Keeping in line with the “I want to live in a castle” home decor trends of the early 2000s, many homeowners lined their walls with bulky wrought-iron sconces and candle holders.
Considering that we now use electricity for most of our lighting needs, these antique-inspired wall fixtures seemed to be a bit strange. Also, what would you do if you actually did light one of these using a candle, wouldn’t the wax drip onto the floor? It’s no wonder these typically sat unoccupied until years later when you probably took the now rust-covered fixtures off the wall.
The Off-Limits Room
If you thought that you should have access to every room in your own home, think again. If you're of a certain age, then there's a good chance that your parents probably didn't allow you to play in the “fancy” living room.
Used solely for entertaining guests, this room typically featured an ornately decorated sofa (most likely covered in plastic protective gear) and a glass display cabinet full of equally unnecessary decorations. Today, thankfully, most homeowners try to make use of every inch of their homes and these rooms are a thing of the past.
Awful Oil
Looking back, you probably can remember walking into a kitchen and seeing a collection of various uniquely-shaped glass bottles of herb-infused oil on a shelf. While infused oil can be a great way to add flavor to your food, these oils were solely for decorative purposes.
In fact, we’re convinced that they probably weren’t safe to consume from the get-go, let alone decades after sitting on your shelf. These bottles typically became dusty from years of sitting unused, or worse, discolored if they were placed on a windowsill in direct sunlight.
Not So Fan-Tastic
Before we rip into this trend, we will say that there is a very real need for fans in certain climates. That said, fans shouldn’t be the centerpiece of the room the way they once were. Decades ago, fans were considered interior decor eye sores with their large and included bulky metallic fixtures and long dangling cords.
This garnered them the wrath of most decorators. Today, people are keeping their fans but upgrading them to sleek and cord-free newer models that sit more flush to the ceiling, keeping their cool and keeping their home up-to-date.
Chalk It Up to Bad Taste
Chalkboards can be great for the classroom or even as a creative activity for a children’s room, but including them in your living room or kitchen is woefully dated. With our smartphones on us at every waking (or even sleeping) moment, we can't think of what could be so important that we need to write it down on a massive chalkboard.
Not only is this Pinterest favorite a dated trend, but it also required constant dusting from all of the chalk and undesired fingerprints everywhere. Our tip — it’s better to invest in Post-its!