@olldroo - if I could have liked your comment more than once I would have! All my friends' kitchens look different, none is "on trend" and I love how they reflect the personality of the people who actually cook in them. Most could afford to do a total gut job, but prefer to travel or save for the children's college fund.

@Darzy - I usually agree with you:) - but I like my oak doors, and lace curtains have their place, especially in some older homes. I do think there is a "theme" right now - it is called "decorating to match my laptop, iPhone and tablet" - gray, white and black - slate appliances. I prefer the cream and light beige neutrals. I found the Parade Homes very gloomy this year - like living in a black and white photo. More so, my young (18 and 24) daughters disliked it. For people who adore the gray, fine - go for it but we all know in 10 years the next generation will say it is gloomy and what were people thinking.

subway tile, subway tile, subway tile. Did I say subway tile?

Suzani designs - for hot minute, they seemed to be everywhere ikat and chevrons weren't (or wonder of wonders sometimes all 3, together ... oh the horror!) and now ... not so much.

I love ethnic stuff (ikdat, suzani, etc), they'll never go out of fashion for me... but yes, grey is really so tired already. Now even all the commercials have grey backgrounds. So much has grey sprinkled in, including a lot of otherwise beige tile - and easily available textiles (curtains, pillows etc) if there's a pattern. Notice the color trends of the 70s still have not come back in, I think this will not come back either- or at least not in a very long time. My 'kids' (28 & 32) don't like grey either.

What constantly confuses me is Houzz and major design mags all have many eclectic rooms, where art does not follow the color of the furnishings, where there is no ikat, gray, sectionals or subway. And yet, everyday, i either see 5 people with gray and overstuffed black sectionals, or the pros are leading them to gray minus the black sectionals.

I am probably starting out the new year by upsetting a few (or lots) of folks here, but I find decorating with gray lazy and very boring. How easy is it to paint it all a shade of gray, throw in some "pops" of color and you are done?

Oh, but it is soooo calming. Really? Have some fun in your life and in your home, challenge yourself, use things you really love even if they look a little quirky. That is what makes your home YOURS!

Have a great year, do what you love and forget the "trends" in all aspects of your life.

Move to the deep south where poinsettias grow in outdoor flowerbeds and tower over your head! Sorry I missed the boat on gray when it was still "hawt!" Just painted my bedroom nearly black (Valspar's Urban Pulse) and am tired of my green and ivory kitchen, so will work with the gray color in the new lino.

Yay, Ruthmand!!

Colours can make a room calming if you enjoy being in that room because of the colour. If you don't like a colour, no matter how calming it is touted to be, you will never feel calm in the room. Simple.

I like subway tile. I think of it the same way I think of 2 1/4 oak hardwood floors and white trim - "background beauties". They are pretty, but unobtrusive elements which compliment other parts of the decor and let the other elements show off. There are so many pretty countertops right now and I am not surprised people are using a quiet subway tile with them. That way the countertop can be the star.

These "background beauties" go with almost any style - and I love things which let me be flexible and change up a style without spending a lot of money on an expensive surface - or throw things in the landfill because they were a passing trend.

I agree, jhmarie, they're not just pretty, they're timeless. If you want your decor to work for decades, not years, use some of these elements and re decorate/re model around them.

Cutouts/pass-throughs - THE MOST TIRING TREND IN ARCHITECTURE!

Agree those ones look a bit pointless, but I could not function without my kitchen/dining room hatch.

I think they thought those cut outs would make the "cook" feel less isolated in the kitchen and save some steps. In reality, I think they just make both rooms less functional. As though, "I wanted a great room, but all I got was this hole."

LOL, lessismoore.

something that went by about where the grey is coming from...too true. its not coming from the magazines any more, and not from the houzz stories. its coming from *gasp* our own houzzers here. so CUT IT OUT. everyone needs to choose their own pet color and tell everyone else to paint it.

so, if you want to know what color to paint your kitchen... BM squish squash

oh, like that one nni, here are a couple more..

Rite Of Spring P300-3 · More Info

Half Sea Fog N470-3 · More Info

I'm so depressed! I am building a new house. I guess my style is close to The Kardashians. I can pause while everyone gags........Lol

Originally I was doing off-white kitchen with grey island (to trendy now) and very dark almost black floors. Now I think I may do all off-white. Not cream! But, my refrigerator choice is driving me nuts. I really want this

Kitchen Ideas · More Info

Bravo Kitchen · More Info

were you buying a home or a restaurant?

that's a lot of fridge. lol

Try shopping more often, gets you out into the real world and away from the stress of perfection in the home, what chores are done and what aren't. Even better - eat out.

@havingfun building a new home. I will post pics as I go. We break ground in March. @alana It is a fridge/freezer so the fridge is only half which makes it about a 36" fridge. It is a big kitchen so it should fit nicely. @olldroo If I shop anymore I may need to check myself into rehab;) I don't stress over perfection or chores just want a beautiful kitchen:) Any opinions on which fridge to go with? Stainless or panel ready?

ok, so not a restaurant. As i told the lady on the other thread, i would take the stove in purple or even pepto bismal if it is the best working one, that is all a cook cares about, but then of course you would buy a lot more fresh that can't be kept that long in anything. ever seen rachel rays home kitchen? Here is the famous Julia Childs.

