15 Home Trends Massachusetts Homeowners Wish They’d Avoided, Plus 9 Fading Styles
Massachusetts homeowners know a thing or two about buyer’s remorse when it comes to design choices. You’ve probably walked into a friend’s house and spotted that trendy feature they installed five years ago, now looking tired and outdated.
I’m here to share the home trends that Bay State residents wish they could take back, plus the styles that are quietly fading into the background. Get ready to learn from their mistakes and save yourself some serious headaches!
1. All-White Kitchens That Show Every Smudge
Remember when everyone wanted that pristine, Instagram-perfect white kitchen? It seemed like the ultimate dream until reality hit hard. Every fingerprint shows up like a neon sign, and keeping it clean becomes a full-time job.
Spills turn into major disasters, and that coffee splash looks ten times worse on white surfaces. Massachusetts families with kids quickly learned this trend was more trouble than it was worth.
Now they’re adding warm woods and rich colors to bring life back into their cooking spaces.
2. Granite Countertops With Busy Patterns
Those wild, speckled granite slabs seemed luxurious back in the day. Fast forward a few years, and homeowners find themselves staring at countertops that give them headaches. The busy patterns clash with everything and make kitchens feel chaotic instead of calm.
Cleaning these surfaces reveals every water spot and streak, requiring constant maintenance. I’ve heard countless stories of people covering their granite with cutting boards just to avoid looking at it.
Simpler materials like quartz are winning hearts across the Bay State now.
3. Ornate Cabinet Hardware Everywhere
Fancy cabinets with elaborate carvings and twirly details looked fancy at first glance. But those intricate grooves became dust magnets that required toothbrush cleaning sessions. Nobody warned homeowners about the hours spent scrubbing grime from decorative ridges.
The ornate style also dated quickly, making kitchens feel stuck in a specific era. Massachusetts residents now prefer clean-lined cabinets that look timeless and actually stay clean.
Sometimes less really is more, especially when it comes to cabinet design.
4. Industrial-Style Exposed Ductwork
Urban loft vibes seemed incredibly cool with all those exposed pipes and ducts. Then the dust started settling, and homeowners realized they’d created cleaning nightmares above their heads. Those metal pipes collect grime like nobody’s business.
Reaching up to wipe down ductwork isn’t anyone’s idea of fun weekend activities. Plus, the industrial look can make spaces feel cold and uninviting during harsh Massachusetts winters.
Many folks are now boxing everything back in for warmth and easier maintenance routines.
5. Wall-To-Wall Carpeting Throughout
Carpeting everywhere seemed cozy until allergy season hit with full force. Those soft fibers trap dust, pollen, pet dander, and every mystery stain imaginable. Massachusetts homeowners with allergies found themselves sneezing their way through spring.
Cleaning carpets properly requires professional help and serious money. One spill can haunt you forever, leaving permanent reminders of that juice box incident.
Hardwood and luxury vinyl are taking over because they’re practical, beautiful, and won’t make you sneeze constantly.
6. Open Concept With Zero Privacy
Knocking down every wall seemed brilliant until someone needed quiet time. Open concepts mean noise travels everywhere, making remote work nearly impossible with kids around. Your conference call becomes everyone’s business, whether they like it or not.
Cooking smells drift into bedrooms, and there’s nowhere to hide messy spaces when guests arrive. Some Bay State homeowners are actually rebuilding walls to create cozy, private zones again.
Turns out, a little separation makes home life much more peaceful and functional.
7. Barn Doors That Don’t Block Sound
Sliding barn doors looked so charming in photos, bringing farmhouse vibes indoors. Reality check: they leave gaps that let sound and smells travel freely between rooms. Privacy becomes a joke when your bathroom door doesn’t actually seal.
These doors also take up tons of wall space, and the hardware gets expensive fast. Massachusetts homeowners quickly learned that traditional doors exist for good reasons.
That rustic charm loses its appeal when you can hear everything happening on the other side.
