I’ve had clients or people in my life ask what color is trending, and as an interior designer, I wouldn’t say I like this question because I don’t care. There are many beautiful colors out there, and trends shouldn’t be what pushes you out of where you want to go, and that is not all of what interior design is anyway.
People think interior design is only about the color, decoration of the space, and the specific design style. Still, it’s a lot more than that. Sometimes, I find that paint color question off-putting because design is, yes, about how the home looks in terms of style. It’s about many things like building codes and implementing them into a floor plan, plus figuring out all the details, not just what color or style is trending.
Trends really don’t mean anything
Think about it: would you really care if you didn’t see so much press on them? No, you wouldn’t, but you see countless articles about it this time of year and feel anxious about redecorating your whole design because it’s apparently going out of style.
Most styles do not go out of style. They adapt, advance, or branch off to create something a little new, like new traditional, a 2024 trend. You can only go out of style if most of what you have is artificial or plastic materials. These materials don’t last and wear out quickly, that’s not to say you can’t buy items that are budget friendly though, especially rugs.
Trends can inform design
They can inform the choices you make, but take them into consideration only 10% of the time. Or take them with a grain of salt. Don’t make massive changes to what you’d like for your home because these new trends make you feel bad about what you like.
So, if you see a new trend with a different type of lighting, like lanterns and chrome, or color combinations that work with your style, let it inform your style. But you don’t have to abandon everything you want to do.
Trends cause stress
Clients get stressed out that they must follow current trends or are being too trendy. Yes, you should check them out of curiosity, but keep your original vision because some colors, like green in 2024, are out of style, as if colors can be out of style. Almost all colors can look great if executed well.
You may be wondering about antique white or 90s harvest gold. Those colors are out of style and have been for a while. But those colors are hard to work with. There are not a lot of colors that are difficult to pair things with, but for the most part, there are only a few colors that are “out of style” or fall into the category of challenging to design with.
The people who “create” trends are just guessing
It’s a guess; I know everyone takes it as set in stone, but they are just throwing ideas out there and taking a guess. Sometimes, you see colors or trends that don’t play out, like millennial pink, which isn’t a bad color it just didn’t hit the mainstream. So do what you like instead of following trends.
And really, they are trying to look at what has been done in the last few years and want to move on from it or go in the opposite direction; even if most of us still like the trend, we don’t have to stop designing that way just because some else is sick of it.
There’s better advice to follow
Instead of obsessing over current trends, seek advice on making your space easier to clean, incorporating universal design practices, or making it kid-friendly. Or you could obsess over an architectural and design style to implement in your home, like Colonial, Victorian, or Gothic, leaving no detail out.
You should also consider resale value. If you love following trends, you may have a dated home, according to buyers, and when you go to sell it, you can’t. Now, I’m not talking about tried and true styles, like Colonial; I’m talking about the “grandma core” with patterns everywhere with all kinds of colors and dated finishes; it’s too much and too much to fix.
But the thing is, social media makes these seem like they are a style just by adding “core” at the end. They are not actual design styles but just a handful of people online. Buyers have a hard time seeing the house for what it is and instead only look at the finishes, which is frustrating but something you need to think about, even just a little.
I’m not saying go timeless. Just go for high-quality and natural materials, with a little bit of fun, and you’ll have a space people can appreciate. Again, most styles can be done with this way of thinking.
Who cares
I know I sound salty, but who cares. Who cares if green is out and blue is in, Mid-Century is out, and new traditional is in. Only care about the next new trend if it’s your style, but you don’t know how to put it together or what to call it.
And styles rarely go out of style, so there’s that; you’ll still see Classic to Contemporary design and everything in between for many years to come. So, there’s no reason to stress or care too much about design trends.
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