10 Home Decor Trends That Are Cool Again Jared Kuzia
“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”
Whether your first love is fashion or home design, you no doubt know one essential truth: What goes around comes around. Overnight, a design detail that seemed to be the height of taste or refinement now somehow looks outdated, even old-fashioned. Blame it on our ravenous appetite for change. “Monotony in our spaces gets boring over time, and we are called to shake things up to breathe new life into the space,” says Alexandra Peck, owner and principal of Alexandra Peck Design.
While every homeowner should decorate their house in a way that makes them happy (even if they have an affinity for a passé trend), if you’re reading this, you’re probably someone who wants a space that looks fresh and current. Now, onto the good news: Your long-gone favorite may be finally making a long-awaited (and honestly, inevitable) comeback. “Just as in fashion, there is a cyclical nature to design,” says Peck. “We find comfort in looking back through history to reconnect with ideas.”
Ahead, interior designers share 10 trends that only recently seemed impossibly dated, and are now definitely cool again.
For more trend reports, check out:
The Color Brown
Interior designer Alexandra Kaehler says that brown is definitely having a moment, “and I for one and am so excited about it.” For many years, everyone seemed to steer clear of the dark hue. “Now I’m seeing brown everywhere,” she says. “Brown lacquered walls, brown upholstery. It offers such richness and warmth while still feeling neutral and fresh.”
Amelia Stanwix
Textured Plaster Walls
Plaster walls were once standard, but with the advent of drywall, the finish fell out of favor as people opted for the smoother, faster installation process of drywall. “Textured plaster was often seen as too traditional or even too labor-intensive to maintain,” says Krystal Reinhard, founder and principal designer at Old Soul Design Studio. Now, people are warming up to textured plaster walls once again. “The revival of plaster is connected to the desire for homes that feel handcrafted and unique,” Reinhard says. “As homes get larger, expansive planes of drywall can feel incredibly cold and impersonal. Textured plaster adds depth and warmth, and it has a certain tactile quality that drywall can’t replicate.
PHOTO: ERIN LITTLE
4×4 Tiles
Diana George, founder of DG Design Group Builders, says that while 4×4 square tiles may have recently seemed dated, they’re now being reimagined with a fresh twist, including high-gloss finishes and varied color palettes. “They provide both simplicity and a modern edge in kitchen backsplashes and bathrooms,” she adds.
Christopher Lee Foto
Dark Hardwood Floors
White oak wood floors have been a go-to for many designers in recent years (Shannon Eddings, principal at Shannon Eddings Interiors, included), but some designers and homeowners are now gravitating toward dark hardwood floors. “I find myself drawn toward a richer stain on floors and a thinner plank size,” says. Eddings. She specifically calls out 2 to 3” planks stained in a mid to dark finish as flooring that will be a popular choice in the coming years.
Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Red Paint
Red paint was a top design choice in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which means it’s primed for a comeback—and Eddings predicts that rich, red paint colors will soon be ubiquitous. “The dining room in my childhood home was a beautiful shade of red in the 1990s and eventually got painted over,” she laments. “Now [the shade is] fresh again. Everyone in our office is over the moon about red, especially on cabinets.”
Eric Piasecki
Checkerboard Floors
Black-and-white checkerboard floors were a mainstay of 1950s kitchens, “but as tastes shifted toward more neutral palettes in the late 20th century, they were often replaced with plain tiles, wood, or modern flooring,” Reinhard says. Now, people are embracing the old-school appeal of these floors. “Checkerboard patterns offer a timeless yet playful design that fits well with the current desire for more dynamic, personality-driven interiors,” she adds. “It introduces a graphic element that can make a bold statement in both modern and traditional settings.”
Nate Sheets
Old-School Florals
Designer Gray Walker says that old-school florals are returning, something that she is particularly excited about. “Everything old feels new to me,” she says. Kaehler agrees. For the past few years, she’s noticed a rebirth of floral print fabrics, specifically floral chintz. “I think that it’s tied to nostalgia for a lot of people,” she says. “Their grandparents’ house growing up was covered in it, then their parents went all beige, the kids went gray, and they’re ready to get back to their roots and cover everything in florals.”
Jonathan Bond
Conversation Pits
Talk about a blast from the past. “Conversation pits, made popular in the 1970s, are such a fun and inviting way to bring people together in a laid-back, relaxed atmosphere,” Peck says. “Once the ’80s rolled around, the focus shifted from peace and love to corporate America and achieving success in business, so our interiors became more buttoned up, modern, and sleek as a result. In this post-pandemic era, there is such emphasis on gathering with friends and loved ones as we realized what matters to us most, and there is a sweeping feeling that there is more to life than work.” In other words? Conversation pits are back.—and we think that’s pretty groovy.
BongkarnThanyakij
Wood Paneling
It’s easy to picture a 1970s home with wood paneling, since it was such a staple back then, but Peck actually thinks it’s a “beautiful design element” and is becoming popular again. “Wood has a natural warmth and texture that enriches any space, and I find my clients are drawn to the depth it brings,” she observes.
Mali Azima
Textured Wallpaper
Wallpaper used to be a gold standard in homes back in the day, but people are starting to weave it into their spaces once again. Designer Ethan Greenfeld says that, at one point, wallpaper got a “bad rep” for its old-school reputation. “Through the technology that we have nowadays, wallpaper manufacturers can create these incredible rolls of material that look and feel like wood, have mother of pearl panels, or are embroidered with these beautiful patterns with amazing textures,” he says. “Technology was able to take something that became synonymous with the words ‘old and stuffy’ and create something that feels completely current and modern.”
Nathan Schroder
You Might Also Like