The 12 Most Overrated Interior Design Fads

The Bouclé Bubble Has Finally Burst

You know the moment when you walk into someone's home and instantly feel like you've seen the exact same space on Instagram 47 times? That's exactly what's happening with bouclé furniture right now.

The furniture trend that's saying goodbye in 2025 is bouclé, with its lack of originality and the fact that most homeowners stuck to the same white pieces causing bouclé furniture fatigue. These pieces can start to show age very quickly, especially white bouclé furniture which is the most popular color choice but works in both boho and minimalistic styles.

What started as a chic nod to mid-century design has morphed into something you'll find at Target—and that's not necessarily progress. Since bouclé has officially hit the mainstream at retailers ranging from Target to Lulu & Georgia, it's only a matter of time before the look moves from "trending" to "everywhere".

The maintenance nightmare doesn't help either—those loops snag on everything from pet claws to your partner's toenails.

All White Everything Is Looking Tired

Too much white without any mitigating color or pattern can become clinical and cold, and experts recommend moving away from monotone all-white walls to embrace warmer tones or bold accents that infuse personality and warmth. The dominance of greige and beige has left many craving more personality in their interiors, with critics arguing that excessively neutral spaces lack character, pushing homeowners toward bolder, more colorful designs.

Think about it—when every surface in your home matches the inside of a Greek yogurt container, you've probably gone too far. This obsession with sanitized perfection creates spaces that feel more like showrooms than actual homes where people live, laugh, and spill wine on the couch.

Minimalistic designs and all-white home decor are going out of style too, and they are taking white bouclé with them.

Shiplap Everywhere Is Getting Old Fast

While shiplap was a popular design feature for a while, it's a trend designers aren't loving in 2025, with one designer noting there are so many places where shiplap is being used that it's just so overplayed. The whole point of a feature wall is to make it special, but the shiplap makes it feel builder-grade and may read timeless to some, but reads like you played it too safe.

It's like the design equivalent of wearing a baseball cap to every single occasion—safe, predictable, and ultimately boring. What was once a charming farmhouse detail has become the go-to solution for anyone afraid to make a real design choice.

Instead of the traditional shiplap look, designers suggest other geometric patterns, tiles, wallpaper prints, or different textures to replace the shiplap. Your walls deserve better than wooden planks that scream "I watched too much HGTV."

Fast Furniture Is Fooling Nobody

Dubbed 'fast furniture' due to the faster design and making process, many designers are sick of seeing cheaply made pieces in 2025, with one founder noting the trend towards turning to 'fast furniture' to impulsively replicate every viral look. The recommendation is to choose timeless, well-made, and sustainable furniture and decor pieces rather than the 'fast', disposable pieces, taking time to research and select pieces meant to stand the test of time.

It's the furniture version of fast fashion—looks decent in photos but falls apart faster than your New Year's resolutions. These pieces might nail the aesthetic for your TikTok, but they won't survive a single house party.

Single-use furnishings are on their way out, with the cost of living leaving consumers warier of value for money, making multi-functional, utilitarian furnishings that offer more than just their initial use the new preference.

Overly Minimalist Japandi Is Losing Its Soul

Japandi—a blend of Japanese minimalism and Scandinavian simplicity—was once the darling of interior design, but its dominance has officially hit its saturation point, with many finding it too stark and subdued. Homeowners are shifting towards richer, earthier tones and more dynamic textures to create spaces that feel warmer and more personal.

Overly minimalistic spaces that feel cold and uninviting are the worst interior design trend that needs to go, as when simplicity is taken too far, it results in sterile environments lacking personality. What started as a philosophy of mindful living has been stripped down to beige furniture in empty rooms.

Real homes have books lying around, coffee stains on tables, and that weird collection of vintage postcards your aunt gave you.

Color Drenching Has Gone Too Far

Bold, saturated colors are making a comeback in 2025, with color-drenched rooms using a single hue in varying shades to create a cohesive and impactful look, perfect for those who like playful interiors and want to make a statement. But here's the thing—when every surface in your living room is the same shade of forest green, including the lampshades and picture frames, you've created a cave, not a cozy space.

As color drenching gained popularity in 2024, extending bold creativity to ceilings is the next logical step, with designers embracing the ceiling as a "fifth wall". The problem isn't color itself—it's the lack of visual breathing room that happens when you paint everything the same hue.

Your eyes need somewhere to rest, and monochrome madness doesn't provide that luxury.

