bathroom with white subway tile
open space kitchen that opens up into a dining and living room area
White and beige decorated room

In the past two years, it felt as if the world was going “virtual.” What began with Zoom meetings and myriad social media “influencers,” quickly spread to NFTs, cryptocurrencies, and ultimately home décor.
 
In a logical response (or perhaps backlash), interior designers, and the clients who pay them big bucks, are leaving the virtual realm and getting real again. Authenticity appears to be on the rise. Oh, and those trends that were red hot a year or two ago are now as cold as ashes. 

Over its more than 130 years of history, Acme Brick has watched the carousel of design go round and round. At the halfway point in 2022, it’s time for us to help you get out that trusty design dustbin and sweep up everything that was formerly cutting-edge but now cliché.

 

Some home design elements are timeless, not trendy. Sustainability is one such concept, and brick construction epitomizes this. If you’re considering building a new home, talk to your architect and builder about the rich, timeless luxury of brick. Then have them give us a call.

 

The Dirty Dozen of Design Disasters

Remember those baby blue, polyester “leisure suits,” that were worn with awful floral shirts that had oversized collars? The hipsters were all wearing them in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Now, people wear them for Halloween costumes. That’s how fashion and home design go. In a short amount of time, things that were “outta sight” can turn very “leisurely.” 

Here are 12 home design styles that have seen their time in the front window and are now on the “closeout” aisle. 

Classic Farmhouse Design: Going Down with the Shiplap

With their very own cable TV channel - Magnolia Network - and a complete line of furnishings, “Chip and Joanna Gaines are far from over,” according to Forbes, “but their signature modern farmhouse look isn’t something many interior designers will be living, laughing, or loving any more. Designer Anna Franklin adds, ‘First, get rid of faux-distressed furniture that looks worn, but isn’t. Instead, opt for vintage rugs that have actually been well-worn, and authentic farmhouse dining tables.’”

Alternative to consider: Modern Artisan design

Busy Wallpaper Looks a Little Tattered

Bathroom with a busy black and white wallpaper accent wall

All those lions and tigers and bears on wallpaper were great for about a week, but the editors at Real Home magazine urge homeowners to “take busy patterns off the walls, and instead accent a mixed variation of designs through upholstery, soft furnishings, and wall art, for a layered scheme full of interesting details.”

Alternative to consider: An accent wall composed of Acme thinBRIK 

The Kitchen Is CLOSED Until Further Notice

According to the above Forbes article, “The pandemic solidified the need for separate rooms, especially when so many spaces need to double as home offices. For this reason, big kitchens that open up to the rest of the home are becoming less desirable. ‘I am definitely seeing a lot of enclosed kitchen spaces as opposed to large family room/kitchen areas that are open to the rest of the home,’ says well-known designer Christopher Peacock.’”

Alternative to consider: A kitchen door that locks until the food is cooked

Velvet: Today’s Pet Peeve 

Modern households are busy enough without adding more maintenance in the form of velvet sofas, pillows, lampshades and mirrors. As Real Home notes, “Sure, velvet's buttery smooth appeal across anything and everything from upholstery to soft furnishings, and even decorative homewares are hard to resist, but let’s drop the bougie act and get authentic with tactile textiles that don’t have to be re-plumped and stroked down every time we use them.”

Alternative to consider: Relaxed textures of natural materials such as linen and cotton  

Stainless Steel Kitchen Hoods Are No Longer Smokin’

Forbes notes, “For years now, stainless steel kitchen hoods have been essential for high-end kitchens. But as the cold, industrial look becomes less popular to make way for warmer styles, this trend is beginning to fall out of favor. It feels too cold to break up a bank of beautiful kitchen cabinets with excessive steel, but we’ll still need hoods for their function.” 

Alternative to consider: Plaster hoods that are flush with cabinets

Dried Flowers Are Dead for Design

It seemed like a good idea for a couple of years, but dried flowers have become passé pansies. Real Homes noted, “They bought textural bouquets of meadow encapsulated beauty, volume, and sunbaked color to our homes throughout 2020 and 2021, but HELLO – that was then, and this is now, and there’s only so many eternity arrangements of dried grasses we can accommodate.”

