I try not to follow trends. I either love something or don't. I'm not saying I've never seen something on AT and absolutely had to go out and buy it. It's just that I don't bring things into my home because it's in. I buy what I love and if millions of other people love it too that's fine. I don't immediately think, OMG I've got to find the next hot thing.

For a trend I love and/or a thing I liked anyway I just do it cheaply until it bores me. If I don't get sick of it, it stays.

Ebay and charity shops and not spoonflower fabric until it's clear the house really can't live without owls in it.

P.s. I'm one of those people who love birds and I'm not ashamed to have several bird paintings in my home :)

"It could be said that it's foolish not to embrace something you like, just because it's a fad." That could be said, yes, because that's true and obvious. I've never understood denying yourself something that appeals to you just for the sake of being a contrarian -- it's absolutely as pretentious as running after something for the sake of being conformist.

I truly, deeply, struggle with this problem. Not only with design but clothing, music, cooking, etc. I was putting eggs on pizza, sandwiches, etc. for a while then realized so was everyone else and I was caught in the trend spiral!

Then I stopped and realized no one can claim an original idea, can they? Not to get too meta... but we are collectively gathering toward putting ampersands on everything, right?
said item and ask if he or she is interested in inheriting my sunflower stained glass or bird stencil or pallet-converted-to-a-container-garden piece.

No big deal.
Love it, leave it, pass it on.

This post comes at a good time for me. There is a piece of iconic furniture that my husband wants because he likes the way it looks, but I do NOT want because I see it everywhere, in nearly every feature in every design mag. I have to admit that this is my main reason for not wanting it--it's cliche. However, here's the rub: It would actually work PERFECTLY in the space--it's really the best-looking and most practical solution to a decor/living problem. Maybe I need to let go of the whole adolescent, I'm-too-cool-to-follow-trends thing and just buy the damn piece. It's not like I eschew trends in other areas of my life. Wow, it feels good to get that off my chest.

PUT A BIRD ON IT!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I think the internet/blogosphere has accelerated the arc of trends to the point that when I see something cool on a blog I think "oh, why bother - it'll be everywhere in a month and stale in three or four."

Also, we live in a 1910 house with an emphatic style all it's own, so I'm less inclined to look at the new and different than if I lived in a blank-canvas white box apartment.

I'd say trellis and chevrons aren't a trend while the Keep Calm and pallets are....so while trellis might be extremely popular right now, you could also find plenty of examples of it 5, 10, even 15 years ago while the others things you wouldn't see. While the popularity might fade it's good looks are in the area of classic.

I have an urge to avoid something I know is trendy, but I ignore that urge. People around here are bored to tears by anything chevron, but I don't know a single soul IRL that actually has chevron in their home. If I choose to include in my house at some point, it'll be because I like a nice, simple, graphic print, and chevrons are easy to paint. And the people I know WILL (optimistically speaking) be blown away by my originality and ingenuity. lol

If you really like something, do it. Who cares about the naysayers?

Trends I like I use in mini doses. Just a cushion in metallic and not a whole wall, sends the same message and is cheaper. A trend is only an idea. Hinting at it is more fun.

I like what I like...

I never think about what's trendy or popular. I just go with my gut; I go with what I like and what looks beautiful and creative to me. The furniture made of pallets may be "trendy," but it's a wonderful trend for creating an interesting rustic look that recycles material and costs nothing. I think it will endure.

