(Crowdsourced by the most opinionated corner of Instagram—mine.)
This week on Stories, I asked my Instagram followers: What home trends do you think we’ll regret in 10 years?
And let me just say—you delivered. With sass, honesty, and a suspicious amount of trauma over gray flooring.
Some responses made me laugh. Some made me look around my house nervously. And some were so passionately anti-barn-door, I’m worried about the emotional damage caused by sliding hardware.
So here it is: a fully updated, no-holds-barred roundup of the home trends we may someday side-eye—and the ones we’re already regretting.
1. Gray Overload
(Overwhelming majority of you said this!)
Walls. Floors. Cabinets. Trim. If it’s gray, it’s under fire.
🗣 “Gray everything ☠️”
🗣 “Plastic laminate gray floors and signage—why?”
🗣 “Millennial beige houses with zero personality or art”
Even fans of neutrals agree: maybe we’ve gone a little too… grayscale.
2. Black Windows, Trim & Fixtures
Black framed everything had a moment. That moment may be over – particularly black windows.
🗣 “Feels too harsh in non-modern homes”
🗣 “Every house looks like a Target ad”
🗣 “Black plumbing, black hardware, black trim… ENOUGH.”
Bonus eye-rolls went to the combo: white house + black roof + black windows. You know the one.
3. Shiplap, Barn Doors & Board + Batten
The farmhouse frenzy is losing its charm. Fast.
🗣 “Barn doors on bathrooms?! The horror.”
🗣 “Shiplap is overdone.”
🗣 “Board and batten on every wall like it’s a design rite of passage.”
Once Joanna Gaines inspired us all. Now we’re hiding our nail guns.
4. Color Drenching
Dramatic? Yes. Timeless? TBD.
🗣 “Looks amazing online but not in real life.”
🗣 “I love it now… but my painter’s going to hate me later.”
🗣 “Dark wall color drenching will be a regret.”
5. Scallops, Bows & the Grandmillennial Glut
Listen, I love a scallop trim here or there. But the people are… alarmed.
🗣 “Scallops on the bed, the chair, the pillow, the dog bed…”
🗣 “The nouveau riche GM look—giant bows on EVERYTHING”
🗣 “Decor that feels like a tea party exploded”
It’s a fine line between charming and cartoonish.
6. Gold Everything
Brass = timeless.
But the bright yellow gold on every faucet, sconce, and appliance? Not so much.
🗣 “Shiny gold hardware. Not brass. Just… yellow.”
🗣 “It’s giving statement necklace from 2012.”
🗣 “I’m starting to cringe at gold… it may have run its course.”
7. Too Much Wallpaper
It came back with a vengeance—and maybe it overcorrected.
🗣 “Ceiling wallpaper? My vertigo says no.”
🗣 “Wall molding + wallpaper on only one wall = design whiplash”
🗣 “Even Grandma says it’s too much.”
It’s okay to let your walls breathe.
8. Over-designed Kitchens
Waterfall islands. Mixed cabinet colors. Open shelving.
The kitchen became a stage—and people are feeling the performance fatigue.
🗣 “Dust anxiety from open shelves is real.”
🗣 “White and gray kitchens are all starting to blur together.”
🗣 “Waterfall counters already feel dated.”
Sometimes, function wins.
9. Modern Farmhouse Fatigue
You didn’t just suggest this trend might fade—you demanded it.
🗣 “Every house looking like a fake farmhouse in my area”
🗣 “Still using modern farmhouse in 2025? Bold.”
🗣 “It’s the 2010s chevron of architecture.”
The genre has shifted from cozy to copy-paste.
10. Generic Homes with No Character
Not a trend exactly—but the lack of one.
🗣 “Beige homes with no art and no soul”
🗣 “No crown molding, no charm, no personality”
🗣 “Everything blue and white, but make it soulless”
Your house should look like you, not the Pinterest page of a builder-grade model home.
Honorable Mentions:
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Bouclé furniture (“fuzzy pillow for adults”)
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Floating shelves (beautiful, but dusty)
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Zellige tile (“gorgeous but aggressively everywhere”)
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Waterfall countertops
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Accent walls on only one wall
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Checkerboard floors (yes, even the charming ones… ouch)
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Pinch pleat curtains (“timeless” or “too much drama,” depending who you ask)
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Taj Mahal quartzite counters (beautiful… and apparently everywhere)
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Signs. On everything. (“Live Laugh Leave It Behind”)
Final Thoughts
Yes, I have three of these. No, I’m not changing a thing.
Trends may come and go, but your home should reflect you—not just the algorithm. If checkerboard floors make you smile, or you still get giddy over pinch pleats (hi, me), then it’s not a mistake. It’s your style.
So embrace what you love. Laugh at what you don’t. And remember: the only real design regret is decorating for someone else.
Which trend do you secretly love even if it made the cringe list? Hit reply or comment—I won’t tell. 😉