Maximalism in Small Spaces Creates Chaos

All good small room ideas acknowledge trends, but maximalist decor ideas don't belong in a small space, as maximalism can make an already tiny room feel even smaller. Designers hope for more thoughtful small room trends, believing 2025 is the year we'll start craving more authenticity and contrast again with richer palettes, collected materials, and a return to interiors that feel personal rather than performative.

Sure, maximalism can be gorgeous when done right—in a 3,000-square-foot loft with 12-foot ceilings. But cramming seventeen patterns, forty-three plants, and your entire book collection into a 400-square-foot studio apartment isn't curated collecting—it's hoarding with style.

The difference between "eclectic" and "overwhelming" is about 200 square feet and some strategic editing.

Fake Architectural Details Look Desperate

While adding architectural charm to a featureless room seems like a good idea, sometimes the result feels disjointed and unauthentic to the age or style of the building, as it's important to consider the style of your home before adding these features. Adding architectural details that aren't reflective of the architecture of your building is a trend designers are tired of.

Slapping crown molding on a 1970s ranch house or adding fake exposed beams to a modern condo screams "I watched too many renovation shows." These details can feel awkward, stark, and completely out of context with your home's actual bones. It's like wearing a tiara to the grocery store—technically fancy, but nobody's buying it.

Your home has its own personality; work with it instead of against it.

Overly Curated Gallery Walls Miss the Mark

Instagram has convinced us that every wall needs to look like a museum exhibition, complete with perfectly spaced frames and coordinated matting. But real gallery walls should tell your story, not follow a template you found on Pinterest. 2024 was the year of the 'anti-trend', moving in favor of spaces filled with character and personality—reflecting a desire to just decorate with things you love, an attitude that continues in 2025.

The overly precious approach to wall art—where every piece matches and nothing dares to be slightly crooked—sucks the life out of what should be a personal expression of your taste and experiences. Trends in 2025 will see less quick seasonal or pop culture lead trends and more looking back for inspiration, with trends becoming more timeless as people move away from the constant need to change interiors to keep them 'trendy'.

Your walls should reflect who you are, not what some influencer thinks looks good.

Statement Ceilings Are Trying Too Hard

As color drenching gained popularity in 2024, extending bold creativity to ceilings is the next logical step, with designers embracing the ceiling as a "fifth wall," using elements like hand-painted murals, sculptural ceiling roses, and deep cornices. 2025 is all about texture with wallpapered ceilings, wood paneling, and decorative plaster finishes bringing depth and character, transforming flat surfaces into striking focal points. While the intention is admirable, there's a fine line between architectural interest and visual assault.

When your ceiling demands more attention than your furniture, you've crossed into theme park territory. Most rooms need their ceilings to be the supporting actor, not the dramatic lead stealing every scene.

Faux Rustic Everything Feels Forced

The rustic aesthetic can be stunning when it draws from authentic craftsmanship or naturally aged materials, but the proliferation of faux rustic pieces with their factory-distressed finishes and synthetic materials feels forced and lacks the charm of genuinely aged or handcrafted furniture. We're talking about furniture that's been artificially aged to look like it survived the Oregon Trail when it was actually made last Tuesday in a factory in North Carolina.

Real patina comes from decades of use and love—not from being attacked with chains and sandpaper before it leaves the warehouse. Hand-carved details and solid woods bring in both a natural element, a textural detail, and an artisanal quality that instantly takes a space from generic to unique.

The difference between authentic character and manufactured "character" is immediately obvious to anyone who's ever seen the real thing.

TikTok Trends That Last Five Minutes

There is always a danger in buying into social media trends as they so often prove to be fleeting, and overexposure can lead us to tire of them, with viral designs not possessing the longevity needed for sustainable and responsible curation. The trend cycle never ceases to spin, with some viral designs like coquettish bows and checkerboard prints being happily left in the past.

Remember the random obsession with mushroom lamps that lasted approximately three weeks? Or the brief moment when everyone decided they needed neon signs in their living rooms?

These micro-trends burn bright and fast, leaving you with furniture that screams "I made this decision in 2023" louder than a concert T-shirt from a band that broke up. The best trends of 2024 really should have staying power, whether it's the color of the year or the perfect sofa silhouette—the year's best interior design isn't going away simply because it's a new calendar year.

Your home should feel like you, not like a showroom or a social media post. The best interiors have personality, imperfection, and that indefinable quality that makes you want to kick off your shoes and stay awhile.

What makes a space overrated isn't the style itself—it's when that style becomes so ubiquitous that it loses all meaning and personality. Ready to break free from the fads and create something that actually feels like home?