12 American Interior Design Trends I Really Dislike
There are American interior design trends that I dislike. I'll explain why and my recommendations for interior design to utilize your spaces well. Read on to get ideas and solutions for your design dilemmas.
Table of contents
1. Double islands
The first American interior design trend that I dislike is double islands. Why do you need two islands? It reminds me of that Texas mentality I grew up with that bigger is better, but I think just one island is enough.
2. Vessels
Let's talk about vessels. Sometimes, I think they work, but they're being overused. Vessel is a fancy word for an old or new pot that someone ages to make it look old. Sometimes, they look good, but you can also go overboard with the trend that has become vessels.
3. Too much hardware
The next one is what I would call too much hardware. Maybe it's because I've been living out of America for seven years, and all the cities I've lived in are so modern. We have very sleek, clean-lined kitchens. Now, when I look at American kitchens, all I see is the excessive hardware.
4. Open floor plan kitchens
This isn't necessarily specific to America, but it has been quite a popular trend, and I can't say I like it. If I'm sitting on the sofa, I want to be relaxing. I don't want to sit on the sofa, look into my kitchen, see a big stack of dishes, and then I'm in there washing my dishes and scrubbing my kitchen when I'm supposed to be relaxing.
If you're cooking in the kitchen or have some trash out, you have funky smells that take over your entire house. I would much rather prefer to keep all those smells in the kitchen.
5. Large refrigerators
I didn't have an opinion on this until we moved from our old studio apartment to our old three-bedroom apartment, and I realized that I do not like big, bulky refrigerators. Small refrigerators have grown on me over the years; even functionally, I prefer them over big ones.
I don't need all the extra space that those large refrigerators offer, and smaller refrigerators are easier to mount and integrate into your cabinet, so they're very sleek. They're hidden behind all of your cabinets. The big ones are just so bulky they dominate the entire landscape of your kitchen.
6. Farmhouse sinks and subway tile
I have nothing insightful to say on the matter of farmhouse sinks other than it reminds me of growing up in the country and many other things I've tried to forget.
Subway tile is another very American thing; I think it's been overused.
If you're going to do subway tile, I think the white grout just looks a lot better. The one I dislike most is the subway tile with the black octagon floor tiles. We've seen this all over Pinterest, and I think this is just overused.
7. Bathroom mirrors without storage
Sticking with bathrooms for a minute, I have realized that when it comes to behind mirror storage, size is key for optimizing the function of your bathrooms. Whether they're bigger or smaller, I would rather have all of my skincare and cosmetics and everything that I'm using in the bathroom at my height.
The sliding mirror door medicine cabinets are so functional. I love them. It is such a waste of space and a missed opportunity for me when someone glues a mirror straight to the wall.
8. Shiplap
This is something that I think has been way overdone. It's a very American country rural to me, and I would much rather put up a big piece of art or some wallpaper.
9. Lack of an entryway
This one is less about decor and more about interior function. I don't like walking into a home and you're in the living room. I love having shoe closets or even just a shoe rack right as you walk in the door because I think wearing your shoes inside your home is disgusting.
Ours here in Korea aren't very big, but having a little bit of space symbolizes leaving whatever I was doing in the outside world out there, taking a moment to pause, compose myself, and moving into my home where I am safe, calm, and very comfortable.
10. Carpets
Carpets are not specific to America but very American, nonetheless. I know that in cities like where I am, it's very cold, and there are reasons for having carpets because they bring warmth into your space. I know that is necessary, but I prefer having wood or fake wood floors and adding a rug.
This way, a rug adds warmth, but it's something that I can change as my style changes. I can wash it as it gets dirty, but carpets are permanent, and you've got to bring somebody in to clean them well.
11. Boho style
I am not a fan of the Boho design style. It's American because of its laid-back vibe, colors, patterns, and DIYs. I think it tends to make a space look very cheap. I think the boho style tends to go overboard, and it's better to do more of a minimal boho for an elevated look.
12. Huge rooms
Living outside America has made me realize how big American standard bedrooms are and how unnecessary they are. Of course, sometimes it would be nice, and I say that as I'm a little jealous right now as I'm standing in my living room and bedroom simultaneously in my studio apartment, but mostly, I feel like that big size is wasteful.
I don't know why we need hallways and bathrooms with so much extra floor space. For example, our previous apartment in Korea had three bedrooms and two baths, the same size as a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment outside of big cities in America.
Why do we need a master bedroom with room for a sofa, a big-screen TV, two side tables, and a bathroom with so much floor space? You're wasting all this middle space in there. I don't necessarily think that bigger is better. I think it's just bigger.
American interior design trends
What American interior design trends do you dislike? What do you like? Share your opinions and ideas in the comments below.
Comments
Join the conversation