5 Decor Trends From the 2010s We May End Up Regretting in the 2020s

Word Art

Thanks, in part, to Joanna Gaines and the modern farmhouse style that took over the latter half of the 2010s, word art spiked in popularity. Sometimes crafted from metal for an industrial look, other times printed and framed, word art showed up in homes of all styles.

While we may still cherish these sentiments and mantras, we predict that word art will fall out of favor in the 2020s. Homeowners and designers may focus on designing homes that evoke "Live, Laugh, Love," rather than spell it out for us.

All Gray Everything

Considering the influence of the political and social climate on design and fashion—affecting everything from paint colors to hem lengths—the Great Recession of the 2010s may be responsible for the gray trend of the past decade. In the past 10 years, "greige" became a go-to paint color, and gray rugs, sofas, and pillows popped up everywhere.

While gray won't disappear completely in the 2020s, the bland color will likely give way to cheerier colors. And we can see the difference already in the hues selected as Color of the Year. While Benjamin Moore chose Metropolitan, a cool gray, as its 2019 Color of the Year, it opted for First Light, a rosy hue, for its 2020 Color of the Year. The dawn of the new decade will wake up our homes' color palettes.

Accent Walls

Patterned wallpaper had a major moment in the 2010s (and we loved it), but the contrasting accent wall, whether paint or wallpaper, may be on its way out. While we'll probably be seeing bolder paint colors in the years to come, the trend of painting just one contrasting wall will be less popular and may start to look dated over the next decade.

Painted Stone and Brick

A wave of minimalism brought on by interior designers and Marie Kondo's organizing method inspired many to paint their exposed brick walls and stone floors white. While this look is still very on-trend as we move into the 2020s, once minimalism phases out, some may regret painting these surfaces. Unlike plaster walls, which are easily repainted, it's very difficult to remove the paint from stone and brick surfaces.

Open Shelving in Kitchens

While floating shelves continue to pop up in trendy kitchens, the fad could fall out of favor over the next decade. In part because maintaining tidy, display-worthy shelves is a never-ending challenge. Another product of the minimalism trend, the floating shelves of the 2010s may be swapped for more practical cabinets in the 2020s.