Survey Says: These Are the Worst Trends of Each Decade
They say that everyone old is new again, but we have a hard time believing bright orange shag carpeting will find its way back into the decor stratosphere anytime soon.
Empire Today recently conducted a survey of 1,519 U.S. citizens, and asked people to vote on their least favorite home decor trend of each decade. While there are ones you’d definitely expect to see pop up there (hey, the 70s were a wild time), there are also some trends featured that are still surging in popularity—and honestly, we kinda dig.
Here’s a breakdown by decade:
Ah, the 70s. Even if you weren’t alive back then, we’re guessing plenty of you grew up in homes that featured some of these design trends. Scoring 42% of the vote for the worst trend of the 70s is popcorn ceilings. The textured designs looked like cottage cheese, and could pop your balloon at the drop of a hat. With 26% of the vote is fuzzy toilet seat covers, followed by wood paneling with 14%. Some other hated trends? Shag carpeting, patterned wallpaper, and avocado green doors.
The 80s are next, and boy, were they colorful. 35% of voters claimed ruffly floral patterns were the worst trend of the decade, followed by 15% for vertical blinds. Some other hated 80s trends included mirrored walls, wicker furniture, mauve colored doors, and Hollywood vanity lights, which we were pretty convinced was the pinnacle of glamour back in the day.
Grab your Delia’s catalog and head back to the 90s, where the most hated decor trends included sponge walls (so cool and free-spirited!), massive entertainment centers, and inflatable furniture.
Ah, the aughts. It feels like just yesterday we were hanging “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters in our dorm rooms. But those popular signs actually ranked as the most hated decor trend of the 2000s, scoring 45% of the vote. They were followed by Tuscan kitchens, flat screens over fireplaces, and antlers on the wall.
When we said goodbye to the 2010s, we didn’t ditch all of these trends, because a few of these are extremely popular. But according to voters, they leave much to be desired. According to 54% of voters, motivational signs are the worst design trend of the 2010s. Though they scored over half the pie, there are still several other trends that were vetoed by voters. Those include faux shiplap, which we can probably thank Chip and Jo Gaines for, followed by mason jars, chalkboard paint, and Millennial pink decor.
They also had one question dedicated to one overwhelmingly detested home decor trend: word art. Asking voters to name which phrases they hate most when it comes to word art, over 50% of respondents voted for the omnipresent “Live, Laugh, Love.” That was followed by 14% voting for “It’s always time for wine,” then “live every moment, laugh every day, and love beyond words.” Closing out the top five in fourth and fifth place were “live well, laugh often, love much,” and “good vibes only.” What’s wrong, no room for the kitchen classic “Gather”?