A difficult question. It's hard to even define a trend, isn't it. Are aqua walls a trend? Would you not paint them a great color just to avoid being trendy. Then you're just out of fashion, right? Anyways, I guess you just have to avoid things that are trendy and also sort of cheesy like wall decals...and maybe also chevron. It seems cool right now, but in reality, it's sort of crazy to have such a bold pattern on your wall.

thank you for opening up this discussion! five years ago i bought 3 'keep calm & carry on' posters on etsy and hung them in my bedroom. i loved them. i always joke that i bought 3 because i have 3 boys and need the reminder to be calm x 3. fast forward to last year and i remember reading the comments on a beautiful house tour where one commenter said something along the lines of 'i loved everything about this house until i saw the 'keep calm' poster. i'm so disappointed.' for some reason it really hit me and i felt super embarrassed about my posters and wanted to get rid of them. my husband asked me why and i couldn't really give a good answer, other than i'd seen that they are 'old news' on a design blog. he asked me if i still like them, which i do, and said it was silly to get rid of them just because a random stranger thinks they're out. and he's right. if i like them, it doesn't matter if they are "over". would i send in a photo of my bedroom to AT? probably not. but every time i go in my room i'm happy, and that's what really matters.

I agree with the theory that what is ubiquitous online is NOT always ubiquitous in real life, thus making the 'trend' still quite original. I know a lot of people who pin away to their hearts' content, but live in rather sterile environments with nothing fun (trendy or not) in their homes. This factor certainly sets the doers apart. Not to toot my own horn, but I not only pin and blog; I actually paint my walls, collect and display artwork, and fill my physical space with beautiful things. So yes, those chevron patterned pillows DO pop in my apartment!

I LOL'ed at the bit about keeping calm and carrying on.

So trite.

I like everything at first, because it's new and pushing the envelope. But it seems with the ubiquitity of the internet and blogs, and the numerous DIY'ers out there, nothing is sacred and nothing stays unique for long.

I always feel as long as I am staying true to myself and what I genuinely love, then it will never go out of style FOR ME.

Bethany
www.powellbrower.com
Powell Brower Home

I bought a Keep Calm poster four or five years ago--before it was EVERYWHERE. I've been tempted to take it down because it is so done but I bought it at a time when I needed that reminder and I've needed it since then too. So it stays put, trendy as it might be.

I'm of the "buy it if you love it" camp when it comes to design. Sometimes these veer to trendy (I love bricklayer tables although I've not purchased one because I have no need/place for it). But I'm not going to purchase something just because it is currently the in thing to have (not a fan of owls, or birds, in general).

i don't think its a white and black thing. i though chevron patterns were on the way out, then i came across a fabric i really liked and couldn't resist making a set of pillows. i don't like the animal style decals but i'd consider something that looks like wallpaper or a chalkboard

"Put a bird on it", Indeed.

I've been looking for a specific large single flower almost painted print on white linen for a pillow for some time now, no such luck. But I could get a chevron, ikat, Greek keys and Trellis print on drop of a dime anywhere and everywhere.
I cannot look at these prints any longer.

I have to agree with others that as long as it makes me genuinely happy then I don't care if it goes out of trend. That also being said with chevron walls in our bedroom for a year now and every morning when I wake up I still smile when I look at them.

Do it if you love it!

arkay-"put a bird on it" LOL!

@marinakaetzel - I loved your comment. I think you should keep the posters! I love the idea you have three, one for each of your boys :) If you love them who cares what some bitter interior design snag says on some internet website. I do remember that house and that poster and I LOVED that house and the keep calm and carry on poster fit in perfectly. I remember seeing that "disappointed" comment as well and I thought that woman to be very bitter. Do what you love and never worry about what trolls on websites think. In real life, the people who come into your house will love what you have done with it if you show love and respect to your home. And that's all that matters.

I think that the problem with trends is that, although I may convince myself I love something just for itself and will never tire of it, I may love it because it's new and everywhere but eventually get tired of it because it's _everywhere. So I avoid trends to avoid getting something that I am tired of before it's lived its natural life.

It seems like eclectic style in itself is a trend these days, but that has always been my thing, from home decor to fashion. I would never buy a trend for trend's sake, but would also never deny myself a trend for trend's sake either. And yes, I have a cardboard stag head AND a yellow and gray bedroom. Oh the horror!

