6 Outdated Decor Items Designers Want You to Replace Next Year

Home decor trends come and go. What was fashionable and en vogue a few years ago may feel dated and tacky today. If it’s been a while since you gave your home decor a refresh, the New Year presents a great opportunity to debut a brand new look.

Of course, home decor is a deeply personal choice, but if you’re looking to create a stylish and cozy space that feels like it has a designer’s touch, the pros say these six outdated decor items have to go (like, yesterday).

Faux Plants

Alongside the trend of indoor jungles brimming with tropical houseplants came the rise of faux plants, a no-maintenance alternative for those who loved the green look but don’t have the gift of green thumbs.

While faux plants have come a long way in the past several years, designers agree that they’ve run their course. 

“Real plants catch the light, they move with the air, and that is what gives a room its life,” says Lauren Saab, founder and principal designer of Saab Studios. “Even a single tree in a simple planter can do more than a whole wall of plastic leaves.”

There are so many low-maintenance, easy-to-grow houseplants that even beginners can keep alive. Take the snake plant or pothos, for example. They can grow in nearly any room of the house and practically thrive on neglect.

But if you’re still feeling hesitant to commit to a houseplant of your own, Brittny Button, founder and principal designer at Button Atelier, says you have other options.

“Often florists have a program where you can buy an interior plant subscription—after your orchid blooms, or if your indoor plant is struggling, you can swap yours for another one,” she says.

You can even hire someone to care for your houseplants for you. So set the faux plants down, back away slowly, and get ready to leave these plastic greenery imposters firmly in the past.

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Edison Bulbs

Edison bulbs offer a vintage look that has been popular over the past several years in interior design, especially in industrial-style homes. However, designers agree that while, in theory, these bulbs are cute and stylish, in reality they aren’t always a great addition. 

“They create harsh lighting in their environment and feel done,” Button says. “Unless you’re creating a live-work space where an industrial modern [feel] is prevalent, it’s a definite pass!”

Matching Furniture

Buying a matching furniture set used to be the standard approach.

Today, however, designers agree that matching furniture rarely lends that warm, lived-in look that modern interiors are after. In fact, a room filled with matching furniture can result in a cold, sterile, and uninviting look, as if you had set up a showroom in your home.

“Think of styling in an eclectic way that layers the space, with different items, rather than presenting a showroom of the same styled items together,” Button says.

Consider combining furniture with different, but complementary, styles, shapes, colors, and textures to create a space that feels curated and is filled with depth and visual interest. 

Unsure of how to effectively mismatch furniture in your home? According to designers, sticking to a cohesive color palette and aiming to balance the visual weight of pieces against each other (large versus small, ornate versus clean-lined) are two strategies you can use to mix and match pieces like a pro.

Word Art

Live, laugh, leave it in the past. Designers are so over word art decor. It had its moment in the 2000s, and then again in the 2010s with the farmhouse design trend. Now, designers are ready to say goodbye to this overall literal decor trend. 

“‘Gather’, ‘Home’, ‘Unwind’—we get it!” Button says. “Sometimes I laugh when I see these in people’s homes, thinking, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize this was a home, thank you for telling me!’” says Button.

Try seeking out pieces that lend those same feelings without literally spelling it out. Using words in place of shape, form, color, and texture to create a composition that conveys meaning is a shortcut, and one that doesn’t pay off in the long run.

Overstuffed Tufted Headboards

According to Saab, the overstuffed, diamond tufted headboards popular in the 2010s are officially a thing of the past. What once felt luxurious and stylish now feels dated and heavy.

However, you don’t need to say goodbye to upholstered headboards altogether. Saab says that in 2026, the focus will shift to headboards that feel intentional, featuring sculptural frames, clean upholstery, and natural textures.

“Bold, fully upholstered designs are being reimagined, but they have sharper lines and a more architectural presence,” she says. “The difference comes down to proportion and materiality, which make a headboard feel designed rather than decorated.”

Gallery Walls

This one may be controversial, but Button says she’s finished with gallery walls. 

“They just feel done and overrated frankly!” she says. “I never got on that multi-picture hanging train and always opted for a statement piece of art to tie the room together.”

In her opinion, a singular piece of artwork can often have a greater impact than a cluster of frames on a wall, which can result in visual clutter.  

“If you want to display more photos, get some picture frames and display a group together on a console or end table instead,” she adds.