I agree about the move toward green design. Between Build it Green NYC and the Habitat for Humanity stores, there are easy options for sourcing sustainable materials. The trend from 2009 I'm ready to see leave? Antlers.

I'm still okay with the chalkboard paint (makes for hours of fun for the kids), but I'm ready to see the wall decals, especially the ones with words, say bye-bye.

wouldn't the chalkboard paint get yucky after a while?

"Affordable art" is my candidate for a positive trend.

Years ago, cheap prints and posters were substitutes for "original" artworks. Now, thanks to digital printing, the line between the "original" and the print is somewhat blurred.

The aesthetic quality is much improved, and so is the selection.

Elliott Banfield
http://www.elliottbanfield.com/

My favorite design "trend" (straight from the boards of AT) is... wait for it.... CLEANING!!!
Our apartment has gone from shabby to beautiful with some serious cleaning. Is this a trend? Not sure.. it sure is a great idea! Who would have thought : )

I agree with queenbee1230, I'm sick of deer heads and antlers. As a vegetarian and defender of animal rights, it's just wrong - even if they're fake.

I'd like to see turquoise accent walls go away.

I second the death to antlers, be they real, plastic, felt, or wall decals (unless you killed the animal yourself and ate the meat). Making your house look like a taxidermy shop? Please no.

As for those trends that should stick around, buying local art and furnishings never goes out of style. After all the mass-produced designer furniture, it seems like people are finally getting back to their roots and realizing that people in their own communities can design an make affordable, beautiful furniture and art.

I'm so sick of the vinyl wall decals!

I love the trend of repurposing - old furniture instead of Pottery Barn, thrift stores instead of big box stores. And I love how popular Etsy has become. It's my favorite place to shop for original art and decor for my home.

It won't die out so soon as 2010, but I think down the road we'll start to gravitate away from the distinct aesthetic we're seeing in the handmade movement today.

That's not to say I don't like it or that the popularity of handmade items will drop off, but I think that the cutesy, quirky, precious factor that's so often seen will decline in popularity (in favor of what, I do not know).

I mean, how many varieties of cute little felted owls do we need? 86 pages worth??

i don't get into trends too often unless its something i think i'll really like in years to come.

agree with Elliot Banfield re: artwork and jonnifer re:repurposing on 2009 trends i like. another trend i like (which isn't just from 09): chunky cable knit throws (ahhhh)

one of my favorite images from this year, which i hope becomes a trend, was that walkway made of sliced tree trunks. it was lovely AND environmentally friendly.

one trend i wish would go away in the oh 10:
large shiny pendant drum shades with faux crystals hanging from the middle. it was gorgeous when done right, but then i started seeing the cheaper versions everywhere from walmart to delias, and it just ruined it for me. i'm not knocking knockoffs, but some designs just don't translate well in cheap mass production.

Antlers aren't anti-vegetarian. Yes, some are from animals that are killed, but most of the ones you see in yuppies' homes as decor items are "sheds". Deer grow and shed their antlers every year. I'm not sure some dude in Montana picking up a pair off the ground in the woods and selling them on ebay counts as animal cruelty. Just saying....

As for their worth as home decor items, that's another story ;)

Loved Benjamin Moore's Electric Blue, but entirely OK to see it replaced. Hated the ubiquitous exaggerated scale floral prints and pink/orange color schemes. Zebra rugs seemed to be everywhere this year, I'm still on the fence about that one. Beds on the floor... no.

wow, i better repaint and reconfigure my family room with its turquoise chalkboard accent wall with the cardboard deer head and owl decals.

lol@9flights haha

Painted or wallpapered ceilings! Love this trend.

Chalkboard paint has its uses in kid's play rooms, but I wouldn't put it anywhere else.

The trends i liked best are DIY and relearning the old styles of craftsmanship (as seen in your woodwise posts). DIY to be more eco & less wasteful is also a trend I like (such as with cleaning products, composting). For 2010 i see a continuation of DIYers using high quality/eco raw ingredients in simple & functional ways. Eventually the success of these smaller DIY projects is going to affect the mainstream.

Trends I'm still loving......
-mixing a few different cabinetry styles in the kitchen
-wallpaper
-mixing old & new

One trend I never did like and I think is on the way out is granite countertops.

I really love the blue-gray walls I've been seeing everywhere... or maybe I've been seeing them everywhere because that's the color I plan to paint the walls in my new apt.

