3 min readDesigning a beautiful home requires more than just pulling inspiration from the latest viral trends on social media. House Beautiful’s editorial director, Joanna Saltz, recently sat down with tastemakers Jeremiah Brent, designer and star of Netflix’s Queer Eye; Omar Nobil, the creative director of DWR; and Emmanuel Platt, director of merchandising for the New York City MoMA design store, to discuss the origins of design trends and the future of taste.
Trending vs. Timeless
During the panel, Saltz asked each pro to offer up their hot takes on the worst design trends of the moment, and their answers segued into a broader conversation about the influence and horrors of social media decor trends. When asked to give an example of the worst our feeds have to offer, Brent showed no hesitation.
“There have been some really terrible trends that have come from Instagram,” Brent says. “Fridgescaping, where people would decorate the inside of the refrigerator with plants? Like, who's got the time? Also, clean out your fridge. How can you see what's bad or good if there's a bush in there?”
Forever fueled by our screens, social media plays a domineering role in what is—and is not—popular. In recent years, a robust influencer culture gave rise to minimalist, “clean” design trends that fill our algorithms with overused, ultra-neutral palettes, "sad beige" rooms, and Brent’s least favorite fabric of all time, bouclé.
“I love bouclé, but I need a break from her. There are other really beautiful materials,” Brent says.
According to the panelists, the future of taste hinges on our exposure to rising trends and the desire to experiment with what might be popular, palatable, and possible with them; sort of like an intersection between design and discovery.
“I have nothing against trends, for the record—I think they're an interesting conversation,” Brent adds. “I think it's an opportunity to cast a wide net around different design styles that you may not connect to. You may not want a turquoise sofa, but look up turquoise. Where did it start? Where did it come from? A huge part of taste for me is exposure and curiosity.”
In quiet revolt against carefully curated and contrived perfection, more and more designers are now signaling the rise of a new era, where aesthetic choices are intentional, individualized, and rooted in personal style.
A Case for Personality
Homes have evolved from a showcase of status and into a reflection of self, with a greater emphasis on functionality, familiarity, and, according to Platt, joy.
“Good design is about bringing a solution to problems you may have,” Platt says. “The question we ask ourselves is why? Why should we have this object? What problem does it solve? And the problem is not always, you know, something that you need to solve. It could be bringing joy to your life.”
In support of the impact of personalized decor, Nobil chimed in with his notes on what drives the redefinition of the ever-churning style cycle. “Taste is very much governed by people's personal set of values now, as opposed to an imposed set of values from an elite view.”
In nodding agreement, Brent expressed his admiration for those who choose to prioritize the personal over the popular. “Taste, for me, is the execution of personalization,” Brent says. “When you walk into a space, or you see something, and it feels like the perfect expression of who someone is, that’s the epitome of taste.”
Make no mistake, though: Ultra-personal doesn’t necessarily mean embracing every outlandish whim. Instead, designers want to encourage homeowners to embrace their inner whimsy while remaining poised, posh, and practical.
“I think now home is freedom. It's exploration through personalization. It's individuality,” Brent says. “Freedom to play. Which is what design globally normally is. Your design in your home, or anywhere else in the world, is built around how you live, not who you're supposed to be.”
For more expert takeaways, check out the full conversation here:
