Trends

Jul 11, 2017

The design trends we never want to come back

By: Natalie DiScala

You know how it is — design trends, like all trends, come and go, and usually, they come back again. But some, we’re happy (read: praying) to say "sayonara" to for good.

Need a refresher on some of the tackiest, most cringe-worthy decor and furniture to ever enter our homes? Below, a roundup of the worst of the worst.

1. Carpet in the bathroom

If the thought of wall-to-wall broadloom in the bathroom makes your skin crawl, you're not alone. We're not sure why this became a trend in the first place, but we're definitely glad to see it go. Carpet under wet toes...no, thank you!

2. Pink bathroom fixtures

Believe it or not, pink bathrooms, from the sink and the toilet to the tile and the tub, used to be the height of fashion in the 1940s and 1950s. If you've ever bought or been inside a mid-century home, you may have seen one of these rose-hued bathrooms for yourself. With some careful thought and consideration, some of these retro designs can be updated, but the top to bottom pink look is just too much for us.

3. Novelty beds

No. Just no.

4. Velvet flock wallpaper

Flock wallpaper dates back as far as the 18^th century and was once used to infuse a space with a feeling of grandeur. This particularly gauche application is just too much of a good thing (and in the wrong colour, too!). But contemporary designers have reimagined flock wallpaper and given it a modern update that, when used sparingly, can be truly elegant. Check out grahambrown.com for flock wallpaper done right.

5. Vertical blinds

Functional, yes. Fabulous? Far from it! Vertical blinds were designed as an alternative to horizontal blinds since they collected less dust and were faster and easier to open and shut. Popular in the 70s and 80s, vertical blinds have fallen out of favour (thank goodness!), although they're still a popular builder's choice as an inexpensive window covering in new homes.

6. Eden lace style bathroom four-piece cover set

Toilet seat covers are one thing, but polyester toilet seat covers with lace in a floral pattern (and that comes as part of a four-piece set so that you can cover your toilet tank, waste basket and tissue box, too) take a bad trend to an extraordinarily tacky new level. Shockingly, this set is still available for purchase.

7. Wooden TVs

Today's televisions are slim and sleek, hanging from our walls like works of art. But this wasn't always the case. This television from 1981 suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. Is it a table, a console or a TV? Who can tell?

8. Country floral bedspreads

Bedspreads (not to mention the matching canopy) in a country floral print are a look we're not sorry to see the back of. This look, straight out of the 80s, gives us major nostalgia...if you listen closely, you might hear Debbie Gibson's Electric Youth playing in the background.

9. Aquariums

We think fish and other marine life belong in the open water, not in an aquarium in your home and certainly not one under your coffee table. But maybe that's just us.