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.
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!
What the Shell?
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!
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!
Go Big or Go Home
Given the sheer size of televisions and sound systems from a few decades ago, it's no surprise that furniture designers had a “bigger is better” philosophy when it came to designing wall units. These bulky wall units often spanned from wall to wall and almost to the top of the ceiling.
From holding the latest CDs (remember those?) to grandma’s knick-knacks, these behemoths of living room furniture were found in almost every home. Thankfully, as technology has advanced and electronics have become sleeker and smaller, the need for these massive wall units has waned.