The Difference Between Good Design and a Passing Trend
By Shifana Anver, Founder & Interior Designer, Vivid Designs Studio
Let’s talk about trends..
Some people avoid them at all costs. Others eagerly embrace the latest thing. Either way, trends are impossible to escape.
The problem isn’t that trends exist. Every design style, color palette, and decorating choice was a trend at some point. The real issue is that trends often look like a great idea in the moment. It’s only later, when hindsight kicks in, that we can clearly see what was worth investing in and what was simply a passing fad.
Some trends are relatively harmless. A paint color, a cushion cover, or a decorative accessory can be changed with little effort. But others require significant investment and are much more difficult—and expensive—to undo.
As an interior designer, I’m less interested in what is trending and more interested in what helps people create homes they genuinely enjoy living in. Here are a few trends I won’t be following anytime soon and rarely recommend to my clients.
Pot Fillers
I have never fully understood the justification for adding extra plumbing, installation costs, and maintenance for something that gets very little use.
On paper, filling a large pot directly on the stove sounds convenient. In reality, most people use them infrequently, and they introduce another fixture that requires cleaning and maintenance. They often feel like a luxury feature added for the sake of having one rather than solving a genuine problem.
No Upper Kitchen Cabinets
The number of posts claiming overhead kitchen cabinets are “outdated” is astonishing.
While cabinet-free kitchens and open shelving photograph beautifully, not all of us are blessed with enormous kitchens that can absorb the loss of valuable storage. For many households, upper cabinets are essential.
A kitchen should first support the way you cook and live. Sacrificing practical storage for a trend rarely pays off in the long run.
Freestanding Bathtubs
By now, freestanding tubs have made their way onto many designers’ and homeowners’ “what not to do” lists.
They can certainly look stunning in a photograph, but they’re often difficult to clean around, require more space, and aren’t always as comfortable or practical as they appear. Unless you genuinely enjoy taking baths regularly, they’re often more decorative than functional.
Decorative Styling in Bathrooms
Books, upholstered stools, decorative fabrics, and carefully styled accessories have become common bathroom décor.
While they may look beautiful in a magazine spread, bathrooms are humid environments. Moisture has a way of finding its way into everything, turning many of these decorative items into maintenance headaches—or worse, mold magnets.
Sometimes practicality deserves a seat at the table.
Ergonomically Impractical Furniture
If a chair looks like a sculpture but becomes uncomfortable after ten minutes, it has failed at its most important job.
Some of the most fashionable furniture pieces prioritize appearance over comfort, leaving homeowners with beautiful rooms that nobody actually wants to spend time in.
Furniture should support how we live, gather, work, and relax—not just how a room photographs.
Statement Lighting That Sacrifices Function
I love mood lighting. Few things transform a space quite like a warm lamp, a soft wall sconce, or carefully layered lighting that creates atmosphere and makes a room feel inviting.
What I don’t love is the recent trend of relying almost entirely on mood lighting while treating functional lighting as an afterthought.
Yes, overhead lighting can be harsh when poorly planned. But that doesn’t mean it should be eliminated altogether. Sometimes you need to see what you’re doing. Whether you’re cleaning up a spill, looking for something you’ve dropped, or simply trying to get ready in the morning, good functional lighting matters.
Recently, I visited a powder room that was lit solely by a decorative wall sconce. It looked beautiful. The ambiance was lovely. But actually using the space? Not so much.
This seems to be happening more and more as spaces are designed for photographs rather than everyday life.
The best lighting schemes aren’t the ones that choose between mood and function—they’re the ones that successfully layer both.
All-White, All-Black, or All-Beige Interiors
Monochromatic interiors have dominated social media for years.
While these spaces can be visually striking, they often feel disconnected from real life. Everyday objects suddenly look out of place, and maintaining the aesthetic can become exhausting.
Homes should accommodate life, not require life to adapt to them.
A thoughtfully layered home with contrast, texture, personality, and color tends to age far more gracefully than a space built around a single trend.The Trend I Really Wish Would Disappear
If there’s one trend I would happily leave behind, it’s the pressure to constantly update our homes.
Social media has accelerated trend cycles to the point where perfectly beautiful spaces can feel outdated after only a year or two. We’re encouraged to believe that our homes should evolve as quickly as our feeds.
But good design doesn’t work that way.
The most beautiful homes I’ve encountered weren’t the trendiest. They were homes that reflected the people living in them—their routines, collections, memories, and personalities.
So, Should We Avoid Trends Altogether?
Not at all.
The truth is that every timeless design choice was once considered trendy. The key isn’t avoiding trends—it’s being selective about which ones deserve a place in your home.
If you genuinely love something, if it supports your lifestyle, and if it makes your home feel more like you, then it doesn’t matter whether it’s trending or not.
A timeless home isn’t trend-proof.
It’s personal.
