Wondering if your living room needs a major design refresh? If it contains a good number of these dated-looking features below, the answer is definitely going to be yes! Here, read on to learn about the decorative and architectural elements that Southern interior designers consider to be out of date.
Too-Small Art Pieces
In this day and age, people aren’t shy about going oversized when it comes to art—and when they don’t, it shows, notes Jamie Gasparovic, the founder of Studio Gaspo, who works in Orlando and Tampa.
“Art that is too small for the space is something we see often, and it dates a living room,” she says. “Look for larger-scale pieces to really fill the walls and update the room.”
Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean more expensive. You can easily source sizable art pieces secondhand or even DIY your own using a blank canvas.
Old-Looking Lighting
With so many stylish lighting options on the market these days, there’s no excuse to stick with something so-so.
Jamie Naugle, the founder of Jamie Naugle Interiors in Austin, Texas, always notices when people opt for “old ceiling fans or heavy chandeliers instead of a beautiful fixture.”
Matching Furniture Sets
Once popular but now no longer seen as in vogue, matching furniture sets “make a room feel much less personal and collected,” explains Kevin O’Gara, the founder of Kevin Francis Design in Atlanta, Georgia.
Jess Harrell, the founder of the Styled Domicile in Northern Virginia agrees.
“A room feels so much more fresh when you blend different materials and styles—it adds personality and makes your space look collected over time instead of straight out of a 2007 furniture showroom,” she says.
O’Gara also encourages people to think a bit outside the box when decorating.
“Don’t be afraid to mix wood finishes, as long as they have a similar undertone, and embrace variety because it will help make your space feel more inviting,” he says.
Specific Drapery Styles
Do not underestimate the power of drapery, which can really affect whether or not your living room looks contemporary.
You’ll want to rethink your therapy “if it’s hung too low, the curtains are too short, or it features a heavy swag valance,” O’Gara says. That said, he believes some styles will never be seen as tired.
As the designer puts it, “Double-width pleated drapes that hang from the very top of the wall to the floor will always be timeless!”
Faux Metallic Finishes
Just say no to these, adds O’Gara, stating that faux metallics, especially gold “have been everywhere on furniture the past five years.”
Instead, keep it simple as you select accessories and hardware.
“Stick to brass or gold leaf for metallic accents,” O’Gara says. “You can count on natural materials to stand the test of time.”
Certain Flooring
Flooring plays such a prominent role in any living room that you will certainly want to replace anything that’s so last century.
“We often see wood floors with a bad reddish-orange stain, and sometimes we see large polished floor tiles, both dated material choices,” says Laura Hur, the founder of Lorla Studio in Washington, D.C. “The good news is with wood flooring it is not a huge expense to sand and stain it, and we always recommend this.”
Faux Stone Fireplaces
Hur will sometimes come across a living room with a faux stone fireplace that immediately reads as 1970s or 80s.
“This instantly dates a space, and is often the focal point of the living room,” she says. “At a minimum look into painting it, but ideally you can replace the faux material with something real.”
Trendy Finishes
Things like shiplap walls and overly distressed finishes, particularly if they don’t naturally complement your home’s architecture, are additions that you will most likely come to regret in a few years down the line, notes Letecia Haywood. The Houston-based founder of Letecia Ellis Haywood Interior Design says that these things “may become dated and difficult to work around when you are ready to refresh your space.”
Oversized Entertainment Centers
In today’s living rooms, sleek is the name of the game.
“If your TV is still living inside a giant wooden fortress with ornate molding, it’s time for an upgrade,” Harrell says. “Mount your TV on the wall and place a stylish media cabinet or vintage credenza underneath it to ground it; this change will instantly make your living room feel more modern and open.”