I am not against following trends, or ever-changing design in a space. That said, I usually don't buy things simply because I see them online and they look cool. I have a limited budget for design, and for that reason, I tend to buy things that I am in love with, and often it takes me 6-8 months to get the nerve to actually purchase it anyways. I did a quick ikea-job of my apartment when I moved in, and as I find things I love, I replace the cookie-cutter items. Eventually, I hope my place feels more like me than just some "limited time only" trendy space.

I pay attention, but I don't follow trends. If I see another faux subway sign of a city that doesn't have a subway system....I think I'll scream. I follow my own style and trends. My mother and her sisters did for decades and have such style. It's one of the most wonderful things I learned from her - be your own person.

I agree that blogs can make things seem tired, but if I walked in to a chevron painted living room IRL... I'm sure I would love it. My sister followed the black paint trend a few years ago and painted her living room black. It may be "old news" in the design blog world, but I am stunned and amazed at how beautiful her room looks. I commend her bravery for finding something she likes and going for it! It actually looks classic not trendy.

BKHOMEBODY, what piece is it your husband has his eye on? We have a few pieces of super-common iconic mid-century pieces. I vaguely regret buying the Nogouchi coffee table because everyone has it, but it has worked really, really well in every apartment we've had. Sure, it's not the most exciting or unique piece of furniture, but it's done its job for us.

Is there a chance you can buy the mid-century item in an off-beat color? For example, if its a Barcelona chair you want, maybe get it in a red leather?

I visit AT daily, mostly for inspiration. Whatever is trendy at that moment is what's going to be all over blogs, and I wouldn't know 75% of this stuff was even possible simply because I'd never see it anywhere else (in my location anyway). I appreciate looking at trends on blogs for the sheer exposure I wouldn't get in real life.

What I actually choose to do in real life is a result of me picking and choosing from all this crazy crap I see, and the mix is what makes it personal. Once I've seen something I like, I don't usually dislike it 6 months later. I guess that makes my answer: I use them in combination (and moderation) to suit me, but always keep my core style ethic of 'classy and fun' as the backbone of a room.

i love birds. i have them all over my apartment. i have for years. but i didnt do it because i started seeing birds on pillows and poster and wall stickers, i did it because it reminds me of my grandmother. when i see a bird i remember the times we had together and it makes me feel good. i buy what makes me feel good. its my house, why am i trying to impress you and/or be emarrassed by what makes ME happy?

I like to think of trends in fashion and home design sort of like the stock market.
I pick things with an overall feel toward the longer term or "zoomed out" perspective, rather than the jittery ups and downs of every single day.

I would never buy a trendy couch or dump a lot of money into a fad. Smaller or more inexpensive things, sure.

I have quite a few birds in my house too. Many date back more than thirty years. The fact that birds are popular now just means that I see more that I might not be able to live without!

I'm not a huge fan of the "stay calm carry on" posters, although I'm not a huge fan of words in decor anyway. Everything we put in our house is something we love and found interesting and original. And if it's trendy, then oh well. But probably not because I display a lot of my own artwork or the artwork of close family and friends.

I'll do a design trend like a fashion trend - in small doses with accessories. But I don't really follow many trends. (By the way, though I was tempted by, but resisted the Keep Calm poster as overdone, I do have a coaster I found in London that says: "Shut Up and Deal With It", same idea, I suppose!)

Lol @ designrchick, with the subway signs for cities that have no rail system. It has to at least make sense.

I agree with most of these folks. I do find myself occasionally turning away from something I really, really love just because it's everywhere online. But in reality, most of the people in my life are not as into design as I am and they haven't seen it before. So I try to encourage myself to go ahead and do it (cheaply).

Thanks for the great post. I think, admit it or not, there's no way to ignore the influence of trends. I think the best way to go is to curate your own personal interpretation through mixing what trends appeal to you with classic, timeless styles. Eye-catching and trend setting spaces show personality, creativity and the architectural quality and character of the space itself.
PS love the chevron room in the above photo.