I REALLY love the natural trend I've been seeing lately (branches and organic shapes used in creative ways)

Yiyehtov, same here. I feel like I've been seeing gorgeous blue-gray walls all over the place, but I can't tell if it's suddenly very popular, or I'm only noticing because I'm planning to paint our bedroom a blue-gray color.

I love the repurposing of old or found things... even if it's not limited to 09. I want to see more of it!
Also, I don't have a chalkboard wall, but I tend to like them in some contexts! Mostly in kitchens/offices/playrooms and preferably when they are scaled down. As a renter on a budget I don't want to take the step to commit a whole wall to it, but I DIYed a framed chalkboard and find it to be amazingly useful... It is so nice not to have little paper notes EVERYWHERE.

Does Typography still count? Love it. And Ikea's new Olunda print? I'm shocked that they produced something so effing cool.

trend or not, I love my light gray walls. I think eventually glass tiles will be done and over with.

I agree that the owl trend has gone too far. Also the "Keep calm and carry on" stuff. I mean, I love the message and I think a lot of us need to here it in this economy, but it's seriously being branded on everything!

I'm very happy that Etsy and handmade items have become popular. I'm one of the many many recent college grads who can't find a job so I started my own business selling my art. I have an etsy shop and I can honestly say that I REALLY appreciate every customer! These socially aware consumers are helping me buy my groceries and pay my rent, so I truly hope this is not just a trend but a new way of thinking. Here's a big THANKYOU to everyone who shops esty and other independent designers!

Trends I like are the classic Chesterfield sofa styles incorporated into eccelctic or Modern interiors. I love cotton velvet textiles and are still running strong and now there are so many colors to work with. I like seeing DIY projects and reusing pieces you may have or find at thrift stores.
Reclaimed wood is another trend that has been going before 2009 that I like very much.
I don't consider wallcoverings a trend but because of the new technologies they have become more exciting than ever.
I love my DIY chalkboard in my kitchen, its the most inexpensive project I have ever done and the most useful.

Now going on three years I love my grey and grey blue walls they can be both dramatic or fresh as I rotate my accessories. I also love all the variations of blues that have come back in style in the last couple of years.
If you watch old movies you will see many interiors with gorgeous blue/turquoise walls.

I think Mad Men was responsible for bringing the peacock med turquoise blue painted walls back in as well as the tufted headboard both I like even though I am on the fence about going the tufted headboard direction.

Antlers and any animal skins are never in and not cool. Personally I cannot stand looking at melamine or plastic mixed with chrome furniture
Yes decals should be limited to maybe a kids room.

Painted accent walls are way over, never liked them they remind me of the dot.com office interiors.

Grey walls, stays.
Fuchsia, purple, peacock green and yellow, stays.
Big Animal-based decor, go.
Bug-based decor (butterflies, beetles, etc), stays.
Faux-luxury (gold paint, "plastic/concrete" granite) stays.
Low quality decals, go.
Custom, comes back.

Why hasn't anyone mentioned organizing bookshelves by color. Am I the only one that doesn't like that? Hope it goes.

Morroccan Poufs?

right now i am having a love/hate relationship with random picture frames all together as one giant focal point. this seems to be in nearly every post on here. i feel like once you can buy a box of "random" frames from Target, the trend is over!

I'd like to see the overpriced, useless trinkets on Etsy go away for good.

design.va: I hate that one too!

Also ghost chairs to me fell very 2009, and I'd like to see the end of them. I could never understand their popularity in the first place actually.

I love the idea of chalkboard paint and I'm anxious to try it. I do wonder how it looks as it ages. Does it get more difficult to clean? Perhaps if it gets too worn you could put another coat over it. Maybe?

I hate antlers as decor too. I'm not a vegetarian, but something that looks like it used to be on something living just gives me the heeby-jeebies.

I'm not sure if this is a trend, however, I've been seeing a lot of flat screen televisions over mantels. It really bothers me. I don't necessarily trust that I have an idea of what is acceptable aesthetically, but I just don't like it. I like to use the mantel as a place to put some of my favorite pieces. I don't like using a TV as a point of focus. Also, it just seems too high to watch comfortably.

Yes the Ghost chair!! I knew that was over when I saw one at my 87 year old aunts house.

