Are You Guilty of These 12 Boomer Home Décor Blunders? Find Out Now!

Does it feel like you are walking into a time capsule every time you visit your parents or grandparents? With these 12 outdated design trends found in boomers’ homes, it definitely can be. 

1. Plastic Vertical Blinds

Vertical blinds have changed over the years, but one thing that has remained the same about the plastic variety is their cheap design. Vertical blinds were popular because they could cover a large window or sliding glass door inexpensively, but the cheap plastic material broke just as easily. Remove the obnoxious and clangy plastic vertical blinds and consider replacing them with solar shades, Roman blinds, or even multiple long curtain panels.

2. Jetted Tubs

Oversized jetted tubs were all the rage through the 1980s and 90s, but it’s time to say bye-bye to these monstrous tubs. The new homebuyer can be wary of the oversized jetted tub. They take up ample space, they break easily, and the jets are hard to clean. Many new homeowners opt for more aesthetically pleasing clawfoot tubs or remove the tubs altogether for larger showers.

3. Curio Cabinets/ Large Wooden Hutches

If there is one thing boomers love, it is displaying all of their knick-knacks and fine china in curio cabinets and wooden hutches. These cabinets have gone out of style with the rise of a more minimalist, uncluttered lifestyle. The curio cabinet and wooden hutch take up space and can become dusty easily, and displaying glass cabinets full of dusty clutter isn’t the rage anymore.

4. Word Wall Art

Gone are the days of “Live, Laugh, Love.” This popular boomer trend of word wall art, which reached its peak in the 2010s, seems to be fading into obscurity as quickly as it came in. Interior design experts say the word wall art trend lacks personality and creativity. If you are looking for a replacement, consider a classic photo wall instead.

5. Lava Lamps

It is hard to remember a time when the lava lamp was the epitome of style, but the 1970s had some groovy trends. Thankfully, the lava lamp has faded to an obscure fever dream, but it seems in every boomer’s home there is a stray one still available. Though other lamps like the Tiffany lamp are making a strong comeback, I don’t foresee the lava lamp becoming anything more than a dorm room decoration in the future.

6. Tuscan Kitchens

The Tuscan kitchen, with its overly warm brown tones all throughout, is one trend we are not sad to see go. This trend was popular during the house-flipping shows of the early 2000s, but homeowners are leaning towards a more airy feel with kitchen design now. The Tuscan kitchen trend can be easily tamed with a few coats of paint and a new backsplash.

7. Formal Dining/ Sitting Rooms

Every boomer home has that room where the kids can’t hang out, and it seems to be a shrine to unused furniture and decorative knick-knacks. The formal dining room and formal sitting room are trends that are going out of style, and rightfully so. A room that only gets used a few times a year seems like a waste of space, and homeowners today would rather have a playroom, craft room, or designated workspace.

8. Sponge-Painted Walls

Sponge-painted walls were an attempt to add dimension and texture to flat walls using only differing shades of paint, and while it was creative in the 90s, it’s time to let the trend go. If you want dimension and texture on your walls, try more timeless options like wainscotting and picture molding.

9. Linoleum Floors

Linoleum was durable and inexpensive during the height of its popularity, and boomers jumped on the trend quickly. New homeowners prefer the aesthetic of natural materials like stone and hardwood over the plastic quality of linoleum flooring, and we are not sad to see the time of layers and layers of linoleum be a thing of the past.

10. Wallpaper Borders

Nothing says a boomer master bedroom like a floral wallpaper border wrapped around the entire room. This design aesthetic fell off in the 90s, but it seems some people are not as quick to let the trend go. Newer generations prefer a more minimalistic style or a bold wallpaper on the entire wall.

11. Doilies

Doilies were once used as a way to protect wooden furniture from scratches caused by vases and lamps, but now do they even have a use? Every boomer end table drawer has a collection of doilies waiting to be used, but this outdated trend is another form of clutter, and today the less clutter the better. Never fret however, turning these doilies into unique wall art can bring a bit of vintage luxury to a space.

12. Popcorn Ceilings

We can all agree popcorn ceilings are the worst trend to have ever become popular, and now new homeowners are having to take on the messy task of removing this textured ceiling. Originally, it was a technique to hide imperfections, but the texture catches and traps dust and is very tough to get clean. If you want a more modern finish, removing the popcorn ceiling is the way to go.

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