Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,000,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
5 Former Design Trends That Should Rise Again
I'm a design and food-obsessed freelance writer and market research analyst, and a stay-at-home mom.
I'm a design and food-obsessed freelance writer and market research analyst,... More »
It's no secret that decorators borrow from the past when they're philosophizing about the next big thing in home design. The mid-century Palm Springs look has been especially popular of late, but that's certainly not the only historical period from which designers take inspiration.
It's interesting, though, to look at what has caught back on and what's still out there, waiting for rediscovery. Sometimes it seems like sheer luck that one design element gets elevated over another, though some discarded trends remain hidden because we've changed the way we live. (How many developers build servants' quarters into houses these days? How many should?)
With that in mind, I did some digging into design and architecture history and found five semi-forgotten trends that deserve another look:
It's interesting, though, to look at what has caught back on and what's still out there, waiting for rediscovery. Sometimes it seems like sheer luck that one design element gets elevated over another, though some discarded trends remain hidden because we've changed the way we live. (How many developers build servants' quarters into houses these days? How many should?)
With that in mind, I did some digging into design and architecture history and found five semi-forgotten trends that deserve another look:
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
1. Drawing rooms. Drawing rooms, a shortened version of "withdrawing" rooms, have been around for a long time. Originally they were located outside royal bedrooms—a spot for the court to spend time—though by the 19th century, they were in the main part of the house, off the parlor, and provided space for the men's post-dinner cigars and brandy (the little ladies stayed in the parlor).
Lifestyle changes (lack of servants, again) and the sexual revolution made drawing rooms obsolete, but I think the concept, at its core, is a good one. After dinner, it's nice to have a comfortable (and pretty) room to sit in with friends. I love post-dinner chats and think it's nice if they're in a place that doesn't involve dirty dishes or a stained tablecloth.
Lifestyle changes (lack of servants, again) and the sexual revolution made drawing rooms obsolete, but I think the concept, at its core, is a good one. After dinner, it's nice to have a comfortable (and pretty) room to sit in with friends. I love post-dinner chats and think it's nice if they're in a place that doesn't involve dirty dishes or a stained tablecloth.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
These rooms deserve a certain level of formality, as a nod to the old days, but should also have really, truly comfortable furniture. Both this space and the room above do a good job mixing comfort with a tiny touch of haughtiness.
by Tara Seawright
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
2. Separate Kitchens and Dining Rooms. I feel like a bit of a hypocrite here, since I've written tons of ideabooks celebrating the open kitchen. I even remodeled my house to open the kitchen to the dining room! But after a few years of dinner parties that started with a view of the splattered stove and ended with the dirty kitchen sink, I changed my mind and swapped my dining room and living room furniture, so I'd have a separate dining room and a lounge in the kitchen.
I think there's certainly room for hanging-out space in the kitchen. It is the center of the modern home and looks to stay that way. I like kitchen tables and lots of seating.
But kitchen socializing will always be casual and occasionally, it's nice to dress it up. That's where a separate dining room comes in.
I think there's certainly room for hanging-out space in the kitchen. It is the center of the modern home and looks to stay that way. I like kitchen tables and lots of seating.
But kitchen socializing will always be casual and occasionally, it's nice to dress it up. That's where a separate dining room comes in.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
That's not to say that the dining room has to be so formal that it will only be opened up for state dinners. In fact, my ideal dining space would be separate from the kitchen and living/family room, but close and approachable enough to use every day. It would be functional enough to use all the time, but pretty enough to dress up for more formal occasions.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
3. The Library. Ah, the library. Yes, I know this space is a luxury and that it's not exactly in keeping with the "not so big house" philosophy. I know it's kind of wasteful. I know that kindles and iPads may one day render huge book collections obsolete. But I don't care. I love to read (and, judging by all the book-related ideabooks, so do most of you) and I think the idea of a room dedicated entirely to books sounds incredibly romantic.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
I'll admit that it doesn't make much sense for a modern home to have both a drawing room AND a library. We're not 18th century nobility, after all. So what about this: drawing room/library. Doesn't sound so bad, does it?
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
The library concept doesn't actually have to have its own four walls, either—just a dedicated space. Related: how fabulous is this ladder?
by Amy Lau Design
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
4. The In-Office Bar. On Mad Men, the in-office liquor cabinet is so prominent that it's almost like another character. These days, we treat the cast's in-office boozing as a sort of sad punch line—romantic, tragic, funny and a way to remind ourselves how far we've come. That's why I know this might be controversial, but I think we need to bring it back.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Not exactly in Don Draper form, though—I think we should look at office bars for the 21st century...which means home office bars. Think about it: home offices are on the rise and actually, they make the perfect spot for a slightly oversized wet bar. What do you really need in a home office? A desk for a laptop plus some files. If you're using a whole guest room for just those things, you've probably got some extra space (which is probably filled with boxes of Christmas decorations or something). Or maybe your "office" is a corner of the family room. Either way, instead of turning the home office into a glorified dumping ground, why not disco it up with a killer bar? That way, when you have parties, you can cover the computer, add a few lights and some music, and give the home office a second use that's a whole lot more fun.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
5. Courtyards. I'm cheating a bit here - courtyards aren't exactly a trend that's been lost to history, but they do deserve more play—they don't need to be relegated to Eastern cultures, old palaces, and the American Southwest.
