Revitalize Your Home By Parting Ways With These Decor Items

When we were first handed a mason jar with a straw to drink soda from at a barbecue in 2010, we freely admit we were charmed. “Wow, these are usually only used for jam and pickles,” we said with a smile and an amused chuckle. Nowadays, though, the bloom is off the rose, and using mason jars as cups, candle-holders, storage containers, and literally anything else you could dream up is seen as cheap and tacky. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

If you aren’t a college student, you should not have a futon in your living room. Not only to do they give off major dorm-room vibes, but they’re also super-uncomfortable for anyone above the age of 30. Interior designer Paynter Rhed told website Insider, “Many people use these as a bed for visiting guests, but speaking from experience, I'd rather sleep on a comfortable sofa than a futon with metal bars digging into my back.” Say goodbye to the days of futons!

You know that sleek, monochrome white/gray kitchen look that was once all the rage? Well, that style is on its way out, according to experts. Editorial director Anthony Barzilay Freund told Elle Décor magazine, “The decline in white and gray reflects our ongoing desire to make our homes, in which we’ve all come to spend more time, feel special and layered. Patterns and colors… are visually interesting and also feel emotionally reassuring.” Go bold or go home!

Homeowners, apparently tile countertops should be left in the ’70s and ’80s where they belong. Interior designer Zoe Warren explained to House Beautiful magazine, “Not only are they now outdated, but the grout is a breeding ground for dirt and bacteria.” She added, “If you have tiled countertops, make the switch to natural stone or concrete counters.” Dirty countertops? Not trendy! It’s time to say adieu to those grimy tiles.

Ah, “Live, Laugh, Love!” It’s time to say, “Bye, bye, bye!” to this particular trend. Those three words were everywhere for a while, and let’s be honest, they’ve kind of lost their impact. Living Spaces’ 2023 Décor Trends Report dealt a killing blow to this word-art trend. Production designer Adrian Palacios said, “Thanks to TikTok and social media in general, the consensus among Gen Z is that the once-unironic ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ slogan is basic, vapid, and exhibitionist. Replacing it for 2023 will be real art: abstract designs that tell the viewer life can be moody, deep, and even a bit dark.”

Kitting out an entire room with fast furniture — low-cost, flat-pack items designed to only last a few years — is becoming very off-trend. Nowadays, people have gone back to wanting furniture that is meant to last. Designer for 247 Curtains Amy Wilson told Woman and Home magazine, “Saving for investment pieces, buying vintage items, or updating existing furniture with a lick of paint will continue to thrive throughout this year.” Personally, we think this is great news. Not only do higher-quality items last longer, but they’re better for the planet than cheap, mass-produced stuff.

Granite worktops used to be the coolest option for your kitchen. Now, though? It’s starting to feel a little dated, according to experts. Kitchen designer Rudolph Diesel told Insider, “The standard for the last 30 years, granite, is finally falling out of favor for more unconventional finishes, such as quartzite and porcelain, that are set to take kitchen design by storm in 2023. Due to being a mainstay in kitchens for so long, granite now makes a kitchen look dated, especially those with a large, speckled grain.” Dark granite is still very fashionable, though.

Plastic couch covers simply scream “grandma.” We all had grans whose couches were covered in sticky, squeaky plastic lest we mischievous grandchildren go rogue and spill juice over them! Admittedly, it’s understandable that someone would want to keep their couch in pristine condition. But please, we’re begging you: don’t be like grandma. Plastic couch covers are super-tacky, and on a hot day, quite literally so!

Circular sofas, round beds, curvy tables. It was all very “in” for a while, but experts say it’s more of a short-lived fad. “It’s been trendy for a while now, especially the curved sofa, but it is indeed a trend and not here to stay,” revealed furniture expert Chelsea Marks to Forbes magazine. “Unless you’re designing a corporate lobby or commercial space, major furniture curves just don’t fit in traditional home spaces. A rounded swivel chair or bar stool, sure, but don’t put down $3,000 on that curved sofa.”

Does your house feature shiplap, lots of windows, large minimalist black-and-white areas, and carriage-style garage doors? If so, it may be time for a redesign. The farmhouse interior design trend is on its way out, according to interior designer Paynter Rhed. He told Insider, “I think it’s overused and can sometimes feel too kitschy… More rustic details are likely to fall by the wayside in the new year. This trend is dying, which, in my opinion, is long overdue.” According to Gen Z interior designer Emily Shaw, the farmhouse style is just too simple and generic. She told website Insider, “We’re starting to move into something that’s not so straightforward, so it can be much more personalized to each person.” 

Popcorn ceilings are famous for their bumpy, knobbly look. Interestingly, they were originally created for acoustic reasons: they help cancel out noise in a room. Bu lots of modern designers aren’t big fans. Designer Paynter Rhed explained to Insider, “Popcorn ceilings can cause competing textures in a space and make it feel less open.” He argued that without them “you get an environment that lets the walls and furniture take the focus, while leaving the ceiling out of the equation.”

