The Trends AD’s Editors Hate

We’ll admit it: As editors at AD, we get to see some pretty great things. From breathtakingly outfitted homes to the newest collections of furniture, carpets, lighting, and other design objects, we’re constantly hunting down new and beautiful things to share with our readers. But with the good, comes the bad. In the midst of sharing our favorite decor, styles, and more, AD editors reflect on the trends we simply cannot stand.

“The white box! I know others think this is serene and soothing but I need SOME color and could never live with all white, all time.” -Kathryn Given, Associate Market Editor

“If I never saw another statement sink, it would be too soon. SNL put it best—they’re the answer to a question no one asked.” -Sam Cochran, Features Director

“Millennial pink. Can’t we just go back to calling it blush and not using it on absolutely everything? I’m millennial-ed out.” -Hadley Keller, Digital Design Reporter

“I have yet to see a well-designed aquarium in a home, save for a child’s bedroom. A fish tank for decoration is never a good look unless you live in a seafood restaurant.” -Keith Pollock, Executive Director, Digital

“It’s more of a styling pet peeve, but I’m so sick of seeing a bowl overflowing with pristine fruit on every kitchen island. First, no one eats that much fruit. Second, apples and kiwis aren’t the only ways to prove to us someone actually lives in the house. Think outside the fruit basket!” -Lindsey Mather, Digital Home Editor

“I really hate tile that doesn’t cover the walls all the way in a kitchen or bath. It looks like you ran out of money. Just pick a cheaper tile—it’s not a fun design element.” -Kristen Flanagan, Deputy Editor, Digital

“The weathered-wood look poached from Dutch and Belgian masters and served up for the mass market exhausts me. I recently attended Maison et Objet, the humungous annual design fair, in Paris, which was afflicted by acres and acres of the stuff. All I could think of was parched skin desperate for intense moisturizing.” -Mitchell Owens, Decorative Arts Editor

“I can’t stand cliché wall art. You know the type. Think ‘live laugh love’ stickers or ‘wine all the time!’ signs, especially if it’s made out of reclaimed wood and features a Marilyn Monroe or Aubrey Hepburn quote. What you put on your walls should reflect your unique taste, and I find un-inspired wall art to be quite tacky.” -Katherine McGrath, Digital Editorial Assistant

“The obsession over trends—subway tile on brass hardware on Moroccan pouf on white walls ugh!—is the trend that’s driving me up the walls (clearly).” -Amanda Sims, Digital Design Editor

[“Source-architecturaldigest”]