I love a trend as much as anyone, but I’ve learned to be selective about where I bring them into my home.
I’m not anti-trend. I actually love trends. They keep design interesting, introduce us to new colors and materials, and sometimes help us see our homes in an entirely different way. I’m always inspired by what’s new, and there are plenty of trends I’ll happily bring into our home.
But I’ve learned there’s a difference between enjoying a trend and investing in one.
When I’m spending a significant amount on something I’ll live with for years, I try to step away from what’s filling my feed at that exact moment and ask myself: Would I still choose this if I hadn’t seen it everywhere?
For investment pieces, I want flexibility and longevity. For everything else? That’s where I’m much more willing to have fun.
Here are a few things I’d never buy just because they’re trending.
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a sofa in a trendy fabric or silhouette
Your sofa is one of the largest pieces in a room, both visually and financially, so it’s one place I’m especially careful about following trends.
Whether it’s the fabric of the moment or a silhouette that’s suddenly everywhere, I try to ask myself whether I’d still love it if I weren’t seeing it all over my feed. Bouclé is a great example of a fabric that became incredibly popular, while exaggerated curves and sculptural shapes can make a sofa feel very tied to a specific design moment.
That doesn’t mean I avoid those trends altogether. I might love a trending fabric on an accent chair or pillow, or bring an interesting curved shape in through a smaller piece of furniture. But for my main sofa, I’d rather choose something I’ve loved for years and let the pieces around it keep the room feeling current.
an expensive dining table
This might be an unexpected one, but I’d rather invest in a dining table that can evolve with me than one that does all the talking on its own.
A classic table can take on an entirely different personality depending on what surrounds it. Change the chairs, add a different rug, swap the light fixture, or style it with a new centerpiece, and suddenly it feels completely different.
I love knowing that as my style changes, the table doesn’t have to.
expensive trend-driven lighting
Lighting is actually one of my favorite places to experiment with trends – at the right price point.
If I find a fun $100 lamp in a shape, color, or finish I’m currently loving, I’m all for it. That’s an easy piece to move around or eventually replace.
But a several-thousand-dollar chandelier? I want to love that fixture long after the trend cycle has moved on. The more expensive and permanent the decision, the more timeless I tend to go.
this is the timeless lamp I always recommend
a major piece in the ‘color of the moment’
There’s always a color having its moment. Chocolate brown, burgundy, butter yellow, olive green – and I genuinely love seeing these colors come back around.
I just don’t necessarily need my most expensive piece of furniture to participate.
Give me the trending color in pillows, art, a vase, throw blanket, stems, books, or even a lamp. Those smaller layers can completely shift the palette of a room without committing thousands of dollars to a color I may not feel as strongly about five years from now.
find my favorites pieces to add color here
a viral item I didn’t love before it went viral
This might be my biggest rule of all.
If I didn’t want something before seeing it 47 times on my feed, I probably don’t need to order it immediately.
Social media has a funny way of making us feel like we suddenly need something simply because we’ve seen it styled beautifully over and over again. When that happens, I try to give myself some time.
If I’m still thinking about it weeks later and can picture exactly where it belongs in our home, that’s different. But if the excitement disappears as soon as I stop seeing it everywhere, I probably loved the trend more than the actual piece.
However, it’s fun to see something I already own go viral – like these berry stems for fall. I’m seeing them everywhere and I’ve loved them for years!
Trends come and go, and I don’t think a timeless home has to mean a home without trends. To me, the most interesting spaces usually have a little bit of both.
The difference is where you use them.
I want the foundation of our home to have staying power: the sofa, dining table, console tables, and expensive lighting. Then I can have fun with the layers around them. Pillows, art, lamps, vases, florals, textiles, and smaller accent pieces are where I’m much more willing to experiment.
Trends should be a way to keep your home feeling fresh, not a reason to replace everything you loved a few years ago.
And before I buy something simply because it’s everywhere, I always come back to the same question: Would I still love this if no one else was telling me I should?
If the answer is yes, then maybe it deserves a place in my home.
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