35 Annoying Home Design Trends People Are Tired Of Seeing

In recent years, the world of home design has been flooded with a slew of trends that, while initially embraced with enthusiasm, have now left many of us rolling our eyes.

As someone deeply passionate about creating spaces that feel both personal and timeless, I’ve been keeping a keen eye on what homeowners and designers alike are saying “enough is enough” to.

From barn doors in urban apartments to the overuse of grey in every conceivable space, it seems there’s a growing desire for authentic and thoughtful design. While trends can offer fresh inspiration, it’s essential to remember that our homes should be a reflection of our personal stories, not just the latest fad that will soon fade.

Join us as we delve into these 35 annoying home design trends, spotlighted by a popular r/AskReddit thread, that have worn out their welcome.

#1

via, image via

I live in an older subdivision in a suburb with a ton of development. Mostly McMansion-type subdivisions are going up everywhere. There are two things about these areas that drive me nuts.

First off, why do these developers hate straight roads so damn much? Trying to navigate through a newer subdivision is the biggest pain in the a*s because roads always seem to turn back on themselves. That s**t is dumb.

Second: why cut down every single goddamn tree you see and then plop down a bunch of big, ugly-a*s houses with zero personality and THEN plant a bunch of little baby trees? Why would anyone want to live in a house with no trees anywhere? If they spent any amount of time planning what they’re actually trying to build they could very easily leave large trees and patches of nature in yards or between houses. Instead they treat the development like a kid playing The Sims.

I effing hate new housing developments. They all look horrible and since most of them have HOAs it’s probably a bigger pain in the a*s to live in one.

#2

via, image via

Open concept bathrooms.

I don’t want to see my toilet from my bed.

#3

via, image via

Open shelving in kitchens.

The reason for cabinets is so that no one can see your s**t. Also dust.

#4

via, image via

I love smart tech in a home, but most of it is horribly implemented and just bad. You shouldn’t need touch screens everywhere to control your lights, or have to pull out your phone.

Pulling out your phone to change the colour of your lights isn’t “smart” that’s just making your lights dependent on your phone. Having your lights auto dim when you start a movie; that’s smart.

Also; my refrigerator doesn’t need to connect to the internet, ever.

#5

via, image via

Carpeted kitchen. I have it and it’s THE ABSOLUTE WORST

#6

via, image via

Floating stairs without banisters. That looks scary as hell. Bonus points if the stairs have no texture, good luck walking up and down a narrow, slippery stairway with no support

#7

via, image via

I hate words in my house, in basically any form, hate the f*****g live laugh love signs, hate it even more when people do it like my mom and plaster everything in a combination of bible quotes, motivational quotes, and the worst of all the names of our family members.

Also hate anything that is clearly supposed to have a practical use that is only around for decoration, pillows, chairs, tables, if it’s something that anyone has to be told not to use because their first instinct is to treat it like any other thing of it’s kind then it’s stupid and I hate it.

#8

via, image via

Buddha heads. Buddha heads became fashionable because American soldiers decapitated many statues in Laos and Thailand during the Vietnam War and smuggled them out. They were sold to museums across the world and people copied them to stick in their living rooms/bedrooms because “it’s so peaceful /I’m open to Buddhism”

Now when you go to Thailand you’ll see decapitated statues all over the country, statues that had remained intact until recent history.

#9

via, image via

Putting the microwave hideously low to the point where you have to crouch in order to move things in and out of it.

#10

via, image via

Millions of pillows and cushions on a bed. It makes the room look instantly messy when you have to move them and stack them on the floor to get in.

#11

via, image via

All white everything. I have so many friends (20-25ish) doing the all-white furniture in an already white room with white or silver accents and I just don’t get it. Any little bit of dust shows up and it’s so stark that it’s borderline painful to look at if the room is sunny.

It’s totally personal, though. My partner and I do all black everything in white rooms. A lot of people absolutely hate it.

#12

via, image via

I’ve been an interior designer part time for multiple years and I could go on for hours about all the design choices many people make that just deserve to be kissed by a sledgehammer.

But if I had to narrow it down, I’d say these three things:

1. Tile Countertops. The look is massively dated and it’s impractical. You’d have to scrub the cracks a lot to get water stains and other substances that will be trapped inside. And when the tiles get damaged and loose your counter will be a pain in the a*s.

2. Popcorn ceilings. I was working with a crew to renovate a house and the ducking bathrooms had popcorn ceilings. The steam from the shower was making it fall to the floor. Ridiculously tacky. Avoid popcorn ceilings and just paint it.

3. All white interiors. Just writing that irritated me. An entire white room psychologically bothers me. No color whatsoever. Unappealing to the eye and mind as well as near impossible to maintain from stains. All white is only good for rooms you never use which will never happen.