Most people don't compulsively read Apartment Therapy. Here, it feels like my Cole&Sons woods wallpaper is SO OVER, but my guests don't troll this (and related sites) and have no idea that I'm not wildly creative.

I made the TV pallet stand in your photo lineup (thank-you!) out of complete necessity, paying no attention to trends on fire. Copying doesn't interest me. Now striking out on my own making things I've never seen before does!

And once someone copies it, I just go on and make something new. :)

I very simply make what I like. And being that most of what I like and make is virtually free, changing things out is as simple as a little creativity and time.

Great topic!

Donna - Funky Junk Interiors(.blogspot.com)

I think the faux antler/deer head thing is even worse than birds in the trend department! But if you like something, who cares if it's trendy or even the trend of five years ago that has now become kind of a joke? Your home is for your own happiness, so just please yourself.

I tend to stay clear of trends unless its something I really love. If its just kinda neat than I bypass it even if I would have normally gone for it. For example, I kinda like owls, and I've seen a lot of cute owl stuff, but holy crap these days it had better be REALLY REALLY cute for me to buy anything with an owl on it with all the owl fuss going on.

I agree about things feeling different online versus at home. Online everything moves so fast that if it's hip now, it's already out.

I really love chevron but have tried to keep it to small doses and items that are easy to switch out (like pillow covers). It's trendy but I genuinely really love it, so I'll find a way to incorporate it into my home.

And I agree with the previous poster - here everyone would probably consider my pillows played out, but when people who aren't AT stalkers come to my home, they rave about them. :)

I like what I like, too, but often wonder, do I like it because I'm seeing it everywhere and it's growing on me? I really like Chevron, really. But I think I grew to like it by seeing it used in really nice ways. All over the place.

I do agree though -- not all of my friends are as obsessed with design blogs as I am and think some of my "ideas" are genius, when I can't take credit for them at all. I went to a couple of holiday parties and thought more than once "oh, I saw this on Pinterest," about food, decor, favors, etc. But I don't know if that's the norm.

But, design trends are just that -- in and out, and you either stick with them or move on. I don't think there's any harm in liking something ubiquitous, if you actually like it. If you're buying things because you think they'll keep you up with the joneses, then you've got bigger problems :)

Like so many others, for me it comes down to whether I enjoy living with it. Trends matter in one way because they influence what's available in the marketplace--even in fabric and craft stores for DIYers. I try to plan for longevity, which means classic (not necessarily "traditional") major pieces. When I want a change (happens a lot, sigh), I go with a few strategic DIY or thrifted accessories. Hey, if you love knotty pine paneling and maroon and hunter green, go for it and don't about it. Just know that some paint may be in order when you want to sell. Until then, enjoy YOUR home.

I too struggle with this both with my constantly evolving apartment and with my online shop quiet houses.

I follow trends because I'm interested and I am not embarrassed to embrace them when they make sense with the bigger picture of my design sensibilities and taste in decor.

My thoughts are that when you really love something and find a tasteful way to incorporate it into your own space with your own application it only becomes burnt out when you're ready to move on, not when the internet says it's lame.

I agree with the part about "real life people" coming over and not knowing the difference. I had some friends over the other day and was mentioning that I had found some yellow chevron fabric I loved, but that you see it everywhere right now. All of them stared blankly at me until I went and pulled out the fabric and they said, "so, it's a zigzag?" My husband later gently chided me for using "fancy words" with our friends. :)

Sometimes trendy things appeal to me. If I like it and feel that it would work in my home then I'll adopt it. However, I try to limit how far I pursue a trend. For example, I like mid century design and so I bought a sofa with that style--but that will be the only piece of mid century furniture I will own. That way, when mid-century style eventually fades I won't have to buy a whole new apartment full of furniture.

Another popular trend seems to be filling your home with decorative junk. I admit I like a few bits here and there -- but some people go crazy and the entire home looks like a flea market.