Look, it’s obvious why many people have linoleum on their kitchen or bathroom floors. It’s cheaper than tiles, giving the illusion of a luxury floor without breaking the bank. It’s easy and convenient to clean, too. But here’s the thing: if you can afford it, you should definitely replace that cheap, plastic floor covering with something classier. As website ALOT Living put it, “Linoleum isn’t just tacky, it’s offensively tacky.”

Diesel told Insider, “We saw stacked, open shelves explode onto the scene during the farmhouse movement, but I think they’re due a swift exit.” Rhed agreed, arguing, “I predict it’ll be replaced by more concealed storage. Having less clutter in a space makes it feel much larger and more inviting, so a lot of designers are implementing seamless storage that you don’t even notice.”

Laurel Bern, who runs her own interior design company and blogs about her experiences, revealed that she owned a Tiffany lamp when she was 13. To be more accurate, she owned a fake Tiffany lamp! Yet these days, she thinks the only décor styles they work with are Victorian and ones which favor an Arts-and-Crafts vibe. She declared, “They belong in dark, heavily paneled homes. Lots of stained wood. Otherwise, I feel they look sorely out-of-place.”

Shag rugs had their heyday in the ‘70s, and then made a triumphant return in the ‘00s. They give a room a cozy feeling but are mainly used to lend a sense of nostalgia and a retro aesthetic. On the whole, though, the Rug Information website states, “They seem to have fallen out of favor in recent years. While you might still see them occasionally in homes, they are far less common than they once were.”

It was once trendy to buy a matching furniture and curtains set: after all, it meant your room looked cohesive, right? Well, yes. But these days matching sets are a big no-no. Variety is what designers look for now: a new couch from one store, paired with vibrant curtains from another, topped off with an antique dresser. Basically, to be on-trend your rooms shouldn’t look like they were assembled entirely from one trip to IKEA.

Designer Jennifer Braidwood was scathing of the once-super-popular Bohemian décor style when she spoke to website The Spruce. She lamented, “Oftentimes the boho design style is synonymous with a tsunami of wicker and rattan, an assault of layered global patterns, or quite simply just a whole lot of ‘stuff.’” She added, “Boho design can be done tastefully. But right now, there’s a lot of bad boho out there.”

Decorating your big city home to look like it’s a coastal beach house was all the rage for millennials, but it’s now seen as tacky. Indeed, this goes for any décor style that intentionally juxtaposes with your location. Shay Mitchell told Forbes, “Modern Farmhouse in Manhattan? Coastal Grandma in Anchorage? You get the picture. I think we’re finally over copying design that has no relation to where we live.” 

For this entry, we’re going to present the two sides of interior designer Bern. On her blog, she wrote, “Seriously, plastic fake fruit is disgusting. That’s a home décor trend that can safely leave the Earth.” But then she added, “I actually got these acrylic mini-pears at some big-box store a few Christmases ago. And I love them. They really do look real.” Now we don’t know what to believe!

Look, when it comes to gardening, some of us are pretty clueless, but these days most people agree that fake plants are pretty lame! Rhed wholeheartedly agreed, telling Insider, “Skip the fake stuff, especially since real plants enhance the overall environment of the space. I understand not everyone was born with a green thumb, but I've found that snake plants, aloe, and bamboo are some of the easiest plants to take care of.”

Subtle, muted pastel colors are out in 2023 and eye-catching, bright shades are in! La De Da Interiors founder Steph Briggs told Woman and Home magazine, “Bold and beautiful is back, with Pantone’s color of the year Viva Magenta — a stunning crimson red — a brilliant example of this. Expressive and joyful, adding a little — or even a lot — of this color will add cheer and optimism to any interior.” 

Unfortunately, it may be time to get rid of the overflowing DVD towers and bookshelves that proudly display your collection to the world. Rhed told Insider, “Though your stack of limited-edition DVDs can be a great conversation-starter, they're going to make your room look busy and overwhelming.” His advice? “A good storage solution for movies and books is… a great way to visually conceal the items while keeping them in one desired location.” 

Animal print, for people of a certain era, looked exotic and intriguing. Putting it in your home gave your space a sense of worldliness it otherwise wouldn’t have had. These days, though? It’s pretty darn tacky. Barzilay Freund told Elle Décor, “They gave rooms an exotic flair in the ’70s, but the animal-print rug tends to look more cheesy than worldly in 2022.”

If you have cats and vertical blinds, you will know pain: no matter what you do, your furry pals will end up destroying them! Fortunately, it’s generally believed blinds are going out of style anyway, so perhaps it’s time to get rid of them. Rhed scoffed, “I’m tired of seeing white plastic blinds as… to me, they scream ‘first college apartment.’ If you prefer blinds, roller shades or wood options are a much better look.”

These days, a lot of people like to hang canvas recreations of classic paintings in their home. Chances are you’re never going to be able to afford a real Van Gogh, obviously, so why not pay $20 for a fake one? According to Reddit, though, it’s tacky and a bit obvious to do this. “Communitycats” advised, “Much more tasteful to find a more anonymous piece of art, or a photograph, or even a nicely framed vintage poster.”

