Interior design trends come and go as design concepts shift based on functionality and popularity. Here, some of our favorite designers and tastemakers from across the nation share which trends they can’t wait to see in the rearview mirror. Some are decidedly out of fashion, while others have the staying power of truly pesky movements. From all-white everything to the modern farmhouse approach, here are seven trends designers can’t wait to say goodbye to in 2022.
7 Trends Designers Are Over
Gray on Gray on Gray
One trend multiple designers are not a fan of is the overuse of gray in the home. Merrill Lyons, principal of Lyons Studio in New York City, says, “Monochromatic gray has to go! It’s just so overdone, and it takes a really keen eye and a healthy budget to make it look good.” The designer cautions that unless you’re working with a professional who can create texture and depth, it’s much more realistic to consider layering in some colors and eclectic combinations of fixtures and furniture. She continues, “If you love a monochromatic room, try doing it with color or a wide spread of the same color. For example, if you really don’t like too much color, try doing the full spectrum of neutral tones from black to white and in between.” Here are our favorite neutral paint colors to help bring fresh color to your space without going too bold.
Bryan Frost, the owner of Florida’s Black Awning Interiors, is also over this home design trend. In his experience, clients have loved predominantly featuring neutrals, especially gray, in the home. Instead, Frost shares, “Try a bold color for a refresh! Cabinet trends embrace greens and blues. Wallpaper doubles as artwork, bringing a colorful splash into a static neutral space.” Here are our favorite bold paint color combos and unexpected wallpaper ideas to help you get started.
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Phoenix-based Lauren Lerner, the founder and principal designer of Living with LoLo, has also had enough of grays. Though they’ve been used everywhere the last few years, she is happy to see new color trends emerge that help clients smile and feel energized. “Gray walls and countertops are on their way out and are being replaced with more warm neutrals and brighter colors. The new warmer neutrals pair so nicely with greens, which allow our clients to bring a bit more of the outside indoors,” Lerner says.
Matching Metals
Matchy-matchy is never a good look, especially when it comes to the use of metal finishes in a space. Florida-based Andrew Howard, an interior designer at James Michael Howard, has had enough of matching metals. He explains, “I am tired of all metals in a room having to match… Mixing it up is becoming way more fun and interesting, and I don’t know why we forced ourselves into a box on these things for so long. ”
Wicker Furniture
While wicker furniture has long been used for its durable qualities and tropical aesthetic, Tara Miller, owner and lead interior designer of Omaha’s The Heartland Interior Design, thinks its time has come and gone after a 2019 peak. “I’d like to think that wicker furniture has become tired and feels dated. In its place is now the more clean and refined cane furniture. You can see this natural material implemented on the front of cabinets, sideboards, and in the seats and backs of chairs. It’s a lovely natural fiber that is a similar color to wicker but has a cleaner look,” the design pro shared.
If you still love the wicker look, make sure you’re shopping for well-made pieces with a more modern silhouette. Our wicker furniture picks will add texture to your space without dating it.
Animal-Shaped Rugs
Beyond an actual hunting lodge or cabin, animal-shaped rugs are hard to pull off. Beth Kooby, interior designer at Beth Kooby Design in Atlanta, explaining, “I’m not a fan of the animal-shape rugs I see everywhere now. They’re too juvenile for any room other than a kids’ room! I’d rather see a colorful vintage wool rug.”
Modern Farmhouse
Shiplap no more, please, according to Bryan Frost. “Shiplap and rustic farmhouse applications are beginning to read pedestrian. Going forward, shiplap and popular molding details should only be used as it relates to the home’s architectural style,” said the owner of Black Awning Interiors. He instead suggests embracing the era and design style of your home by using trims, moldings, or details that relate to your home’s architectural attributes.
Similarly, Beth Kooby is over the modern farmhouse outside aesthetic. “I’m very tired of seeing so many homeowners still jumping on the modern farmhouse, painting the house white and window trim black. This works okay on an actual farm.” The interior designer explains that trying to force a style on a home never looks good.
Molly Van Amburgh, a Texas-based designer, agrees. “I am so tired of beautiful, old red, dark brick being painted white when there was no reason to do so besides looking like every other house on the block. I love a white house, I live in a white brick house, but it is not always needed or necessary. Instead, hire a designer, architect, or landscape architect who all understand the [home’s history] to help you see what can be changed to preserve the beauty.” Van Amburgh continues, “Every house does not need a black metal glass door. I agree that many homes could use a new front door, but again, think about the architecture of the home—a black metal door may not be the answer!”
Joyce Downing Pickens, principal at JDP Interiors, has had enough of the farmhouse trend as well. “There’s something about this style that strips everything charming about a traditional farmhouse and its character and leaves you with something that feels sterile. You have to work much harder with your furniture and accessories to warm these spaces up and infuse character back in them. Unless you are a designer, it sets the owner up for failure,” the Los Angeles-based design pro shared.
Lauren Lerner, an interior designer in Phoenix, Arizona, is also ready to say goodbye to the modern farmhouse heyday. She explains, “We still have new clients requesting this, and it just doesn’t feel fresh to us anymore. We are Replacing this with more modern and contemporary styles.”
Duped Trend
Another trend that Frost is ready to say goodbye to is when homeowners try dupes, a sort of fast fashion approach to interior design. He explains, “Instagram and other digital platforms have become a regurgitation of unoriginal DIY design accounts suggesting common board-and-batten makeovers and ‘duped’ furniture look-a-likes. A lack of quality promotes throwaway interiors.” Instead, Frost suggests investing in high-performing materials and craftsmanship with a focus on quality and longevity.
All-White Everything
Pickens is ready to say goodbye to all-white everything. Instead, she shares that a British-inspired design aesthetic is back in, which she describes as the layered sensibilities of patterned fabrics, wallpaper, and muted color tones. “Patterned fabrics, wallpaper, and layers are cropping up everywhere, and I am here for it! I love how the harder you look, the more you see. [It] feels like a present for the eyes, unlike the all-white everything of the 2000s which was very bare and flat,” the designer explains.
Tara Miller of The Heartland Interior Design is especially thrilled to see all-white kitchens going out of style. Miller adds, “Goodbye, all white kitchens [that] feel lifeless and sterile.” Instead of white, the founder suggests ways to make your kitchen reflect an accurate reflection of your most authentic self. She expanded, “Look at your closet and see what colors you like to wear. Look at your jewelry and see what metal tones you are drawn to. Do you like to spend your time outdoors or in the city? Collect a mental picture of all of the things you love and implement them into your kitchen! It might be a more natural hand-molded backsplash tile rather than a rigid white subway tile. It might be a green cabinet color that reminds you of hiking in the forest.”