Make that "don't WORRY about it." {oops on fast fingers}

Can't we all just live laugh love?

I usually avoid them. I do take a lot of inspiration from blogs, but my decorating budget is such that we don't buy many things. By the time I have saved up for budgeted for anything, if I've seen it on a million blogs and it was just a passing fancy, chances are I'm over it. If it was something I really loved, then I'll probably always love it (I'll admit to having birds in my house). My inspiration notebook is full of images from 1980's issues of Country Living, but when I go through them, although my style has changed since I put them there, I can still see elements of what I like today.

I do think that in a well designed house, a few trendy items are fine. Some rooms I see seem to embody every current trend though, and I always think they look like someone is trying too hard. Really, who actually LOVES that many trendy things, and how many of them will still have black walls, chevron, faux animal heads, animal hide rugs, yellow and gray (with teal accents), MCM furniture, and a pallet coffee table in five or ten years?

It's funny to think of how few people would admit to following trends in home decor, but they're considered trends for a reason. If you're buying cheap accents so you can swap them out in a year or two, that's not style. Style is enduring.

I buy trends as long as they are 100 years old or older (or at least look like they are).

I like looking at trends as inspiration more often than a literal plan for how to decorate my home. If I really love something that I'm not too sure I'll love in another year or so, I'll get a small detail that can be easily (and cheaply) changed out.

I bought a hand blocked black and white chevron print pillow about four years ago and loved it at the time. But I recently gave it to a friend who wanted a similar pillow but just couldn't fine one. All told, I got about four years of use out of it for under $50. To me, that's a better investment than, say, wallpapering a room with a pattern or trend that I love one year but might not be so crazy about next.

We are building a green home in British Columbia. One of the tenets of building green is to specifically NOT follow trends. Our decor style is quite traditional, and we hope it will suit us until we die, and then will suit whoever inhabits the house. We don't need to renovate every time a new trendy finish comes along. We are buying used, reusing building materials from old homes, using local materials and trades. Although, I suppose you could say that building green IS a trend. At least I hope so.

Answer: read fewer design blogs and mags and become less bombarded with information as to what is "hot" right now. When you spot chevron by chance in the real, physical world and you like it (! ! !) you'll pursue it without subjecting your interests to the self-conscious scrutiny that those drowning themselves in media and information 24/7 do.

Professional designers probalby need to worry boaut this way more than I do.

@marinakaetzel, I'm kind of the flip side on the "Keep Calm" posters -- I was amused when I first saw them, but it was kind of like a funny greeting card to me, I was less and less amused as time went by. If I'd purchased one at the start, it would have been a whim, and by now it would be gone. (Maybe fortunately, I don't have enough wall space for things like that...)

On the other hand, I got a knock-off Barcelona chair that I love and which is the perfect finishing piece for my bedroom. I got the idea from this blog. Not at all interested in whether it's a trend or not. (And, sorry purists, I have no problem with well-made knockoffs that make good design affordable to me, and I believe copyright and patent law needs radical reformation so things move into the public domain when the original creator, NOT the company they worked for, dies. Your mileage, of course, may vary...)

Trends are merely popular ideas. They have t he advantage of making products available when the trend is new, and later, in the discount stores where I shop a little "behind the curve"! If I like it, and I think I will continue to like it, I'll incorporate it into my home (assuming I have the place and resources.) If I like it but it doesn't fit my style, I'll enjoy it from a distance. If I don't like it, perhaps I will comment here! ;^)

Perhaps this is a sign that AT needs to mix it up a bit.

The only reason to even notice trends is so that you can grab items you like while they are available. Then you enjoy your bird painting or pagoda lampshade or sunflower wallpaper on your own timetable, not caring that the design magazines are saying you ought to have moved on by now.

