3 Things You Should Never, Ever Buy for Your Home If You Want It to Feel Personal, Collected, and Different From Everyone Else's
To let someone into your home is an act of vulnerability. "Instead of shying away from that openness with an armor of tastefully curated objects, embrace it."
In an interior design world defined by words like 'stylish', 'chic', and 'elevated', our homes are ultimately still ours to live in and enjoy. So in the sea of ever-changing trends, designing a space that feels personal to you and reflects your individual taste is the real shortcut to curating a space that stands out. Easier said than done, though, right? How can you really balance character and still be stylishly contemporary?
These days, inspiration is at our fingertips. The drawback, though, is that we can get too caught up in designing the 'perfect' home and lose track of the individuality that makes it special. 'Copycat interiors' will never look as good as the real deal. "To let someone into your home is an act of vulnerability," trend forecaster Rebecca Goesling, director of design at Goesling Group, shares. "Instead of shying away from that openness with an armor of tastefully curated objects, embrace it."
"Personal art, storied belongings, and more are like olive branches, inviting visitors to ask questions and build connections," she adds. So, when planning your next refresh, try not to follow interior design trends just because they caught your eye while scrolling. If you want your home to feel personal, collected, and different from everyone else, these are three things Rebecca says to avoid at all costs.
1. Things That Lack Color
INSTEAD: Use small decor moments to introduce colors that add visual depth to your space.
First and foremost, things that lack color can easily give your home a sense of monotony and ambiguity. Sure, there are lots of ways to make minimalism in interior design more personal, but it's a slippery slope.
As Rebecca Goesling says, "The 'Quiet Luxury' trend or 'Stealth Wealth' tends to vilify color as unsophisticated and childish. Unfortunately, this has left us with indistinguishable homes of equally good but bland taste." We then fear decorating with color for its perceived trendiness. "The bolder a color, the more memorable it is, making it more likely to define a specific moment and therefore more likely to fall out of fashion," Rebecca explains.
However, this is also color's superpower. It's like the timed versus timeless design debate — a bold but characterful color choice can guarantee that a space stays with you long after you leave, connecting you to the senses and to people that occupy it. And that's what modern color trends are all about: choosing shades that are rich and characterful, but that have a liveable quality.
To incorporate rich colors without falling prey to fad cycles, "consider hues born from nature. Colors rooted in tangible resources such as lapis lazuli or ochre carry inherent value alongside a striking presence," says Rebecca.
Rebecca holds a BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she honed her skills in research, artistic development, and technical know-how. Rebecca Goesling is a creative powerhouse who found her calling at the intersection of trend forecasting, color, material, finish design, and brand development. With a diverse background that spans independent startups and Fortune 500 giants, she's left her mark across designs ranging from decor and appliances to lifestyle brands — and her passion for discovering the new and next in design is reflected throughout Goesling Group’s interior projects.
2. Books You Won't Read
INSTEAD: Style your surfaces with books that mean something to you and your home.
Next, you should never style your coffee table, mantel, or bookshelves with books that hold no meaning. As a design-lover myself, I must admit that I love a good-looking coffee table book as much as the next person — something that adds to the visual landscape. However, when you are choosing your books for aesthetics only, they will never lead to a space that feels truly personal.
"As literacy falters, the pretty coffee table book (see “St. Tropez Soleil”) is no longer just banal; it is almost threatening," says Rebecca. Books contain more depth than their cover and deserve to be treated as more than simple decoration. "They have the potential to tell a story of their readers' preferences, hurdles, and discoveries," adds Rebecca.
So, rather than displaying books that signal taste, set out novels, memoirs, and magazines (ahem, Livingetc) that start conversation. A bookshelf styled with your favorite books, thrifted pieces, and mementos from travels will always create a more collected display. "The more loved, the better," says Rebecca.
3. Too Many Machine-Made Textures
INSTEAD: Introduce a mix of textures and materials that are both new and old, but always tactile.
"While the boom in tactile surfaces is a delightful change from our all matte or gloss past, the consistency in machined surfaces can fall flat," says Rebecca. For instance, decking out a room in shiny chrome accessories will probably end up feeling too sterile, or swinging the other way and introducing a teddy material on all of your upholstery can also read as too homogeneous.
To break up the monotony, consider introducing handmade, timeworn, or living finishes with unexpected imperfections. "From heat-sensitive coatings to handcrafted carvings, these curiosities demand further examination," says Rebecca. Think carved wood details, like the dimpled wood trend.
Learning how to thrift different materials and mix them with new textiles is another way to create balance. It's about creating a story that feels personal and specific to you.
Finding the balance of contemporary decor that speaks to you and collected personal belongings is the key to a well-decorated space. However, avoiding these buys will help you avoid falling victim to overused design trends.
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