I thought it would be fun to capture the top-10 design trends of 2011 — while the year is still fresh in our minds. We can also ask, “In 50 years, which will be keepers — and which… maybe not so much?”
Much of the stuff they're trying to sell us in 2011 looks like props and set designs from The Vampire Diaries. I adore vampires. But I don't want to live in crypt.
The thing is, I spend so much time in retro-world that I don’t have the greatest sense of what has been “in” all year. My main connection to the “real world” is the New York Times Home & Garden every Thursday, and I go over to Apartment Therapy to see what they are up to, now and again. I also still get some catalogs, although they have mostly given up on me. So I need your help building a list, which we can then refine to the top-10:
I have a few suggestions to help get started — please add your own!:
- Greige Nation. Dark grey and greige everywhere, including laminates named after clammy death. Restoration Hardware gets the prize for interiors that look like they were designed by and for vampires. Although I think their prices and products are aimed at the 1%, not the 99%, dark grey and washed-out coordinates do seem to be everywhere at all price points. Accent colors: Plum and yellow.
- Edison bulbs
- Pendant lights made out of any possible piece of junk, errr, I mean, vintage treasure. “Put a Bulb In It!“
- Huge chandeliers made out of any possible piece of junk, errr, I mean, vintage treasure. Even more so: Layered chandeliers. That is: A big something (usually with vintage reference) on the outside, a chandelier on the inside. E.g.: Birdcage outside, three-arm chandelier inside… and big drum shades over capiz shells.
- Dark kitchen cabinets. Espresso. Kona.
Big zig zag prints, on pillows in particular. There was that whole Missoni-mania at Target thing.- Perhaps, though, silhouetted leaf prints on pillows were even more common?
- Mid century modern mania. Blogs go Craigslist crazy. Ebay prices officially go too high. Many Unhappy Hipsters are hatched. Saarinen tulip tables and chairs peaked. Like out of nowhere, 28 places to buy a mid century modern sofa. Note: Five years ago, there was NO PLACE to buy a mcm sofa.
Relatedly: The wisdom of restoring mid century homes, even the modest ones — came solidly into the mainstream… Not only was there significant coverage about this blog in places like the New York Times… there were lots of other stories in mainstream media about such renovations… and, hey, even pink bathrooms got *some* respect on tv home decorating shows.- Relatedly: Vintage and DIY. 2011 was an economically disturbing and depressing year — we pinched pennies and instead, bought used, raided grandma’s attic, fixed things up ourselves, and made due. Gosh, that part of the Great Recession (GR) has been fun.
- Glass tile backsplashes. I think we’d see more glass tile showers but for the GR.
- Ridiculously expensive “green” houses are still being put out there as if there were such a thing.
What else? Also, were there any interior design ideas, including those driven by technology breakthroughs, that were really *new*? And, any other big trends in kitchens or bathrooms? I’m thinking that most of 2011′s trends are “cosmetic” — surface treatments. Everyone is broke or sitting on their dough…
What do you think, readers?
What were the big design trends in 2011?
Let’s build a list, then we narrow it down to 10 with a vote. Fun!
I’ve been (unsuccessfully) looking for a mid-century house and have seen several disturbing trends, which I have nicknamed Flintstones Throwback.
Along with DIY and greige, I’ve see way more granite than should be allowed anywhere except, perhaps, a graveyard. Granite in the kitchen (counters, backsplash, stone floors). Granite in the bathroom. Of course, all of it is greige. Also: using flooring tiles on the walls — using large, greige floor tiles to tile an entire bathroom, walls, floors, everything. Not a good look, but in the DIY world, it seems to be a trend.
Fred and Wilma would love it, but I find it depressing.
Not sure if it started in 2011, but GIANT vases, stacks of books, statues, etc on the coffee table seem to be on all the design shows. So impractical. I vote (hope) the chandeliers with drum shades over them go out of style soon. I do not like that look.
I actually like the layered chandeliers… but I think it’s so amusing how they suddenly become “a thing.”
My husband and I walked into a Restoration Hardware after not having been inside one for several years. It was very depressing and dark. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
The granite trend is a shame and is the “open concept” house. I wonder how long it will take people to realize how annoying it is to try to watch tv or read quietly in the living room when dishes are clanking and food processors are whirring in the kitchen. Of course, all the noise in the kitchen just leads to the tv being turned up, which creates more noise.
I violently agree re open concept. I have lived both ways. Give me a kitchen that I can close the doors on.
Thank you, thank you K and Pam for your comments regarding the open plan and kitchen. Every time I mention this to anyone, I get a blank stare, at best. After extensive hunting, we found one home that met these very sensible parameters: No kichen in the “family room.” It’s a 1979, so I guess I can officially get behind Pam’s predictions for the 70s style.
Welcome out of lurking status, Cyndi, and congratulation on your new/old home! Send me pics when you are ready for prime time!
I am with you guys on the open concept! My kitchen is nicknamed “Our Lady of Perpetual Mess” give me a door on that room ANY DAY!
I have always wondered about those “vaulted ceilings”…what a waste of SPACE and how to change the light bulbs…and how to heat or cool?
I am sick to death of granite, tile, and fake hardwood floors too! I want to know who took the imagination out of this home buying generating?
My biggest pet peeve though, is when a developer buys up a farm, slames 50+ homes when there used to be pastures…and calls it “Blah Blah FARMS”…I was recently at a candle party and I overheard a “Oh, yes, I live in “Blah Blah Chase” (what the heck is a “chase” anyway?”…and another “I live in Blah Blah meadows”…what meadow? someone’s back yard? Or “Fox Run” or oh i could go on and on!
Give me a street sign and I can tell you where I live!
Kathy,
I agree wholeheartedly about new subdivisions having ridiculous pretentious names, but using farms is nothing new. See Overbrook Farms, a National Register historic district where development began in 1893: http://www.classictowns.org/overbrook-farms (Homes aren’t mid-century or modest by any means, but definitely cool to look at)
So nice to see I’m not the only one who is anti open concept. I don’t want to see the dirty dishes when I’m relaxing in the living room.
Agree! anybody every think why they got so popular? Less walls to build equal less cost for the builder. A lot of so-called trends are just cheaper. Like Shaker style cabinets for instance. I don’t want to see the dishes or have people watching me cook either. Want to be able to decorate it differently too. As a Realtor if I see another red wall in the dining room or red in the kitchen I’ll scream. It’s always slopped onto the ceiling and splotchy and just seems like it’s screaming back at me. Brushed nickel is looking overdone. Sinks are getting way too deep and people are going nuts over “faucet as status symbol”.
We have some friends who just custom built their home. It is like one massive room – with a huge vaulted ceiling, tile tile tile and granite granite granite and wood floors from end to end. It is so LOUD in there. When you’re in the kitchen, you’re simultaneously in the dining room and living room, and every sound echoes. I think they are regretting their custom built house now that they actually have to live in it.