8. Shiplap Covering Every Surface
Shiplap became the answer to every design question for a hot minute. Before long, homes looked like the inside of wooden crates with planks covering every available surface. The farmhouse trend went from charming to overwhelming in record time.
Installing all that wood costs serious money and makes rooms feel smaller and darker. Now people are painting over or removing their shiplap investments across Massachusetts.
One accent wall would have been plenty, but hindsight is always perfect vision.
9. Chevron Patterns Gone Wild
Zigzag chevron patterns popped up on floors, walls, pillows, and rugs simultaneously. Walking into these rooms felt like entering a dizzy spell, with your eyes bouncing everywhere. The bold geometric look aged faster than milk left on the counter.
Matching or coordinating anything with chevron became an impossible puzzle. Bay State residents grew tired of the visual chaos and craved calmer, simpler patterns instead.
Those chevron tile floors are now getting covered up with more timeless options throughout Massachusetts homes.
10. Oversized Subway Tile Everywhere
Subway tiles grew from classic to comically large, covering entire walls in bathrooms and kitchens. The oversized versions lack the charm of traditional sizing and can make spaces feel institutional. What worked in the subway station doesn’t always translate well to homes.
Grout lines on huge tiles become focal points in all the wrong ways. Massachusetts homeowners are returning to standard sizes or exploring more interesting tile shapes altogether.
Sometimes, sticking with the original proportions is the smartest design move you can make.
11. Live Edge Wood Furniture Overload
Natural wood edges with bark still attached looked earthy and authentic at first. Then every table, shelf, and counter featured those wavy, irregular edges that collected crumbs. The organic look became predictable when everyone jumped on the bandwagon.
Those rough edges aren’t exactly comfortable to lean against either. Plus, finding furniture that fits together becomes tricky when nothing has straight lines.
Massachusetts folks are rediscovering the beauty of clean, finished edges that actually work with their spaces.
12. Gray Everything From Floor To Ceiling
Gray became the neutral color of choice, replacing beige in every room imaginable. Entire homes turned into grayscale photographs, sucking warmth and personality right out of spaces. Massachusetts winters are gloomy enough without living inside a cloud.
Different gray tones clash in unexpected ways, creating unintentional contrast issues. Homeowners are now adding warm woods, rich colors, and actual personality back into their spaces.
Turns out, living in a black-and-white movie gets depressing after a while.
13. Accent Walls That Scream Too Loud
Bold accent walls in neon brights seemed like easy personality boosters. Those electric blues and shocking oranges dominated rooms instead of complementing them. What looked fun initially became exhausting to live with daily.
Repainting became necessary way sooner than expected because the colors felt overwhelming. Massachusetts homeowners learned that subtle doesn’t mean boring, and bold doesn’t always mean better.
Now they’re choosing richer, more sophisticated tones that add depth without causing headaches.
14. Mason Jar Light Fixtures
Hanging mason jars as light fixtures brought Pinterest dreams to life. The novelty wore off quickly when people realized they’d installed glorified jelly jars over their dining tables. Cleaning bugs out of glass jars isn’t anyone’s idea of sophisticated home maintenance.
The rustic farmhouse trend peaked years ago, leaving these fixtures looking dated. Bay State homeowners are upgrading to actual lighting that doesn’t remind them of canning season.
Sometimes craft projects should stay as crafts, not permanent home fixtures.
15. Pocket Doors That Constantly Jam
Pocket doors promised space-saving solutions by disappearing into walls. Then they started sticking, jamming, and refusing to slide smoothly every single time. The mechanisms break down faster than regular door hinges ever would.
Repairing them means tearing into walls, which nobody wants to deal with regularly. Massachusetts residents discovered that traditional swing doors work reliably for good reasons.
Saving a few inches of space isn’t worth the constant frustration and repair bills.
16. Matching Bedroom Furniture Sets
Buying entire bedroom sets seemed convenient, giving you matching pieces instantly. Unfortunately, the matchy-matchy look feels more like a hotel than a personal space. Everything coordinates so perfectly that rooms lose character and individuality.
