Trends shape how you design and decorate your home, but how do you know which ones you’ll be happy with in the long run, and which ones might waste your time and money?
Beyond financial return on investment, homeowners should consider lifestyle, functionality, budget, and what will deliver joy. Also crucial: Is this a forever home, or do you plan to sell it soon? This will drive a lot of decisions around the level of personalization.
The key is to pick trends that will last. Or, if you are decorating according to what’s hot today, adopt a strategy to make them last longer, so you don’t waste your money.
1. Easy Come, Easy Go
Fast micro-trends are fun but have limited shelf life. That’s not to deter you from following these trends, but chances are you’ll tire of them, and have to renovate down the road, especially if you intend to sell. Micro-trends such as many of the “core” aesthetics: Barbiecore, castlecore, cottagecore, grandmacore and mermaidcore, are short-lived.
Don’t invest too much in trends that are on their way out, such as elements of modern farmhouse, like shiplap, word art and open shelving.
To safeguard your investment, avoid chasing trends altogether. Timeless decor has staying power, is budget-friendly and is better for the environment. That’s part of the appeal of transitional style, a leading interior design trend currently. The aesthetic offers longevity and opportunity to personalize too.
2. Choosing a Trendy Deal Might Cost You More
Don’t be fooled by trends that cost less upfront, but are ultimately expensive because they aren’t durable, or compatible with lifestyle, suggests interior designer Heather Mastrangeli, of Innovatus Design.
She points to a trend she is seeing a lot with her clients: washable rugs. They’re affordable and attractive, but less comfortable underfoot, and might require trips to the laundromat because of their size, so they are not practical.
“People love the idea of throwing a washable rug in a washing machine, but in order for a rug to be washable they're very flat and low profile, and a lot of times they're only good to wash a handful of times,” she says, noting replacement is required relatively quickly.
When choosing appliances, decor or furniture, do your homework, and pay more for a reliable brand with good reviews. You are better off paying a little more upfront for quality that stands up to your specific lifestyle needs.
3. Bold Trends Need a Strategy
A lot of aesthetics that are trending embrace bold colors and patterns, and encourage a high level of personalization, including mixing metals, maximalism, dopamine decor and blending vintage with modern.
While technically anything goes with these trends, they are actually curated, which requires strategy.
For balance with eclectic aesthetics, pros use the 60/30/10 rule, with 60 percent dedicated to a dominant color, 30 percent to a secondary color, and 10 percent to accents (this applies to patterns and mixing metals too). Scale and proportion are important, as is using negative space strategically, to give the eye somewhere to rest in a busy aesthetic.
4. Wasting Money on Smart Tech Isn’t Smart
Smart tech elevates functionality, but also comes at a premium, especially with appliances. Paying for features that you may not need, use, or might be prone to breaking down, are possibly a waste of money
Think about how you use your appliances, what challenges you have around workflow and how smart tech might help. For example, busy families with packed schedules would find the ability to preheat the oven remotely, or have a refrigerator that helps with inventory monitoring, useful.
Meanwhile, if you eat out a lot, an oven with multiple cooking features, with costly connectivity convenience isn’t a good investment.
5. Don’t Commit Without Visualizing
From dark woods, to intricate patterns and bold colors, a lot of current trends might be outside of the comfort zone of a lot of homeowners, and require a potentially costly commitment, if work needs to be redone or redecorated.
The good news is that there are a host of tech tools, from paint apps, to room visualizers, to generative AI that can help you anticipate what your choices might look like in real life.
“If you want to see what works in your room, plug a photo of your space into an AI platform. It’s a great way to visualize what that change is going to look like,” says Mastrangeli, stating that Midjourney and ChatGPT are helpful.
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