It’s hilarious to read other design blogs and hear people say “I’ve been really into gray lately. I don’t know why.” You’re into gray because the industry says you should be.
“Because the industry says so” is not the only reason. In her book “The House in Good Taste,” Elsie de Wolfe, one of the first prominent interior designers in the U.S., recommended painting all the walls dove gray, and I remember thinking “that’s crazy and depressing,” but she nudged me to consider the idea and now I have a house with a dark gray bedroom and a light gray office. The kitchen countertops are original gray cracked-ice laminate from 1954 or so; that part was not by my doing, but I really like it and it’s another testimony to the fact that gray has been a versatile and popular color off and on since forever. (Lest anybody get the wrong idea about my house, the main color isn’t gray. The gray is just a nice counterpoint to the many kinds of aqua I have going on …)
I love all of these comments, and couldn’t have said it better myself.
We spent last week in LA, part of the time in the Silver Lake area (aka Hipster Brooklyn West). There are 2 MCM/Danish Mod stores: Amsterdam Modern and Danish Modern Los Angeles. Talk about VIOLENTLY overpriced furniture. $3500 for a vintage sofa? no thanks. Our Milo Baughman cost a quarter of that. There are plenty of furniture deals still out there, you just need to do a little more digging to find them. Maybe all of the “low hanging fruit” has been picked at this point.
Dealers are ALL OVER THIS. My friend Ron, with the junque store in Pittsfield, now has pickers from Gotham showing up weekly. Two years ago — NOT A SINGLE ONE.
If you can get to them you can score big at country auctions where there’s less mid-century interest…well, depending on how many city dealers or pickers are there. Good luck!
Totally argree. I am going to a two day auction in central PA tomorrow and Saturday for just this reason. The have a great looking set of Fransiscan Starburst dishes that I am dying to have and lots of other goodies. I use AuctionZip.com to find auctions in my area. Great resourse and it shows auctions across the country.
Update – I scored on the Starburst dishes!! Nice sized set with several unique pieces to mix and match with what I already have. Very happy. Also found a metal stool (with the fold out foot ret) for my kitchen. It needs some TCL, but it will be great! Also some USA pottery straight out of the 50′s, several braided rugs and other odds and ends. Nothing beats a day at the auction!
Bamboo. Bamboo sheets, bamboo towels, bamboo floors, bamboo plants for the inside and landscape. I even got some socks for my dad that were bamboo! Just watch, we’ll mess around and make bamboo extinct!
I have heard that it takes tons of energy to process bamboo. I am not sure about the actual Life Cycle Assessment and whether it is actually a more sustainable solution than say, wool, cotton or even petro-based materials!
Bamboo grows about a quarter of an inch an hour so I really hope even humanity can’t destroy this resource. Now I’ve got to worry about Panda’s too….sob.
I think our comments are coming in at the same time, Just Another Pam. Show me some LCAs!
Bamboo has been overplayed. It supposedly does not hold up like a good solid hardwood floor.
Bamboo cannot be refinished like a hardwood floor, because of the long stringy fibers. If one wanted to try, you’d only be able to sand down a tiny bit before fraying it. As far as low price, it fits the bill for many budgets as the cost of wood has risen this last year. So weird, people have less to spend now and costs are higher for basic materials!
VCT tiles are a wonderful, authentic-retro choice — very affordable — and will last forever. Oak hardwood = will last forever.
I did some quick research and due to supply and demand bamboo anything ain’t what it used to be. Now it impacts natural forest, is chemically loaded during the growing process and again in construction of panels et al. On top of this the people and animals who included unfarmed bamboo as their habitat are being impacted negatively.
It appears, yet again, the further we keep humans from a good thing the better. Long suffering maternal type sigh.
Plus, am I off, or isn’t bamboo in textile form just Rayon??! But now they are calling it bamboo because it’s “green”.
Vintage rayon/viscose wasn’t made from bamboo but from wood cellulose but now, yes, bamboo is the star of the new version of rayon.
Those stupid printed French flour-sack pillows.
And is it time for those horrid plaques that say FAMILY or HOME to go away? They’re like the tattoos of the home and about as necessary. Yeah, yeah, you love your family and home so much you have to remind yourself by placing the letters FAMILY on the wall. Just like you have to have a butterfly tattooed on your arm to show everyone what a free spirit you are.
Yes, to those plaques and any stenciling or decals in the kitchen that have to do with FOOD or EATING. Really? I had no idea I could eat food in the kitchen.
haha
Wine/grape pictures for the kitchen. Honestly, just hang NOTHING in the kitchen rather than a plaque of grapes with a wineglass in the foreground that you bought at HomeGoods.
Argh! I recently found a still life I painted years ago that includes a wine bottle and some mangos. I thought, “Ooh, I should hang that in the kitchen!” I thought that was a great idea, but now I think that subconsciously I was following design trends!
Oh, well, better than leaving it in a box in the basement.
Right on with the flour sacks, Laura E. I have also seen these as as chair upholstery, and on ottomen. Talk about dated. They should just make “2011″ part of the stamped wording.
I’ll second that…And while we’re on the subject, I really wish anything that says Live, Laugh, Love would go away. Oh, and those big metal stars!
YES!! I cannot stand those decal quotes! “Kiss me goodnight” is another one I see a lot in bedrooms. I don’t think my husband needs to be reminded
Wallpaper is being aggressively marketed. Industrial items became more mainstream, fewer McMansions and more reasonably sized homes are being seen in tract housing, boomers started moving back into the city and downsizing completely changing the market for vintage items like depression glass and the dynamic of neighborhoods, collecting/hoarding/just too much ‘stuff’ lost it’s cachet to the point that there are multiple shows & books about it….much, much less is more again, more self expression less designer ‘chic’ so a lot of people are mixing it up but cutesy just ain’t what it used to be as indicated by even old standards like Country Living simplifying, more awareness of environmental impact, for example the paint industry, and gardens continue to be a strong focus with many.
“Spa bathrooms” and big tubs for more home luxury…I’ll admit I went there on my reno and tiny though the room may be with over sized black and white subway tiles it is lovely to not have the straight backed woefully uncomfortable for a tall girl ugly 50 year old beige tub anymore.
I like some things in the opening photo but over all it’s pretty oppressive and wonder how it is possible that 99.9% of people seen on house search shows can say…..oh, I was hoping for stainless appliances and granite counter tops. It seems every magazine I pick up is showing what is essentially the very same 10 kitchens with somewhat more variation in the bathrooms,
For me the more eclectic the house, the more artistic license taken to please oneself, the better. I hope that trend continues and people stop living for years like they might have to put their house up for sale sometime next week. Fly that freak flag even if it is probably the source of the unusual chandeliers ;0) that the design industry stole the idea from to try to keep their sales up.
