Our home decor choices aren’t only influenced by our personal tastes and preferences, but also by the current trend cycle. Increasingly short trend cycles and the rise of fast decor are particularly good at making our interiors feel more dated than they actually are and encouraging us to embrace the latest trend or interiors fad. Whether it’s a recommendation from your favourite online creator or an advertisement from a store, it’s easy to end up with homewares we don’t really need, and more often than not come to regret.
“Following trends too closely can mean your space won’t feel unique,” explains Louise Roche, an interior stylist. Instead, Louise advises people to take inspiration from trends rather than “necessarily follow them to the tee”.
“Being inspired by trends and giving your own unique take on them creates interesting and unique interiors,” Louise says.
With this in mind, we asked Louise and Nikita Crockett, the design service lead for sustainable furniture brand Icon By Design, about the home decor items they would never bring home.
Selecting the right decor is an art in itself. (Photography: Dave Wheeler)
5 home decor items an interior stylist would never buy
1. Boucle fabrics
“I’ve never been overly keen on the fabric. It isn’t very practical and there have been some unpleasant cheap versions of it out in the marketplace,” Louise says of boucle fabrics.
Instead, Louise opts for performance fabric for items such as dining chairs and couches — “ones that can be removed, washed or replaced are high on my list”.
2. Too many scatter cushions
“Too many scatter cushions are also a big no for me — less is far more these days,” Louise says. “Buying and investing in one or two quality cushions with feather inners can bring a space to life (no need for the karate chop any more, either!).”
3. Veneered timbers
For Nikita, veneered timbers are a big no.
“They unfortunately have a very short lifespan, and very quickly end up with chips, dents and cracks, to the point where they look tacky and can disrupt the elevated feel of a room,” explains Nikita. “Where possible, I opt for solid timbers that I know will last.”
Nikita prefers to select items made from authentic materials.
“Furniture pieces made from authentic materials such as solid wood certainly transcend short-term cycles,” she says.
4. Fake books
When it comes to decorating, Louise will skip the fake books that have become popular on social media.
“Fake books just don’t cut the mustard, especially when there are so many beautiful coffee table books out there. Why buy fake ones?” Louise says.
5. Faux plants
Nikita also draws the line at faux items — including fake plants.
“Unless you plan on spending a pretty penny, you can easily purchase some low-maintenance real house plants that will not only look beautiful, but help purify the air too,” Nikita says.
“My go-to is always a peace lily. They let you know when they need more water by drooping. What’s more low-maintenance than that?”
How to choose timeless homewares
(Photography: Kristina Soljo/ Styling: Lisa Burden)
Working with a sustainable furniture brand means that Nikita knows how to spot homewares that will last the trend cycle, and her biggest tip is to look back at past trends.
“I find it helpful to look back historically and see if this is something we have seen before,” Nikita explains.
“The clean, minimal and elegant ethos of Scandinavian and Mid-Century designs have certainly withstood the short term fashion cycles. In fact, they have been embraced in the current cycles by continuously contemporising these classic styles.
“Trends are cyclical,” Nikita adds. “So this can often be a helpful indication of how long or how successful a trend could be.”
Fortunately, Louise is seeing more Australians gravitating towards sustainable home purchases — well-made items with designs that will stand the test of time.
“Australian shoppers are genuinely willing to pay for products made with ethically sourced or sustainable materials,” Louise says. “Supporting the environment long-term is more than a fad or trend — it’s about thinking long-term and shopping for pieces we want to keep and pass down to the generations to come.”
You can connect with Louise on Instagram at Villa Styling.
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