Shiplap has been historically used on the exterior of buildings and other structures, especially in harsh climates. These interlocking wood planks were made popular on a variety of HGTV shows, particularly on Chip and Joanna Gaines’ show “Fixer Upper”.
While this material can look charming in some homes, adding it just to be trendy seems a bit short-sighted. The look can make it hard to transition to other design schemes and can be annoying to clean as the gaps seem to attract dust. Interior decorators now suggest leaving the shiplap to actual outdoor structures.
Bold Bright Paint
While no one is suggesting that we all have to live in a plain white and sterile home, bright colors on the wall are a great way to date your home. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, homeowners saturated the walls and even doors of their homes in rich vivid hues.
Remember Monica's bright purple walled apartment in the hit television show “Friends?" Not only were her walls purple, but her kitchen cabinetry was painted teal. Let her iconically ‘90s apartment be a warning lesson for all homeowners on which colors NOT to choose!
Stone-Age Style
When the cold wind is howling outside or the snow is falling, there’s nothing like cuddling up to a warm fireplace. While fireplaces can be a warm and inviting addition to your home, the ‘70s brought a new trend — covering your fireplace with large stones, even up to the ceiling.
This dated design scheme seemed to overtake the warmth of the fireplace and just looks heavy and dark for most modern interiors. While there's nothing wrong with making your fireplace the focal point of the room, let's leave the heavy stones for the stone age.
Candy-Colored Bathtubs
Bathing can be a relaxing way to unwind after a long day. But anyone with good taste may find it hard to find tranquility while soaking in the garishly colored bathtub of yesteryear. Like the avocado refrigerators of decades before, bathrooms were also the victim of some very tragic colors.
Many homeowners painted their bathtubs in blues or pinks or some sort of faux marble finish. The result? A tacky and dated bathroom that never quite looked clean no matter how much bleach or elbow grease you applied. Thankfully, most homeowners are sticking to white bathtubs.
Quirky Side Tables
Blame it on catalogs like SkyMall or the novelty shops of the ‘90s, but there was a time when many homeowners thought to add some character to their living rooms by adding a unique side table.
These side tables usually came in the form of a frog, dog, or some other animal dressed as a butler holding a tray. The trend was so common that even an episode of “Modern Family” featured a prized dog butler. Thankfully, in recent years we’ve let animals go back to being animals and side tables are now sleek and discreet.