Mid-century modern prices went through the roof due to supply and demand just like the prices for depression glass, pine furniture, oil lamps et al continue to drop due to limited demand and boomers who went there for a couple of decades find even their kids don’t want it so the market is flooded.
My brother, who keeps up with such things, tells me the ONLY houses being built where he lives are ranches. This year, the first boomers turned 65 — watch out, this is going to lead to big shifts, many/most of which we can’t even predict.
Our MCM was updated in the 80s by the former owners with a ton of wallpaper. My 5 yr old has discovered a handy seam right within her reach when she is sitting on the toilet….So we will soon be stripping wallpaper in our bathroom (she’s doing a fine job of the paper within her reach). Wallpaper should be BANNED!!!!
Apron-front “farm” sinks. I don’t think there was a single kitchen remodel in This Old House this year that did not have this “vintage” look (with granite countertops, of course). Part of the reason I didn’t renew my subscription, couldn’t stand to see the same kitchen one more issue.
As for the greige … we put in a grey linen-look Nevamar laminate countertop (not too much different than the Graveyard of the Atlantic!!) in our kitchen, and when used with yellow cabinets, a (soon-to-be) red floor, and a (soon-to-be) wallpapered breakfast nook, it is quite lovely. In my humble opinion. Too much greige, though … blech. We love color in this house!
Your kitchen sounds lovely, Lauryn. To clarify: Grey is a fine color. My reaction is against grey on every surface – like that catalog shot.
Yup, been hanging out at your site long enough to know that!! But I couldn’t resist defending that laminate … I still get a chuckle at the idea that when my DH and I first saw the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” laminate, we had to check it out just because of the name! In spite of being quite happy souls, we are somehow drawn to tragic novels, songs, films and couldn’t believe someone would name a laminate that.
P.S. So glad to have found this blog and know I am not alone in my taste. This list is fabulous and I’m loving reading everyone’s comments.
Stop. The. Granite. Seconding another commenter here, but whenever I lurk on Trulia to see what older homes have popped I am just aghast at how the kitchens are always completely torn out and granite and steel appliances put in. That’s going to look very dated in 20 years.
Friends recommending IKEA for everything. No, I don’t want to spend an afternoon there “just to look around” and no, I will not help you put together whatever crap you just bought.
Other than that, I honestly don’t know. This blog/site is the only place I go to for decorating ideas. I don’t know if that’s kind of sad for me or a feather in Pam’s cap, haha!
I’ll take it as a feather, Darlahood
Like I said in the post, I don’t pay much attention to what’s outside in the “real world”. I actually TRY to avoid it.
I’m actually going to defend IKEA. Yes, shopping there can take some getting used to, but they have a lot of clean lines, countertops that aren’t granite, and aren’t afraid of color. Their stuff is made for DIYers, and tends to be very well made, especially for the price. It isn’t perfect (what company is) but if you want to get furniture and cabinetry that fits in nicely in a mid-mod house, even if it isn’t strictly period, and you’re on a budget, IKEA is a good place to start.
Actually, this list is not supposed, fundamentally, to be suggesting that any given trend is “good” or “bad.” Except, it is impossible for me to bite my tongue over GN. I don’t live near an Ikea, so have little personal experience with their products.
Actually, I’m a kitchen planner @ IKEA, so I see/hear a ton about what people are thinking when it comes to kitchens. No, they’re not steel retro cabs, but what other than the originals are? And compared to the prices and quality that Lowe’s or Home Depot offer, it’s much better. If I had a dollar for every time someone is dismayed that we don’t have antique glazed cabinets w/dental molding I’d be redoing my bath right now.
But I’d have to agree that Granite being the “standard” for “resale” is the most consistent idiotic thing I hear said. I usually reply that you should plan your living space for you, not for some imaginary future occupant of the house. It’s like a constant anxiety, or inferiority complex. But what if the imaginary people won’t like it?!? People are squeezing islands the size of football fields into kitchens the size of bedrooms, topped with 1500 lbs of stone on floors that may or may not be able to handle the weight. I use phrases like “sound attenuating materials” and “spacial clearance” and I just get stared at blankly, and then asked if we sell 48″ wide fridges and dishwasher drawers. Sorry for the blabbing, but it’s totally wacky. So to me, this is the year of every surface being really hard, and all colors being really dark…much like a cozy dungeon.
Thanks for these comments, Ally Cat — you are on the “front lines”! To be sure, I have heard of many people happy with the options that Ikea offers.
Ally Cat, I’d not even thought of the floors! When we built our last house we had to make very special accommodation for the cook stove that included 6″ over centre 4 by 6′s, I shudder to think what a huge slab of rock would do to the structure!
I’ve noticed that a lot of people are using Ikea cupboards and upgrading the finishes though my ex and his boyfriend got their whole kitchen less appliances from Ikea. it looks amazing and they love it.
I only think of kitchen floor weight capacity because I grew up in an 1830′s farmhouse with heart pine floors. Those floors were solid, stable, and amazing, but just like in a family, you don’t make your elder family carry unecessary extra weight…totally disrespectful.
It wasn’t popular to do granite countertops in the 70′s and 80′s, (when I was a wee kitten) and those that live in old houses are the visitors, the house is the permanent resident. Really, to be fair, when it comes to countertops I think that many people fall in love with the natural patterns and colors that these gem-like granites provide.
That is understandable, but it’s just that like wearing too much jewelry or make-up, too much can be too much… and that can undermine true beauty!
I just want to add a comment about kitchen cabinets. A friend recently purchased a second home on her block to use as a rental and had IKEA kitchen cabinets installed. Her father, who is a cabinet MAKER, installed them for her and told her the hardware on all the pieces was quality hardware (hinges, drawer slides, etc).
Obviously a person would choose between low, medium and high quality grade materials that the cabinets are made from (my friend chose a medium quality) but it’s good to know that they are probably dependable, quality products.
good to know — thanks, Jeanne!
Hey, and for anyone interested in building their own fronts to match an existing kitchen, many people buy the frames and cabinet guts (hinges, drawers, etc.) and then make their own fronts to blend in with their own style.
OK, I’ll stop now, the whole point of not being at work is not thinking about…..Work!
How about those Mets?….
Too funny!
Good luck with that, Ally Cat!
I’m wondering how long the stainless steel appliances trend will last. It is greige though it’s been around a while. (I love my white appliances and bathroom fixtures too.)
I liked the lamp shade on ceiling lights idea for a while. I even constructed my own, but I’m tired of them already. I want something with a little personality and have found a lovely country french chandelier for my hall stairway.
As K mentioned, the open concept home is a disaster in my humble opinion. Back in the 90′s they were all the rage when I had moved and was house shopping. I resisted and found a traditional house with actual rooms in the public area. So much better to decorate and of course the noise problem is solved by a few strategically placed doors.
I’m glad I never yearned for granite. Still have my white formica countertops.
