15 Small Interior Design Details That Make Our Home Look Old-Fashioned

Each of us strives to make our home feel cozy and like a place that we want to return to every day. But few of us possess the special knowledge that can help us design our humble abodes in a comfortable, modern manner so that the interior looks trendy and relevant for many years.

Of course, we at Bright Side like the work of professional designers, but we understand that not everyone has the opportunity to order a ready-made solution. The good thing is that no one can keep us from looking through various interiors and finding tricks that will help make our homes look stylish and trendy.

One-style furniture

We are used to the fact that furniture is usually sold in sets like one sofa and 2 armchairs in the same color, or a TV stand, chest of drawers, and shelves in one style. However, these sets look pretty boring and predictable. That’s why if you feel like freshening up your interior, buying a sofa in a neutral shade that matches the color of the walls and an armchair in a bright color that matches the smaller interior details might be a good solution.

Bright or wooden-style kitchen

Wooden kitchen façades used to be popular in the ’80s and ’90s but they have already left the apex of fashion. Today it’s single-colored cabinetry, preferably in white or gray, that is trendy. That’s why if you want to make your interior more modern, you should think about how to change or repaint your kitchen façade. The latter option works if the kitchen cabinetry you have now suits your taste perfectly. Or you can approach the matter radically and buy new cabinetry.

One chandelier as the main source of light

We are used to the fact that our rooms are mainly lit by one chandelier and maybe one more small lamp near the sofa. However, in today’s interior, lighting plays a much more significant role than before and one main chandelier has stopped being the main lighting element. Now a room can have several light sources and they shouldn’t necessarily be in just one style. A chandelier, in its turn, becomes another decorative element and no more than that.

Similar wood textures

When designing an interior, people often use oak — oak parquet, oak doors, and oak tiles. Our eyes have gotten used to this material and, over time, it has started to look too conservative. Designers recommend mixing different types of wood to make the interior look more stylish and memorable. An oak parquet will harmonize well with walnut and ash partitions or furniture.

Laminate countertops

A laminate countertop is the most affordable and convenient option, especially if you are not ready for big expenses. But let’s face the truth — the “time” for this material to be used as a countertop is over. Today, natural materials like stone are more real (and look more real). But this is not the cheapest option and not everyone can afford this luxury. Fortunately, there are options ranging from artificial stone, or even wood, that come to the rescue — they cost less but look just as good.

Linoleum

This type of flooring has been popular for a long time thanks to its durability and ease of installation. However, gradually linoleum is remaining in the past and now can only be seen in offices, not homes. As for apartments, a very inexpensive laminate will look good there, especially taking into account the fact that the prices for it have already become quite affordable and, as an added bonus, it can last for a long time.

Wallpaper and tile borders

Colorful borders on the edge of a wall or a ceiling, indicating a border, used to be considered chic. The zoning between the upper and the lower parts of the wall would be done in the same manner. For example, this treatment was used when the bottom part was supposed to be dark, while the upper part was meant to be light. However, this design element stayed in the past century, and today, in order to make the interior look trendy, you don’t need to put in as much effort. All you need to do is paint the walls one color (or glue on single-colored wallpaper) and outline one main wall. The accent can be done either with paint in a more saturated color or with the help of bright wallpaper with a unique pattern.

Standard doors

Standard walls have a height of 80’’ tall. This is enough to live comfortably, but if you make your doors 8-12’’ taller than the standard height, it will look much more stylish because it will visually enlarge the height of the room. Today this method is used pretty often and we should note that no matter how the trends change, extra space will always be in fashion. Of course, we don’t always have a chance to replace all of our doors at home. In this case, there are special panels that are installed over the doorway, that also enlarge the height of the ceiling visually.

Seams between tiles

The best way to understand when your home was last renovated is to go into the bathroom. The assortment of tile stores tends to follow the mainstream trends, thus helping a potential buyer with whatever designs are currently trendy. But trends change, while renovating the bathroom every 5 years is not something any of us wants to have to do. That’s why it’s better to spend money once on materials that will stay relevant for many years, like natural stone tile, for example, it almost never becomes outdated and always looks win-win. If this option is too expensive, you can opt for single-color tiles that look like artificial stone.

Textured plaster

Waves, patterns, and flowers on the walls done with the help of plastering are both intricate, master-level work and quite a big expense. However, the fact remains — these bright design elements don’t stay in fashion for a long time. While these walls looked luxurious in the 2000s, today they only make us smile. Again, it’s better to strive for simplicity when it comes to designing walls. This can mean brickwork, wood paneling, or just plain painted walls.

A bunch of small photos on the walls

It was not long ago that decorating walls with photos of your life and achievements was trendy. Today larger images are in fashion. That’s why it’s better to hang one big canvas on a wall, rather than dozens of small photos that no one will be able to see properly. Also, it can be a composition consisting of several canvases, but in any case, they should be big. At the same time, it’s not necessary to hang a traditional reproduction of a famous painter’s artwork — a kid’s drawing in a nice frame or a painting from some amateur painter will look good too. After all, its main goal is to reflect the owners’ personal taste.

Some types of plants

As unbelievable as it might sound, plants can be trendy and become outdated as well. Just think: many people tend to associate tradescantia or ferns with a granny’s apartment, a hospital, or a school. That’s why you should forget about growing ivy inside your home — it’s better to plant it outside in front of your house. Massive plants with rounded large leaves will be better-suited to the modern home.

Lace tulle

Tulle curtains decorated with various flowers were there in every window 5-10 years ago. However, today their place is being occupied by simple tulle without any decorations on it. Moreover, designers prefer natural materials like linen, especially if it’s in a natural hue. Apart from linen, curtains made of bamboo are relevant nowadays as well, especially if they are one-color — they match any interior perfectly.

Wood paneling

Unless you live in a wood cabin, it’s high time you replace this excessive wooden interior decor. The material for your walls, doors, and ceiling shouldn’t be the same — this decor is heavy and makes the interior look gloomy. Some decorative wooden elements on one of the walls or decorative partitions are enough, they will make the room look cozy, stylish, and more modern.

Seashell decor

There were times when various knick-knacks brought from the sea would decorate the shelves, coffee tables, and walls of our homes. Those could be big exotic seashells, sea stars in frames hanging on walls, or even glass bowls filled with small seashells. We would gladly bring all of these things back from our vacation, trying to diversify our interior. However, today it’s believed that the best place for all of these things is on the beach.

Are there any outdated things in your home that you didn’t pay attention to before reading this article?