The most overrated interior design trends of the decade
How many “timeless” trends have already expired this year?
It’s almost ironic: how quickly “timeless” becomes tired.
Every decade has its obsessions, its rules, its “must-haves.” This one has had plenty: gray palettes, marble kitchens, open shelves, bouclé everything. Each promised sophistication, longevity, or that elusive “quiet luxury.” And yet, here we are: refreshing spaces that looked “forever” last year.
Because forever, in design, now lasts about six months.
The Myth of Timeless Design
Somewhere along the way, timeless stopped meaning lasting and started meaning safe.
It became a marketing word, not a design principle. The idea was simple: if you choose the “right” neutral, the “right” brass faucet, and the “right” curved sofa, you’ll never have to change again.
But real life doesn’t work that way. Homes aren’t showrooms. They evolve. They hold memories, moods and traces of who we are.
Think about it: how many spaces have you seen this decade that look curated but feel cold? That perfect gray minimalism we once called sophisticated now feels sterile. That endless beige-on-beige palette meant to calm us has started to erase us.
When “Timeless” Feels Lifeless
A few months ago, a client in Soho called me completely frustrated with her “timeless” home. It was flawless in photos: neutral tones, brass hardware, designer lighting. It checked every box. But she told me, “It doesn’t feel like my home.”
So we started over. We kept the bones but brought back soul: soft plaster walls that played with light, textured fabrics that invited touch and art that told her story.
We didn’t strip the space of elegance; we gave it breath.
When she walked in at the final reveal, she said quietly, “That’s what I was looking for.”
That’s when it clicked again: timelessness isn’t about trendlessness; it’s about truth.
The Most Overrated “Forever” Looks
Let’s be honest about what didn’t age well:
Gray-on-gray minimalism. What once felt sleek now feels emotionally flat.
All-beige “neutral luxury.” Calm? Maybe. Character? None.
Open shelving kitchens. Beautiful for Instagram, exhausting for real life.
Marble everything. Opulence overused becomes monotony.
Bouclé overload. Texture turned gimmick when it lost contrast.
These trends weren’t failures, they were symptoms of a bigger issue: our obsession with aesthetic over emotion.
What Actually Lasts
Design lasts when it’s built on emotion.
The curve of a chair that fits your posture.
The texture of a rug that welcomes your bare feet.
The way morning light moves across your wall.
Those aren’t trends, they’re experiences. They make a space feel personal, grounded and alive. That’s what never expires.
The Truth About Trends
Trends aren’t the enemy. They reveal what we crave in a specific moment: comfort, simplicity, identity. The danger is mistaking them for you.
You can be inspired by a trend without obeying it.
You can borrow an idea, a material, a mood but your home shouldn’t read like a date stamp.
Design for a Life, Not a Decade
My role as a designer isn’t to chase the latest look, it’s to create a space that feels good now and still true later. A home that evolves with you, not against you.
The most timeless spaces aren’t the quietest or the simplest.
They’re the most honest.
👉 Book a consultation and let’s design a space that feels human, grounded and impossible to date; because it’s uniquely yours.
Written by Carole Vaudable, interior designer.