Julia Child’s Sweet French Kitchen (and Its Small Cottage) Listed at Less Than $ · More Info

I meant food shopping - not the fun shopping.

Are you really serious about these two fridges? I think the stainless one would take up one whole wall in my kitchen. Don't forget too, stainless shows finger marks.

Speaking of toilets.... how about the first line of sight into the bathroom ... is the toilet!! Sometimes it is unavoidable, especially in tight places, but when there is a choice.... what is wrong with seeing a beautiful vanity with a lovely mirror and attractive lighting?

ok, vivian, you made me go read it all again, i don't know where we were talking about toilets, but then the $20000 x2 fridge kinda knocks all normal thought right out of your head! I agree with the whole toilet thing, but i think you have to go to the builders on that right? I understand it is pretty expensive to be moving that toilet once they stick it there? and of course, what do they care, they are guys, they will just step outside?

Someone is designing those builders' plans, right? So why not design with a tad more aesthetics in mind?

yes, someone is designing those plans, but they don't really care..it's all about fitting everything and being up to code..design or logic goes out the window. We are finishing the basement and the builder had to have the pipes for a future bathroom set-up in there. Well, regardless of how you designed that bathroom, the toilet would have always been in the middle of the room. They had the correct distance between the pipes, but that was all. We had to redo everything there..slab, pipes, pumps, etc.

and yet someone here keeps saying form follows function. Wonder where they live? I'd say we should all go there, but world might get a little lopsided? lol

Tired of stainless steel, granite counters, hardwood floors and OPEN rooms. Why not just live in a two car garage with a vaulted ceiling. Oh that being a bit sarcastic, I have to admit having a penchant for English country satisfies my whims and never makes me want to change style. My furnishings get reupholstered when needed but the pieces are so good that they always make me happy even when they need a new dressing. Accessories and paint make all the changes I could ever want. . ..

there was definitely no form or function here:) Not sure who would want to sit on the toilet in the middle of room:) then again, I've heard stranger things like two toilets facing each other (it was the home owner request)

Actually, that is one thing. Does noone buy things they like any more? I do not mind replacing curtains, rugs, pillows, even lamps, but why does anyone feel they need to get sculpture, pottery, book covers, glass works, just to match the decor. I love every single one, no matter where i got it.

I really like the floors and the stove in Julia Child's kitchen. I wanted to put reddish tiles in my last kitchen, but never got around to it (or the money to do so).

I don't know if it is a trend, style, or just the people and places I go, but I am tired of minimalism. People have nothing on their counters, living rooms have a few furniture pieces that are mostly empty. If bookshelves exist, items are placed on them attractively that is more about how they appear than what they hold. The look is clean and orderly, but also sterile. I miss seeing interesting things on tables, counters, bookshelves and walls that tell more about the person or family that lives in that house. It is also an impossible standard that I will never reach.

My neighbors have a refrigerator that big, Chrissy1c. They seem to be able to live with the stainless steel ok. I wonder how much of that refrigerator they use with two people working full time jobs and two small kids. I eat nearly every meal from home and have three teenage and preteen boys and I only fill our normal sized fridge on days when I pick up a fresh CSA box in July and August.

I dislike text decor most of the time. I really don't need to be told to live, eat, drink, breathe, poop!

oh, that would be a good one, homegoods would sell out in no time...'poop like no one is watching'

LOL

LOL nnigrt. My sense of humor just turned back to 8-years old with that one!

shhh....., many believe you must have that flow! like living on a gray river no? flow right out of the house.

It's easy to install! and it has a familiar, uh, "classic" look.

These "background beauties" go with almost any style - and I love things which let me be flexible and change up a style without spending a lot of money on an expensive surface - or throw things in the landfill because they were a passing trend.

I think Revere Pewter is a great color. I also like subway tile and stainless steel.

I don't like houses that are decal crazy, McMansions, people that don't paint their oak cabinets, and the couples on House Hunters that still ask for granite countertops. Busy granites are so over. And, one other thing, does ANYONE buy rugs like this? When I see them for sale, I always wonder who's buying them. Ugh!

You have to be kidding momvo - try the Australian market, not only don't we have anything like the choice in the US, but we pay through the nose for everything too. We are told we don't have the population. Like you, I like to be different and unexpected but I also like practical and versatile and that is not easy to find either. We are told manufacturers cater to "demand" also, but I've yet to find out just who is doing the demanding.

Old thread, but I have to chime in and show my support for the anti-wall”art” brigade. Why hang a sign that says “Farmhouse” in the kitchen of a brand-new tract home in the suburbs — unless your grandparents grew up on a farm and you’re honoring their memory? Admonitions to ”Smile” belong in a dentist’s office, not a home where presumably the inhabitants are free to arrange their faces any which way they choose. If your wall says, ”Be Thankful,” I feel insulted: are you assuming I’m an ingrate? Your deeply-held emotions, your feelings for home, family, your faith (of any persuasion) — are these things just commodities now, something made in China we pick up at the big box store? And do we even want them slapped up like calligraphic grafitti to be stared at, morning, noon, and night? The aesthetics of wall art are bad enough — but IMHO it betrays a certain failure of imagination on the part of the owner or decorator. Not to mention a tendency toward bossiness and rigidity.

Karens have wall art.😏