Designing against trends

Hey there! So, in my first and very official post, I thought we’d go easy – you, know, nothing too controversial – and talk about design trends and why they don’t matter (much).  Look, I won’t lie:  trends matter – they do.  But, the question I pose to you is how much they should matter when designing your home.  The point is, homeowners should (and need to) shift their collective mindset away from focusing on what others are doing and care a little more about what works for them.

Why trends do(n’t) matter

I’ll say it again:  trends matter – but for reasons other than what you might think.  They’re important, not so much because following them guarantees your home will be “cool” (it doesn’t).  Trends are important because they provide context in the greater representation of how we, as a society, live.  Much like fashion trends, interior design trends evolve as society’s beliefs, principles, and surroundings change.  We as individuals evolve too, ever changing as we age.  What we wear and how we live certainly look different at age 17 than when we’re 35 (I hope), and so should our surroundings. 

But:  we all have unique and different personalities, and are predisposed to like and dislike certain things, and oftentimes our opinions on don’t change.  For me, I don’t like wearing color – it made me feel subconscious at 14, and still does at 35.  This aversion to color actually translates to my opinions on interiors as well, as I steer clear of anything too bright or saturated.   

Basically, you shouldn’t follow interior design trends or any other trend for that matter if it doesn’t speak to your true, essential self.  Trends aren’t fun or relevant if what they actually do is subsume the best parts of our weird, quirky selves.  Rather, hiding your personal style for the sake of having a trendy home in a way converts us from creating our own destinies to followers of someone else’s vision.  So let’s not do that.

Finding a balance

I’m not saying it’s easy, but finding a balance between following interior design trends and your personal style is the key to creating a home that is uniquely yours.  Identifying that sweet spot takes a bit of effort and time, as it should.  It requires learning about current trends and yourself – which is, trust me, never a simple task. We spend our whole lives learning about ourselves, so it doesn’t seem that unreasonable to take a little time to figure out how we want where we spend those lives to look.

At the beginning of each year, I always take the time to research on current and upcoming design trends.  I mean, knowledge is power, right?  And while I do take stock of these predictions, I refuse to become a slave to them.  I know myself, and I generally know what I like.  If what I happen to like suddenly becomes “outdated” according to some interior designer, who do you think I’m going to listen to? 

Look, we all like to be liked and have things that others covet and admire, but I urge you to consider your own design aesthetic when reading up on what’s trending.  When you view trends from that perspective, you can never go wrong (mostly).  Whether you decide to follow a trend or not doesn’t really matter when designing your home.  What does matter is that you’re true to your own weird and lovely self.