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Sarah's Design Trends for 2024: What to Expect and What to Say Goodbye To

Sarah Gaunt- Design Forge Atelier

After the black plague came the renaissance. After the Spanish Influenza, came the Roaring 20’s and Art Deco. It’s time for a rebirth of craftsmanship, ornate detail, and an influx of personality in design to remind us that we are at life!


Design has been going through a sterile, stark, minimalist period these last few years, and I for one am ready to romanticize our homes and living spaces again. As many of us spend more time in our homes than ever before, I dream of each of us walking into our homes and thinking, “Thank god I’m in MY space” not, “I can’t get comfy here,” or “I’ve walked into a showroom.” Now, I’m not calling for a hodgepodge of STUFF (we don’t want to revisit 80’s surface clutter! cringe), but a balance of cozy spaces, timeless materials, and statement pieces.  “One-of-a-kind pieces” doesn’t have to mean expensive; it means lose the big box store furniture that literally everyone has and cultivate pieces that make people wonder where YOU got them; pieces that are unique to YOU and bring interest to the room.

Here are some of my most loathed trends that need to die in 2024, accompanied by the ideas that will help give them the boot and bring about the era of individuality! (Notice I didn’t say TRENDS. Trends are only around for a little while and then go out of style. These are timeless things that won’t have you saying, “Why did I do that and how do I fix it?” in 5 years). Let’s start from the outside and work our way in!


 

1.       OUT: White Houses with Black Trim


Don’t get me wrong, I loved this look when it first came about, it is beautiful, stark, and clean. BUT nearly every person who has repainted or has built a house in the last 5 years has done this, to the point where I can’t tell them apart anymore. Neighborhoods have morphed into one big white blob. Those of you who stayed strong and went a different way, I salute you.


            Photo Credit: TheHouseDesigners


IN: Moody Nature Tones w/ Natural Accents-

i.e.. Brick, Stone, Wood Shingles


 SO much more warmth and charm to these looks! To me this says, “Come inside and sit by the fire with some coffee”, instead of “Oops, did I walk into my neighbor’s home AGAIN?”


Photo Credit: ChrislovesJulia

 

2.       OUT: Linear Open Concept Living room, Dining Room, and Kitchens


 Maybe you’ve never experienced this, but imagine you’re visiting your in-law's house, cuddled up on their sofa and fully enthralled in the latest Jack Reacher episode. Your (very kindhearted and well meaning) in-law strolls into their kitchen and decides this is the perfect time to do the dishes. I mean it is their house, but the island sink is 10 feet away from the sofa and the back of your head! So not only do you have water running, clanking pans, and slamming cabinet doors, but your in-law is asking you for a play-by-play of what’s going on in the show right then! Some things should just be avoided... ya know, in order to save these important relationships!


Photo Credit: HomesbyJoshDoyle , Twitter

IN: Delineated Living Spaces


I’m not saying Open concept is all evil! I live in an 80’s home (that we are slowly remodeling), and one of the things that we HATE is our completely closed off kitchen. My husband, especially, says he gets very bored and lonely cooking alone (Aww! tear), and because it’s so insulated it’s like cooking in Satan’s soup kitchen anytime you turn the stove on! I just want to see more delineation between spaces, and ceiling height differences only do so much! I personally love a separate, formal dining room, as long as it is off the kitchen and there’s a corridor or butlers pantry connecting the two.


 

3. OUT: Cool Grey/Greige

I feel like this has already started to phase out a bit, which I’m quite happy about. Keep going folks- lets warm our up homes and not feel like we’re living in the beginning of Wizard of Oz… the sound of the creepy witch cackling as she peddles by my window is getting fainter every day.


          Photo Credit: KiraTurner


IN: Warm, Rich Tones

 Keep it warm and cozy for your neutrals, and rich and velvety for deeper tones. This doesn’t just apply to walls- think of this for cabinets, built-ins, tile, flooring, and textiles too!


Photo Credit: HouseBeautiful

 

4. OUT: Stark spaces that could be anyone’s home/ Monolithic Furniture

I believe there are a couple of things to blame for this. For one, ordering things online. It’s so much easier for us lazy, post-coviders to let stores just to tell us what all to buy together in order to complete our room and order it all with one click. For another, this evil thing that I’m posting on now, Social Media. Much like the never ending, tick-tock dances, we see someone do something that gets a lot of views and think to ourselves, “I could do that,” and then just copy it. Next thing you know, it’s been repeated to death and everyone’s sick of it. It’s made us lose our original thoughts- let’s bring our creativity back by looking inward to ourselves.



IN: Personality/ Timeless Traditional Pieces

This can be achieved by placing some (keyword, some) fun knick-knacks around that reflect your individuality, placing books that you like into displays, finding thrifted or antique furniture and décor items that speak to you, working in pieces that have been handed down through your family, adding your favorite color(s) in. If you like mix & match patterns- go for it! If you love cocktails, curate a fun bar cart display. If you love history, make an eye-catching portrait wall of your ancestors (just a few random ideas). I swear there’s still some originality lurking in all of us- we just have to stop being afraid that not everyone will like what we’re doing. As long as you like it, that’s all that matters, it’s your home!