by MCM Design
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Building houses around courtyards has a ton of practical purposes—not only do they create a very usable outdoor room, but they also add an ideal spot for small gardens (especially herb gardens)—a perfect fit for the urban farming trend.
What I would give for a courtyard though.
But the best thing is the courtyard. Our next house has one and we chose it just because of the atrium garden (for the cat to roam). Small lot in a big town, yet with a completely private outdoor area.
That said, some of these made me smile as I thought to myself, I could never live with that style. LOL Did anyone else find that second photo with the blue victorian sofa and 2 blue beach chairs in that green Victorian room, truly ugly? What is that about? I don't know anyone who wants to put that blue and style of chairs in a room with those walls and those drapes. Do designers truly think this looks good or are they just running out of ideas and wanting to see if something this odd would fly? Thanks for the post.
I am now scouting my place for a bar - I don't have a home office, but should could use more cocktails.
As for the dining room, in my experience the guests like to hang out with the cook. And the cook also doesn't like to miss out on the chatter amongst the guests. I like the open kitchen. If I had a cook and a maid, then it would be different.
My library I call my "media room". It has the office and TV (where I only watch movies) along with a wall of books. Works well. Used to be a master bedroom, but I prefer to sleep in smaller rooms.
And I love the idea of the drawing room, though I agree w/lotuspetal that a formal living room can be that space. Let the kids have the family room.
I would give my eyeteeth for a courtyard. That is all.
If you'd rather have a library than a dining space, do it. An office bar instead of a guest room, do it. Forget the labels assigned to a room or a space, and use the area for what you want.
I'd enjoyed reading this article and agree with its basis premise, but wanted to comment on the following:
Drawing rooms - certainly in British Victorian and Edwardian society, these rooms belonged to the lady of the house. Smoking was considered distasteful in Victorian times and would certainly not have been permitted in here. In Georgian times men would remain in the dining room after dinner, after the plate and cloth had been removed by the servants, and would enjoy a hasty port and cigar before joining the ladies in the Drawing Room. By Victorian times social customs had changed somewhat, and if a home had a LIBRARY it was not uncommon for the men to retire to the library to smoke/drink before joining the ladies in the drawing room. Larger homes may have had a SMOKING ROOM, in which case smoking would only happen here (or perhaps also the BILLIARDS ROOM, if the house had one). In any case, the DRAWING room would not have been used for smoking or for the men gathering.
I know less about Victorian American culture, but I understand that the Drawing Room was introduced by middle / upper class Americans who were seeking to move on from the stiff formality of the PARLOR, which was more about social custom than a particular type of room or decor. In other words, the Drawing Room was basically a parlor without the social customs that the parlor imposed.
Most British Victorian homes also had a MORNING ROOM, which basically the ladies of the house used as an informal lounge in the morning (the men would use the library for the same). Mornings were more informal in Victorian times, with guests calling in the afternoon, who would then be ushered into the Drawing room.
For more info see: Kerr, Robert "The gentleman's house" and "The Domesticated Americans" by Russel Lynes.
I am currently planning my own dream home, and on the ground floor will have the following spaces
- dining kitchen
- playroom/family area
- library (with hidden tv and bar)
- great hall (for formal dining/living)
Hopefully between these four rooms we will include many old design trends that deserve a place in the modern home. The generic layout of the so-called modern home I believe does not support the best way for a family with children to really live.
I too agree with many of your points! My husband really wants to open the kitchen up to the rest of the house, but I keep gently reminding him that I LIKE my small kitchen and seperate dining room. I like that only 1-2 people can fit in the kitchen and cook...I can do my thing and not burn the pierogies because I am trying to socialize!
I think all the chatterers about "no excess" kind of missed the spirit of the post. It isn't necessarily about adding rooms, but adding function. You could take one room that isn't being utilized and make it function as a library, bar AND half open to a courtyard. It is a way of life that we are no longer engagaing in....slowly reading, drinking and savoring plants and sit down dinners. It is a lovely thought and I am in complete agreement that we should bring back these elements of past design!
A library could certainly be incorporated into a home office along with a bar area. It would simply mean adding some book shelves and a small refrigerator. Add a small sleeper sofa and you have a room for guests, a place to read, a drawing room of sorts, a place to hang out for a toddy and space for an office... Multi-function at its best.