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We all have home decor trends that we love, hate, and frankly love to hate—myself included. I’m writing to you from my living room where there’s a wall mural of pastel shapes and a wavy coffee table that I’m currently loving (though that’s not always the case). At the time, I set out with the intent to create a playful space that was colorful and not so self-serious, which led me to commission an accent wall to solve the problem of my 15-foot-tall boring minimalist white walls and a custom coffee table that wasn’t yet available off the shelf.
Fast-forward to the present and, naturally, I’ve found my own design choices out of favor (I don’t have to explain the accent wall backlash and wiggle overload). But in standing my ground and committing to the look, I’ve come to realize most designers and industry tastemakers have their own controversial design trends they love too. And that plenty of people are still shopping squiggle decor. So in the spirit of hot takes, we spoke to six design experts whose style we admire to see what home decor trends they can’t get enough of—even if it’s not the most popular.
Leaving a home’s original woodwork untouched
Listen, we love a fresh coat of white paint just as much as designer Leanne Ford, but multihyphenate Sam Arneson, one of Los Angeles’s leading real estate agents for the creative-leaning, nature-loving set is making a strong case for working with your home’s original wood ceilings and paneling. In a world where homeowners time and time again turn to white paint as a design solution, their response is resolutely: “Good Lord, please no!” As they explain further, “I am one thousand percent against this in literally every scenario. Original wood is so sexy and adds much needed warmth, texture, and gravitas. I would honestly like to have as many unpainted wood surfaces in my house as possible.”
Although not everyone feels the same, we have plenty of evidence to back up Sam’s case. Ciao Lucia founder Lucy Akin echoes the same sentiment—her house is full of its original pine cladding. “Usually, people buy the house and all of a sudden it becomes fully white,” she says. “When you walk into the cabin, you’re just overwhelmed by how much wood there is—that’s what I wanted to keep.”
Kate Hayes and Krista Little of Hayes Little Studio preserved a Georgia home’s original Craftsman-era details—think dark wood beams, fireplaces, windows, and paneling—and paired them with warm, friendly accents to create a more modern space despite heavy, historical elements. “We didn’t want the house to feel like an oppressive Victorian library, but we also didn’t want it to feel like a white box,” Kate adds.
Leaning into super-trendy decor
In 2024, it feels borderline illegal to pledge allegiance to a trend and give it pride of place in your home, but designer Sarah Tract of Sarah Tract Interiors loves embracing an of-the-moment shape or item when it helps bring a specific vision to life. “I think it’s controversial to be ‘too trendy, but I also think it’s super fun to express yourself in whatever way you see fit for your home,” she says.
We’re familiar with going all in, especially now that trends have been core-ified. If you love stuff, call it cluttercore. Longing for the countryside? You have cottagecore (and its successor, urban homesteading). Or maybe you love the color pink or butter yellow—simply claim Barbiecore or seize the foodification of a handful of today’s color trends.
If you find yourself daydreaming about bringing a trendy piece of decor into your home, adopt Sarah’s happiness-first approach. “I try to remind myself and the client that, at the end of the day, they’re the one living in the home and I just want them to be happy! If they love something and it speaks to them, then I want to make sure we utilize it in the best way possible.”
A different type of bookshelf wealth
What happens when instead of using your book collection to cultivate a certain vibe or status, you use it as an accessory? That’s just what New York City–based designer Dan Mazzarini did with the styling of his bookshelves, controversially displaying titles covered in craft paper at his Greenwich Village home. “For some of us, it is not always about the books so much as what they do for the other prized possessions on your shelf,” he explains. “In my home, they serve as a backdrop for my Andy Bissonnette pottery collection.” He also clued us into a resource for anyone who’s trying to get the look: You can buy your books by the foot.
When incorporating controversial trends into design plans for clients, the principal and creative director of BHDM Design and Archive has a refreshingly lighthearted take: “Give it a whirl and if you don’t love it, we can change it! Design and styling is meant to be fun and bring joy, so if you like it, let’s go for it.”
Televisions are a resounding no
We all watch (or stream) TV, it’s a fact. But when it comes to designing a living room, you’re either on Team Here’s My Screen or Team Try and Find It. AD PRO Directory member Deana Lenz of Deana Lenz Interiors is firmly the latter. “I think when a common room such as the living room or family is being designed, a TV should never be placed above the fireplace mantle or [set] on a media console,” she says. “Don’t let a screen be the focal point of a beautiful and thought-out room.”
Of course, Deana isn’t alone. Many designers, and a growing number of homeowners, are disavowing televisions—at least ones that are visible, anyway. It’s becoming easier and easier to camouflage your screen. Deana suggests adding your TV to a wall of shelves, placing it in the center of the unit and concealing it with a sliding door. Other alternatives include a variety of smart cabinets that, with the press of a button, sprout a flat-screen (like in Ellen Van Dusen of Dusen Dusen’s Brooklyn townhouse) and the sought-after Samsung Frame TV that allows you to choose digital artwork to display.
For every controversial design trend designers love, there are also ones they despise. Sam is absolutely done with modern farmhouse; Sarah can’t with gray-stained wood floors (her point: you’ve never seen a gray tree in a forest!); Dan isn’t so much a fan of the wiggle (see, I told you!), and Deana steers clear of trendy color palettes. Proving ultimately that you can’t please everyone, so why try?
