Interior Design Tips - Most Hated Room Design Ideas

Just because some ideas are popular does not make them practical, or lasting. In the interior design business, even the hottest trends can become hated room design ideas fairly quickly. Here we share a few trends that were once popular but which have become anathema.

Hated Living Rooms Designs

Perhaps the most popular living room design idea in recent memory, at least in new homes built in the past 20 years, the TV-over-the-fireplace has become the least appreciated design choice you can make. This, despite the fact that so many new homes feature a built-in location for the TV, above the fireplace.

For many designers, it’s the fireplace that should be the focus of the family’s living space, not a large black plastic appliance. Then, you have the ergonomic inconvenience of placing a television at a height that is largely uncomfortable for many to watch it, instead of at eye level. (Yeah, how did that neck-breaker of an idea become acceptable?)

While funk and faux may make a space unique, it may also be too unique. After all, few homeowners stay put for decades any longer, which means they’ll eventually need to sell. Though the family in the home below may have loved living in the funky design of the living room below, odds are prospective buyers will find it off-putting.

"Asking a buyer to adopt your specific design style is risky," says Jill Hosking-Cartland, an interior designer in Windham, NH. "Most buyers see these polarizing design elements as work they will have to do and spend money on to make the home a reflection of their own personal style."

Outdated everything – need we say more?

(Sorry you had to see that!)

Hated Kitchen Designs

As the most-used room in the house, kitchens tend to be most reflective of the homeowner’s personal style: including everything from the merely practical to the latest, most innovative looks and appliances.

White appliances make a kitchen feel dated. A 21st Century kitchen will feature stainless steel or black stainless-steel appliances. And, while they don’t all have to be SMART, they should certainly be digital.

Black stainless is all the rage in kitchens across the country!

When a picture is worth a thousand words – little else needs to be said.

From open shelving to reclaimed wood, and from mixed countertops to mixed metals, this kitchen is breaking all the rules of a well-designed, harmonious space (and that’s without even mentioning the color!)

There are so many challenges here the prospect of redesigning the space is daunting but, considering the psychic damage that is likely being done the family that lives here, designers should be lining up to bid on this job.

When DIY has gone out of control, a designer is needed to fix it.

OK, just stop already!

When working with a homeowner, it’s a good idea to keep in mind that they are part of a transient population; they’re likely to sell their home sooner rather than later. According to the US Census Bureau, just 37% of Americans have lived in their homes for more than 10 years, with a median duration of 5.9 years.

This means that they, and you, should design their home with the high probability of resale in mind.

Looking for more new design trends, marketing tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

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