Seashells can be great… if you’re collecting them on the beach. Perhaps interior designers were trying to get in touch with their inner mermaids, but there was a time when many bathrooms featured a shell-shaped sink carved into the bathroom vanities.
Not only were these sinks a pain to clean (hello nooks and crannies), but they quickly fell out of fashion leaving owners with a sink that instantly dated their home. When it comes to picking out a sink style, let’s leave the seashells to the ocean and embrace simpler geometric shapes!
Chalk It Up to Bad Taste
Chalkboards can be great for the classroom or even as a creative activity for a children’s room, but including them in your living room or kitchen is woefully dated. With our smartphones on us at every waking (or even sleeping) moment, we can't think of what could be so important that we need to write it down on a massive chalkboard.
Not only is this Pinterest favorite a dated trend, but it also required constant dusting from all of the chalk and undesired fingerprints everywhere. Our tip — it’s better to invest in Post-its!
Sleigh It Ain't So
As with most things, furniture design isn't immune to misguided trends. Decades ago, sleigh beds (beds with outwardly curving headboards and footboards) became top-sellers in most furniture shops and people couldn’t get enough of the bulky designs.
But as contemporary furniture design trends turned to more sleek or simpler designs, these oversized beds look comically out of place in most homes. Let's be honest, the only one who should be spending that much time in a sleigh is Santa!
Colored Leather
While leather furniture typically comes in black or more natural-inspired hues, there was a time when brightly colored leather seemed to be popular. From dark forest green to rich purple, leather came in a rainbow of shades, each one worse than the other.
Not only was repairing a leather sofa in these tacky shades almost impossible but picking such a bold color made it difficult to change up the look of a room. These days, most people opt for an accent chair if they want to jazz things up.
No Celebration With This Confetti-Inspired Print
Admit it — just seeing this confetti-inspired print screams “early ‘90s!”. The design, which graced everything from walls to clothing, typically featured a solid colored background covered in erratically scribbled swirls, rectangles, or other geometric shapes.
The end result looked like multi-colored ice-cream sprinkles but often left us with a sour taste in our mouths. Today the geometric and zig-zag print reminds us of the carpet in our favorite movie theater or the sheets on our childhood bed. Not the most stylish examples of decor!