When design trends stop inspiring and instead dictate interiors, personal taste gets left behind and forgotten in favour of the latest must-haves that everyone has. Soon enough, every home looks copied and pasted from Instagram. Each with the same chunky ceramic vase with two sprigs of eucalyptus and beige sofa.
What It Means to Lose Personal Taste
Fuelled by social media, home décor has created performative identities in the home, and this has been encouraged by the rise of fast-paced trend cycles. There’s a pressure to create a space that aligns with what’s popular, not personal, which has led to homes reflecting trends instead of real living.
It’s not necessarily a conscious decision, but slowly homes are becoming replicas of one another, overwriting individual preferences as personal taste gets diluted by algorithms.
Instead of asking “Does this feel like me?”, people are asking “Will this go viral?” and it’s time to flip this back around. Designing a home purely to go viral ruins the purpose of a home.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
Trend Cycles Are Getting Faster: Thanks to social media, aesthetics rise and fall within a matter of months, whereas home trends used to stick around for a decade. Trends appear out of nowhere, creating micro versions and unique mashups before being replaced by something else. This constant recycling of trends can easily lead to design insecurity due to the pressure to comply with them.
Influencers Shape the Narrative: When homes are shared online, they’re usually designed solely for the camera. Meaning rooms are lit and staged like magazine sets with the purpose of being photographed instead of being lived in. This sets unrealistic expectations for everyday homes, nudging people to prioritise aesthetics over comfort, creativity, or longevity.
Retail Brands Jump on the Bandwagon: There’s a very quick turnaround when it comes to big-name retailers jumping on the coattails of new trends. Being quick to capitalise on the newest trends, retailers flood the market with ready-to-buy pieces that are easily accessible. After all, why explore your taste when the entire room set is pre-styled for you?
How to Reclaim Your Interior Identity
Start With a List of What You Don’t Like: Yes, you read that right. Before starting a mood board of what you like, create a list of no’s. This can help you tune out the noise of trends and must-haves that actually, you really don’t want to have in your home. If you think arched mirrors are overdone, then add them to the list of avoidance. Think minimalism is too sterile? Cross that trend off. A list of what you don’t like will help you question whether trends, materials, furnishings, colours, etc., genuinely fit with your lifestyle.
Design for Your Daily Life: Homes are for living, not your feed. It’s important to prioritise comfort, function, and practicality, particularly in spaces like kitchens and entryways. It’s best to think twice about glass coffee tables with sharp corners and constant fingerprints, especially if you’ve got children, or light-coloured carpet when you’ve got a dog that insists on jumping in mucky puddles. Instead, consider the benefits of a sturdy coffee table that doubles as a storage unit or a durable and waterproof vinyl tile floor that’s easy to clean.
Let Rooms Evolve Slowly: One of the biggest mistakes that trend-led design encourages is rushing. Slow decorating has come about as a movement that pushes against this, allowing interiors to take time and evolve alongside you. A good way to incorporate this approach in your home is to start with the basics and build around them. Consider flooring, paint, and lighting. From there, see how you use a space and wait to fill the space. Above all else, allow spontaneity; you never know when you’re going to find the perfect item for that sparse corner.
Trust Your Gut: At the end of the day, you know yourself better than your social media algorithm does. If something catches your eye and feels good, then get it, even if it’s not trending. Whatever brings you joy belongs in your home. This could be anything from smoked engineered wood flooring, which creates a unique sense of colour and character, and a colourful rug in a room full of neutrals to a bold patterned sofa with a clashing statement armchair and a reclaimed wooden boat bookshelf.
Is It Worth Reclaiming Your Home?
Absolutely! A home shouldn’t reflect the latest trends; it should reflect the people who live there, regardless of whether something clashes. It’s okay to be inspired by trends, but don’t let them crush your quirks, chaos, and comfort. After all, chasing trends is an exhausting and expensive endeavour, especially when they’re constantly changing. Good design is about feeling, and a home should feel authentic, comfortable, and long-lasting.