I have to admit that I’ve gone back to “beige” walls in the public areas and halls. I had color for quite a few years and thought bone/antique white/ navajo white would be a nice backdrop. But most rooms have some sort of wallpaper on one wall or under chair rail.
A recent trend is the TV on the wall or on top of a low dresser. All the old cabinet furniture is obsolete. I think there will be a lot less computer furniture now that the computers are getting smaller and laptops more affordable. Also, will land lines be a thing of the past soon?
Great builds, Marion. The first color I ever painted on a wall in my first-ever house circa 1985 was: Navajo White. I’ve been thinking about it lately. A classique.
And yup: Alas, alas for all that money – me included – spent on cabinetry to hold the TV.
Another computer-related prediction: sooner or later someone is going to notice that aging boomers wearing bifocals do NOT want their computer screen focal point directly in front of their face. This is driving me nuts. I have to arch my head back a good 30 degrees to get my screen into my bifocal range, or else type from halfway across the room.
Leslie, I had an older frame made with “computer lenses.” That’s what my eye doc called them. They work great.
I have bifocal contacts, and they are wonderful. Took a few fittings to get both the close and distance correct, but well worth it. However, I realize not everyone can wear contacts.
There seems to be an obsession with taking old furniture and painting it glossy white or glossy black…or glossy other-colors. Don’t get me wrong, I have painted my fair share of furniture, but sometimes it is just sad to see all that nice warm wood being covered up. Makes my inner Lesllie Keno shudder.
Also a trend towards what I call “ironic upholstery,” where vintage pieces are covered in bold modern fabric. Again, sometimes it looks cool but sometimes it feels overdone because it seems like they are sort of mocking the traditional style.
Yes, Clampers: Two good ones!
I just had a traditional channel back chair re-upholstered in a fun print, and it looks like a completely different chair. I figure I will probably tire of it in another 10 years when it needs re-upholstery again, and something else will be in style.
Here are a few I’ve noticed…some are multiyear trends.
*citron for kitchen accessories
*collage-look artwork (and fake book boxes), especially in French, with postage stamps.
*welded multicolored enameled metal wall decor.
*black iron candelabra (those scrolled things with candle spikes).
*mosaic glass candle hurricanes and display bowls.
Yes, Citron! That’s what I meant when I said Yellow as an accent color for the grey.
And I agree re the collage-look artwork. I think this is an outgrowth of all the collage on Etsy. Except, commercialized….”Put Some French On It!”
Hereabouts, we’re perhaps eighteen months behind the more urban areas on the current design trends; therefore, granite, stainless steel, and the open concept will be with us for yet a while.
The McMansions with gratuitous, purposeless ornamentation are still being built and landscaped with palm trees. Smaller Mac’s are appearing, but are so out of proportion in scale, etc, they look as if they were constructed by children from popsicle sticks.
Y’all have forgotten the corollary to the granite countertop, the travertine tile backsplash. I’m mcm house hunting in Dallas & if I see another listing extolling the “gorgeous granite countertops with travertine backsplash” I’ll lose it. Travertine is creeping into the bathrooms as well. Blech!
This has been trending for years now, but the botanical/bird focus on printed fabrics is strong (branches, leaves, grass, bird silhouettes (yes, put a bird on it!) and it’s moving to wallpaper and general tabletop decor.
The bird thing is great to hear. I’ve had a bird collection for more than 30 years. You know how it goes, you have a bird figurine, and somebody notices, so you get another one for a gift. Now you have two, so people notice, and you get more bird gifts. I have maybe 40 of them stashed in an antique glass front secretary. Maybe I should start bringing some of them out to accent spots in the house.
Open floorplans: blech. I need WALLS to hang the atrocious amount of wall mounted items I have. You can’t hang pictures on thin air!
Too many tiny rooms: blech # 2. It is one thing to have a simple MCM house of modest square footage with smaller sized rooms, but it is entirely another when floorplans are plus 2000 or even 3000 sq feet, and they just stuff more rooms in them without any room size increase. I don’t need a room for every activity, not even a family room.
Granite and stainless steel: this is my # 1 pick for a decade old “style” that just needs to DIE for god’s sake!
Greige: blech again. Pam has this well covered!!!!
Gotta echo the votes for granite and stainless.
Having househunted (and house-sold) this year, they are absolutely ubiquitous.
That said, it was easy to choose a realtor, because I knew when one understood that I would not look at houses with granite kitchens, we had a winner.
I even will assert that many of the forclosures out there may be a direct result of taking equity to put in said granite. So sad.
I have no idea the environmental cost to all that granite, but I suspect it’s significant.
I have a feeling that 20 yrs from now there will be some sort of forum for people who want to repurpose the granite taken from their dated twenty-teens kitchens.
Not a big fan of the glass mosaic tiles going into lots of hipster MCMs, either. Those are going to be pretty dated, and way too flashy for most modest homes.
Oh- and open floorplans with the vaulted ceilings. Seem to be trending down in CA. How much does it cost to heat/cool those rooms? Holy cow!
We have had at least two readers featured use glass tiles on their backsplashes. I think they did a nice job — it worked harmoniously in their design. Back in the 60s, there were actually opaque glass tiles in the same size, I think…
Pam-I used recycled glass tile on my kitchen backsplash. It looks a lot like the smaller ceramic mosaics from the 60′s. I used glass as accents in the bathroom along with white ceramic. That way, I could update in the future without gutting the entire bathroom.
I put glass mosaic tile in both bathrooms in my mid-century modest ranch, and lots of people think it’s the original tile.
Gee, I’m on a roll, LOL. We also have glass mosaic tile backsplash. It really fits the retro vibe of our kitchen.
We have glass mosaic with a glass mural behind the stove in our 1964 colonial. I love it! It replaced white formica that was added after a fire in the late 80s.
Trends come and go-dark cherry cabinets, tile floors, the dark granite countertops-all so pricy. And the upkeep on granite!-Not to mention smudges on stainless steel. Wait until people tire of this ‘luxury’ look and want color again! What next-tearing it all out[again] how “green”!
I’ll keep my speckled gold , thank you-much more versatile…
Gathering tables — who came up with this terrible idea? If I wanted to hang out in a bar, I’d hit my local watering hole.
I agree on the Restoration Hardware catalog! It is several hundred pages of yuck! Why would you want your house to look like it is dirty all the time and none of your lights work! What kind of people live in those spaces? Rich vampires, I’m guessing? I am just amazed they sell enough to stay afloat.
Got to admit-I like the stainless steel appliances, but granite? I can’t believe this is still in for 2011. Especially for MCM or MC-modest kitchens. Visually-it sucks all the square footage out of a smaller kitchen.
I’m all for quartz countertops. They mimic the look of terrazo or gold flecked formica and works well in retro renovations.
Yes! Quartz! I have been countertop shopping this week and have looked at many options including glass. The quartz wins hands down for price, availability and selection. Many of the sites I looked at hinted that granite was slipping from favor.
