Is it good to be trendy?
Trend
One of the most misused and misunderstood words that I encounter in my professional life.
One moment an eager client will be searching for cutting edge trends, the next they are paranoid that their house will be too trendy.
So where is the line? Is it as simple as trend=good, while trendy=bad?
Not quite. As with most polarizing subjects, the truth lies in a much grayer area.
Trend is, by definition, the current style preference of a demographic.
In the Fox Cities, I see kitchen trends still pointing to white trim, gray walls, shaker-style doors, and black or nickel hardware.
Does this mean that we should all be desperately searching for whatever color will be replacing Agreeable Gray? Subbing out clean-lined shaker cabinets for raised panels?
Well, that depends.
The first thing that springs to mind for many people in regards to trend is Gray.
The gravitational pull of the gray wall trend boils down to three points:
It’s fresh. It’s not too dark, not too light, and just neutral enough to give people the courage to incorporate it into their homes. After the dreaded decade of tan (psst…it’s coming baaaack), the decade of gray made those tan walls seem sad and dingy. Others are calmed by neutrals and feel safe with its “go-with-everything” reputation.
So many people are perfectly content with periodically repainting their walls with the neutre du jour. They are merely looking to blend in and not raise any eyebrows, lest they be judged. For them, a house is just a house. No need for frills or to show off. And that’s ok.
Think of it as the t-shirt and jeans of the design world. I wish I was this person.
But I’m not. And, since you’ve made it this far, I don’t think you are, either.
2. Comfort in numbers. Many people are nervous to take a risk with their walls. Either because they are afraid they will choose the wrong shade/hue and be forced to live with the results like a badge of interior design shame, or because they are overwhelmed by options and don’t want the hassle of making a hard and potentially expensive mistake.
“I don’t want my house to look too trendy,” they insist (while pulling up their Pinterest “Dream House” board highlighting exactly which trends they have picked for their home.) “I want plain, white cabinets, neutral gray walls, simple hardware…Just nice and clean.” (If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I wouldn’t be living in a house with blue countertops!) The reason people say this is because this is what they see others doing. It seems totally non-offensive, and completely classic. And, in their defense, these items are classic. It’s the combination of them that is problematic. This is literally the root of all that is trendy.
In the 1990s, everyone built their homes with golden oak cabinets, raised panel doors, neutral tan walls. (Ahem…Classics!) Why?
…Because it felt safe. It’s what they were seeing others do. It seemed completely non-offensive.
By the time 2000 rolled around, we were so sick and tired of seeing golden oak, raised panel kitchens that it became the very definition of “offensive.” It represented what was past, what was “dated,” what was The 90’s.
3. They like gray. Gray is a classic color. Like a “little black dress.” So how can gray be trendy if it is classic?
A trend can be classic, a classic can be trendy.
Make sense?
Hang in there…
So how can something be trendy and classic? It’s all about how you use a trend that dictates whether it falls under the category of “trendy” or “classic.”
If you have a room chock full of the latest trends, then, yes. Your space is trendy and you will likely be looking to give it an update in a few years for fear of turning up on someone’s list of “Dated Trends to Avoid!” Tick, tick, tick…
However, if Agreeable Gray happens to be exactly the shade your guest bedroom needs, if you surround it with classic, carefully selected, expertly curated pieces, then it can fall into the category of “classic.”
Another example is subway tile. People often ask if subway tile will be going out of style anytime soon. I usually respond that it is a classic and has been in style for well over a hundred years, and is not going anywhere. It won’t always be on trend, but it is firmly cemented as a true American classic. Again, subway tile surrounded by trends will, of course, read as trendy. But subway tile is not, in-and-of itself, trendy.
One more example for good measure: “When will white kitchens be going out of style?” Never.
Trendy white kitchens may (and are) slowly falling “off-trend,” but to throw a broad net and claim that all white kitchens are going to be out of style is a big, fat lie. We are seeing a resurgence of wood stained cabinetry. There’s a difference. Trendy, stark white kitchens may be waning in popularity and their absence is being replaced by stained cabinets, but that is no reason to panic. Trends are like the tide: they ebb and flow.
This kitchen is fresh, clean and white. This is a great example of a white kitchen that is classic. Assuming that it is appropriate for the rest of the home, it will never go out of style. It isn’t on trend, but that was clearly not the intent for this space.
So where does this leave us?
Keep your eyes on your own paper. This isn’t a multiple choice exam with one correct answer. Take a deep breath. And stop apologizing for having a personal style.
Find a good designer who shares and appreciates your vision—even if you don’t have a clear sense of what your vision is. The mark of a good designer is her ability to comb through the mess and confusion of your likes and loves, uncover the common thread that binds the seemingly unrelated, and weave them together into a cohesive and personal tapestry that only fits you.