Groundhog's Day: Designs That Keep Coming Back

Like the movie Groundhog Day, we keep reliving the same home design trends over and over. They keep coming back long after we were told they were gone forever. Check out some of our favorites that have been declared "over" only to return again and again.

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February 02, 2018

By: Lili Zarghami

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Brass

The accent metal of choice in the seventies was in for a lonnnnnng time — until it was out. Then brass went to hide in basements and thrift shops never to be seen until...the last few years. It's back again. For now.

From: Breeze Giannasio

Wicker

Yet another denizen of the seventies (and decades before that), poor wicker can never catch a break. It always has a brief season or two of popularity before it's shunned, then it returns. We should just leave it in the sun and accept it as just fine for the porch.

Neutral, Rustic Great Room in Martha's Vineyard

From: Martha's Vineyard Interior Design

Beige

Poor, bland beige. This super versatile neutral is the unloved workhorse of living room sofas but hated by many designers. Listen, if you love beige, don't let anyone tell you it's not cool. Chances are it'll be in and out of showrooms ad infinitum.

From: D2 Interieurs

Wallpaper

There might not be a more divisive design element than wallpaper. It was in for so long and covered so many walls for the first half of the last century until it was rejected whole cloth. Then it was back. No doubt it'll be eschewed again. Hang onto your rolls just in case they become "vintage" one day.

From: Rebecca Hawkins

Florals

Skipping generations like a recessive trait, florals are major groundhogs. Your bedspread as a kid was probably floral. Maybe your grandmother's too. But the in-between generation may have hated it! Florals are like that. You'll keep seeing them no matter how many times you're told they're "out."

Nautical

Argh, matey — is nautical in or out? It depends on the decade! Some years, you'll see kids' rooms and beach houses decked in sea-worthy styles. But you're just as likely to hear that the traditional look is to be avoided at all costs. Don't worry, you'll be seeing it pop up on repeat.

From: Betsy Burnham

Macrame

Another design choice that the seventies ruined, macrame is having a moment. But maybe it's out already? I haven't checked my style news in five minutes, so it's possible the design elite have cast it off once again. If it has, it'll be back in the '20s.

From: Natalie Myers

Black Walls

The goths approve and so do the ultra chic. Black walls very rarely live in any middle ground. A few years ago, they were in every magazine and show house. We've stepped away from the deep shade as the bold choice du jour the past few seasons, but as these other trends prove, it'll probably make a comeback in no time.

From: Elizabeth Bomberger

All-White Kitchens

It's so classic, I'm not sure whether it's fair to call all-white kitchens a trend but I'm going to do it anyway. Before the stainless steel and granite phenomenon, the only way to go was all white. Before that, beige. Before that, avocado and harvest gold. Before that, white. See where we're going here? It's back, and I say welcome...for however brief your stay is.

From: Serendipite

Gallery Walls

Actual galleries have never let this style choice go away, but interior designers have. Whether it was up the stairway in your childhood home or behind the sofa in your grown-up living room, gallery walls have had their moments. Right now, big art is in. Stock away all those pointers for hanging the perfect assemblage of pictures, though. You'll need them one day in the future.