These sets also lock you into one specific style forever. Mixing furniture pieces creates more interesting, collected-over-time vibes that feel authentic.
Massachusetts homeowners are breaking up their sets and adding unique finds that actually reflect their personalities instead.
17. Textured Accent Walls You Can’t Clean
Three-dimensional wall textures and fancy panels added depth and drama to plain walls. They also added impossible-to-clean surfaces that collect dust in every crevice. Running a cloth over these walls just pushes dirt around instead of removing it.
Kids’ sticky fingers leave permanent evidence on textured surfaces, too. Bay State families are smoothing out their walls and choosing easier-to-maintain finishes instead.
Dramatic doesn’t have to mean difficult, and clean walls beat textured nightmares any day.
18. Waterfall Countertop Edges
Countertops cascading down island sides looked sleek and modern in showrooms. Installing them costs a fortune, and one wrong bump can chip those exposed vertical edges. The dramatic look doesn’t add functionality, just extra expense and worry.
Cleaning where the horizontal meets the vertical surface creates awkward angles, too. Massachusetts homeowners are returning to standard countertop edges that cost less and work better.
Sometimes the flashy option isn’t the practical one, especially in busy family kitchens.
19. Statement Lighting That Overpowers Rooms
Giant chandeliers and massive pendant lights made bold statements all right. They also dominated rooms, bumped heads, and blocked sightlines across spaces. Scale matters, and these fixtures proved that bigger isn’t always better.
The trendy designs also dated quickly, turning expensive lighting into outdated eyesores. Replacing them means electrical work and more money spent fixing mistakes.
Massachusetts residents are choosing appropriately sized fixtures that complement rather than compete with their rooms.
20. Peel-And-Stick Backsplash Tiles
Peel-and-stick tiles promised easy kitchen updates without professional installation. Those promises faded along with the adhesive, leaving edges curling and tiles falling off. Heat and moisture from cooking make these temporary solutions even more temporary.
The plastic-like appearance also screams rental apartment rather than permanent home. Bay State homeowners learned that proper tile installation costs more but actually lasts.
Shortcuts in the kitchen usually end up costing more in the long run.
21. Overly Trendy Wallpaper Choices
Wallpaper made a comeback with bold, trendy patterns that looked amazing initially. Those flamingo prints and geometric explosions dated faster than you could say redecorate. What felt fresh quickly became a reminder of a specific year nobody wants to remember.
Removing wallpaper remains one of the worst DIY projects imaginable. Massachusetts folks are sticking with paint or choosing truly timeless patterns if they must use wallpaper.
Trendy works for throw pillows, not for surfaces requiring serious effort to change.
22. Faux Finishing Techniques That Aged Poorly
Sponge painting and faux marble techniques seemed artistic and sophisticated years ago. Now those walls look like time capsules from decades past. The artificial finishes fooled nobody and just made surfaces look busy and dated.
Painting over textured finishes requires extra coats and more work than starting fresh. Homeowners across Massachusetts are smoothing walls and choosing solid colors that won’t embarrass them later.
Real materials beat fake finishes every single time, especially as years pass.
23. Built-In Technology That Became Obsolete
Building technology directly into walls seemed futuristic and convenient. Then technology evolved rapidly, leaving those built-in systems outdated and useless. That tablet dock in your kitchen wall now fits nothing you actually own.
Removing built-in tech means patching walls and dealing with leftover wiring. Massachusetts homeowners learned to keep technology portable and upgradeable instead.
Future-proofing means accepting that the future changes faster than your walls ever will.
24. Furniture Arranged Only Against Walls
Pushing every piece of furniture against the walls seemed like the only arrangement option. This creates awkward conversation distances and wastes valuable floor space in the center. Rooms feel more like waiting areas than cozy living spaces.
Floating furniture creates better traffic flow and more intimate conversation zones. Bay State residents are pulling sofas away from walls and discovering how much better their rooms function.
Sometimes breaking old rules leads to spaces that actually work for real life.
