Like it or not, there is a cyclical nature to interior design trends in every space of your home. This is also true of living room trends. Many of these once-popular color schemes and furniture styles prized so highly by designers and influencers are now relegated to the dust heap with other outdated living room trends.
Everyone wants a timeless interior design style, and some designs age better than others. The key is to carefully consider the pieces you purchase and look for classic elements and shapes. This way, you can easily update a few items to change the appearance of your living room, ensuring that it always looks stylish.
Consider these outdated living room trends and which direction design is headed so that you know how to shape your style in the upcoming years.
Outdated Living Room Trends
Design should always be a matter of personal preference, but the images and styles we see around us influence our tastes. It is always a good exercise to consider the direction of design and how we can incorporate these new ideas to create a classic and thoughtful living room design.
Matching Furniture and Decor
The practice of purchasing complete sets of matching living room furniture has become less popular in contemporary design. Matching furniture sets do create a cohesive design, but they tend to have a generic and predictable look. This movement away from furniture sets reflects a growing appreciation for individualism.
The trend toward individualized design reflects the growing desire to create personal comfort. Our homes should serve us rather than be a showpiece for the public. The goal is to find pieces for your living room that you can combine with others to create a welcoming environment.
Do not feel compelled to choose all of the pieces at once. Instead, living room design can be organic and develop over time. Purchase high-quality items that will last and be both functional and decorative in your home.
Overly Formal Living Rooms
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many living room or parlor spaces were used as a place to receive guests, so they featured decorative furniture that was rarely utilized. The formal room style was a tradition that lasted for many years in living room design.
Today, the traditions and norms of having people in our homes have evolved, as has the way we use space in our homes. There is a growing desire to provide authentic and comfortable homes for ourselves and our guests.
Our lives have become increasingly hectic, and we require our living rooms to serve as study areas, hangout spots, game day venues, and movie theaters. Formal living room furniture is simply not suitable for all of these activities.
To create a living room design that will last, select furniture that is both multi-functional and durable. For heavily used living room spaces, performance fabrics are always a good idea, as is furniture that can store all of the detritus of everyday life.
Monochrome Living Rooms
If you haven’t heard, color is back – bold blues, earthy greens, dusky pink, and rich brown are all making their move in interior design. This is not to say that neutrals have disappeared, but they are taking a backseat to all of the colorful living room designs we are seeing right now. Designers and homeowners are being more adventurous in their use of color in the living room. Color drenching, painting all of the trim and walls (and sometimes the ceiling) the same color, and combining vibrant contrasting colors can all help to make a space appear fresh and fun.
If you like neutrals, do not worry; they will always look timeless. However, you can make your space look more modern by incorporating pops of color in decor like throw pillows and wall art to highlight your neutral space. These are simple to replace when you want to accent with a new color idea.
Fast Furniture
The move away from the trend of using fast furniture is one we whole-heartedly embrace. Fast furniture is inexpensive, mass-produced, and often disposable. This furniture often has a short lifespan because much of it is overly trendy and made from low-quality materials.
We completely understand that many people choose fast furniture because it is within their budget, but no one should feel obligated to buy fast furniture in order to fill up their space quickly. Instead, you should feel free to gradually curate your living room space with pieces that reflect your personality and style.
Visit antique and thrift stores to find good deals on quality items that you can upcycle. Save up for that gorgeous velvet sofa in the classic style that will last. There are always ways to find quality furniture that can become a feature of your living room if you want to try this approach.
Decorating Every Surface
Decorators and homeowners have the tendency to always feel that more is better, such that any available space is an area that needs to be filled. This can lead to a lack of a central or strong focal point, which can make a space look overwhelming and chaotic. This is not just an outdated design approach; it can create more maintenance and contribute to a culture of overconsumption.
Modern design approaches endeavor to leave space for the eye to rest. Rather than covering and filling space with generic decorations or non-functional furniture, many homeowners prefer to add a few pieces that have personal meaning or contribute to the room’s flow and purpose.
Open Floor Plans
Open floor plans—the trend of opening up all the living spaces that became so popular in the mid-century—is now reaching a new stage. While open floor plans will always be practical on some level, many people find wide, open living spaces too noisy and uninviting.
The current trend is toward semi-open floor plans. These floor plans still connect the space between rooms, but they have clearly defined areas that provide the privacy and comfort that people seek. If you have an open floor plan and want to create better defined areas, think about how you can use rugs, furniture groupings, and focused lighting to create functional and comfortable zones.
Wall-to-Wall Carpet
Wall-to-wall carpet, which was once the sign of a luxurious room, has fallen out of use in favor of harder and more durable floor coverings. For most interior designers, hardwood floors are the constant favorite, but there are other options now that include luxury vinyl plank, cork, and bamboo flooring. Cork and bamboo are especially good options because they are sustainable and have the texture and color of natural wood.
These hard floor options are more durable than carpet, but they lack the softness and comfort that people seek in their living spaces. This makes rugs an essential component of living room design. Make sure to select rugs that are the proper size for the space. Rugs must fit under all of the furniture, or at least the front legs, in a given space in order to function properly.
Heavy Window Coverings
Heavy or formal window coverings are becoming less popular in the current living room design landscape. Heavy window treatments reduce the amount of natural light in a space and contribute to an overly formal appearance.
Lighter and more open styles, such as neutral and sheer curtains, blinds, and shades, are often preferred in contemporary living room designs because they contribute to a relaxed and simple aesthetic. These also foster a stronger connection to the outdoors and allow in more natural light, both of which improve wellness and health.
Generic Gallery Walls
Gallery walls can be exciting and striking, but having a gallery wall filled with mass produced art just for the sake of covering the walls can lead to boring and underwhelming designs.
Modern design has taken a more considered approach to gallery walls. You should display pieces that are meaningful to you or that you genuinely enjoy. Options for gallery walls include pictures and paintings but also 3D objects like wall sculptures or objects. If you don’t have enough meaningful pieces, begin with just a small collection of items. You can always add to your display over time. You may need to rearrange your gallery items every time you add a new piece, so hang new elements only after carefully considering the addition.