Speaking of granite being on the way out as a trend, I added desert sand Corian to my 1964 colonial after Corian was definitely out. You know what? It is still a darn good and attractive countertop, just not ‘trendy.’ I got caught up in the trend thing about granite but was too frugal to bite when I have this perfectly great sort of new countertop already. Corian was really hot in the 80s.
granite, travertine, stainless steel, fake hardwood floors & greige- all have to go. As do the words on the wall (family/love/kiss me goodnight etc).
I also do not like the open floor concept. I’m grateful that my kitchen actually has a pocket door to shut it off from the dining area (however, my dining area and living area are one big room – meant to be that way in 1965 floorplans).
The trend I dislike most – is ripping up a good MCM home to accomodate all that stuff. (I know we are not supposed to kvetch and complain on this website)
Thanks Pam!
I like the open concept, but it does depend on the house. Our time capsule had a nice sized living room, small dining nook and a cramped, awkward kitchen. It was really dark in all the rooms. We took out a lot of the wall between the kitchen and living room and moved a counter into that space and it made all the difference to the look of the house. Layout and maybe family habits make all the difference whether the design works or not.
Our house was built in 1963, single level brick ranch, and our kitchen and LR are open. We have a half wall between the two rooms where we now have a bartop.
gsciencechick, thanks for that! It makes me feel better about the alteration of the time capsule, that it is not completely off for the era of the house. It really makes a huge difference in the liveability. I have before and after pix, and yes, I do miss that wall for furniture and artwork, but the light is wonderful.
Funiture made out of old unfinished doors and pallets. Having seen pallets in use, there is no way that they could ever be sufficiently cleaned so that I bring one in my home.
Also agree with the comments on greige, stainless and granite – too overdone, dark and boring.
I have a open floorplan with a vaulted ceiling, and they are extremely expensive to heat and cool (especially in Southern California). Also not enough wall space and hard to figure out how to arrange the furniture.
1. Hate granite and stainless. The harvest gold of the 90′s/00′s.
2. Like my kitchen being a kitchen, thx. Hate the open concept.
3. I cried when the lady we bought our house from 11 years ago talked about how all the appliances in the kitchen were pink when they bought the house and how long it took them to replace them.
I thought of another trend, Fire! There are candles everywhere, next to drapes, tall tapers on coffee tables, on the mantels. And speaking of mantels, faux fireplaces that burn gel fuels are all over the place too, on coffee tables, under windows, in little boxes between rooms.
I live in a veritable sea of ’50s MCM ranches. It is heartbreaking to see all of the “updates” forced upon these lovelies, especially the granite/stainless steel so many are mentioning here. It just feels like, and please pardon the crassness (I am really not an ageist–I am 48!!!), an old lady in a mini skirt. No matter how great her legs are, it’s bound to be an awkward combination.
That said, do you suppose in 50 years there will be a huge nostalgic wave for “vintage” granite/stainless steel kitchens, “just like Grandma used to have!”?
I hear you! I live in a similar neighborhood. While all the exteriors have been preserved, Most of the kitchen/bath renovations are this faux Tuscan style. Makes me cringe!
I’m with Jane/MulchMaid- everything has a bird on it! (Do you also live in the Northwest??)
As for the open floor plan…we have a wall in between our kitchen and our living room with two counter-height “windows” that easily open and shut and a door at the end. It took some time for me to get used to the style, but now I love it (as I can shut the kitchen off to eliminate the dishwasher noise…or hide in there when the kids are being too loud!) It’s kind of the best of the two ideas combined. It’s interesting to hear the comments that visitors make- they either love it or hate it…there’s no in between!
(Oh, and don’t get me started on the whole stainless steel/granite snobbery…I was over that when we tried to sell our last house which was not “updated” to current standards. We heard every insulting thing you can imagine about the kitchen. Fortunately, the woman that ended up in the house LOVES the kitchen. Imagine that!
Yes, Wendy, I live in Portland(ia). Glad you agree!
I’m in Corvallis…a much smaller town (than Portland) with a similar mindset.
I am so glad to see I am not the only crazy person out here. We will be building a home and I want my kitchen to look like one of the 50′s. The painted flat face cabinet doors with the slightly rounded edge, rounded edge colored appliances (think a blue or pink or green Big Chill refrig – although I cringe at the Big Chill prices), a formica dinette set like in the 50′s diners. Happy sigh! Heywood-Wakefield living room furniture. Chenille bedpread (actually I want a chenille duvet) like at my grannies. Oh happy memories.
Thanks for a great post. The comments were priceless.
Do you think the Willowtree Angels will stand the test of time??
Still standing by my distaste for the granite and stainless vibe, but maybe I came off too harsh on glass tile. I think they are pretty, and heaven knows I like color. I’ve seen a lot of really nice and thoughtful restoration/renovations with readers here.
Didn’t mean to cast aspersions on any of those.
I’ve just seen some glass tiles that are too, too much for the kitchens or baths they are in.
Our rule of thumb around here is not to restore with anything that would be too fancy for the original home. Sort of like the rules for dressing business casual.
You know-dress one tiny click up from what you think your client would wear. No more, no less, and you’ll always fit in.
Same way I wouldn’t put a huge chandelier in a small room. Not only no longer functional, just doesn’t FEEL right.
Oh, my, that reminds me, Lladro figurines!
Here’s an exterior trend that started well before 2011, but certainly saw no signs of slacking off this year — the notion that when using fake stone, brick, and wood, you can completely ignore the old rule of placing the heaviest building material on the bottom and the lightest on top. Used to be, builders would use real stone for a foundation, real brick for exterior siding, and real wood for trim and dormers, for example. Now, all the vinyl and resin substitutes weigh the same, so, hey, anything goes, such as vinyl wood siding with stone dormers. Makes me cringe when I see such things.
I think upcycling quality vintage furniture by painting it in various dark colors. Then, using it for bathroom vanities, kitchen islands, etc.
We did that in the seventies too, although admittedly we mostly didn’t paint them!
I am sort of scared by all the terrariums I am seeing. I remember them from my childhood and it doesn’t take long for them to become very scary sort of green goop ponds. I fear it will inspire people to “stick a frog on it” in place of the bird!
One thing I do like is low VOC paint. We recently repainted all the rooms in the little house with low VOC paint and it was nice to be able to use the rooms immediately after painting and not have to wait for the smell to go away.
One thing that bugs me is replacing old windows. I kept the old 6 over 6 windows in my house and added storm windows instead of replacing them with new double paned windows. It’s just as energy efficient and didn’t add anything to a landfill.
Sometimes I think it’s just consumption for consumption’s sake. Tearing down your barns to build bigger barns.
The low VOC paint is a great addition, AEH. Good on you for doing the storms instead of popping for the replacements — which I hear would fail in 20 years!
I love those old windows. They make the point that this is an old cottage. And you are correct, new ones fail in a short period of time. Plus, I read that new ones are tricky to fit in an old house, causign more draft & air leaks.
