Can you let go of a few decorating trends? If not, no one will notice

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Published Date 12/6/2023

It’s hard to ignore trends — especially in house decor. You walk through a model home and suddenly it gives you a ton of ideas for how to change out something in your own home. Some of it is minor stuff — like how to arrange artwork on your walls. And others just make you want to chuck half your furniture and start over.

Realtor.com’s Jennifer Kelly Geddes admits that it’s fun to dip your toe into a trend for a while—and she reflects on those that became all the rage in 2023. Fads (where the result can turn stale quickly), however, are a chair of a different color.

She asks, “Of course, you probably don’t have a hot-pink living room or Brady Bunch-esque avocado kitchen, but you might have snapped up an adorable bar cart, right? Or maybe that fuzzy bouclé stool was too hard to resist?”

She goes on to say that no matter which of-the-moment looks made it into your home this year, it’s always wise to refresh your living space now and then. Here are the ones she considers forcing to walk the plank, so to speak.

Curvy sofas need to snake into oblivion. “Lots of homeowners have jumped on the wavy couch train, but the pros say this item is problematic and needs to move on,’ says Geddes. One designer she consulted with agrees. “Curvy sofas aren’t practical and don’t provide much seating—and most of my clients want more room to sit down in their living areas,” points out Pamela O’Brien.

While she adds that they’re hard to combine with other sofas and chairs in the room, no one is telling you to chuck that gorgeous creation if it works for you. This is merely an opinion, and everyone’s got one. But if you’re still in love with the look, choose a curved chair, especially a comfy swivel version— also quite versatile in a seating arrangement.

Are you one of those homeowners who turned your golden or warm, beige walls to gray? “Clay, snail, charcoal, mouse—whatever you call ’em, gray paint names are amusing, for sure,”says Geddes. “Even so, the ubiquity of this color is ready for retirement.” O’Brien agrees. “Gray is definitely out of favor right now, especially at the top of the market,” reports O’Brien.

Down the fuzzies — at last — says Geddes as well as those she consulted. “Bouclé has been on chairs for so long now at the furniture markets, and it makes it look like every single manufacturer is selling the same chair—which, basically, they are,” O’Brien quips. Other designers agree, saying bouclé is out, having hit its zenith two years ago. While it’s warm and nubby, it can get dirty fast. “If you’re keen to add some texture to your rooms, try velvet instead. It’s a bit more visually appealing and equally soft,”says Geddes.

Just because Restoration Hardware and CB2 catalogs still display their wares with white on white doesn’t mean you need to any longer. “So much white in one spot is boring to behold, and it can also be blinding in a sunny room. White, of course, is classic in the kitchen and many other rooms, but too much of it is a trend that needs to end,” says Geddes. “If you adore white, just be careful where you paint it.”

Some designers are not that critical, however, citing being neutral about it since it really does have its own time and place. While O’Brien notes that “color forecasts are showing lots of intense colors like blue, green, red, and purple—along with earthy, moody, dark tones,” if you’re not a fan of deep shades, try layering whites, pairing warmer or cooler whites together for best results.

Just how much hard liquor drinking do you do these days? Bar carts, a trend that grabbed hold a while back, are still all over Instagram. In reality, however, owning a bar cart is a royal pain to keep clean and organized. “You’re probably spending more time wiping down dusty surfaces and sticky bottles than you are mixing Manhattans,” says Geddes.” And most of us don’t own enough stylish bottles and cocktail coupes to keep this piece of furniture looking as beautiful as it should.”

Add to that equation that many carts don’t have the square footage upon which you can realistically prepare a drink, and you can see her point. The truth is, most of us make our martinis on the kitchen counter, close to the ice, where there’s room for the bottles, a cutting board, and a towel — since you’ll dribble or spill something for sure.

Realtor, TBWS

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