I'll speak up for the chalkboard wall - it doesn't fit in everywhere, no. I have intentionally set my house up to not be overly formal, and I think that's why it seems to work in my space. But as a gal without children, I can vouch for it's appeal to adults. It's therapeutic for me to sit and sketch while the soup is cooking (as someone who enjoys art). For visitors, how/if it's used can be unpredictable, which I like. I've brainstormed with a friend about their floorplan, and visitors who aren't used to such novelties end up playing games of pictionary without planning to. It seems very well suited to being in the room you do most of your entertaining in.

And while I don't personally like the idea of animal bones or turquoise walls, etc etc in my house - I do wish we gave "trends" a little more time to figure themselves out before calling it crap and blithely sprinting along to the next thing that will also be called crap within 8 months. At least the 70s saw a few solid years where you could enjoy your harvest-golds and avocado-greens before needing to scrap it all and redo. Ideas that are allowed to go through their awkward teenage-phase can come out on the other side a much more refined and elegant thing.

I liked the gray paint trend. It's not a color I would've chosen on my own, but all the photographic evidence has been inspiring. I also enjoyed seeing so much yellow everywhere (it's my favorite color).

I also liked the (albeit slow) shift away from redoing vintage and secondhand furniture in wild colors, slick textures and loud patterns. There seems to be a return toward grown-up restraint, a greater appreciation for honest patina, and a move toward enhancing rather than 'transforming' or 'updating' old things.

The move toward sustainable, green, eco, earth-friendly design was also welcome, though I hope it wasn't just a trend and becomes a basic design imperative (which will hopefully kill off green-washing).

I'm tired of the stainless steel appliances and granite countertop 'must have' rule for the kitchen. I liked it at first, but when it becomes something mandatory...then I get turned off to the idea. Trends that I hope have staying power are: color on walls (although that probably will fade out and neutrals will make a comeback)...homemade items i.e. etsy (not cutesy, but quality, honest art and well made items)...mixing antique or vintage with contempary...nothing matching, just picking each item out individually and somehow it all works together. Affordable, quality, original art I hope remains also.

KIND DESIGN!!(cruelty-free)

Chalkboard walls arent for everyone, but...i'm doing mine in the powder room/half bath. The deep grey color works in there AND writing on the bathroom walls has never been so much fun...a good conversation piece for parties and what not. Go to the restroom, grab a piece of chalk, express yourself a bit...then (ahem) have a seat!

slowdown, I ABSOLUTELY agree with you. I can't stand when people repaint a beautiful antique or vintage piece in a semi-gloss chartreuse and decal designs onto it. I think places like Anthropologie are starting to bring back the idea that patina and a little chipped paint now and again can be beautiful. If that's a trend, then it's my favorite one.

Chalkboard paint I like in certain settings. If I had kids, I think that would be great. I also love the idea of the person who says that she sketches while she cooks. If it's useful to you, then enjoy it! I like the trends toward repurposing and buying vintage or handmade or local. I like the trends toward more vintage style decor.

I don't like accent walls. I don't like when people have displays of kitsch. I don't like overdone "vignettes." It is just not practical to have a glass tray with vintage toys on top of a pile of books on top of a chair in your corner. I also HATE wall decals. Could be cute in a kids room. Anyplace else, no.

Trends I like -

Bold colours
Honest materials
Original art instead of mass-produced canvases from warehouse stores like IKEA
European-style patterned floor tiles
Pixellated art and decor

Trends I'm hoping to see the back of -

Zebra print rugs (if you want zebra stipes, invest in the real thing, not some cheesy knockoff)
Beds with a dozen coordinated pillows (how many heads do you people have?)
Having the word "love" or, worse still, "dream" spelled out over your bed (they make me want to puke. Ironically the word "puke" above a bed would be too cool for words!)
People who hijack AT comment threads to whine about animal rights and their sanctimonious veganism.

"I also liked the (albeit slow) shift away from redoing vintage and secondhand furniture in wild colors, slick textures and loud patterns. There seems to be a return toward grown-up restraint, a greater appreciation for honest patina, and a move toward enhancing rather than 'transforming' or 'updating' old things." - slowdown

THIS. I really dislike the 'PAINT EVERYTHING' trend. My husband and I have been looking at houses, and it's really sad to see old wood trim and crown molding painted white in most of the houses that were old enough to have it. Painted brick is even worse. It's one thing if the surface is crappy or severely damaged, but otherwise keep the paint away from it! The same goes for antique furniture. If you want to paint stuff, go find something that's not very old or that's too busted to preserve, and leave the antiques for the people who will appreciate them!