Had I known about the window nightmare … we replaced the windows in our kitchen (I needed a rubber mallet to open and close them and there are no storms/screens big enough to accommodate them). Though I am happy that I can get air circulating in there, they don’t look quite the same as the old ones, but worse yet, the space was an odd size, so this was no simple replacement. Have had two different contractors working on them, neither of whom seem to care about the job; they STILL don’t have the proper trim outside, which means I still have a draft coming in (so much for more energy efficient) and all this extra work means more money (and the windows themselves were a small fortune). The good news is we have found someone who is a genius, has integrity, and knows how to make it all right, and in the end I think it will be okay. More money, but I just want it taken care of. (Note: the old ones will not be going to a landfill, but will be used to make cold frames for the garden someday.)
In short, I am not TOUCHING any of the remaining 13 windows in my little cottage. The storms on them are working just fine, thank you.
Thanks to an article Pam posted here years ago I resisted replacing what is for all intents and purposes a wall of glass and had those windows repaired instead. Blessings be upon her and the people who did the research.
The new Restoration Hardware tome feels rather “steam-punk-ish” to me. As though the characters living with those furnishings have no children or spouses, but are instead reckless monocle and johdpur wearing adventurers who wind their clocks when they are home, but mostly fly about in their steam powered biplanes collecting oddities, while their furniture collects dust.
I wish it all had a bit more color and humor…because I think the steanpunk aesthetic is rather interesting…if not quite right for me.
I wonder if it’s just a tiny blip of a fad or perhaps a larger trend.
yup yup yup!
I don’t read any renovation/decorating blogs but this one. (I wouldn’t mind finding a few more retro sites) I don’t know or care what the design trends are in 2011.
Based on the comments I’d have to say one thing has held constant through the years – most people jump on the same band wagon.
Years ago I was a house painter doing a lot of new construction jobs. The trends may have been different than today, but everyone did the same thing, then something else became popular and everyone did that. People are afraid to be individuals.
Ha! You get a prize, Chris H. Yes, this is what this post is all about!: “The trends may have been different than today, but everyone did the same thing, then something else became popular and everyone did that.”
Wow, the flood gates opened.
.
What happened to the rule of not tearing down other people’s design choices?
That said, I am still enjoying reading this thread.
Well ummm, the rule has gone to heck with this thread. Yes, “No one should be made to feel bad for their design choices” still are wise words. Everyone WANTS to make a beautiful home. That greige thing gets me all hypocritical. It’s funny, though, when you start listing out the “trends” it is easy to make fun — maybe because when the mass market takes hold, and you start seeing the same thing all over the place, you start to rebel. Too much of a good thing — taken too far — becomes *hideous*. “Familiarity breeds contempt.” I go back to my original question: Judging aside, which of these will be “keepers” 50 years from now.
I love those glass mosaics, and also the art on tile glass murals. I think those will be keepers down the road, as the designs are unique and the artwork adds a one of a kind feel to the room. It’s like those art tiles you featured the other day.
One trend I’ve noticed in all of the 2011 magazines are starburst mirrors. Most are gold and have an elegant and formal look, but I have seen them made out of everything from driftwood to DIY with wooden shish kabob skewers.
This talk of greige and stainless steel had me chuckling, because my mid century home has the original stainless appliances and beige tiles from 1965!!!
Who else is puzzled by the popularity of vessel sinks, especially hard-to-clean glass ones?
I have never had one, but agree the vessel sinks look hard to keep clean. You not only have to clean the bowl, but also outside of it as well. And the glass ones must need to be wiped down everyday.
I think my comment was “eaten” by the web gods so here goes again. The talk of greige and stainless made me chuckle, because I have original 1965 greige backsplash tiles and original 1965 stainless appliances in my kitchen, which was originally 1960′s colonial,. At some point in the 60′s or 70′s it got an unintentionally hilarious Mediteranean floor and light fixture thing going on so now I have a colonial Mediterranean look going on.
But back to 2011. VESSEL SINKS, yes, in glass even! How do people keep those clean?
mimi, your original comment is here — i need to approve first-time comments — welcome! And yes, there WERE stainless steel appliances in the 50s and 60s. Not common, but there.
Wall decals seem to be the in thing–not just the motto ones, but the picture ones as well.
My guess is that their popularity is partly due to all the greige–one needs some color, and a ginormous gerbera will do that.
Nothing wrong with Edison bulbs. The flourescents are cold, ugly and dangerous. It’s a political tool only.
I LIKE steampunk. I said it. I like it. I’ve liked it for years and years though, and what Restoration Hardware is doing to it (i.e. making it much less DIY and much more expensive) is kind of sad.
Also, steampunk is supposed to be fun and magical and have whimsical elements. I see that really missing. I love edison bulbs, you guys, even in Mid-C lamps because I am a sap like that, but where is the crazy jetpack FUN of steampunk?
I call one trend Faux Austerity. This is when you have a rebar or casters and pallets turned into a coffee table your granddad would call a failed garage project – except it cost two thousand dollars. Looking at YOU, Anthropologie! I see you there in the corner, thinking everyone will pick on Restoration Hardware.
I don’t even mind DIY.
Two others I am more unsure about: 1) Silhouettes of nature-y things (Which I like, in small doses, but are so ubiquitous I feel dopey) 2) Taxidermy, either ironic and plastic/ceramic/glass/paper or real.
I kind of want both, but I’m not sure how to do it so it doesn’t feel/look by-the-numbers.
Jordanna, I like a lot of steam punk too….some of it can be amazing art! And I scored some of the original bulbs, new in package, earlier this year. They’re in my back hall closet as I’ve no talent equal to real steam punk but I have faith I’ll find a place for them.
White ceramic animals. Especially deer heads with antlers on the wall. I actually think they are cute, but in 50 years real deer heads will still be around (at least in hunting states) and I doubt the ceramic ones will be.
yes: Faux Austerity!!!
yes: Nothing is inherently “bad” about any of these trends! I like fun, magical steampunk — neo victorian industrial, too! and, have my eye on doing a layered birdcage chandelier – with all vintage elements.
I’m going to agree with vessel sinks – they look like huge salad bowls on a cabinet to me. I cleaned house for a couple with two bowl sinks made of admittedly gorgeous marbley stone, but man, they were hard to clean! You have to reach around under and behind!
I absolutely can’t stand brown stone in bathrooms! I don’t think I’d feel like it was ever clean (I mean, how could you tell?) and, well, I just don’t want to look at brown when I’m in a bathroom.
My vote for the biggest trend, and the one that depresses me to no end, is the “updated” kitchens and baths in all the repos, short sales, and very few standard sales. I see them all the time here in SoCal in our real estate listings. Granite, granite, travertine, more granite, some laminate faux-wood floors, huge tiles in bathrooms all the way up the walls. Ugh. It just sickens me to think of all the waste of tearing out the old kitchens and baths and dumping them.
