34 tired homewares that are making your home look old fashioned
Home décor that has had its day

We all have a soft spot for antique furniture and vintage accessories, but are your homeware choices aging your house? Décor is a fickle thing and some trends stand the test of time better than others. However, these interior design fads from decades gone by have well and truly run their course. It's time to wave that dated décor goodbye for good...
Wall to wall square tiles

Thanks to the popularity of much-loved metro or subway tiles in residential bathrooms, standard square bathroom tiles have been left behind. And, it's not just the bevelled brickwork that's taken over, mosaic penny tiles, hexagons and scallop-shaped tiles are the go-to bathroom tile choices over right-angles these days.
Gas fire

A fireplace is always a beautiful focal feature in any room, so if yours is still fitted with an outdated gas fire, perhaps it's time for it to go. Can you believe that these gas fires were once thought of as cutting edge? Thankfully the trend has gone full circle and sustainable fuelled log-burners or real open fires are desirable again.
Pine furniture

The odd piece of pine furniture here and there can add country charm but a full set of the knotty wooden storage is a no-no. In their prime the chunky dressers, drawers and full bedroom sets with orange finish were all the rage but these days a heavy pine presence is so passé. Why not give your pine furniture a revamp with paint?
White kitchen appliances

When the revolutionary 50s fitted kitchen exploded into our homes so with it came integrated refrigerators and cookers in a practical and affordable standard white finish. Thanks to technology and trends stainless steel, chrome, grey and even black and colour pop appliances have left white looking outdated and old fashioned.
Colour saturated bathrooms

Homeowners loved to get creative with bold colours in the 70s and 80s and bathrooms were no exception. Colour clash shades from acid yellow to fuchsia pink covered the whole bathroom using tiles, shower curtains and towels. These days, the bathroom is seen as a soothing sanctuary, so, if do want to inject colour stick to one hero feature or just a few statement accessories.
Magnolia walls

Named after soft vanilla petals of the magnolia plant the landlords' favourite neutral tone covered walls in almost every home in the 80s and 90s. Why? The buttery blend was considered safe, warm and can be matched with almost any furniture. However, with the introduction of all things Scandi white and cool grey reign and the once popular creamy shade of yellow seems to have had its heyday and turned sour.
Stuffy wall art

If you have tired wall art displayed in gilt frames in your home perhaps you need a new exhibit. Associated with stuffy old art galleries and antique stores the once considered ornate finish is now thought of as gaudy and out of style. The odd one or two can look quirky as part of a decorative gallery wall or upcyled with splashes of neon paint, but any more and it's time for a change of 'art'.
Glass block walls

70s greenery

Houseplants will always be welcome in our homes, however, it seems certain species come and go out of fashion. Be sure to say goodbye to feathery ferns and trailing ivy and instead replace them with more rounded and lush fiddle leaf figs, tropical leaves and on-trend succulents. Cheese plants, or monstera as they are now more commonly known, can stay though.
Decorative paint techniques

We're not sure where to start with this one. During the 80s and 90s, savvy DIY-ers set about defining a whole new era of paint effects – from making rag rolling brushes from torn strips of cloth, to creating mottled patterns with sponges and stenciling quirky border patterns. That's right, textured paint techniques were all the rage and remnants of the craze can still be seen in homes today. Now's the time to brush these pattern effects off for good.
Window valances

Avocado bathroom suites

Net curtains

Lacy net curtains could be seen hanging in the windows of almost every house on the planet at one time – and they served a very real purpose. Not only do they add a layer of privacy to ground-floor levels, but they also allow light into a room without creating glare. Yet these days, with so many sleek window dressing options available, we reckon it's curtains for net – at least for now.
Doilies

Popcorn ceilings

Crazy paving

Dust ruffle bed skirts

Also known as ruffled valance sheets, your dust ruffle bed skirts are crying out to be chucked. These over-the-top decorative covers were once used to keep dust from settling underneath mattresses, covering up unsightly bed frames in the process. While they may have once been a chic feature in a stylish boudoir, ruffled bed skirts are a sure-fire way to date your home.
Ceiling fans

Wallpaper borders

Chintz

All-over wood panelling

Unless you're rocking a cool mid-century modern home with a butterfly roofline, there really is no excuse for excessive interior wood panelling. If your walls, doors and ceilings match, then you know it's time to take that cladding to the scrap heap. Freed from overbearing swathes of wood, your home will feel so much lighter and brighter. Chic painted wood panelling on one feature wall or in a hallway, is a big yes from us though.
Vertical blinds

Plaid

We can't say we're sorry to see the back of 70s-style plaid. The younger sister of gingham, plaid patterns usually consist of loud colours in varying chequered styles. Don't get us wrong, there is a place for plaid, but it definitely isn't in your home!
Bean bag chairs

In the 90s, very few teenagers were without a bean bag chair. Usually placed in front of TV screens or games consoles, bean bags enabled youngsters to lounge around in optimal comfort. Yet there's nothing stylish or modern about decorating your home with these shapeless seats – bin the bean bag and opt for an adult-friendly couch instead.
Shell décor

Pattered linoleum

Dried flowers

Ah, dried flowers. The 90s saw these pungent décor pieces take over our homes, but in the face of a beautiful, fresh bouquet, these dried ensembles have since been tossed to the wayside. As with bowls of fake fruit, it's time to let these straw-like bundles go.
Ornate kitchen cabinets

Potpourri

Chenille fabric

Tiled countertops

During the 1970s and 80s, kitchen tiles travelled from our walls and floors onto our kitchen countertops. Thanks to their versatile colours, shapes and sizes, decorating your work surfaces with tiles allowed for a truly unique look, while their easy-clean finish made wiping up spills simple. Despite all this, tiled countertops have long been considered dated, so strip back your surfaces and opt for something a little less kitsch.
Inflatable furniture

Heavily patterned carpet

Patterned carpet is not the province of the modern home these days and for good reason. In the 40s and 50s, brightly-coloured motif flooring was everywhere, yet in recent decades this fad has faded. These days, more people are opting for neutral, block colour carpets or monochrome designs – a decision we can definitely get behind!
Shag pile carpets

The 60s gave us many things, from audio cassettes to ATMs, but one item we can no longer think of with affection is the shag pile carpet. Thick and usually colour-matched with other interior furnishings, shag carpets were once seen as a sophisticated, cosy addition to any room. Your floor doesn't need a cushion, so ditch the shag once and for all!
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