Current trends that will be embarrassing in 20 years

Trendy trends
Trendy now but what about in twenty?
Some trends come and go pretty quickly and others settle in for a decade or more. Wallpaper, deep dark accent walls and Edison bulbs seem great now, but what about in twenty years?

Looking back at some interesting trends 

When I was a kid I remember our house having a blue shag carpet in the living room and Tudor brown appliances in the kitchen. It seems laughable now (and even more laughable if they were to come back into style, which they could).

When a trend stops suddenly

About five years ago, I noticed that my clients suddenly hated popcorn ceilings. They were fine for thirty years and then suddenly everyone hated them. 

It seems a little surprising to me that homes in Laurelwood are already dated in terms of style, but not when you remember that the neighbourhood is now a generation old. Times change. Styles move on. 

What is trendy today will be dated tomorrow. 

What’s old is weird in a “what were they thinking?” kind of way. And what’s trendy now will soon seem a little weird to our descendants. 

Current trends that will be embarrassing in 20 years

With the above in mind, what are the trends we will laugh at in 20 years time? I predict:

Barn doors and plank wood walls

The whole barnyard theme seemed so cool and retro when it first came out. I have to admit, I like the texture of the rough wood walls and doors and the look of the heavy hardware. But already it seems too trendy and I can’t imagine it being cool in another ten years, let alone twenty.

Word art

Live, love, laugh. Short poems. Labeling rooms what they are, ie: “kitchen”, “man cave”. This is already so ten years ago.

Grey

Grey is the new contractor beige for walls. It is the trendy vinyl plank flooring colour. It goes great with white baseboards and trim. This one I still like and may be sorry to see disappear after it’s run. Please let’s not go back to beige. 

Open concept

The great thing about open concept is that it tends to bring families together. I remember about 15 years ago after I removed a wall for a kitchen renovation how great it was to have the living room open to the kitchen. Sure it can make a house noisier and cuts down on the amount of privacy but houses got smaller and a lot of little rooms make a place seem boxy and closed in. 

A lot of people already don’t like open concept so maybe we will trend back to more separation between rooms. 

Current smart home technology

It is almost guaranteed that whatever smart home technology you have in your home today will be completely obsolete in twenty years. Think of this. Have you ever visited a home in Beechwood or Forest Heights that has a stereo intercom system throughout the house? It likely doesn’t work. If it does, the sound quality is terrible. 

Other trendy trends that will disappear

Trends can come and go quickly. Others settle in for a decade or more. A trend can seem great now, but what about in twenty years? Wallpaper, deep dark accent walls and Edison bulbs seem great now, but what about in twenty years?

What to read next?

Some posts about market trends

Current trends in home decor

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