For decades, I've wanted an item that ought to exist but that I've never seen: a black lacquer folding screen pierced in a Moorish or oriental pattern and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Don't know why I want it; wouldn't go with what I have. But if I heard that there was a trend for chinoiserie or Islamic decor (like THAT'll ever happen in America ...), I'd be ready to pounce. Just like with fashion -- if purple turtleneck shirts for men ever become acceptable again, I'll swoop in to replace the one I loved and wore well after it was uncool, until it was too raggy.

Carl Jung stated we share a collective unconscious. So, when we find our likes are part of a "trend" perhaps we are connecting with one another, rather than succumbing to a trend. When you think of it in this way, it seems like a good thing! I agree with all who posted that while those of us who are blog junkies may find all these "trends" to be old and overdone, our families, friends, and visitors to our homes think they are really cool (most of the time). So, let's keep connecting, sharing, and loving what we are doing. When we no longer do, we have the power to change it!

Hah! I've had those blik bird decals in my bedroom for five years - I loved them when they first came out, and bought them right away. Everyone who has seen the wall thinks it's hip and edgy, and I still smile when looking at them.
However, I am sick to death of chalkboarding everything...

I have always loved owls since I was a little girl and I see owls everywhere now! I have owl knick knacks & art scattered around the house. :)

I try not to let it affect my opinion of something I like or dislike. There are a few iconic pieces of furniture that I have loved for many years. I am finally in the financial position to purchase some of them. The fact that a Saarinen dining table, a 60 year old design, shows up on a lot of design blogs right now doesn't change the fact that it is a beautiful design. And while it may seem ridiculously over used here, I don't know a single person who has one. I deal with design trends by picking what I like and ignoring what I don't regardless of whether a design is currently trendy.

I do wish AT would show a bigger variety of styles. It skews so heavily toward the cutesy/vintage that is currently popular that I find myself skipping over house tours more and more.

I will embrace something if I really like it, but I do find that I get genuinely bored with something if I've seen it a lot online.. then I don't always want to see it at home. Not because I'd be afraid to be thought a trend follower- just because I'm sick of it, ya know?

my design style is pretty eclectic (99% purchased secondhand, craigslist, goodwill or estate sales), and i always have extra design pieces on hand (in the closet) to switch things out when i need a change. ultimately, in dealing with design trends, i assess them for the following:

will it flow seamlessly with my existing style?
are they budget friendly?
if not, can i make a diy version that IS budget friendly? (if not, it's a no-go)
if i can diy, WILL it just be another unfinished product?

i strive to be different and unique, so most of the trends don't really appeal to me and are written off before i give them a chance.

Trends exist for one purpose only - to make money for designers. It's really that simple, and obscene.

So my dated kitchen with formica counters and black appliances means I'm above all that trendy stainless and marble? Cool!

@ Home body, is it obscene to make money? Do you have a job? So do they!

I have a grey and silver Keep calm poster in my home for ages now and I still love it. The war was over here in Europe, so perhaps it has a different meaning for me. I'm looking at all those keep calm posters with all kind of 'funny' lines and I still wonder if people actually know the story behind it.
My house is a compilation of styles, some antiques, some mid century design (the eames rockers were on my wish list since art school (1990) Bought it after sending my first bill and still happy with them. But for most: I'd rather wait for something I really love than buy something because I think I need it! Some furniture I own, I've had since I was a kid, others I'd loved for years before I had the money to buy it. So everything has a special meaning to it and that's what I love about my house. And no I don't own birds, I do tweet though!

The timing of this post is very funny to me because just last week I asked my friends, via fb status update, whether I should up chevron curtains in my office or if it was too trendy. EVERY one of the replies said, "I didn't even know what chevron curtains were, so I had to google it. If you like it, put it up." (Clearly most of my friends don't read AT).

I don't do fads. I do what I like, whether it's a 'design trend' or not. I fill my house with colour and energy. And that's all that matters.

[besides, I tend to find most 'design trends' god awful anyway - chevron. ew. keep calm? trite]

I do not follow any trend, be it fashion, decoration, etc. Just use, wear and decorate with what I like. Prefer to recycle, reuse and I hate waste in every single aspect of life. However, I enjoy looking at what people do with ther houses. That is why I love AT !!!

