Have you noticed in the home design/decor world that the minute something is "in," it's out? Heaven forbid you have ANYTHING gray in your home. (Gasp!) Or a colorful tile backsplash, white ceilings (or doors or trim), LVP flooring, bright colors, barn doors, crown molding, curtains with grommets, etc. And, just when you finally ripped out that wall separating your kitchen from your living room, upgraded to marble countertops, and painted your kitchen cabinets white, "closed concept" is the new thing, marble is cliche, and white cabinets are "giving grandma." Guys - I'm so tired.
Can we just stop?
I don't mean that things should never change - I'm happy to see many past design trends stay in the past. What I mean is, can we just stop caring what the "experts" say about how our homes should look and give up chasing the elusive "now" aesthetic? The never-ending revolving style door that keeps beckoning us back to the furniture stores, antique shops, Amazon, and home decor places is all about the almighty dollar - and getting you to part with as many of yours as possible. Convincing you that what you have is wrong is a robust revenue stream.
My biggest design sin is that I have three different rugs in the three separate and distinct areas of my fairly large great room, and one of them is centered under a coffee table and doesn't reach under the legs of the surrounding furniture! I know, I know! Take all the time you need to recover from that egregiousness! (Don't tell anyone, but I also have a colorful tile backsplash, some grommet-top curtains, and several other current big design "don't's.") And I like them - all of them - so they will stay - for now. Because I'm me, though, and have the attention span of a gnat and an innate unconquerable desire for change, many of these things will be different in the not-too-distant future, but not because they are considered design faux pas. They will change when I get tired of them and decide to move on to something else. And there is a very good chance that the "something else" will be fodder for a design expert meltdown, too.
Listen, I enjoy looking at the trends, admiring different styles, and appreciating well-put-together, inviting spaces, even when they're not my aesthetic. But I couldn't care less about what's "in" at the moment (and inevitably "out" very soon). So, I do what I love, what brings me joy, and what draws me back into that room simply to flip the switch and look at it again for a moment because it makes me feel so warm inside. And I suggest you do the same. If you genuinely love a current trend, go for it! But never give in just because "it" is popular. What the experts (or anyone else) think of the things you love in your home is as meaningless as the fickle trends themselves.
It's your home - your sacred space - your refuge. Be bold and unapologetic about your choices. The way your home should look is however you want it to look.
Period.
*See my "Nest With Abandon" blog for some similar but different stuff on this topic. I wrote it in 2021 after about a year of lockdowns and staying at home.