Rhed told Insider, “Many people put accent walls in a room as an excuse to paint one wall a bright, distracting color. Some individuals paint these accent walls over brick or stone, and covering up these natural materials as opposed to restoring them to their original glory is definitely something to leave behind in the new year. I appreciate a good accent wall, but I think we can expect them to be done differently in the future.”

According to Elle Décor, the millennial trend for decorating everything in hues of pink has become super-outdated. Shay Holland, star of HGTV, told Real Simple magazine, “I just had a client repaint her pink living-room walls. While dramatic hues make for popular viewing on social media and are great for inspiration, oftentimes what happens is people find there’s a big difference between what’s fun to look at versus what’s easy to live with.”

“Bed skirts make a space look like a museum, and they also remind me of my great-grandma's room when I was growing up,” Rhed told Insider. Although skirts were mostly invented to conceal things stored under a bed, Rhed still has no time for them. He advised, “If bedding that reaches the floor is a priority for you, I’d suggest investing in a platform bed. It can give you a similar look while modernizing the bed.”

Having dark wood panelling on your walls might be good if your home is being used to shoot a movie set in the ’60s or ’70s. But if you live in 2023 and your walls still look like that? You’ve been left behind by style somewhere along the way! These days, it’s all about bleached or painted drywall, and many designers would simply tear down any wood panels they found in a home.

“Exposed Edison bulbs feel minimalist, and 2023 is looking towards cozier alternatives,” revealed Adrian Palacios to Living Spaces. “Lamps, pendants, and sconces with shades provide that solution. If you’re working with LED lightbulbs, shades can help in creating a warmer color.” That’s right, what once was old is now new again, and the humble lampshade is making its return to prominence!

This entry seems like a no-brainer to us: we can’t fathom why anyone would ever want to have carpet in their bathroom! There’s so much water in a bathroom, and the idea of the carpet becoming sodden with splashback from the sink or shower makes us feel queasy. But, in case it did need to be spelled out, this trend is very much not cool in 2023. In fact, it’s gross. 

Emile Bartow of Women Advance revealed that famed interior designer Joanna Gaines isn’t fond of blanket ladders. He wrote, “They come across as a little bit too ‘try hard.’ If you’re residing in a little log cabin… then yes, maybe a blanket ladder may not seem out of place. However, if you’re residing in suburbia and you’re trying to force a rustic vibe in your home with a blanket ladder, then you missed the mark entirely.”

Look, there’s no two ways about it: lace doilies are very, very old fashioned, so they should probably be avoided. Putting it nicely, they only belong in certain homes, inhabited by people of certain ages. As Bern blogged, “If you have antique doilies and the right kind of house, I’m fine. But it needs to be an old Victorian. And maybe just a couple. I know that you inherited them from your granny. That’s different.”

An Interior Design sub-Reddit topic entitled, “Do designers consider bean bags tacky?” threw up some interesting responses in 2011. One sensible user replied, “I wouldn't put one in a living room. I think they are tacky and make the room look like a dorm or something.” Another, much harsher, user shot back, “It makes your room look juvenile, and it makes you look like a bit of a lazy oaf.” Oof. Not a lot of love for the humble bean bag!

The push for every bathroom and kitchen to have rose and/or gold fixtures: door handles, faucets, etc — seems to be going away in 2023. 1stDibs’ Freund told Elle Décor, “It’s more about spring and less about bling.” In its place, it appears chrome could be making a comeback. An architect on Reddit posted, “I’ve built two houses in the last five years and chose chrome for the bathroom fixtures, because I think it looks so classic.”

People used to think that kitchenware racks were a great way to maximize space in a small kitchen. After all, if you couldn’t fit all your pots and pans in your limited drawer space, then simply hanging them on a rack on the wall was a great solution. These days, though, designers seem to have turned on the trend, arguing a minimalist, less cluttered approach to kitchen storage is the way to go. 

Fans of the movie Along Came Polly may remember Ben Stiller’s character hilariously freaking out about the excessive amount of throw pillows on his bed. Well, according to designer Sarah Solis, he’s right: overdressed beds are now very passe. She told Vogue magazine, “I love a thoughtful, minimal use of pillows and a bed beautifully draped for an elegant effortless sanctuary… In any space, throw pillows should be minimal, selective, and artful: less is more!”

You know that glass dining table you love? We’re hate to break it to you, but it’s now hopelessly out of style because designers are moving away from mirrored furniture. Michelle Lisac, who runs her own interior design company, told Insider, “I have never been a big fan of mirrored furniture, and I’m glad to see it on a downward trend.” More traditional opaque pieces are the way forward these days.

According to Rhed, “Heavy window treatments are outdated and unnecessary, especially since sheer curtains are a lightweight alternative that still have some texture.” He added, “I also think valances scream 1970s and short or choppy curtains that float a foot or so off the ground cut the line of sight and make a wall seem shorter than it is.” His advice would be to opt for black-out shades or wooden roller shades instead.

If you’ve ever lived in an open-plan loft, you’ll know that it can make an apartment feel spacious and free. But you’ll also probably know that it can make privacy hard to come by, which is why the desire for more defined spaces is making a comeback. Interestingly, Living Spaces’ Décor Trends report showed an enormous 44 percent decrease in interest in open-plan interiors at the end of 2022.