Designers Love Vintage — But These Trends Are Feeling a Bit Played Out

While most interior designers love incorporating vintage pieces into their projects, some secondhand trends aren’t always an automatic “yes” for a variety of reasons. Certain items might feel a little too generic, while others just might be a bit too overused. 

I don’t know about you, but I was curious about what designers are skeptical of here. So I asked five pros to share what vintage trends feel a little tired or off-base to them at this moment. No one is saying to avoid pre-loved pieces altogether; you just won’t find these designers going down any of these roads when decorating.

The grandmillennial look has risen to popularity over the past decade. This traditional aesthetic doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon, but some designers do feel this style has become a bit over-saturated. “Florals showing up everywhere — in drapery, pillows, and upholstery — it stops feeling collected and intentional but instead starts feeling overly themed,” says designer Dorothy McGhee, the founder of McGhee Studios. For McGhee, it’s the matchy-matchiness that “loses that sense of intention.” As a result, “instead of feeling designed, it ends up feeling both dated and trendy at the same time,” she says. 

Designer Laura Umansky, the founder of Laura U Design Collective, feels similarly about grandmillennial style. “When every room features ruffles, pleats, skirted tables, and chintz to reinforce the style, it can feel predictable rather than personal,” she says. 

The easy solve here? Just mix in some streamlined silhouettes, and you’ll create visual variety that can keep the room feeling balanced versus one-note. 

Mid-century modern design continues to live on well into the 21st century. However, designer Alicia Thomasson would love to see people move on a little bit, at least when it comes to one hallmark of MCM style: tapered legs. “The tapered legs that once felt fresh are seen everywhere,” she explains. 

Plus, she adds, tapered legs don’t always reflect today’s homeowners’ desires. “For me, these sharp profiles feel almost cartoonish, reminiscent of The Jetsons rather than timeless,” she says. “Our clients are craving character with depth and softness —  not clean lines without soul.” 

A tapered leg or two isn’t going to turn your room into a disaster, though. Again, balance is key; try to introduce some pieces that don’t have exposed tapered legs, and you’ll be good to go.

While this one isn’t exactly a vintage trend — it’s vintage-adjacent. Designer Abigail Morris has noticed it’s become commonplace for big-box stores to issue their own vintage-inspired lines of product. Ultimately, in her opinion, these pieces just don’t measure up to the real deal. 

“There is no substitute for the character, patina, and warmth that real vintage brings,” Morris says. “New ‘vintage’ items fall flat; sure, they are beautiful, but they’re lacking the history, story, and perfect imperfection that real vintage brings — not to mention, buying real vintage is more sustainable!” 

Even if you don’t know of Akari-style lanterns by name, you’ve most definitely seen them before (think: the round white paper lanterns common in mid-century style spaces and available for purchase on a number of big-box websites). However, designer Laura Kern is “feeling a bit of fatigue” around this style of fixture. 

“I love the soft glow of paper, but the iconic round form isn’t proportionally right for every space,” Kern says. “At this point, it can sometimes read as a status signal rather than a thoughtful design move.”