Interior designers share 9 living-room trends that missed the mark this year

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By: Alyssa Towns Swantkoski

26 December 2024 at 11:40

Living room with two open-concept design into kitchen and two simple gray couches around a basic square coffee table — Minimal designs weren't a hit with designers this year.
Sheila Say/Shutterstock

We asked four interior designers to share which living-room trends missed the mark this year.
All-white everything and bouclé-textured furniture are out.
Wood-paneled accent walls and too much light wood can make your room feel inauthentic.

We asked four interior designers which living-room trends totally missed the mark this year.

Here are the styles and designs they told Business Insider they don't think we'll be seeing in 2025.

Bouclé is overdone.

Boucle ottoman next to chair with wooden arms and boucle kitchen in front of wooden cabinet — Bouclé chairs and couches were huge this year.
FollowTheFlow/Getty Images

Anna Tatsioni, lead interior designer at Decorilla, has seen enough bouclé (a thick, curled fabric) in living rooms this year.

"Bouclé has exploded in popularity, particularly as upholstery for couches, and it's just so overdone," she told BI. "I also think it can be a really restrictive textile as it only works with a limited number of colors and can look very synthetic."

Instead, consider adding other textures to your space to create more variety.

Minimalism took over to a fault.

Living room with plain white walls, white couch and chair and acrylic coffee table on top of wood floors with beige area rug — Minimalism can sometimes feel boring.
Procreators/Shutterstock

Tatsioni told us that minimalism was taken to extremes to create tidy and clean-looking spaces this year — and isn't working in its current form.

"So many interiors are starting to look like those I'd find in a show home," she said. "Minimalism can be done beautifully, but when brought to the extreme, it can dampen any sign of unique personality or character in an interior, making a place feel sterile and uninviting."

Oversized furniture in small spaces is a miss.

Aerial view of large teal sectional couch in small living room with small square coffee table — A giant couch won't really make your living room feel bigger.
Dariusz Jarzabek/Shutterstock

"I suspect that social media might be to blame for this, but the trend of having massive cloud couches is problematic for smaller living rooms," Tatsioni said.

She cautions against thinking oversized furniture is necessary to create a cozy living room space, as other options often work better.

"There are so many gorgeous styles of comfortable couches and easy chairs that are perfect for smaller living rooms, which can work much better for maximizing limited space," she told BI.

All-white living rooms are a tired trend.

Living room with white walls, white couch, and white rug — A small pop of color can go a long way in a living room.
Followtheflow/Shutterstock

Brad Smith, the CEO and lead designer at Omni Home Ideas, said it's time for living rooms to stop feeling "too sterile and uninviting" with their all-white color schemes.

Smith said homeowners can create a balanced look and add warmth and personality to predominantly white spaces by "incorporating colorful accents like throw pillows, artwork, or even a textured rug."

The industrial style didn't work in some living rooms this year.

Brick room with plants hanging from ceiling and light fixtures — Brick walls can feel cold if they're not styled right.
July Prokopiv/Shutterstock

Industrial elements include metal accents, exposed bricks, and raw materials. They can make a space look edgy and modern.

However, when a living room leans too far into this design style, Smith said, it instead "comes off as cold and impersonal."

"A balanced approach using softer textures and natural materials can help soften the industrial feel and make the space more welcoming," he told BI.

Maximalist patterns, colors, and styles didn't always work.

Living room with colorful blue wallpaper, blue velvet couch, plants, decorative chairs, and shelf — Some of the best maximalist spaces stick with a color scheme.
united photo studio/Shutterstock

Keri Petersen, owner and lead designer at KP Spaces, said maximalism missed the mark this year because it can quickly go from "collected and cool" to "cluttered chaos" in a living room.

"Too many patterns, colors, and styles thrown together without a plan? The result is a space that feels overwhelming and anything but relaxing," she told BI.

To add life to a space without creating chaos, she suggested sticking with a cohesive color palette and limiting yourself to only using two or three complementary patterns in a room.

The novelty of wood-paneled accent walls didn't last.

Wood-paneled wall with simple beige couch and small round coffee table and side table in front of it — Too much wood can look dated.
Washdog/Shutterstock

"Wood-paneled accent walls were a fun way to bring a natural, rustic touch into a home. But, like all trends, it got overdone, fast," Petersen said.

She added that when too many walls are paneled — especially with cheap, faux materials — a space can start to feel inauthentic and dated.

"If you want a focal wall with timeless appeal, try limewash or textured plaster for that subtle, earthy vibe," she said.

Too much light wood sucked the dimension out of some spaces this year.

Living room with large built-in shelving with backlights, beige couch, light wood floors, and curtains touching the floor — If you want a lot of light wood and colors, you may want to add contrast to your space as well.
Pinkystock/Shutterstock

It is possible to have too much of a good thing, especially when it comes to light-colored wood, said Allison Burke, principal at Allison Burke Interior Design.

"Light wood tones, especially white oak, have been absolutely everywhere, and while they have a fresh, airy look, it's starting to feel a little overdone," she told BI.

When spaces have too much light wood, they can "feel too uniform and lack dimension," she said. Plus, darker wood tones add a layer of sophistication to a room that light ones can't.

Open shelving isn't ideal for most people.

Living room with light brick fireplace and open wood shelving with brown leather couch , live-wood glass-topped coffee table — Open shelves should be styled well and cleaned often if you want them to look good.
Sheila Say/Shutterstock

"Open shelving had its moment in the spotlight, but let's be honest: It's much harder to pull off than it looks," Burke told BI.

These shelves can make rooms look unpolished and busy.

"It's a tough trend to sustain day-to-day," she added. Most homeowners aren't styling their living room spaces to perfection or constantly dusting.

Instead, she recommended blending closed storage solutions with glass-front or framed cabinet doors that look far more polished.

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