Also, I'm really hoping the animal skin rug trend will go away. Ick.

I also agree with junklover about the "mandatory" stainless steel appliance and granite countertop look. It's so ubiquitous now that it'll eventually be a very dated look. If I were to do expensive updates on a kitchen, I'd prefer to stick with something that's less trendy so it wouldn't have to be completely remodeled again in 10 years.

Like:

Every year it's easier for people who lack money to decorate their homes nicely. (IKEA, Etsy, Craigslist, Target, and sometimes even Walmart)

I still love the nature trend.

Taking what you already own and making it work. I'm not a fan of showplace homes because they're just not realistic for most people.

Dislike:

Vintage everything. It's getting to the point where people will start referring to their tacky velvet painting of dogs playing poker as "vintage". Uh, no.

Mid-century modern everything. Boring.

Hate: stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, animal prints.

Love: items from childhood, including toys, tables, and fabrics - vintage or not. White appliances, textured and natural fabrics.

I also agree with Jentastic...a good cleaning changes the way you view your home.

I agree with slowdown (and everyone else) who has mentioned honoring "honest patina" on furniture. An old piece with generations of wear, cigarette burns and water marks tells a greater story than painting over it with [insert garish paint color here].

I think this idea also ties into the "down with cutesy" aesthetic. I like seeing living spaces that are a little rough around the edges, incorporating strong art & lighting. That said, I don't like overly feminized/masculinized spaces (esp. when one of the residents is a member of the opposite sex). It should strike a balance between the two.

i recently came across the work thomas wold is doing with furniture-- i gotta say that i think his use of refurbished items represents the best trend of 2009, for sure.

http://innerbeautyla.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/thomas-wold/

for obvious reasons i love the resurgence in popularity of the classic chesterfield sofa. This is mainly thanks to the coffee shop culture and the move from pubs to bars (in the uk at least) where people want to sit comfortably on large sofas.

Long live the chesterfield sofa!

EclecticLife: "I can understand the granite countertops hate, but they take so much abuse- hot pans right off the stove, cut your veggies without a cutting board, kind to knives, easy to clean. I love them from a utilitarian perspective, not necessarily an aesthetic one."

My husband feels the same way. When the time comes to remodel a kitchen, I think he might get his granite countertops, simply because they are so durable and I can't argue with that. I've seen some that were almost completely jet-black with tiny flecks in them -- something like that wouldn't be so bad, rather than the obviously-granite pattern in the stone that most kitchens have.

Not sure if I am up on all the current trends. I tend to have a very selective eye when viewing images. Many posts are prepped for photos and not an actual of the living space. With that said, I honestly can say I am tired of the "Mid-century modern everything. Boring." stated by: Megan in AZ . I enjoy the craftsmanship, but a delicate mix of styles is much more mature and creative. What I enjoy that has been posted a bit is refurbishing goods. With everyone jumping for green this green that, often people let go of what they all ready own for more manufactured goods instead of looking around at what they all ready have.
I would like to see more spaces that are lived in by people with multiple view points and how they compromise with style.
yuck/done: antlers, unlikely contraptions for plants indoors, Trends(stop re-buying everything)!
and like still: ghost chairs, but my place is pretty rustic. ;-), rediscovery

-Owl collections (not because they're not cute, but they are becoming too predictable to enjoy anymore).

-collectibles that take up an entire table, or chair, or section of a room's floor; also, homes that look like museums.

-Vintage decor overkill that ends up even more kitschy than the actual decade it's impersonating. It becomes a nauseating caricature.

-Word statements, in any form. It just seems cheesy to me and they never say anything profound. Maybe if they said something different other than "Love is..." or some random lyrics from an obscure Beatles song.

-Themes. I've been "guilty" of theme design, but it limits those who can than out of the box, and it's a crutch for those who aren't interested in/ haven't yet come up with an individual style.

-It's not a trend on AT but I would like the American "tuscan" style bathrooms to die die die. ESPECIALLY when it's ceiling to floor tile done with screen-printed ceramic that's supposed to mimic travertine and you can see the same screen-print design facing in the same direction.