Design Trends Buyers Were Not Loving and What I Recommended Instead

Some home trends were simply not as popular as they once were. If you had them, you were not alone. In this post, I am sharing the styles many buyers were not loving at the time, plus a few “in style” trends I still would not recommend if you were selling your home.

My goal was always the same: help you create a clean, neutral, move in ready look that appealed to the widest pool of buyers.

The big trend that was on its way out: gray

Gray was fading out, especially in flooring, wall color, and window treatment choices. If you were prepping your home for sale, I recommended you avoid selecting new gray finishes and instead lean into warmer, more natural tones.

If you were painting, I still recommended white. Brighter homes tended to feel larger and photograph better, which mattered because most buyers formed their first impression online.

My go to whites when you were selling

If you wanted specific white options, I rotated through a few tried and true favorites. I liked Dunn Edwards Swiss Coffee, Dunn Edwards Whisper, and Benjamin Moore White Dove, and I also liked Dunn Edwards Steam because it felt clean without leaning too yellow or too blue.

I never had a buyer walk into a home and complain that it was painted white. If anything, buyers usually appreciated having a bright base they could live with right away.

If you already had gray, I did not want you to panic

If your walls were painted gray, I usually suggested repainting to a warm white. That was a relatively simple way to freshen the home without getting overly trendy.

If your floors were gray, I did not want you throwing warm, bold rugs on top trying to “fix” the color. Mixing warm rugs with cool gray floors often made the gray look even cooler and more obvious.

What worked better with gray floors

If you had gray floors and you were not replacing them, I recommended embracing them and styling around them. I liked large rugs in oatmeal, cream, or light neutral tones, plus softer textures that gently warmed the space without fighting the floor color.

I also encouraged you to use nature as a guide. Warm wood tones, soft neutrals, and organic textures felt more timeless than forcing gray to look warm.

The farmhouse look was losing momentum

The farmhouse trend was moving into the past. That meant the super high contrast look of bright white kitchens paired with black hardware and dark grout was not feeling as fresh as it once did.

If your kitchen already had that look, I did not tell people to remodel everything. I usually focused on small updates that could modernize the feel without a full renovation.

Hardware I personally discouraged

I discouraged those oil rubbed bronze cabinet pulls that had the little hook shape. They snagged on everything, belts, robes, cords, and they were not a fun “daily life” detail.

If you were updating hardware for resale, I preferred streamlined pulls in brushed nickel, polished nickel, or stainless, because they faded into the background instead of becoming the focal point.

Shiplap was trending down

Shiplap was another trend that was losing its shine. If you already had it, I did not think you needed to rip it out, because it could still look cute in the right home.

But I discouraged installing new shiplap just to sell, because it was style specific and not always a strong return on investment.

Open shelving was also fading

Open shelving had its moment, especially when people wanted a more styled kitchen. But for resale, it often felt impractical and a bit messy since it collected dust and required constant curation.

If you were selling, I discouraged removing cabinet doors just to add open shelving.

Cabinet styles were shifting

Shaker cabinets were starting to feel more farmhouse leaning, and some buyers were gravitating toward cleaner, more streamlined cabinet looks. If you were building a brand new kitchen from scratch, I encouraged you to look at simpler slab styles or slightly more traditional detailing depending on the home.

If you already had shaker cabinets, I did not think you needed to panic. A lot of kitchens still sold beautifully with shaker, especially if the home was priced right and presented well.

Finish choices should not be the main character

When you were selling, I did not want faucets and knobs screaming for attention. I recommended finishes that blended in and felt neutral, usually brushed nickel or stainless.

I also discouraged fake “shiny gold” hardware that tried to imitate brass. Real brass could be beautiful, but cheap imitation gold often read as trendy and inexpensive.

Marble everywhere was becoming too much

Marble was still gorgeous, but the “marble on everything” look was feeling overdone. For resale, I generally discouraged going head to toe with a loud, high movement stone across countertops, backsplash, and floors.

If you loved marble and planned to stay put long term, that was a different conversation. But if you were selling, too much statement stone could overwhelm buyers.

A simple breakdown of countertop options

Quartz was the most common choice because it was consistent, widely available, and generally easy to live with. It was also a practical choice for mid range homes because it balanced look and cost well.

Quartzite and marble were stunning, but they were porous and higher maintenance, which surprised a lot of homeowners after install.

Do not sleep on granite

Granite got a bad reputation because of some older Tuscan era slabs, but there were beautiful modern granites that performed extremely well. Granite was also heat resistant and durable, and I had seen granite hold up beautifully over decades.

If you were shopping, I encouraged you not to dismiss granite automatically. I just recommended avoiding loud, dated patterns.

Butcher block was pretty, but I was cautious for resale

I loved the warmth butcher block brought to a kitchen, and it could photograph beautifully. But it absorbed moisture, showed wear, and could start looking rough if it was not maintained carefully.

For resale projects, I usually encouraged more durable, lower maintenance surfaces.

Window treatments that did not help a sale

I was not a big plantation shutter person, especially when they blocked light and view. If shutters were in great condition, fine, but many looked worn or broken and that cheapened the home.

If you did not want to spend money, I often preferred no window treatments over dated or damaged ones. Clean windows and natural light usually did more for a listing than heavy treatments.

If you did drapery, install it correctly

If you installed drapes, I recommended hanging them high and wide so they framed the window and made the room feel larger. Short, narrow drapes or awkward rods tended to make a home feel cheaper.

The goal was always to keep the room bright, open, and simple.

Trends I would not chase when selling

Some trendy furniture shapes, like overly rounded “everything is a blob” pieces, were not something I encouraged people to buy for resale. They were fun, but they were also very style specific.

I also discouraged matchy matchy furniture sets, where everything in the room matched perfectly. A more relaxed, layered look usually photographed better and felt more elevated.

What mattered most if you were selling

The biggest bang for your buck was almost always decluttering, neutralizing, and deep cleaning. If the home looked cohesive, smelled fresh, and felt bright, buyers responded.

Then I wanted you to make sure things worked. A beautiful listing could still get dragged during inspection if basic maintenance had been ignored.

Checklists and next steps

If you were selling, I encouraged you to use a staging checklist and a home inspection checklist so you could prepare upfront. The more you handled early, the smoother the transaction usually felt.