9 Home Trends Interior Designers Can’t Wait To Say Goodbye To In 2024
These are the home trends designers are ready to leave behind in 2023. Plus, learn their hopeful replacements.
Not every trend is timeless. When asked what 2023 trends they hoped wouldn’t see 2024, interior designers were all too eager to decry their trending pet peeves. 2023 style, designer-detested trends included, featured lots of bold colors and organic materials. In some ways, designers expect 2024 trends to be continuations of 2023, and in other ways, they predict shifts in what’s considered in style. In 2024, designers expect to see cozy, layered materials with natural inspiration.
Here, we’ve gathered their impassioned responses. While some trends have been blacklisted for the crime of shining too brightly and teetering into the realm of overuse, others are styles that designers tried and have learned from, and others are trends that designers had a distaste for from the start. Though designers despise some trends, that doesn’t mean that they will necessarily decline in popularity—just that the pros wish they would. Overall, these interior designers are ready for bigger and better things in 2024.
Meet The Expert
Shelagh Conway is the principal designer and founder of Triple Heart Design in Austin, Texas.
Kristen Harrison is an interior designer and owner of Bungalow 10 Interiors in Northern Virginia.
Liz Potarazu is the CEO and principal designer of LP + Co in Potomac, Maryland.
Cathleen Gruver is the lead interior designer of Gruver Cooley in Northern Virginia.
Bouclé
Interior designer Shelagh Conway is saying ‘good riddance’ to speckled, woven yarn textiles. “I think bouclé done well is beautiful, but it was so overdone,” she explains. “I also don’t personally care for how crunchy it can be and don’t believe it wears well.”
Wood Strip Panel Walls
Another 2023 trend that flew too close to the run in Conway’s opinion? Wood strip panel walls. Instead, she recommends other wall flourishes like art or molding.
“The linear strip wood panel walls took off and are also very overdone,” she bemoans. “There are many other ways to accent a wall!”
Modern Farmhouse
“I think the modern farmhouse aesthetic has officially exited the building. It has had its moment—longer than most moments—and it’s time to move on,” reveals interior designer Kristen Harrison. “A modern farmhouse has been done and done and done. I think there is a more sophisticated way to create a similar vibe that will elevate your home instead of making it look dated.”
We’re not sure if we’re ready to let go of this one yet, even if designers say it’s due time. Harrison says she hopes that more relaxed and sophisticated styles that speak to quiet luxury and European inspiration take over from here.
Black and White Exteriors
“I am ready to say goodbye to the black-and-white exterior trend. Much of what I’ve seen in terms of new homes and exterior renovations is all black and white—black window frames with all white siding, or brick painted white with black doors, black shutters, and black hardware,” interior designer Liz Potarazu explains fiercely. “While I think the goal of this aesthetic was to create a modern-looking home, it often results in an exterior that looks cold, cookie-cutter, and will date itself quickly.”
Luckily, Potarazu has an alternative: “If you really love the black and white trend, I’d like for homeowners building a new home or planning an exterior renovation to consider softening the starkness of the color combination. This can be achieved using stone components or even a creamy white or light tan tone instead of pure white. Practically, black windows can also be pricey. If what you’re looking to achieve is the black and white look in the interior of your home, opt for white window frames and paint the interiors black.”
Open Shelving Overload
While interior designer Cathleen Gruver can get behind an open shelf or two here and there, she is exasperated by the overuse of open shelving. Because open shelves bare everything for all to see, they have to be meticulously decorated. However, Gruver’s grievance with an abundance of open shelving has to do with another aspect of their upkeep.
“I’m not the biggest fan of open shelves because they tend to collect dust, so it isn't the most practical for storing items unless you are really religious with wiping them down,” she says, explaining that instead, she hopes to see “more of a focus on glass cabinets for display purposes, and maybe some variations on how the glass is used. I think people like how open shelving can open up a space, but the same can be achieved by using the right materials such as lighter cabinets, glass, or mirrors in cabinets.”
Over-Styling
Harrison airs another shelving trend woe. She has had it up to here with over-styled shelves. Harrison is against having stuff for the sake of stuff, or for the sake of taking up space.
“Over-styling shelves brings the atmosphere of the room down and creates a cluttered aesthetic,” Harrison says. “Instead think about displaying more art, or items that actually mean something to you. Every inch of space doesn’t need to be covered!”
Jack Thompson
Jewel Tones
Over the course of 2023, Gruver has also been disillusioned by jewel tones, especially on millwork such as cabinets, doors, built-ins, and other more permanent home fixtures. If you love bold emerald sapphire, and ruby shades, she suggests keeping these colors to elements such as throw pillows which are more easily interchangeable.
“I appreciate the use of bold colors, but for some reason, I have always had a hard time connecting to the jewel tones. I think because they don't feel like something that can stand the test of time, which is ultimately my goal with my clients,” she says. “[In 2024,] I would love to see more of a range of colors embraced, perhaps in softer tones so that it is more comfortable to the senses.”
Indestructible Fabrics
While some designers adore performance fabrics and are eager to see them rise even higher, Gruver has a gloomier outlook for this trend, even noting that it could be unhealthy in the long term because of the chemicals that give performance fabrics their signature durability.
“I think people are becoming more aware of PFAs (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and chemicals used in everyday items,” Gruver says. “With this awareness, I am advising clients against using performance fabrics and focusing on finding more natural materials that can be easily cleaned instead.”
Luxury Vinyl Plank
Luxury vinyl plank, or "LVP," is an artificial material that is made to mimic wood, but in Conway's opinion, it falls short.
“If you absolutely have to have a wood look and cannot work with actual wood, then a wood-look tile would be my choice over LVP," says Conway. "But a wood-look anything is never a preference because wood in its nature is cozy. As we continue to lean into more organic and sustainable pieces for our homes, I am excited to see the use of wood and nature’s elements.”
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