Industrial design, vessel sinks and open shelving may have outlived their welcome in the U.K. But the way Canadian designer and popular HGTV host Sarah Richardson sees it, any trend can be the inspiration behind beautiful home decor — as long as it’s sympathetically and harmoniously applied.
According to analysis recently released by HomeHow, based in the U.K., 61 per cent of homeowners surveyed regret making their homes too industrial, 59 per cent think vessel sinks are outdated and 52 per cent wish they had stayed away from the open shelving trend. Richardson says it might not be the trends themselves, but their treatment that’s causing the remorse.
“I think overdo on anything leads to regret,” said Richardson. “The place for trends is to be thought-provoking, to be daring, to be bold, to be new and noteworthy, and most importantly, to be editorial.”
Industrial decor won’t suit an older, traditional-style home, for example, but it will work in a downtown urban condo. “If I were buying a condo, I would prefer to have a rough concrete ceiling that I could then decide what to do with, rather than that nasty popcorn ceiling,” said Richardson.
Similarly, glass and ceramic vessel sinks from the late ’90s – that “looked like you dropped a salad bowl on your counter” – may indeed be a regrettable choice. But today’s straight-lined versions carved out of natural stone are ideally suited to a rustic mountain modern style.
And when it comes to open shelving, Richardson will always be a fan. “I’m 100 per cent not regretting it,” she said, pointing to modern kitchen designs as an example. “Look at the best work of the best designers and what you will continue to see is a less is more approach where kitchens are streamlined with less adornment … and there might be a single open shelf, carefully curated with beautiful objects.”
HomeHow states a badly decorated bathroom can potentially lead to a $27,000 decrease in property value. The best way to avoid regret, says Richardson, is to play it safe with fixed elements and leave the crazy for accents and accessories.
Other trends topping the list of U.K. regrets include shabby chic furniture (41 per cent), wall texture (26 per cent) and leather sofas (23 per cent). Richardson’s take on “shabby chic nouveau” is that slipcovers and comfortable, relaxed furniture pieces will always serve a purpose, especially during a pandemic when we’re all spending more time on our sofas. Wall textures are back, but in a more monochromatic, tone-on-tone style that works, she said.
After designing a leather recliner and sectional sofa for her Palliser furniture collection – despite never really being a fan of leather – Richardson admits even they have evolved. “The leather of today is not brown, it is not puffy, it does not look like a football has just shown up in your living space,” she said. “It’s tailored and contemporary, with an eye to modern styling.”
In fact, only two of 10 trends identified in the HomeHow report would be regrettable to Richardson: floral furniture (39 per cent), which gives her instant visceral memories of bold floral armchairs from a decade ago; and wrong-scaled furniture (33 per cent), which “was probably regrettable the day it crossed the threshold.”
“When you say floral furniture, did I do it? Do I have any in my home now? No. If I did, would I recover it? Yes,” said Richardson. “If you do anything and it doesn’t actually feel like you, you will regret it.”