 

 

5. OUT: Boring Hardware/ Lighting

Along those lines, one of the things that make spaces cold and cookie cutter/ “ready to sell” is plain-Jane hardware and lighting. If I see one more basic black, minimalist, cage chandelier I’m going to cut it down Pirate of the Caribbean style (I guess I better start with the one in my foyer). If I catch my pants pocket on one more primitive T-shaped drawer pull, I’m ripping the whole drawer out in a child sized tantrum (again, my kitchen, be very afraid… sledgehammers are coming for you this year)!



IN: Details, Craftsmanship

You don’t have to have drawer pulls shaped like snails to accomplish this (though they do look fun, Anthropology!) but there used to be a focus on craftsmanship and unique form in these items. One of my favorite ways to add my personality into the spaces of my home is through antique lighting, hardware, and special little metal accents. The antique brass swan neck hand towel ring in my powder room gets so many compliments, because people love noticing those little details!


 

6. OUT: Plain, Natural Rugs and Textiles

I’m a big fan of using natural materials and staying true to materiality. I love a good jute rug as much as the next person, but if you haven’t noticed yet, they shed worse than my German Shepherds! While that’s not a reason to totally get rid of them, adding them into a grouping of other solid, neutral textiles in your large furniture pieces leaves your space lacking in warmth and character.



Photo Credit: HookandLoom, Domvitus


IN: Ornate and Romantic Patterns

Try layering your natural, solid rug under a smaller, more ornate rug to bring in even more texture! Group throw pillows by using some solid and some pattern to layer in some eye-catching elements. Some of my favorite ways to bring in ornate pattern is through drapes and wallpaper. Nothing looks more rich and romantic than William Morris repeating up your dining room wall!


 

7. OUT: Architectural Accent Walls

These are such a fun way to add character to your home, especially when you don’t want to just have yet another wall with art on it. Unfortunately, they are a very trendy thing, in that you are going to get sick of it quickly, and they will end up dating your home when the trend is over in a year or two. But because they have to be built onto the wall, they will be super hard and expensive to remove. There a few types of this that I would rule as traditional and timeless, such as full wall wainscoting, but I would steer clear of diagonal lines, chunky trim, and overly patterned designs.


Photo Credit: Instagram


IN: Useful, Timeless Built-ins

Few things make me happier than seeing beautiful built-in millwork. Throw useful storage solutions into these and I’m in literal heaven! I’m talking about fireplace flanking bookcases, built-in wet bars in a butler’s pantry, and closets with a place for each piece of clothing to name a few. Purpose driven design is key here!


Photo Credit: OneCoastDesign

 

8. OUT: LVT & Wood-look/ Trendy Boho Pattern Tile in Wet Spaces

Let’s get back to truth in materiality! I don’t like to say I hate things, because sometimes, in the right situation, they work. But something that never fits, is wood-looking tile; wood screen print on tile always looks and feels fake- best to steer clear. Now, I really love the newer LVT for living spaces- it is so well made and useful for daily life, especially with kids or if like me, you have two, one-hundred-pound German Shepherds who would be DESTROYING true hardwoods with their nails. But no matter how much waterproofing you do, water getting under these planks will still make it warp and cause water damage, so I don’t love it for bathrooms specifically. Nothing dates a home faster than out of date patterns, and similar to the architectural walls, tile is an expensive and hard (literally!) thing to replace. So trendy patterns, such as the Boho/ Moroccan look will be dated in just a few short years, and you’re going to want to go Paul Bunyan on your bathroom floors and kitchen backsplashes.



IN: Classic, Timeless Tile

Marble or solid color ceramic in a basket-weave, brick-lay, herringbone (for medium-large scale tile), and cross hatch pattern. I mean, these have been in style for hundreds of years, and there’s a good reason- they are not overly patterned, true to their materiality, and everyone can agree they are pleasing to the eye in any situation. This is one of those areas I say, keep it classic- you’ll never regret it!


Photo Credit: HJMartin

 

9. OUT: Full Glass Wall Showers

Last, but definitely not least (I have seriously strong feelings about this)- NO more full walls of glass in showers! NO MORE! Do you enjoy feeling like a beluga whale on display at the aquarium when you’re at your most vulnerable? Because I have never felt more of a circus attraction than when showering in one of these.


Photo Credit: DrivenbyDecor


IN: Cozy Showers

I’ll admit, I may be being a little dramatic about this because I prefer more of a secret nook/wine vault/dungeon feel when I’m showering- it’s my favorite place to get away from the world. But you can still achieve that clean, airy feeling so many of you enjoy in a bathroom while still creating privacy in this area. Arched doorways with or without glass doors are a stunning way to draw you in and also give you that cozy feeling from inside. If you want more of an open experience, keep some glass, but tile another wall, or do a half wall.


Photo Credit: FrenchBlueCottage

 

I want us to STOP copying magazines and social media pages verbatim- we are not cookie cutters! Each of us is unique, it’s time to let that personality shine through!! Now, go out and make it happen!

Cheers,

Sarah G.

 
 
 

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