Alternative to consider: HELLO. Real plants!

White and Neutral Colors Have Become the “B” Words - Bland and Boring

It’s time for some mood-enhancing color therapy. Quoted on this design site, Andra DelMonico, lead interior designer at Trendey said, the all-white aesthetic is on its way out. Similarly, a light neutral color palette with white, cream, and light gray is also losing favor. These bland and boring interiors are on their way out. You can still have a neutral color palette, but try adding bolder colors, especially ones that mimic colors from nature. These richer colors are still neutral but bring warmth and life into your home.

Alternative to consider: Given its connection with nature, the rise of all hues of green follows homeowners’ appetite for all things that are biophilic.

Think Bigger: Minimalism Is So Small-Minded 

It appears that we’ve reached a point in home design where less is finally less. According to this perspective, “Let’s bid adieu to Kim Kardashian-inspired homes. Peti Lau of the New York Design Center says, ‘I think we will see less minimalist design in coming years and more layered, modernist, maximalist design. A home should reflect the people inhabiting the spaces and it should tell a story.’”  

Alternative to consider: Herringbone design for walls and floors (https://brick.com/flooring-brochures)

Subway Tiles Have Gone Off the Rails

If you’re in the market for a rental property, you've seen LOTS of subway tiles. They’re everywhere. So much so that they are mind-numbingly boring. Sylvia James, interior designer (who was, no doubt, stifling a yawn), said in this article, “Subway tiles have been making a comeback in industrial-style homes for the past several years, owing to their fashionable, post-modern appearance. They’re not going out of style exactly, but they have become so common now that they are boring. To make things more interesting, look to streamlined larger square or even curved tiles to replace them.” 

Alternative to consider: Fusion thinBRIK 

Open Floor Concept Living Is a Closed Subject

Chalk it up to pandemic fatigue, but we all seem to need a little more (personal) space. Alysha Alli, interior designer for UK builder Redrow noted in this prediction: “Throughout 2022, it remains a priority to be able to separate specific areas of the home so they can fulfill their intended use effectively. Open-plan living has proven a popular design decision for many new build properties or home renovations over the last few years. While this layout provides ample space, perfect for families, post-pandemic living has meant this communal space is too often being shared for multiple reasons simultaneously.’”

Alternative to consider: Interior walls and/or partitions of Seves Glass Block  

Time to Get Real - Faux Wood or Marble Not as Popular

Forbes editors note, “From wood tile floors to marble porcelain, faux design has been big for years now. While these materials are certainly budget-friendly, much of the time, they're poorly installed (wood tile with thick grout lines, for example) and end up just looking fake. Genuine luxury will be replacing faux in 2022. It means using the real thing— not just another facsimile of what’s real. There’s a place for imitation, but there’s no true replacement for the real thing.”

Alternative to consider: Heritage Hardwood Floors
 

1970 Inspired Wall Hangings: Time to Take Down the Adult Mobiles

The 1970s called, and they want their macramé wall hangings back. Now. These accessories will hopefully be hitting time capsules in 2022, explains interior designer Caitlin Wilson in Forbes: “A trend that I’d love to see go away, and stay away, is the 70s inspired wall-hangings. They remind me of adult-size mobiles. As much as I love textiles, I really think they can be better appreciated in the form of a Persian rug or a beautifully embroidered pillow and not as a dust collector over your bed or living spaces.”  Macramé is macra-nay!

Alternative to consider: A thinBRIK accent wall 

You’ve Been Warned

Now that the painful facts have been presented, the measuring tape, fabric swatches and dried flowers are in your hands. Don’t let this cautionary tale go to waste. Before that next dinner party or family gathering, PLEASE get your design ducks in a row. We’ll check in later in the year  with our annual “Acme Brick What’s Hot and What’s Not” predictions and, hopefully by then, you’ll be ready for a major reshuffling of colors, shapes, and textures.


Helping you keep your home a restful oasis is what we do. If you need advice on home improvement products, give us a shout, or take a look at these brochures for some inspiration.