Oh, and front doors with ginormous lead-glass/cut-crystal-look windows and lots of moulding – they are usually stuck on modest little houses and just look ridiculous. Like a modestly-dressed woman walking down the street in a honking big tiara.
Tikimama, That’s just perfect! You have perfectly described my front door that most people can’t understand why I hate. The former owner is always reminding me how expensive it was for her to put in but it’s quasi Victorian brothel and drives me mad. Hope to replace the light next year so it will be plain and simple reeded glass just like the tall original window 6 feet from it.
I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that the dark wood furniture is going to be popular in 50 years, because its something that can be used as a back drop for a variety of colors and textures. Or maybe I just hope that, since I have a very dark brown glass fronted china cabinet in my dining room.
I think that VOC paint will continue to be popular, I used it on my dining room (we picked it for the color, rather than being VOC, but now I don’t want to use anything else.
Furniture colors change, like everything else, and it’s typically a 20 year turn-around. We’re about due for things to swing back to honey maple, I would think. But hang on to your dark wood things. I thinks it’s best to stick with the classics for your big case goods. I just bought a mahogany secretary desk from the 40′s or 50′s. It’s a nice piece and will always be in style. I am displaying a few pieces of my great-grandmother’s ironstone in the top part.
I am also tired of the PerGranTeel kitchens (pergo + granite + stainless steel). Sadly, when we went to buy a replacement stove the only options that didn’t have an electronic dashboard were the Big Chill stoves (available in white, my preferred color) or stainless. Our choice was a Bertazzoni in stainless b/c it was half the price of the Big Chill (and it’s made in Italy). Sort of bummed me out that I couldn’t get a decent quality WHITE stove without those darn touch pads (they never last for me & the boards are expensive or discontinued IME).
Meanwhile, you can get lots of color in your laundry room. Why is that? Seems so unfair …
I think that pot lights will fall out of favor, but I’m not sure what will replace them. It just seems that every room now has a virtual runway of lights embedded in the ceiling – even living rooms and bedrooms!
I think pot lights must be going out of style already, given the number of catalogs I get that have pendant lights that you just screw into the old fixtures. Although, I frankly can’t imagine pendants where my pot lights are!
I don’t know when this trend started, exactly, but I really hate “boob” lights. We bought a 1956 modern looking ranch last year that was an estate sale. The daughter had all the original lighting ripped-out and replaced with these brushed nickel fixtures that don’t go with the house at all. I lay in bed at night staring up at the giant “boob” on the ceiling and I hate it. I’d love to replace all these lights, but they’re brand new and in great shape. If I wait for them to naturally die before I replace them, I’ll be stuck with them for years. However, I feel wasteful and bad for wanting to get rid of perfectly good light fixtures. We’ve considered pulling them down and selling them on Craigslist to help fund their replacements. Still in the talking stages though. But that’s a trend that can go away for ever as far as I’m concerned.
BAHHH HA HA HA HA!! Our house was FULL of “boob lights” when we moved in, and WE CALL THEM THAT TOO! I hate them. They still exist in our bedroom and office because I’ve been too lazy to put up our vintage fixtures. But I despise those things!
yes — I call them that, too! Because THAT IS what they look like. Wanna guess what I call many of the bathroom faucets being thrust on us today?
I’m sure it’s very lady-like!
Hmmmm, I was guessing it might be rather manly ;o)
love the words you chose…hah.
I picked the dreaded tan tiles for my bathroom remodel (after a water leak) and glad I did. It’s a soft earthy color and goes well with the honey maple cabs. Used Lvoc eggshell onthe alls and ceilng.
One “trend” I went with is open (exposed) area under sink to facilitate wheelchair or vanity bench. I like the clean lines (you can’t see the pipes unless you bend over) and the area is easy to clean. I also went with a walk in shower (no curb) as I was tired of banging my bare toes on the old one. So far so good. I installed one stationary shower head and on the opp. wall, one of the sliding bar hand-held ones. Great for rinsing the shower when cleaning, or for using when sitting on a teak stool–great for when you hurt your back. I also love the taller toilets that are out now. Using an older style toilet now is like doing the ‘camping squat’! Can you tell I’m past 60? The reality is we all start to wear out, and comfort becomes King.
Ah, the ubiquitous “boob” light. There’s got to be something Freudian in the proliferation of those things. I recall a RR reader’s comment a while back in which she called them the “nipple light”. I so agree.
I hope the vessel sinks vanish; lovely to look at, but not so practical.
One trend I’m noticing – even here in the hinterlands – is concrete flooring painted to resemble whatever you choose. I hope this one makes it.
Oh this drove me nuts when I was house-hunting two years ago–it was so offensive to me to see places where the owner had clearly done a quick, relatively cheap renovation with the expectation that it was going to get them another $10-20K, when what they had put in was stuff I would have to pay to rip out and redo to get it to my own taste. The worst was a place that had just been covered with wall-to-wall brilliant white carpet, just what you want with two indoor cats, one given to regular puking. And then, after I made a full-price offer, they countered with a higher price! Argh! I was fortunate finally to find a place that had basically not been touched since it was built in 1961, and although I did have to do some ripping out (mirrors on every single wall of the bathroom–really? You really spent 50 years watching yourself on the can?), at least it wasn’t spanking new stuff.
Okay, I give–what is a boob light?
Here’s an example. This is a Viking Maiden Boob Light: http://www.lowes.com/pd_36463-1390-G4319-ABZ-I_4294761612_4294937087_?productId=1244437&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1¤tURL=%2Fpl_Nov%2BLighting%2BEvent%2B75_4294761612_4294937087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=
Oh, yes, now it is obvious!
This has been a fascinating thread! Does anyone else agree that there maybe something here that only the wonderful Retrorenovation can possibly begin to address — what advice would you give to someone if you ALREADY live in a house that has an open plan, or granite/steel in the kitchen — sounds like folks hate these the most, and these, short of spending lots or even moving, are the hardest to change. How do you overcome that? I know Pam’s fans are not snobs, so I am sure there must be plenty of ideas out there to share. . . Can’t wait to see what we collectively come up with!
Good point ! It takes creativity to deal with the probs. that the modern housing world throws at you, and there are plenty of good people living in badly designed houses. Give ‘em hope! I saw on this site room dividers with different shaped openings, yet I can’t recall the company name, help anyone?
Crestview Doors: http://retrorenovation.com/2011/09/14/breaking-news-crestview-doors-introduces-6-decorative-midcentury-style-wall-screens-room-dividers/
Someone mentioned relief at finding a real estate agent who understood that they wouldn’t consider a house with stainless steel in the kitchen. For me, the deal breaker was snout houses (houses where 1/3 or more of the front facade is the vast expanse of garage door). My partner and I refuse to live in a snout house — they look imbalanced and antisocial to me. Eliminating them cut out about 90% of the inventory on the real estate listings, including a couple of entire neighborhoods built in the last 10 years. (One such neighborhood has about 200 interchangeable snout houses for sale in a one-mile-square area — if you want a house that’ll be a pleasure to resell, buy something special to begin with.)
