a little lower-key like a Hide A Bed sofa, where you cannot tell there is a bed inside unless you remove the couch cushions. They can also be a lot more comfortable for guests, and they won't soak up any body odors as a futon will.
Throw pillows are a great way to accessorize your sofa. You can add a touch of personality with a novelty pillow or a touch of complementary color. Pillows are functional too, because guests can sit them in their lap use them on their back, or wherever else. However, it's easy to overdo it when it comes to throw pillows.
If you have too many throw pillows, it's not going to add any subtle accent to your furniture, it's just going to look ridiculous. Additionally, your guests are going to feel overwhelmed when they sit down. What does one even do with all those pillows? Toss them to the side? Throw them on the floor you’re your guests are already uncomfortable, I can guarantee that more pillows aren't the solution.
Tufted headboards may look cozy and certainly nice when you first buy them, but it won't be long before they start showing dirt, and oils from you’re your hair. Over time, that beautiful tufted headboard will look like a disgusting mess.
If you want your bed to look fancy, go with wood. With wood, you get an elegant look that lasts for years and you can touch it up whenever you need to. Depending on the design, you can also sand it down and re-stain the whole thing, or just paint over everything – make something old, new again. Otherwise, you could skip the headboard altogether and go for a modern platform bed.
Shag carpets are another relic from the '70s. The shag carpet was loved for the ultrasoft comfort it provided but it wasn't exactly the best-looking carpet you could get for your money. Shag carpets look dated and immediately recall the 1970s. If you want everyone to know you wore bell-bottoms and checkered suits, this would be the way to go about it.
On top of that, shag carpets just aren't very sanitary. As it is already, carpeting is great at attracting dirt, dust mites and just bout everything else you and your pets are tracking in the house. With shaggy carpets, all that is increased tenfold with the extra shag.
Bedskirts are another totally outdated piece décor for your bed. They are literally what they sound like – a skirt for your bed. Unless you are going for a princess theme in your bedroom or you don't mind the fact that the bed skirt dates the look of your bedroom, you can probably do without it.
If a bed skirt has any function beyond look, it's to hide what's under your bed. If you don't want the space under your bed to look cluttered, just don't store anything under your bed, or better yet, get some storage containers or organizers that fit under your bed.
It's not the '80s anymore and neon lights are a no-no. The only places you'll find neon lights today are a nightclub, strip club or a tacky bar. They aren't great decorations for your home, so please don't even think about it.
On that same note, you also want to avoid colorful LED lights. these may be fine for bachelors looking to decorate their dope crib but you certainly won't be winning any interior design cred with them. it's time to think about more practical lighting solutions.
There are few things as dated nor as tacky as vertical blinds. They are also completely impractical. Vertical blinds tend to break easily, so you either have to replace the individual slats if you can or replace the whole thing. They look plain terrible and they are super cheap. if you have pets that like to play near the window, those things will be broken in no time.
If you want your sliding glass door or window to look good, and block out the sun effectively, you should consider some blackout curtains. They'll also do a better job of maintaining the temperature in your home, particularly in the summer, while also helping you maintain your privacy.
(Image via Amazon)
The look of brass is outdated and, frankly, a little cheap. Brass lighting fixtures, lamps, knobs and handles look out of place and unsightly in a modern home. They won't awe your guests and they will age terribly. It's time to explore other metal options.
If you want a metal that looks better, try something that is or has the look of copper or even steel. Brushed steel is even better because it won't show scratches as easily, dirt or oil from your hands. Think practically and avoid brass, because the more brass you have, the more things you have that will need to be replaced.
These days people have a wide variety of electronic devices in their homes. This, of course, means they have a lot more cables to worry about. And having a lot of cables means you are going to have a lot more cable clutter. But that doesn't mean you can't do something about it.
Cluttered cables can easily ruin the look of your home, as they are hard to miss. It isn't always easy, but hiding your cables effectively is the best way to improve the look of your home. Cable covers and even some furniture items can be used to hide cables. You just have to think creatively.
Unless you are a teenager or child with no décor sense, you should never hang up unframed posters in your home. The only kind of poster that shouldn't have a frame is not a poster at all – it's a flyer. A flyer is what you pass out and throw away, so having a poster on your wall with no frame is like literally decorating your wall with garbage.
While you can certainly have posters, you should put them in frames like a grown-up. Frames are a more elegant way to display posters, whether it’s photography, a movie poster, a poster of your favorite band or anything else. Even a vintage advertisement can look nice if you put it in a frame.
Toilet lid covers are quite strange really, and we aren't exactly sure how they became a thing. You have to wonder who thought it was a good idea to put some carpeting on a toilet seat, which is inevitably going to attract germs in pretty much the germiest place in your home.
Toilet seat covers aren't sanitary, so who would even want to sit on them? You'd have to wash them like every day for it not to be the most disgusting bathroom décor solution, and that's not practical. It also just makes closing the lid more difficult than it needs to be because that thing is going to slip off and then you have to put it on again – and it's just this whole thing. Yikes. Just no.
(Image via Amazon)
Plastic storage units are an inexpensive way to manage clutter. They can be used to store kitchen supplies, office supplies, clothing, toiletries and just about anything you can think of. With that said, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Having plastic storage units out on display in your home is just plain tacky. If you can't hide them in a cupboard or closet, then don't use them in your home. It's fine if you keep them in a garage, basement or attic, or perhaps even use them at the office, but plastic is never a good look when it comes to home décor.
As mentioned earlier, you don't want to have too many colors in your home. But at the same time, you also don't want to have too few colors. A monochromatic color scheme in your home never works. It makes your rooms look dated and at the very worst, makes you look completely color blind.
It is best to choose a couple colors that compliment each other and go from there. Monochromatic is like the equivalent of waring a jumpsuit but as a décor solution. Sure, you don't have to think about what you need to pair with it, but it's also just plain boring.
Unless you are into that Silence of the Lambs stuff a little too much, the prospect of having dead bodies around your house is a bit creepy. That being said, I can't quite figure out why some people keep dead animals in their homes. It's odd and quite uncomfortable to be around.
Taxidermized animal heads, pets and birds, and everything else of the sort is a décor mistake. Settle down there Norman Bates and maybe just stick with an animal print throw pillow at the very most. if you want to show a love of animals, get some artwork. Dead things don't really make great decorations.
Linoleum flooring should be avoided at all costs. It's used in apartments and inexpensive homes because it's easy and cheap to replace and that's it. It doesn't look good and it is easy to tear, scratch and ding up on accident. It also ends up lifting off the floor, particularly in moist areas like a bathroom or kitchen.
Over time, your linoleum floor will only look worse and worse. Get a hardwood floor or even a vinyl floor that will last you a lot longer. If it's a living area or bedroom, even carpet would be a better alternative. The point being: stay away from linoleum – if I didn't make that clear enough.
Wallpaper – just why? Why on Earth would anyone want to paste paper to their walls? You can't exactly clean it like you can with painted walls. Kids can draw on it, you could spill something on it and stain it and just about a million things could go wrong, and yet, you can't do anything to fix it.
No, the only fix is to strip the whole wall and replace it. And if you've ever stripped wallpaper before, you already know what a daunting task it can be. So, why put yourself through that again? Just say "no" to wallpaper and "yes" to paint. If the kids draw on the wall, you can clean it with a magic eraser or paint over it. No harm done.
