Monday, January 5, 2009

What's Out for 2009?

THESE ITEMS ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT, ACCORDING TO SOME INTERIOR DESIGNERS

I read an article over the weekend in the LA Times Home section that I just had to share with you. Titled Oh, please get over it, by David A. Keeps; LA designers are asked what design trends are coming to an end and what household items need to be purged and/or donated. Some of the answers were quite humorous as well as interesting...here's what they said:

"If I hear one more client say they want a huge chandelier over a table, I don't know what I'm going to say," says Joe Lucas, co-owner of the West Hollywood store, Harbinger. He suggests a more"dialed-down" version of luxury for a fixture. As for the use of coral, we should "toss it back into the ocean." Designer Linda Allen says, "painted - natural - embroidered... OK, I got it! I'm coraled out...can we get on to other organic items as accessories?" Designer Betsy Burnham seconds that statement when it comes to using coral for home decor and suggests using turquoise as an alternative. Another tired trend is Hollywood Regency, including the overdone lacquered Chinese Chippendale chairs. Opt for a beautiful antique which can have just as much Hollywood glamour. Designer Kenneth Winegard says, "please, in the kitchen, no more granite countertop. It came to vogue in the 80's, and it makes a place look dated instantaneously." He suggests using other materials such as honed white marble, soap stone, poured concrete and Corian. Designer Craig Olsen said he's "tired of seeing the oversized sleigh bed. If you have a team of Clydsedales, drive this old chestnut straight to the barn." He suggests a more sophisticated headboard using nailheads and fine fabric or soft leather.

Other items that made the list:
  • Reflective and damask patterned wallpaper is out - opt for glamour and refinement found in nature - look to Viennese patterns rooted in Art Nouveau for wallpapers and fabric
  • Residential kitchens that look like commercial restaurants and overuse of stainless steel appliances
  • Overhead lighting without a dimmer - (example via India Hicks: recessed bulbs that illuminate the center of a dining table as if some sort of surgery is about to be performed)

  • TV's above the fireplace - not chic and should be centered at your line of site, not above your head

  • Little cubed ottomans - instead, try hexagons or oval shapes which instantly add impact and interest to a room

  • New complete sets of furniture - mix and match for a more layered look

  • Outrageously elaborate gold frames - opt for an elegant, simple hand-finished wood frame to enhance the art; not distract from it
What design trends are you over? What do you still love, regardless if it's "in" or "out"? Please, share your thoughts! I'll be doing some research on the suggested alternative ideas to post about later this week.
Posted by Jules at Monday, January 05, 2009
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16 comments:

  1. I am more for timeless pieces so it doesn't surprise me that the fads are on there way out. I am over the granite benchtops too though..I will always love soap stone.
    Ness xx
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  2. Oh yes I can agree with these. Hmm...I think the deer heads are out...we need to move onto new animal love!
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  3. I'm so over toile prints. I love the new bolder designs and colors in wall paper. And using wall paper in places besides the wall. But I will always love a good chandelier. Maybe pair it with something more rustic to make it not so serious.
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  4. Happy New Year Jules!!

    I love the look of window draperies hung higher & wider then the actually window. I am also a fan of vinyl wall lettering to spice up a room, and when you get tired of it you can just pull it off.
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  5. I agree 100%. Sooooo glad someone else feels the same way I do. I have never liked granite countertops, even in the 80s.
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  6. ok, chandeliers i will never be over! in fact i think every home can use on in one way shape or form. maybe not those huge ones, but a chandelier nevertheless. i think they are timeless and elegant. love concrete over granite, concrete is so versatile and timeless as well. i too go for more of a vintage style but with an edge so many of the items listed would bore me after a while. but that's just me! fun post, gets you thinking a bit :)
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  7. Happy New Year!

    Harbinger is the best name ever for a store :)
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  8. I am SO glad they mentioned granite countertops. It seems like EVERY SINGLE NEW HOME IN THE MIDWEST has these... give it a rest, already! Gah! and don't get me started on the over-use of coral...

    Can we also stop with the lattice-work upholstry? I'm kind of over that too...
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  9. I'm over vessel sinks, subway tile and flokati rugs. I think these were deemed "out" in 2007 but no one paid attention, it seems every home show and open house around here features them.

    I do love my sleigh bed though. I have wanted one for 20 years and finally got one. I can't help it if they became ubiquitous. I like to think that everyone else copied me!
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  10. Coral definitely has got to go. I also agree with please sir and that antler decor needs to go far far away.
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  11. yes - the antlers need to find a new home, outside of the home! robin, you have a good point about the vessel sinks and subway tile - come to think of it, i do see that trend everywhere! i've enjoyed all of your input and take on this subject.
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  12. Here's some stuff I've been thinking about including in a similar post (I've never been into these so I technically can't say I'm over them, but this is what I've thought):
    1) It seems that there's been a lot of wallmounted deer/moose in every feasible material and colour around.
    2) The baroque pattern, of course. And yeah:
    3) Sculls. Who came up with the idea of decorating with death?
    4) Large, random letters, although I'm including a couple in my bedroom makeover (but these letters actually mean something)!
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  13. Oh no.. I hate looking at lists of what is out because usually by the time the masses actually get some of these things they are now "out." Chandeliers can't ever be out in my book...I wish I could get the granite out of my kitchen but it is fairly new so it is def staying but I dream of a white kitchen with marble countertops! ahh!
    Happy new year!
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  14. Furniture Sets...SO OUT. Mix it up!! I can't stand furniture sets, I think it cheapens the look regardless.
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  15. 1. Granite - I was never into it, never wanted it, and am sick to death of it. Ditto for the obsession with kitchens and industrial type appliances. I want a Smeg refrigerator. Love that. Made in the UK, I believe.
    2. The word, "spa" to describe way too many items.
    3. The giant flat screens. Actually, I think I can live without any television screen, which brings me to....
    4. Media rooms (including theatre sized popcorn machines). Ugh. Give me a decent library instead.
    5. Oversized furniture for oversized people. You know--the kind with the sloppy slipcovers.
    6. The coral/shell fetish is done. I don't have anything against birds, but I've been seeing way too many of them in the past year.
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  16. During my au pair time in England, I learned to hate the stainless steel appliances. If they are stainless, then how come do they STAIN in the UGLIEST way possible, and cleaning them to their original sparkle and dazzle is IMPOSSIBLE.

    I'm personally not hung up on the trends. Their problem is that by the time I have money to get these fashionable items, they're out of fashion. Why spend a fortune on something that's cool only for a year?
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