I love to see what's popular, what people are doing, what people are loving, but at the end of the day... I do what I like. That's it. Whether it's accepted or not... I do it. I'm the one who has to be happy living in it, right? No one else! Well, maybe my husband... :)

I am Australian (this has relevance), and over 5 years ago ordered a Keep Calm & Carry On poster from the UK, bc that was the only place you could get them then. We both love it & find it simple & nice & it is the only word thing we have.

I check online decor blogs all over, and have a subscription to Living etc - I see the poster in the blogs, shops here now have the KC&CO send ups & so on. BUT noone else I know has one or anything - I am the decor-minded one. They all come in & say "O nice & different." And I still like it.

I find the different colour versions, rugs, cups, tshirts & so forth completely over done, but my copy of the original poster, plain, I like. Lots of people have stuff in their homes I think over done & trended to death, but if they like red highlights, bus roll cushions, birds (actually, I like them too), mid century modern, then go for it - I dont live there, so why should what I think matter?

Okie Dokie. How many of us would happily wear a silky, polyester, screaming pink track suit? Leg warmers? Would we really choose to feather our hair and create wings? Maybe tease it into a beehive?
No, because we would look silly. But not back in the day. I'm certain every one of us has a closet full of today's "trends" (which we swear we really like) just so we won't be the object of scorn and snarky laughter in the street (and people won't think we are mentally deficient).
We LIVE in trends to a greater or lesser degree. Thank God, too, because it keeps life spicy and interesting and it helps the economy keep on chuggin' along.

If you are in to disposable furniture, trends are fine. If you buy things for the long hayl, they're not. But even within trends there are ways to do things. Buy a MCM chair that is classic but NOT one that is overdone, e.g., sold by DWR. And put One of them in a room, don't create a stage set.

Many people follow trends slavishly for the same reason other people buy all beige -
they don't trust their taste and/or want to buy what is safe. Or they are too young to know how quickly things will age.

I don't understand how a piece of MCM furniture that isn't sold at DWR is inherently better than one that is? Common isn't always bad, and sometimes it is the exact opposite -popularity may be a result of good design, comfort or quality.

I don't typically follow trends...but I do think my decorating style is affected by them. I like to do things a little bit differently; but I noticed I don't show as quickly because it isn't trend worthy. I'm intimidated by what others may think about it!

Crazy, I know.

This is a good article. Makes me think it's ok to stretch myself and my boundaries.

I'm always looking for ideas and only use what I love or what will work for the space. I update things a lot! I don't stay with a style, color or trend for a long time. I have favorites but do try to freshen them frequently. I do think that I am behind the curve, but if I like it, who cares?!

I don't follow trends for the most part. I mean, if I like something and it fits in our house, I'll do it, whether its a trendy thing or not. More than likely though the trend will be long gone before I get around to doing it. But my home is about being comfortable and being attractive to me, so trends don't make a difference to me.

I love trend watching, and the best trend to be a part of is the one you started. Like when you move to a crummy neighborhood that eventually becomes trendy! Six years later, I now live in hipster central! Or when the messy hair look is in and you have no problem achieving it!

By the way, pallet furniture is the holy grail of DIY. The guy across the street parks his flatbed truck piled high with pallets in front of my place EVERY day.

If I don't like it, it doesn't get used. "Problem" solved.

I agree that this is truly only a problem for design-blog readers and design professionals. Most other folks buy a table from their nearest furniture store, a big beige couch, and that's it. They aren't constantly changing their stuff because 1) they can't afford to, and 2) they don't see the need. So you have to keep this in perspective that this is only a problem for a tiny segment of the population. As for the design blog readers, I don't think it's necessarily bad to follow a trend if you really like it. I think it's up to individuals to ponder what effect they may be having on the environment in following certain design trends (particularly when it requires disposing of something that is perfectly functional only in the name of style) and to ask themselves if they are slavishly trying to stay "up-to-date" or whether they are developing their own look that is not so dependent on the latest fashion. As for myself, I was tempted to paint my oak kitchen cabinets white a few years back, but have resisted the urge because I decided I was only following a fashion. My cabinets are in great shape and are of good quality. So painting seemed like a gratuitous and unnecessary nod to fashion born of reading too many design blogs!