Snout houses have been getting prevalent for too long to be a hot trend of 2011, but it saddens me to think that they’re now the norm. I’ve seen houses with as many as THREE garage bays on the front. And others where the garage is 75% of the facade and the “front” door is set in sideways where you can’t find it.
Part of the allure of the snout for the developer is that, when you don’t run the driveway up the side for a side- or rear-entrance garage, you can make the lots narrower and jam more houses into a development — but that leaves less room for trees and results in what I call “Grey Poupon houses” because you can lean out your dining room window and ask the neighbor “Pardon me …”
Other items: When I gutted the bathroom in my old circa-1900 house, the remodeler was pushing a vessel sink, and I said, “People will look at it and say ‘This bathroom must have been done within 5 years of 2007.’” He chuckled and agreed.
“Live laugh love” is already stale.
Stainless steel, however, is a timeless and versatile material, and I don’t see it ever going away. It’s the other perennial besides white enamel.
I soooooo agree about those houses with the garages taking up most of the front. They stick the house behind the garage so the whole thing fits on a smaller lot. Not for me, no thank you.
I agree with you 100% on the snout houses. I hate them – it’s like buying a garage with a house attached, instead of the other way around.
Up until about the 80′s, owning a home was the American Dream. (Now we act as if it is our right.) We bought homes then for shelter, a place to live and raise our families. We allowed ourselves to personalize our homes to express who we were. The goal was to someday have a mortgage burning party. That was something to look forward too!
In the 80′s, homes became an investment. Families no longer looked at a home as a place to see our children grow up, but a place to live “for now” until we could sell it for a profit, take the equity, and buy a bigger, better house. Most children today live in several homes before they move out on their own. Not our parents. It was the family home place.
When our houses turned from being a “home place” to being an “investment”, design and decorating demands changed. Now it is all about the re-sell value. Gone were the days of letting our freak flag fly and decorating our homes to our taste, needs and lifestyle. Everything became planned to meet the taste palettes of the masses.
So basically, we now build our homes for someone else!
As for the trends of today…
Pot fillers built in at the stove.
That, almost, shag looking carpet.
Outdoor kitchens.
Heated floors.
And Showers with enough sprayers to wash your car.
wow; well said. Can I quote you in an upcoming talk?
It’s so funny how design works in cycles, because many things harken back to houses from the 70′s. Cork, radiant-heat floors, ….shag carpets. And not only 1970′s ideas, but the idea that one’s home is one’s vacation home, thus the outdoor kitchen obsession! It’s almost like saying, “our home is a retreat, so no vacation is needed”, but after all that money is spent, one still wants a vacation.
As much as I distain fad for fad’s sake, we shouldn’t give the design-hacks of today too much credit! They didn’t invent home bars with smoked mirror tiles, they just assume that all of us are too young to remember the first go-round of these ideas. Just as hem-lines rise and fall, house fashion changes too. One thing I would love to see that I knew as a kid in the A-frame mountain houses of NC, are conversation pits around a free standing metal fireplaces! Talk about cosy…the 70′s interpretation of old Swiss Chalets was priceless. Now, they’ve torn many down to build Georgian revivals on every lake and mountainside…sad.
Hey, although this is off topic–I propose we have a “Save the Mid-Mod-Motor Court”, you won’t find those family run places easily, but they are still out there!
Sara in WA – I would be honored! Thanks.
Wow — I’ve been saying that for years! That people buy homes as a commodity, not as a place you LIVE. My kitchen has the original pink appliances, new VCT flooring that I have to (gasp) polish, flying saucer light fixture and the living room has no built in lighting, and original everything. I LIVE here, and I want it that way. If I ever decide to sell it, I’ll sell it to someone else who likes it too, or slap hideous off white paint on everything for $500. Cheap at the price to be in a place I really want to be in. Life is too short to live in an investment.
How about arabesque tiles and carrara marble counters? A countertop company in San Francisco announced that last month, for the first time, they installed more carrara marble counters than granite. Full spectrum paints are becoming more main stream–Benjamin Moore is rolling their Color Stories full spectrum paints out this month. The arabesque shaped tiles have a very retro feel. I have seen them used in both kitchens and baths.
definitely echo commenters that mentioned the birds/ botanical themes and the feed sacks and burlap for upholstery. i dont know if it’s been mentioned, but i keep wondering with “distressed” furniture will be out of style. i also see a lot of upholstered headboards – easy for the diy-er, mismatched dining room chairs, fabric/rugs with writing, chairs with numbers on them (?) mercury glass, ombre, ikat and suzani fabrics. trends that i am personally ok with sticking around are the peacock inspired designs especially the colors and the bright juicy colors like coral and turquoise.
i also love reupholstering an old piece of furniture in a modern fabric. that is the intended purpose of reupholstery. i think we forget that with the disposable furniture we have today. as an upholsterer, that is a trend that can stay!
And what is with the owls? Every design blog seems to be featuring fabrics with owls on them, wrapping paper with owls, owl-shaped vases and bookends… This trend has me totally confused.
Every hipster interior has the quintessential antlers/taxidermy collection, and the globe/vintage map collection.
I really enjoyed reading about the “snout” houses…I have felt that way for a long time! I always think big, pretentious, cookie cutter when I see them, now, I will be thinking “snout” house. how appropriate!
I have noticed:
Granite counter tops
stainless steel appliances
stone floors in neutral colors
neutral walls with a “feature” wall in red or some other color
two toned walls seperated by chair railing for those trying to add “character”
french doors replacing sliders.
Here in Aiken SC its all of the above in 1940′s-50′s homes plus they are painting the brick and adding seamed metal roofs. (I love metal roofs on cute little ranchers but painting brick just seems so wrong) oh….and lastly, they take away the iron work posts and add big colonial columns.
I intend to refinish mine and someone told me they “dated” my house…and I needed to put a pitch on my “flat” car port roof. lol I will be replacing some bad wood,,,but its staying flat…and…I’m keeping the iron!!! Lets celebrate the iron work!!!
Interior trends I’m sick of seeing:
Granite countertops
Tumbled marble backsplashes (or anything, for that matter)
Vessel sinks
Showers with more electronic components than my car’s dashboard
Master bedrooms/baths referred to as “retreats/spas”
Home theaters
Overblown “Impress the delivery man” two-story entrance foyers
Anything “Old World” – from antiqued wall finishes to hand scraped wood floors to rusty iron fixtures
Exterior trend I’m sick of: Tall houses with lots of pointy gables, arched windows and a front porch topped with a two-story high arch. Blech.
Good design never goes out of style. Pretense and showiness wear thin. My two cents worth!