TREND JAIL
Interior design trends that have overstayed their welcome
Designer General’s Warning: Do not read this if you do not have a sense of humor!
Every few years, interior design gets flooded with ideas that feel fresh, safe, and universally appealing. Then they spread — fast. Suddenly they’re everywhere: builder homes, flips, and “custom” projects that all look eerily the same. That’s when design stops being intentional and starts being automatic.
Some of these trends had their moment. That moment has passed. What follows are the repeat offenders — the ones earning maximum sentencing for overstaying their welcome.
Glass Block
Sentence: Life without appeal
Glass block is the design equivalent of frosted tips. Once modern, but that time has passed. It blocks light, kills sightlines, and instantly dates a space to a very specific decade we are not revisiting.
Parole alternative:
If you want light + privacy, use:
Reeded or fluted glass
Steel-frame glass panels
Actual windows, thoughtfully placed
We are gutting this bathroom in 2026. The new design does not include glass block!
Agreeable Grey
Sentence: Indefinite detention for being aggressively inoffensive
No paint companies will be implicated in this, they made the product, but did not select it for the project.
Grey isn’t bad. That’s the problem. It’s the paint color chosen when no one wants to make a decision — and it shows. It drains warmth, fights natural light, and turns homes into upscale waiting rooms.
Parole alternative:
Warm neutrals with depth
Color with intention (even quiet color)
Undertones that relate to the home’s materials
3-4” Backsplashes
Sentence: Caught between eras
Too tall to be classic. Too short to be intentional. The 4" backsplash exists purely because it was easy — not because it ever looked good.
Parole alternative:
Full-height stone or tile
Tile to the uppers
Let the wall breathe and skip it altogether
This before and after shows what a difference the higher, intentional backsplash makes.
After!
Fast Furniture Bouclé
Sentence: Time served, fabric worn thin
Bouclé is beautiful — when done right. But the mass-produced version pills, flattens, and looks tired before the delivery truck leaves the driveway. Trendy texture doesn’t equal lasting design.
Parole alternative:
Bouclé in small doses
High-quality upholstery with structure
Texture that ages, not collapses
Our vendors kept pushing it on us but I think it only made the cut for an accent chair or two for us!
Shiplap in Every Room
Sentence: House arrest (literally!)
Once charming. Then everywhere. Then in rooms that never met a farmhouse, let alone a barn. When shiplap shows up in bathrooms, bedrooms, stairwells, and laundry rooms all at once, it stops being character and starts being costume.
Parole alternative:
Use it once, intentionally
Choose paneling or plaster instead
Let architecture lead, not trends
OK. We are guilty. But it was a builder show house and we felt like we had no choice in 2019.
BARN DOORS
Sentence: Released… then re-arrested
They don’t block sound. They don’t provide privacy. And they visually dominate spaces that deserve better solutions.
Parole alternative:
Pocket doors with trim
Hinged doors with presence
Glass doors that actually function
Again we are guilty. At lease it was a home theater room where it added an interesting entry.
All-White Everything
Sentence: Protective custody for fear of color
White is not a personality. When every surface is white, the space stops feeling calm and starts feeling unfinished.
Parole alternative:
Layered neutrals
Contrast through material
Rooms that feel lived-in, not staged
All white rooms are a struggle. For this one we added a textured rug and biscuit tufting to add interest.
RANDOM ACCENT WALLS
Sentence: Probation
One dramatic wall surrounded by beige panic is not bold design — it’s hesitation.
Parole alternative:
Commit to color
Use texture, paper, or millwork
Design the whole room, not just a wall
We are not guilty of this offense. This is picture of how to do it right. We added an accent wallcovering and then pulled the dark bronze out of it for the other walls.
Good design considers, edits, and lasts.
Let us help you get out of trend jail! Contact us today.