8 Things That Make Your Living Room Look Outdated
Did you know that your living room should be the ultimate sanctuary…a place to reconnect with your favorite people, unwind and enjoy? However, if your place to chill is starting to look like it was put on the back burner several decades ago, don’t worry, it’s probably just time for a reboot! We tapped into several design and real estate pros to find out what furniture, fixtures, patterns, and layouts scream “last millennia.” Will any of your favorite items land on their “don’t” list? Read on to find out more…
1. Harsh Lighting
Lighting really sets the mood in a room, but “severe” lighting is notorious for making your living room look outdated. “Flush-mount dome light fixtures - known colloquially as ‘boob lights’ (or as one of my friend’s calls them: ‘nipple lights’) are super harsh,” says Raquel Kehler, a house flipper and interior design guru at the home decor site RoomCrush.com. “Many builders and contractors alike use this lighting because it’s cheap and can be used in almost any room in a home. They create a dated look immediately, and ironically, they look even worse when they’re combined with high-end furniture because the lighting ends up looking like an afterthought that instantly cheapens the rest of your decor.”
Beware of no overhead lighting at all, though. “Some older homes don’t have overhead lights in the living rooms and just have lamps on tables,” says Mike Higgins, owner of Blue Badger Home Buyers in Wisconsin. “This really shows the age of the living room, especially if the lamps are old and made of brass.” According to the designers we spoke with, the best, most contemporary option for your living room is recessed lighting.
2. Fake Plants
It’s better to have no plants at all than to have fake ones. Research shows the benefits of having plants in your home. In addition to looking good and naturally helping to boost levels of happiness, plants also clean the air! Yes, you heard that correctly…but only if they’re real, friends!
“If you’re struggling to keep the houseplants alive, bringing in the fake ones might sound like a good option,” says Matt Ward, founder of Matt Ward Group at Benchmark Realty in Franklin, TN. “Don’t succumb to the temptation. Fake plants look outdated as soon as you buy them, and it’s better to have no plants at all than to have fake ones.” They also often seem to be dust collectors, which never makes a home look inviting.
3. Potpourri
Potpourri’s glory days are over. Remember those bowls of heavily scented dried flowers or pine cones on grandma’s living room table? Scent can relay powerful emotions and memories, and there’s a reason (nostalgia, primarily) that many of us still carry on the tradition of displaying a bowl of perfumed wood chips on a mantel or sideboard.
Perhaps it’s time to honor our grandma’s traditions in a different way. How you ask? Get yourself a diffuser and some essential oils. A diffuser is similar to a humidifier but it’s made specifically for essential oils. You should not add oils to a humidifier or it can damage the device. Using a diffuser and essential oils is not only much healthier in so many aspects, but it also has the same concept of promoting emotions by using certain oils like wild orange for happiness, or others to lower stress. They also don’t give off air pollution inside your home like candles do. You can contact Simple Oil Girl to learn more.
“There was a point in history when you couldn’t walk into a home without a waft of perfume and a bowl of dried flowers on display,” says Chris Harvey a property and interior expert at Stelrad. “But potpourri’s glory days are over, and it’s no longer a good look - or smell - in the home.”
4. Vertical Blinds
Window treatments are particularly prone to the whims of fashion. Vertical blinds were all the rage in the 1990s, but these days, there are much better options! “Swap out those dated and old looking blinds for chic curtains or horizontal shutters,” says Robin Anthill, senior partner at Leisure Buildings. “Not only will they look better, but they’re easier to clean, and your pets or young children won’t constantly be knocking into them.” In addition, there are smart blinds now that not only help with conserving heat/cold, but you can put everything on a schedule and control it right from your phone! Check out what Broken Top Window Coverings is doing.
5. Lace Curtains
Lace curtains definitely need to be left behind, and they also turn your living room into a time warp. “Lace curtains are a blast from the past,” Ward says. “It is best to avoid them today. Instead, you can go for linen or sheer white curtains to incorporate a modern feel. Also, remember that the length of a curtain can change the way a home looks. Incorporate floor-to-ceiling curtains as they make your living room look luxurious.”
6. Chintz and Flower Patterns
As you probably know, pattern trends for homes come and go. Today, most furniture designers focus on interesting textures, look to nature for inspiration, or go for full-on maximalist patterns. But no one is going back to the chintz and flowers of yore.
“A colorful floral pattern called ‘chintz’ used to be very popular in the 19th and 20th centuries,” says Stefan Bucur, an interior designer at Rhythm of the Home, which is based in Lewisville, TX. “Today, this pattern is associated with old homes and dated living rooms. While wallpapers using the chintz design are still popular for revamped style approaches such as ‘grandmillennial‘ (aka granny chic), they are very rarely seen as a good design pick for most modern homes.”
7. Word art and flea market art
Word art pieces are often seen as tacky and outdated. A good rule of thumb is if you can read anything on your wall from a room away, it’s time to rethink the piece’s place in your home decor. “Word art - with quotes such as ‘home is where the heart is’ and ‘live, laugh, love’ - was a classic gift idea back in the day,” says Harvey. “But nowadays, these pieces are often seen as tacky and outdated.”
The same goes for older photos and pieces of art that look more flea market than antiques store. “Old and faded family photos really date a room,” says Higgins. “So does artwork that is faded from the sun or, worse, from the wear.”
8. Shag and Wall-to-Wall Carpet
Swap out your flooring to a more modern and minimalist carpet look if hardwood is not an option. The flooring in your living room can really make or break the space. Another idea is to shop at your local Habitat ReStore for inexpensive, and sometimes even new, flooring. This is also a great way to pay it forward and help this nonprofit continue their mission to build affordable homes in the communities they’re in.
More tips like this can be found on Realtor.com
Do you agree all 8 of these things? Anything else you would add to the list? Let us know in the comments…
As always, if you’re thinking of listing your home, or if you don’t own a home, condo or similar, and are interested in buying, let me know so I can help walk you through the current market conditions, as well as all the resources and referrals I have from my many years of success in the industry for any repairs you might want help with. As a 10 year, Five Star Real Estate Agent, knowing that no matter what is happening in the economy, and especially now, you need a professional real estate broker as your ally…and you’ll be in great hands with my team!
Please reach out, I’m here to assist and help you #moveforward,
Teresa Catania, Broker
West + Main Homes
West + Main Homes Oregon
Bend Oregon | Central Oregon | Portland Oregon
503-740-3293
teresa@teresacatania.com