We all have home decor trends that we love, hate, and frankly love to hate—myself included. I’m writing to you from my living room where there’s a wall mural of pastel shapes and a wavy coffee table that I’m currently loving (though that’s not always the case). At the time, I set out with the intent to create a playful space that was colorful and not so self-serious, which led me to commission an accent wall to solve the problem of my 15-foot-tall boring minimalist white walls and a custom coffee table that wasn’t yet available off the shelf.
Fast-forward to the present and, naturally, I’ve found my own design choices out of favor (I don’t have to explain the accent wall backlash and wiggle overload). But in standing my ground and committing to the look, I’ve come to realize most designers and industry tastemakers have their own controversial design trends they love too. And that plenty of people are still shopping squiggle decor. So in the spirit of hot takes, we spoke to six design experts whose style we admire to see what home decor trends they can’t get enough of—even if it’s not the most popular.
Leaving a home’s original woodwork untouched
Listen, we love a fresh coat of white paint just as much as designer Leanne Ford, but multihyphenate Sam Arneson, one of Los Angeles’s leading real estate agents for the creative-leaning, nature-loving set is making a strong case for working with your home’s original wood ceilings and paneling. In a world where homeowners time and time again turn to white paint as a design solution, their response is resolutely: “Good Lord, please no!” As they explain further, “I am one thousand percent against this in literally every scenario. Original wood is so sexy and adds much needed warmth, texture, and gravitas. I would honestly like to have as many unpainted wood surfaces in my house as possible.”
Although not everyone feels the same, we have plenty of evidence to back up Sam’s case. Ciao Lucia founder Lucy Akin echoes the same sentiment—her house is full of its original pine cladding. “Usually, people buy the house and all of a sudden it becomes fully white,” she says. “When you walk into the cabin, you’re just overwhelmed by how much wood there is—that’s what I wanted to keep.”
Kate Hayes and Krista Little of Hayes Little Studio preserved a Georgia home’s original Craftsman-era details—think dark wood beams, fireplaces, windows, and paneling—and paired them with warm, friendly accents to create a more modern space despite heavy, historical elements. “We didn’t want the house to feel like an oppressive Victorian library, but we also didn’t want it to feel like a white box,” Kate adds.
Leaning into super-trendy decor
In 2024, it feels borderline illegal to pledge allegiance to a trend and give it pride of place in your home, but designer Sarah Tract of Sarah Tract Interiors loves embracing an of-the-moment shape or item when it helps bring a specific vision to life. “I think it’s controversial to be ‘too trendy, but I also think it’s super fun to express yourself in whatever way you see fit for your home,” she says.
