Top 5 Worst Home Design Trends of 2024 (and 3 That Are Trending!)
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, Guest Contributor
Home design trends come and go, and this year’s styles may have ushered in some fads that may quickly be growing tiresome. Each week, I’m on the Real Estate Today radio and podcast show offering up the latest designer-backed takes on what’s hot—or not—in home design. Here are five trends that appear to be overstaying their welcome and are fading fast heading into 2025.
#5 Open shelving in the kitchen
Some homeowners likely are really missing their upper kitchen cabinets. The pressure of keeping dishes pristinely displayed and organized may have worn thin. Certainly, open shelves in lieu of upper cabinets can be a great design solution in small kitchens—where you may need to trick the eye to make a space seem larger. But in most kitchens, cabinets are beloved for their organizational sanity—and they can help make a kitchen look nicer, too.
#4 Black fixtures on all-white interiors
Matted black finishes have gained popularity but when added to otherwise all-white rooms, they may be drawing too much of the focus. Black cabinet pulls and faucets can steal the spotlight up against a canvas of all-white. But is that really what we want guests to focus on first—the black faucet? After all, faucets don’t sell homes.
#3 All-gray interiors
The grays have overtaken our homes, from gray painted walls to gray flooring, furniture and more. But gray—particularly done in heavy doses—can feel cold and dreary. Plus, it runs counter to the latest home trends which is all about color. Contrasting colors—like in jewel tones of sapphire blues or ruby reds—as well as patterns can help spice up an all-gray interior. Also, designers lately are hoping you’ll ditch the grays as the home’s all-over base color for a return to the beiges and creams.
#2 Super showers
We may have reached the tipping point of how big a shower should be. As shower remodels have gotten larger and more extravagant, homeowners have even added claw-foot bath tubs inside of them, known as “wetrooms.” Larger showers also are getting outfitted with more faucets and sprays that surround all sides, making the shower feel more like a powerful car wash than a relaxing spa. In one show-home I recently visited, I watched as one visitor filmed a TikTok seeing how many people he could fit in the oversized shower (it was more than 10!). These super showers are getting silly. Let’s dial back the shower remodels in favor of a more practical size; it’ll be a cost-savings, too.
#1 Design-cores
You may have seen these buzzed about styles all over social media the past year--Cluttercore, Cottagecore, Grandpacore, Fantasycore, Yeehaw Core, and the longest reining core-style—Barbiecore. But these trends that get labeled as a design “core” tend to be an overly themed style that can fade as fast as an Instagram story. These design themes rarely translate well in real-life. So let’s ditch the “cores,” and borrow from the latest design trends—those that encourage homeowners to create an eclectic, mixed and personalized approach to make their home feel more one-of-a-kind.
So, What’s Trending for 2025?
Home styles certainly are getting bolder heading into 2025, as more homeowners embrace the maximalist style—which means bolder colors, furnishings and finishes. Here are three top trends to watch for, according to the home remodeling site Houzz’s design predictions report.
Layers of color, pattern and texture: Maximalist styles are layering in bold color, patterns and textures. This may include grooved wall and ceiling panels as well as more patterns in the drapery, rugs, pillows and furniture. The “design approach celebrates abundance and allows homeowners to furnish their homes with pieces that reflect their personalities,” Houzz notes.
Photo credit: Nicole Forina / ©Andrew Frasz
Arches and rounded edges: Gentle curves and rounded edging continue to gain popularity. Expect to see more circular coffee and dining tables, finished off with cylindrical legs on furnishings and rounded accent chairs and oblong mirrors. The arches are also part of this trend, adding “a touch of playfulness and [helping to] soften harsh angles to generate a welcoming, cozy feel,” the Houzz report notes. Arches are getting added to home doorways, windows, niches, cabinets and millwork details for an architectural accent in a home. They also may surface as arched mirrors, headboars and scalloped scalloped silhouettes that appear to almost hug a space.
Photo credit: Simply Home / ©Toby Davies Photography
Wooden accents: Adding “warmth” has become a popular buzzword in home design. That includes a shift away from cooler colors, like whites and grays, in favor of warmer tones like creams, beiges, tans and browns. Also, “paired with warm neutral palettes, earthy tones and organic colors, we're seeing wood elements used as ceiling beams, trim, millwork, wall paneling, posts and cabinetry to add architectural warmth to spaces throughout the home,” according to Houzz’s report.
Photo credit: Molly Culver Photography
Melissa Dittmann Tracey
ABOUT ME:
Melissa Dittmann Tracey is an award-winning journalist who covers the latest real estate news and trends. You can hear her weekly on the syndicated radio show and podcast, Real Estate Today, in her housing trends segment, “Hot or Not?” She is the creator of the Styled, Staged & Sold blog and a frequent contributor to Houselogic.com and REALTOR Magazine. She’s also the host of The Housing Muse podcast at http://www.housingmuse.com. Follow her on Instagram or X @housingmuse.
