The Design Police

The New York Times ran a very interesting and thought provoking article today about design trends that have been deemed to be over. Now, I have said time and time again that homes are very personal and as long as you love it who am I to judge. To each is own. If you want to decorate for your home with a 7-foot tall neon pink Christmas tree and it makes you happy, knock yourself out. Zebra skin rug? I still want one. I consider it a classic and not a trend. But I'm sure someone else will beg to differ.

I see the point of the article though and agree with some of their logic. It's hard to be excited about a design style when it finally reaches mass saturation and can be found on sale at West Elm. I think it's the reason that so many people love to shop at flea markets and tag sales. Everyone is looking for that special item that no one else has. Instead of buying the new Jonathan Adler version of something, why not troll ebay looking for the original inspiration.

But unlike fashion, we don't wear our homes on our backs. While it's easy to see if someone is wearing something that is no longer cool, how many people get to see inside our inner sanctum? Usually just our closest family and friends. Unless you are an interior designer and open your door to criticism, it's not likely that anyone will know that you have decorated with...gasp...a suzani that has been deemed too trendy. Of course, the magazines will move on to reporting new and more exciting design trends because that's their job. It's up to you to decide if you want to partake or go your own way.

I think how someone puts things together in their home is more important to the over all design than a few trendy pieces. And if you're really worried, put them in storage for a little while and when you bring them back out, they will look fresh and new. In all honesty, I might write you a ticket for wearing no longer fashionable skinny jeans but I would never ticket you for those antlers in your living room. Especially since I was planning on looking for some while I'm home for the holidays. Does that mean I'm losing my design edge?