I am an interior designer who hates interior design trends
I know it’s weird to hear an interior designer saying she hates interior design trends, but here we are. 10 years ago I was new to the interior design industry. I studied architecture (even had a masters in it), and I loved it. The only downside to it for me was the work environment where you weren’t really allowed any creative input.
Where I worked, I was only a drafter for other architects and I thought it a bit cruel when they would let us come up with ideas, only to tell us later that they didn’t matter anyway because they weren’t even going to consider them. Another big thing for me was the fact that things were happening very slowly. Seeing your work come to life (as an architect) could literally take years. And that was if you were lucky enough to have some creative contribution in the first place.
So after a couple of years, I realised I wasn’t going to last long in this line of work (architecture) because I thrive on creative input and freedom. To not have that was a slow and painful life for me. So, the only sensible decision I could make at that time was to come back to my original love, which was interior design.
Every day after work I would come home and relax on Pinterest, looking at beautiful interiors, and curating saved photos. It was a way to keep my creative spark alive, but also calm down. Don’t worry. I’m not going to write the whole story of how I got into interiors here, but if you are interested you can read more about that here.
So when I started working in interior design in my first job in London, I felt it was like a dream come true. I was fascinated by all of it, every little detail, every drawing, not to mention fabric samples, site visits, and seeing redesigned and renovated homes. It made my heart jump with joy.
I also remember hearing for the first time the concept of “interior design trends”, and thinking “Oh, what is that?” because I never heard of trends before, even in architecture back home, in Romania.
I was a bit confused when someone explained to me briefly that each year paint colours, items, and whatnot are selected to be “in-fashion” over other things.
The moment I heard “trendy like in fashion” however, I immediately checked out. I’ve always hated fashion trends and being forced to dress a certain way to be trendy or accepted by society, to be included in the “cool kids” social circles.
And honestly, as an introvert, I never really cared or wanted any of that anyway. So, of course, when I heard about interior design trends, I quickly stopped paying attention. Or one would say, I never really started in the first place.
For a while, especially in the beginning, I felt super guilty about it too. I felt it was something I “needed” to do, to learn, to know so that I am informed in case anybody from work or potential clients asks me.
But I always had a strong resistance to even looking into it. I will admit I tried a couple of times, but after a while, I gave up.
Why would I bother to learn every year what is “trendy” just to “influence” my clients into buying trendy items, when next year everything will change again? So that my clients would have to pay £££ to change things? I just did not see the point in it.
Image by Studio Gently
Not to mention how confusing all of it is. I tried quite recently to look into trends and finding what was the paint colour of the year. I found 3 different “paint colour of the year” from completely different companies. Which one is right? Who should I follow? I rolled my eyes and thought if this is confusing for me, how must it feel to non-industry folk?
So I thought to myself “Why am I falling down this pointless rabbit hole? Do I need to know interior design trends to do my job? Do I even want to know”? The answer was and still is obviously NO.
To make it easier to understand why I am so against interior design trends, here are my reasons below.
1. Interior design trends are just another way to promote consumerism.
Before you roll your eyes at me, just think about it for a second.
Does it really matter if this year’s colour of the year is blue and last year was green? If all of your rooms were green, would you repaint everything in blue to keep up with trends?
If you bought a wooden round coffee table last year, but suddenly this year, the trends dictate that the coffee table to have is oval and made out of marble, would you throw the one you already have away and pay £££ just to have one that is in style?
Ask yourself, who is your home for? Is it for you? To make you happy every day or is it for the world to see that you’ve kept up with trends, and to accept you? No, simply put - design trends are just a way for companies to promote their products so that they can make a profit.
2. Interior design trends harm the environment.
Just like fast fashion, the interior design world is quickly following in her sister’s footsteps. Just because something is done fast and cheap (quality/materials wise) and comes at a bargain cost, it does not mean it will last you a long time. It does not mean it won’t break after a couple of months of wear and tear and when it does, you’ll need to replace it with something else.
Not to mention all of the pollution that comes in the process of producing all these items.
I must admit that, shamefully, this is something that until recently did not even cross my mind, but the building/architecture and interior design industry is responsible for a whopping 40% of worldwide carbon emissions (due to materials, and chemicals used in production, renovations, etc). So, just like the fashion industry and the food industry, we are also part of the problem. You can find out more about this here - it’s a really interesting article.
So if we want to do better for our planet and for our own future, we have to start thinking about our homes in a different, long-lasting way. Be smart about what we buy, about what is really needed, about what we can save, reuse, recycle and especially about what we let into our homes.
3. Interior design trends promote FOMO and can affect your mental health.
I know this is a bold statement but just think about it. If you are a people pleaser (like me, and by the way, through no fault of your own), you will most likely want to be accepted by society and those around you. And to stay safe, the simplest way in which we can do that is by following trends, buying what everybody else is buying, and being part of the big group.
Interior design trends play on these feelings of enoughness, and worthiness (even coolness) and they can also make you feel bad about yourself, about missing out, especially if you are not in a position where you can invest in something. Following or not following trends does not mean anything about you. I really want you to know that.
Which leads me to my next point.
4. Interior design trends do not necessarily let you shine.
Interior design trends are just another way through which society dictates what is cool or not at a certain point in time. You are either cool or the odd one standing out. Is anybody else having high school flashbacks or is it just me?
The big problem I have with trends and with anything, in general, that tries to tell me who I am, who I should be or what I should like, is that it does not let you be yourself. It does not take your personality into account. It does not let your personality shine.
You are such a beautiful soul, having a human experience, expressing yourself in all of your splendour, on a rock flying through space (just to put things in perspective).
The beauty of interior design is that it can come in so many shapes, forms, and styles (with many still being invented), precisely for this reason. There is a corner for everybody to express themselves. Because we are all different and how we see the world and choose to express ourselves is subjectively unique. And important.
photo by ©Detail Movement
In Conclusion
Interior trends can be a source of inspiration, don’t get me wrong. But they can also become a source of confusion, and overwhelm because the pressure to keep up with things can affect our mental health if we are not careful.
We shouldn’t let anybody dictate what we like, in what way we choose to express ourselves and our personality, and most of all, tell us how to live in the privacy of our own home! Only we get to do that.
If you happen to like a certain trend that happens to be popular right now, then great! Want to add it to your home? Great! There is nothing wrong with that. But make sure you do that because you genuinely like it. Make sure it is something that brings you joy. Something that you will want to surround yourself with for years to come. Because it represents you and it makes you happy. In the end, what you like is important, and remember, it’s yours for a reason.
Not because some company or industry told you so (and is most likely just trying to reach a sales target).
You are not just another sales number.
You are a human being! And it’s time we remembered that!
Until next time,
Rx
Join our Thoughtful Edit
The “Thoughtful Edit” interior newsletter. A newsletter unlike any other where the content is shaped by the community for the community, to serve the community.
All images that are credited as '©Detail Movement', are done by Raluca Vaduva for Detail Movement. All rights reserved. All pictures that are not my own, I credit them to the best of my knowledge & research, to their offline/online sources. I do not claim ownership over them in any way. If you see your picture on this site and do not wish for it to be displayed, please get in touch and I will remove it or add additional notes at your request.