13 Home Decor Trends That Can Make Your Space Look Older
Step into your living room for a moment, does it feel fresh and current, or like it’s stuck in another era? Some design choices, while once trendy, can now unintentionally add years to your space.
Outdated colors, furniture, and décor details often sneak up on us, making a home look older than it actually is.
Here are the most common trends that may be aging your interiors and simple ways to bring them up to date. Of course, style is personal, so consider these suggestions as inspiration, not absolutes.
1. Heavy Drapes And Valances
Nothing screams “grandma’s house” quite like floor-to-ceiling fabric with matching valances on top. These bulky window treatments block natural light and collect dust like nobody’s business.
Heavy drapes were once the hallmark of luxury, but they’ve been replaced by cleaner, more minimal window coverings that let sunshine flood your rooms. Swap these dated dust-collectors for simple panels, bamboo shades, or even bare windows if privacy isn’t an issue.
2. Popcorn Ceilings
If your guests are looking up and wincing, you might have this textured nightmare overhead. Popcorn ceilings were popular in the mid-20th century for hiding imperfections and dampening sound.
Today, they’re just ceiling acne that collects cobwebs and makes rooms feel trapped in a 1970s time warp. Removing this dated texture can instantly modernize your space and make ceilings appear higher.
Fair warning, though, testing for asbestos is essential before scraping away at older installations.
3. Frilly Lampshades
Frilly lampshades might remind one of a grandparent’s cozy sitting room, but they can also date a space quite significantly. Their ornate designs can overshadow more modern elements.
Swapping frilly shades for sleek, minimalist ones can transform the look of a lamp and, consequently, an entire room. This small change can add a touch of elegance and simplicity.
Modern lighting is all about clean lines and understated elegance, enhancing a room’s light without overwhelming it.
4. Wall-To-Wall Beige Carpet
How does a room instantly lose its personality? Cover every inch of floor with bland, builder-grade beige carpeting! This ubiquitous flooring choice screams early 2000s tract home faster than you can say “cookie-cutter design.”
Wall-to-wall carpeting collects stains, traps odors, and dates your space significantly. Modern homes favor hardwood, luxury vinyl plank, or tile floors with area rugs for warmth and texture. If replacing isn’t an option, try a bold area rug on top to distract from the beige blandness below.
5. Overly Ornate Furniture
When your coffee table has more curves than a mountain road and your sofa looks like it belongs in Versailles, you might have fallen into the ornate furniture trap. Those heavily carved wooden frames, scrollwork details, and busy upholstery patterns were once status symbols.
Today’s design aesthetic leans toward cleaner lines and more thoughtful, purposeful details. Consider trading that massive matching furniture suite for pieces that mix materials and styles.
Your back will thank you for ditching those uncomfortable formal pieces anyway!
6. Tile Countertops
Where food particles and mold go to hide, right in those grout lines! Tile countertops were all the rage in the 80s and 90s, offering an affordable alternative to solid surface options.
The problem? They’re impossible to clean properly and scream “dated kitchen” to anyone who enters. Modern kitchens favor seamless surfaces like quartz, granite, or even butcher block that don’t harbor bacteria between tiles.
Plus, those 4×4 ceramic squares often come in colors that haven’t been fashionable since The Golden Girls was still producing new episodes.
7. Faux Finishes
Remember when people would invite friends over to admire their newly sponge-painted dining room? Those textured wall treatments, from rag rolling to stippling, were DIY darlings of the ’90s home improvement shows.
Faux finishes attempted to add depth and character, but mostly just added dated texture that’s difficult to paint over. Today’s walls favor clean, simple treatments with interest coming from actual architectural elements or statement art pieces.
If your walls look like they’re suffering from a strange skin condition, it might be time for a smooth coat of modern paint.
8. Vertical Blinds
Those plastic strips that never hang quite right and make an annoying clicking sound with every breeze? Vertical blinds are the poster child for dated window treatments, especially those yellowing white plastic versions found in apartments everywhere.
They’re practically begging to get tangled, broken, or covered in dust. Modern windows deserve better treatment with options like woven wood shades, simple panels, or even plantation shutters.
Bonus tip, if your vertical blinds have that wavy valance on top, removing it alone can update your look significantly.
9. Dark Wood Paneling
Unless you’re going for a 1970s basement vibe, those dark wood panels are making your space feel like a vintage time capsule. Wood paneling, especially the fake kind with printed wood grain, instantly darkens rooms and screams “dated.”
The good news? You don’t necessarily need to rip it out. Painting wood paneling a light color can dramatically transform a space without major construction.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also apply drywall directly over paneling for a completely smooth, contemporary look that brings your walls into this century.
10. Unpolished Brass Hardware
Those tarnished, yellowish doorknobs, light fixtures, and cabinet pulls are like wearing outdated jewelry throughout your home. Unpolished brass hardware had its heyday in the 80s and 90s, but now reads as neglected rather than nostalgic.
While some brass is making a comeback, it’s the modern, brushed or matte versions, not the shiny, lacquered doorknobs of decades past. Swapping out dated hardware is one of the most affordable updates you can make.
Try matte black, brushed nickel, or even contemporary brass finishes for an instant modernization.
11. Floral Wallpaper Overload
When your walls look like they’re covered in your grandmother’s favorite dress, you might have a floral wallpaper problem. Those small, busy patterns in muted pastels or, worse, burgundy and hunter green combinations scream 1980s country kitsch.
While wallpaper is actually trendy again, today’s versions feature bold, graphic patterns or subtle textures, not tiny cabbage roses repeated into infinity.
If you’re living with dated floral walls, consider removing the paper or, if that’s too daunting, painting over it with a wallpaper primer before applying a fresh, contemporary color.
12. Cluttered Gallery Walls
Those mismatched frames crammed together like a visual junk drawer are doing your photos no favors. Haphazard gallery walls with inconsistent frames, random sizes, and no visual organization were once considered eclectic and personal.
Today’s approach favors more intentional arrangements with cohesive framing and proper spacing. If you love displaying multiple pieces, try matching frames or a consistent color scheme.
Consider digital frames for rotating your precious memories without the visual chaos, or select just a few standout pieces rather than displaying every photo you’ve ever taken.
13. Matching Furniture Sets
Did you buy your entire living room in one afternoon from a showroom floor? That matchy-matchy look screams “I lack imagination” faster than you can say “package deal.” Matching sets were once considered the height of coordination.
Today’s interiors favor a more collected, curated approach that tells your personal story. Try breaking up your furniture family by reupholstering one piece, painting another, or introducing completely different elements.
The goal is for your space to look thoughtfully assembled over time, not ordered from a catalog in one fell swoop.
