As is the case with every New Year, you’re probably being inundated with trend forecasts for 2021. Whether they’re for clothing or interior design, trends are big business. If you’ve followed us for long enough, you might have heard that we’re not always the biggest fan of trends. Too often, trends are just there to get people to buy new stuff, even when your old furniture or clothing is perfectly usable and still nice. However, we don’t absolutely hate trends, especially if they are done right. Today for Good to Know, we want to talk about our “do’s and don’ts” of designing with trends.

Don’t - Follow a trend just because it’s “in”

So you want to try out a new design trend. We want to invite you to ask yourself why you want to try that style. If the answer is that it is “in,” or that your friend or neighbor did it, we want you to dig deeper. As we’ll talk about in this blog post, we want your home to represent who you are, and the things that you like. Designing a home that represents you starts with being discerning about what you like, and not following the crowds.

Do - Use trends to educate yourself about interior design history and to find out what you really like.

All design and architecture is rooted in history, and the things that are trendy frequently come from design history. If you’ve seen some of the trend predictions for this year, Traditional design, Post-Modern furniture, and styles from the ’80s are all listed as “in” for this year. If you haven’t had a lot of exposure to the history of design, paying attention to trends can be a great starting point for educating yourself.

By exposing yourself to different styles and types of design, you can start figuring out what you actually like. Whether or not those styles are trendy doesn't matter if it resonates with you! As you begin to look at different styles, pay attention to what you like and why you are drawn to it. This will help provide a direction for your home that is something you genuinely love, instead of the hot new thing.

Don’t - Use Trends for The Expensive and More permanent parts of your home

Oftentimes, the trendy thing in interior design can turn out to be really expensive or difficult to replace a few years down the road as it begins to look dated. As you are working on designing your home, consider how the trend will look 10 or 15 years in the future. If it’s something that will be too costly or difficult to replace, we suggest looking for a more timeless option. This is especially true for trendy windows and cabinetry.

Do - Incorporate trends in less permanent ways

Our favorite way to incorporate trends is through accessories, small furniture, and other subtle design elements. As we discussed in this blog post, we love when people mix different design styles, but we encourage you to pick a timeless style for your large furniture pieces, cabinetry, and essentially everything in your home that will be diffcult to replace. Then, you can have fun with trendy accessories, light fixtures, pillows, chairs, and removable wallpaper which are all much easier to switch out as trends change.

Do - Design your home for yoU

At the end of the day, your home is for you, and it should be personal and reflect who you are and what you love. This really isn't where trends should matter. If you love a trend for a reason other than “it’s the trend,” use it! But your main concern when designing your space should be what you love, not what is cool.

We are often asked how to add more personality and thought into a home, and this is a great first step. Go against the grain, find what you love, and create a space that is entirely your own.