Chasing trends can already make your wardrobe look dated, so don’t do the same thing with your house. Although, there are some other designs in houses that can automatically make them look older. They might not even be trendy to begin with. Lets look at a few examples, and maybe a few alternatives that you can try instead to make your home look nice.
Wood Paneling
Wood paneling is a common design used in ranch-style homes. But the paneling is hard enough to design around and keep fresh. You’re pretty much better off removing the paneling and slapping a new paint of coat where it once was. A superior design choice would be wainscoting. So feel free to look into that if you want to replace your wood panels.
Greige Bathroom Tiles
Greige tiles. Are they beige or are they grey? Either way, they don’t look that great in your bathroom. Their texture looks rough around the edges, no matter how much you clean them. You should paint them a different color. One of the most appropriate and easiest colors to go with is a white, subway design instead.
Tile Countertops
Tile countertops were a pretty big deal in the 70s and 80s. But times have changed. They’re just incredibly difficult to clean grout out of, especially in high-traffic areas. They’re not exactly out of date or bad looking in the present, but they’ll need a lot of attention to make sure they look clean. And that goes double for white or off-white tiles.
Carpeted Floors
A carpeted floor doesn’t always look bad. Some of them look great. But they’re not perfect. Some of them can even induce allergies if they’re worn enough. Those ones are best to rip up and replace. Possibly with some vinyl tile or hardwood. It’ll increase your home’s resell value for sure.
Bathroom Carpet
Carpets around the house make at least some sense. But what is the purpose of having a carpeted bathroom floor? Outside of cleaning, when you’ll need to be on your hands and knees, it really seems to be more of a nuisance, as the carpet is more prone to absorbing water from the shower and sink. And a machine washable bathmat can protect your knees and absorb water while also being more easily to clean and replace.
Lace Drapes
Lace drapes look pretty at first, but they’re prone to wear and tear. The delicate materials tend to fray and yellow over time. Which causes the ultra pretty drapes to become the exact opposite. Fortunately, they’re easier to replace. Linen is probably the best option for new drapes.
Flat Panel Doors
Flat panel doors are mostly inoffensive, but can detract from the overall look and feel in a room. At least in most houses this is the case. A more obvious fix would just be painting the door. They elevate simple-looking hallways and just make your interior more aesthetically pleasing.
Corner Tub
Having a jacuzzi tub in the corner of your bathroom used to be a trendy, cool thing to have. But now those tubs just age your bathroom. If you’re to still use a tub at all just use a free-standing tub. They don’t age your bathroom’s appearance and are generally more budget friendly.
Frameless Doors And Windows
Frameless doors and windows work in some environments, with frameless windows working particularly well in ultra-modern and glass houses. However, they make your actual house look a little odd. You can get some frames to make these necessary openings in your house more acceptable. There are even some do-it-yourself door and window frame tutorials you can check out to save yourself time and money.
Orange Oak Stair Railing
No one’s saying you shouldn’t have a railing on your stairs. Just, maybe it shouldn’t be this railing. By just replacing this orange oak railing, you’ll take years off of the age of the apparent age of your house. You might not even have to replace the railing, just paint it a different color. Or even sand down to the natural wood for a more rustic look.
Boring Bathroom Vanity
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, the vanity is the sink and cabinet in the bathroom commonly below your mirror. And some of these wood-looking ones with simple tile countertops can be a bit boring. You can get a different vanity that’s much more interesting-looking. And there are plenty that are within your budget that will compliment your bathroom.
Ornate Light Fixtures
If you don’t live in a mansion, owning a chandelier will look tacky. It’s best to just have normal light fixtures, like ceiling fans. There are some more streamlined light fixtures as well. Chandeliers and other ornate light fixtures are also incredibly heavy. While the likelihood of them just falling are pretty low, you’ll still at least be safer not having to worry about them falling on your head.
Dome Light Fixtures
Dome light fixtures have a nickname… one that won’t be said here. Their design not only ages the appearance of your house, but they don’t look that great either. There are plenty of other options for light fixtures, such as semi-flush linen drum lights and glass shade pendant lights.
Grey Color Palettes
Gray-on-gray was a really popular design trend in 2015. However, after a few years everyone started to realize that looked pretty tacky. It’s a good, neutral color for interiors, but there is such a thing as too much grey. Seriously, just a splash of color, or maybe even just some white in the interior of your house can have you living room looking much better.
Fuzzy Toilet Seat Cover
You probably only see these fuzzy toilet seat covers at your grandparents’ house. And that alone should be a sign of how much they can age the appearance of your restroom. Just getting rid of the seat covering will make your bathroom look twenty years younger. You really don’t need the toilet seat back to be comfortable to sit on.
Sleigh Beds
These beds do look a lot like sleighs, don’t they? They used to be really popular, but now look a bit more out of place with contemporary decor. Getting an updated bed frame is the easiest way to fix this problem. Although, if you want to save money, you can try draping your duvet over the footboard. That’ll help minimize the recognizable silhouette of the bed.
Glass Block Windows
Glass block window designs are really cumbersome and difficult to design around. A standard glass-paned window is more timeless and easier to to make changes in decor around. However, if you can’t afford to switch out the window, you can install Roman shades instead. They minimize the visibility of the glass blocks.
Heavy Iron Accents
Railings on staircases can really send a message about the vibe of your house that you’re going for. And using heavy iron accents can give off the vibe of “early 2000s contemporary”. Pull those out and start fresh. A good alternative are minimalist metal balusters. They’ll be just as sturdy, but not as gaudy.
White Appliances
White fridges, dishwashers, and other appliances aren’t quite as good to look at nowadays as they used to be. Stainless steel is a much more timeless and streamlined appearance. They’re also just easier to keep clean. Alternatively, you can get appliances integrated into your kitchen. They take up less space and look just as aesthetically pleasing.
Chalkboard Walls
Having a canvas somewhere in your house with which to write notes and leave reminders isn’t a bad idea. But doing it with a chalkboard might not be the best way to go. Especially if you have it in your kitchen. They’re just more prone to leaving behind dust and debris. Use adifferent type of message board instead if you’re going to use anything. Even a dry erase board would be less of a hassle.
Chevron
Chevron was a nice wall pattern once. But times change, and Chevron isn’t exactly timeless. Remove any Chevron wallpaper you have immediately and start looking into other patterns. A particularly popular one presently is herringbone.
Burnt Out Fireplace Design
A fireplace isn’t a bad look by itself. But give a second thought about implementing a burnt out-looking one. It’s a case of “overkill contemporary”. Invest some money and time into upgrading the face of your fireplace instead, using a new mantel of custom tile surround. To get it done even faster, you could just try painting around the fireplace with a bold, unexpected hue.
Obvious Ceiling Fan
Sometimes when you walk into the room, the first thing you see is the ceiling fan. They can be useful for cooling off or circulating air in the warmer months, but that doesn’t meant they have to look tacky. There are plenty of other ceiling fan designs that are a lot more subtle and difficult to notice. And they’re not any less effective at cooling you off.
Sterile, Snowy, And Silver
Sterile, snowy, and silver refers to this color palette right here. And that palette is blindingly white. It’s described as ultra-modern, but it looks more like a science fiction future. You won’t necessarily need to eradicate all the white in your home, but putting in some more saturated colors will help your house look a little less strange.
Textured Ceiling
Textured ceilings, and textured walls for that matter, haven’t been popular in years. The design choice will probably never come back. The coloration actually gives similar vibes to a prison cell. Seriously, just smooth out your ceiling and walls to a nicer texture. It’ll be much less difficult to look at after that.
