We’ve had some weird décor trends over the years. Some we’re all glad to see the back of but – having written this list and remembered some corkers – there are few I’d revive. How about you?
Textured wallpaper My grandparents had this in one of their rooms and (ADMISSION ALERT) I definitely picked a lot of it off. I wonder if this kind of thing could still work, if given a modern day revamp, but at the time it just seemed like a way of overcomplicating an otherwise simple wall colour and was definitely not child-friendly!
Stickers I didn’t go for this, but my brother’s fitted wardrobes were covered. The biggest question for me is who was giving him ALL the stickers?!
Wall stencils We ventured into stencil territory in my teens, going for a hint of Espanol with mustard yellow background and terracotta swirls in the corners (eek), where the fitted wardrobes sat over the bed (eeeeek). I think we all know we can leave the swirls to our accessories now, but there are some pretty updated versions out there. You don’t have the freedom to stamp where you like (which is probably a really good thing) but you do get something that looks amazing and creates a real theme. This is nice, from cuttingedgestencils.com:
Lime green and lilac Did anyone else fall for this truly unacceptable room colour co-ordination? Two walls lilac, two green, of course, with orange pine wardrobes just to set it all off. But (most importantly) I did love it.
Glow in the dark ceiling stars I’d actually love some of these. *Googles* Is it acceptable to have them on your ceiling at the age of 30? *Buys these* Surely we’d all quite like to pretend we’re sleeping under the stars.
Pedestal mats These are the funny mats that slot handily around the base of the loo. The reason they were invented? I don’t want to think about it. But I am forever thankful for tiled/lino bathroom floors so that we don’t need the splash protection any more. I did like the feel of the really fuzzy ones, though.
Crazy coloured bathrooms We all have our colour phases – wanting a pink coat, liking black jeans – but committing to a crimson bathroom suite (and with a BIDET!) for several years? I like to think you could make crazy suites work with the right amount of toning down, but give it a year and you’re just dated.
Fringed sofas We had a green sofa set with a chenille feel to it, with this long gangly fringe around the bottom. The cat used to pull them off, we used to pull them off, they frayed… These days we’re a bit happier for everyone to know that yes, our sofa has legs/wheels and it’s really ok for people to see them.
Pelmets and valances For the uninitiated, these are the strips of fabric that used to sit along your curtain rail or around your bed divan, generally just looking frilly. They were originally made out of wood or plaster to hide the curtain pole, but for us, it was just because Laura Ashley said so.
Fluffy toilet seat covers I can’t believe I forgot these. How do these work, practically?! Worryingly, there are still many people selling these online.
Which room trends do you remember and regret? Or is there something you’d love to see back on the shelves?
The Decorator 