I won't buy something because it's trendy, I buy it because I like it. If it becomes mainstream and suddenly it's everywhere you look...oh well.

I think the first time I saw a "keep calm and carry on" poster was on Etsy. I loved it, but didn't buy it right away. Then I saw them pop up on AT in many house tours, and I read the snarky comments about it being old and tired and blah blah blah. It stopped me from buying the poster off Etsy for almost a year, until finally I realized how stupid it was for me to not have something in my house that I had loved, and still love. I bought the poster and it's hanging in my bedroom, right where it belongs. And I hardly ever come to AT anymore, because the one thing I am really tired of is the snobbery and righteousness of so many people who post here.

I also have a chevron pillow and stuffed owl on my couch. I'm planning on painting either a trellis or chevron design on my closet doors this weekend. I love furniture from Ikea. Most of the walls in my house are some shade of grey. I don't care that any of this is trendy, because my house is becoming more and more perfectly me with every change I make. :)

There is definitely a huge allowance on this topic for context. I love birds, have a bird, read books about birds, watch birds, so for me, I would love to have birds on everything (or, indeed, just about any animal, because I am a zoo maniac). But most of the projects I end up seeing with birds on them are totally horrid. In the bird image on this post, it is just the same badly done live-trace silhouette repeated 5 times, and it would look utterly tacky whether it is a bird or anything else. There is a huge difference between doing something just for the sake of doing it or to be on-trend, and taking the time to do something well, because you really love it. Banging out a bunch of crap that's on trend is terrible, buy finding something you love that happens to be trendy and really going for it is great.

I've gotten to the point in my life where I've realized that a lot of aspects of my personal taste will constantly change, whether they're based on internet trends or just a personal trend, and it has totally changed the way I approach shopping/projects. I remember when I was 18 and I wanted everything to have a damask pattern because I thought it was so classy and refined, and came *this* close to painting my huge wooden bookcase with a bold intricate stencil pattern, but settled for painting a little cd shelf instead. Years later, I still have the wooden bookcase and love it, but after about 6 months the CD shelf made me cringe so much that I donated it. Now I am extremely wary of what I will dedicate my time and money to.

At this point, the main foundations of my shopping are 1) stick to the classics and 2) shop at thrift stores. I only spend real money on things that I know I will love forever; usually simple, wooden furniture or prints/palettes that I have consistently loved for years. And as long as I stick to thrift stores, if I want to get an adventurous piece of furniture, it is always cheap enough that if I come to my senses six months later and realize it is the ugliest thing I've ever owned and it needs to go, I'm only out 20 bucks. For projects, I just wait a few months between conception and production to make sure that it is actually an idea that stays with me. At this point, I think I can say that I legitimately love the chevron pattern and would consider doing something with it in the future, but I'd probably still wait a bit. Trellis-pattern, not so much.

What a timely post! I like trends because they expose me to something that I never thought of. Ex, the Chinese horse. The first time I saw t, I fell in love then I started noticing it in other places too. Finally I got one and am still loving it. Lately I have realized that I have a thing for birds too. Have always been drawn to bird accessories without even realizing it. Last night picked up 3 more and only then it hit me that I have quite a few bird stuff. Google it today, looks like it was pretty big last year. The point is, if it weren't a trend most likely I wouldn't have been exposed to it. Would never I have thought of using chevron on pillows or the walls ever!

The KEEP CALM posters are the DON'T PANIC posters of today. I was so into Douglas Adams in high school.