Why You Should Ignore Decorating Trends in Interior Design
Jay Johnson Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 12:22PM 
Most Europeans approach design trends in the "right way." They tend not to take style so ultra-seriously, and blindly and courageously strike out on their own mad ways, marching to the beat of many different drummers. The British artists known as Gilbert & George had their London house photographed, and I was immediately drawn to their humor-filled kitchen. In the midst of a utilitarian kitchen, which includes an everyday washing machine, they plunked down a collection of gorgeous Aesthetic Movement ornaments on top of a similar period sideboard. They saw each item in their design scheme as being its own unique thing without pigeonholing it into a specific trend, labeling it as part of a certain design movement, or belonging to a specific period.
Trendy furnishings and interiors tend to look like hotel rooms, and they date badly.
You may hate an eclectic approach to decorating, and many Americans would agree with you. But let's rethink our aversion. As Americans, we tend to want the hottest trends. We wind up spending a lot of money on the Latest and Greatest. The downside is that in order to catch the big trend wave, we wind up being washed ashore when it comes to the next trend movement. Hot interiors date quickly, like wearing last year's designer labels. If you're a slave to of-the-moment trends, I see a lot of design updates and adjustments in your future. Actually, Interior designers shouldn't complain, as it keeps them in business. But as a school with an interior design course, we believe that there's a better way.
Europeans, and possibly a growing number of Americans, are more trend independent, combining an independent mix of utilitarian, old and new, trendy, and hopelessly silly in a way that creates a much more classic and timeless design whole. These eclectic mixes might follow a retro design trend, like using 1970s style elements, but this isn't like being a slave to brand-new trends. Retro trends have established points of reference, and they usually embrace a more classic approach the second go-around than when they were first introduced.
The lesson is to look at an item totally independently from its period, its trendiness, or its pedigree. Will it work in your design scheme? That's the hard question, and it's a hard way to evaluate design elements for most decorators, too. For instance, you may not quite be ready to embrace things that are avocado colored, and you may be leery to use Post Modern 1980s design elements. But work on these aversions and try to adopt a more eclectic, neutral, and all-inclusive European sensibility.
As decorators, we would rather have you present a great design scheme with a mix of elements that won't date badly in a few years than sell a c;oemt one hot, trendy package.
Remember when all American appliances had to be harvest gold? We rest our case.
Interested in learning more about the basics of interior design? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.
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