#13

via, image via

When they use too many different materials on the outside. This wall is brick, this wall in vinyl, and none of it matches.

#14

via, image via

TVs above fireplaces. Yeah, that’s a great height and angle if i wanted to watch while standing up

#15

via, image via

Those sinks that are a bowl on top of the counter. It’s like they didn’t install the sink, and glued it to the bathroom counter.

#16

via, image via

Those stupid “barn doors.” Absolutely HATE them!

Also, those “Eat” “Sleep” “Sit” and “Gather” signs people like to put around their house. It’s as if common sense is nonexistent to the point where people need reminders of what they need to do in said rooms on their walls.

#17

via, image via

Mirrored furniture and crushed velvet cushions. I also hate crude prints in the bathroom that have “cheeky” quotes about bowel movements or urinating. It’s very tacky to me.

#18

via, image via

Having all white walls and all white furniture and then like a single potted plant

#19

clear mason ball glass jars

Mason jar decor. Need a new light fixture? Mason jar! A place to store your extra writing utensils? Mason jar! Flower vase? Mason jar! Tealight holder? Mason jar! Porcelain toilet bowl too boring and normal? BIG mason jar!!!

#20

via, image via

Full open concept – especially when people take all the walls down in an older home with a traditional layout. I like the separation of space and defined rooms. I can handle partial open concept but that’s about it. We actually extended a wall in one of our houses to create a more defined den and living room

Floor-to-ceiling windows in the private rooms of the home like bedrooms and bathrooms. Or giant window at the bathtub. If you in the middle of nowhere and have no neighbors I guess, but in a subdivision or city the curtains or buildings have to be closed most of the time.

#21

via, image via

Big windows in the front with no curtains or blinds. Who does that? What type of weirdos are like yeah what if all the neighbors and whatever strangers happen to be walking by can see into our living room at all times? I usually see this on homes that have that modern minimalist architecture thing going on, which tends to be ugly anyhow. They’re trying to look futuristic but in the near future, they will be considered lame and out of style.

#22

via, image via

I’ve noticed this weird trend recently of dolling up your house like it’s supposed to be some sort of studio example home or something instead of just making it a comfortable living space for you and your family and I absolutely hate it it just feels so fake and paper thin.

#23

via, image via

I hate it when the front facade of a house has like nice siding, expensive stonework or brick, good quality windows with nice trim, windows and door sizes and arrangement are aesthetically pleasing, etc., but then the sides and back of the house are cheap vinyl siding with different, cheaper, uglier windows and trim, and the fenestration layout is hideous chaos. Like…you know people can see your house from angles other than directly in front, right?

#24

via, image via

Farmhouse design makes me cringe. Putting up shiplap, and barn doors in your suburban home is dating the hell out of your house. Like a tribal tattoo in the 90s, I’m going to know exactly when you decorated it. Gag.

#25

via, image via

PAINTED WHITE BRICK. It feels like it’s on every HGTV show I watch; they ruin beautiful classic brick with white paint. It has to be repainted constantly to maintain the “look,” shows way more dust, and doesn’t age as well as regular brick.

#26

Having to pass through the master bath to reach your closet. Or on a similar note, having a door to separate off the toilet, but not the shower.

#27

via, image via

Using fancy fabrics and materials for everyday items that have to be treated like museum art pieces.

#28

brown roofed houses

Too many rooflines. This trend has to stop. It’s over-architecting to the degree where there’s nothing of substance anymore.

#29

via, image via

Flat roofs. The buffer area between the roof and the room inside is an absolute breeding ground for mold, and whenever it rains, water pools on top of the roof and leaks in. In some cases, it looks modern, but for some houses built in this style in the 70s or 80s, it looks stupid, and is insanely impractical.

#30

via, image via

I know it’s popular rn but the sort of minimalist modern furniture in rich people houses, especially one’s that need a remote to unfold or something. How is that better than a normal chair. Also why make these big sitting rooms no one wants to hang out in

#31

lighted Chinese lantern
via, Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

Neon lights, are you trying to make your house look a convenience store.

#32

red and white concrete building

Any kind of pillars… why? Just why..? It always looks gaudy.

#33

white wooden framed glass window

Shiplap

#34

via, image via

Wallpaper getting back in style. After nearly a month of steaming and stripping down old wallpaper in a house, I cannot for the life of me understand why you would put that s**t up.

Also, it looks horrid. Yes, that includes “that” design, and also “that” design.

#35

via, image via

Glass top stoves are trash.

Stefanie

Stefanie Mustian

Stefanie is an architect with 15+ years of working both independently as well as on teams of some of the top Architectural Firms in the country located in Atlanta, Washington D.C. and New York. She currently runs BoardBatten.com a coastal architecture and design service in Port Aransas, Texas. She is also the wife of the dude who runs Pleated-Jeans.