June 2024

To trend or not to trend? How to not get trapped in trend chasing.

Recently I attended the Open House in the Indianapolis Design Center. The public was invited to see presentations on current trends by several interior designers, followed by Q&A. A woman asked the panel how often a homeowner should plan on remodeling a bathroom to keep up with the trends. The answer was that, probably, 10-15 years would be a reasonable time, considering the trends’ cycles.

It was amazing to me that the woman seriously thought that she needed someone to tell her when to re-do her bathroom! Yes, we are bombarded with advertisements about fabulous new products that we must have now, that the color of the year is peach (that's the color for 2024), the house needs to be designed around a state-of-the-art faucet and many other "spend-you-money-now" messages. Don’t bite every bait! So, before I delve into a discussion on trends, I want to give an answer to that woman from the audience: YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN DECIDE when your bathroom does not meet YOUR needs and does not please YOUR eyes. When YOU are ready to make a change, go for it!

Understanding trends.

If you are looking for what’s trending in interior design now – this article is not about this. There is no shortage of information about trending styles. Every design and fashion magazine is brimming with advice on what’s in now. This article is about how not to live in a perpetually outdated house.

Trends’ cycles.

Think about a trend as an organic element that goes through stages of life: innocent birth, joyful youth, brilliant maturity, and a peaceful decline into the abyss. In fashion, this cycle lasts only a few years. Some trends, like butterflies, come and go even faster. In interiors, trends live longer, approximately 15 years. New and old trends slightly overlap. You don’t wake up one morning to the news that a new trend has arrived. New trends creep in slowly and gently.

How to determine what stage the trend is in.

This is important to know, so if you decide to jump on the trend, you do it in its youthful years. That would prolong how much time you have before the trend becomes outdated. One simple way is to think about how long the trend has been around and then do the math. A more detailed analysis would need to look at how trends evolve.

Trends are usually born at the highest, the most exclusive level of interior design. You can see infant trends in the magazines, such Architectural Digest and Interior Design, and in designer showrooms. This is the best time to become an early adopter of a trend. The problem is you won’t be able to find much in retail if you do not have a budget for designer products. By the time the trend reaches the mass market, it has matured and will start its decline shortly.

When being trendy is a good choice.

• When your furnishings do not need to last more than a few years. (E.g., first apartment, temporary housing, small kids in the house, etc.)
• When you have finances, energy and desire to undertake renovations every 10-15 years.

In most of the other situations you will find yourself living in outdated interiors, at least, half of your lifetime.

How to avoid the trap.

Ironically, even if you are not looking for a trendy look, you may get trapped into a trend because most of the products on the market follow trends. Yet, it is possible to create timeless interiors of any style that will look fresh for many years.

Trends usually emerge from the styles that were popular decades and centuries ago. The recent modern trend was a contemporary adaptation of 20^th Century modernism. Prior to that, the Old-World trend blended pre-20^th Century European styles. Whatever style you chose, the most authentic expression of this style is a key to timelessness.

From the practical standpoint, you may want to focus on the following:

• Architecture and your preferred interior style should be in harmony.
• If available, furnishings should be of original designs and not replicas, knockoffs or contemporary variations of famous designs. This is especially relevant for modern styles.
• Furnishings that have been in production for decades have already proved their staying power.
• Stay with the colors that are more typical for your selected style.
• Accessorize with real art.
• If possible, do not embed technology in the permanent design features. Technology changes often and there should be a way to update it without changing interiors.

Kitchens and bathrooms are especially challenging because fixtures and appliances do need to be changed periodically due to wear and tear or desire to have the latest technology. So, if you are investing in custom cabinetry that may last a lifetime, think in advance how appliances could be changed without tearing the whole kitchen.

It takes discipline to stay the course – there are so many temptations – but the reward is worth the efforts: you will never live in an outdated home.