Home trends are irrelevant — especially if — you’re creating a home you never want to leave. 

When we started The Real Cost Of series over a year ago, the goal was simple: explore the value gap between what we think we’re buying + what we’re really buying for our homes.

And what came out of the first few articles (which you can read here: custom made furniture, handmade furniture, made to order furniture) was really beautiful because it not only poked + prodded at the deceptive + often times misleading terms used by the home industry but it encouraged a whole new thought process for our community. 

It educated + asked each of you, before you buy, to consider more than simply price when comparing furniture or decor options for your home. 

Well, we’re back with yet another edition to the Real Cost Of… this time we’re diving into home trends + fast furniture. 

So, why exactly should you disassociate with the industry’s desire to push home trends upon you? Well, let’s dive in.

Why Home Trends Should Be Irrelevant To You

First + foremost, a home you never w-a-n-t to leave has timeless style + livable luxuries that are intentional. Curated to improve everyday living. It’s not only about making your home look great but in order to create a home that hugs your people, it needs to work well + conform to your everyday routines. 

Home Trends Come + They Go

Home trends on the other hand, age quickly. One day you read that antiqued gold is back –– so you go out + design your entire living room accenting just about everything you can find with antiqued gold only to realize when sit-down to start thumbing through the latest edition of 425 Magazine that the world has moved on to obsessing over polished chrome. #WompWomp 

Is your home dated? That depends. But one thing is certain, home trends are a lot like bad tweets on Twitter or something you posted to Facebook that didn’t age well *wink* except when it comes to your home, these fads are far more expensive.

Home Trends Can Be Impractical

Certainly, I’m speaking in general terms here but, as we’re scrolling through Pinterest or Instagram feed, flipping pages in Dwell Magazine, or watching the latest design flick on HGTV, we’re constantly inundated with the latest + greatest must have obsessions.

Sadly, when it comes to our homes, this way of thinking has become commonplace + without even realizing it, home trends are turning people into persuadable zombies. Even as vibrant independent thinkers, the constant barrage of surface level home trends has a powerful effect on us. Without even realizing it we see them over + over again until we not only ‘think’ but actually believe these trends are the right solution for our home.

What good do polished fixtures, glass tables or even a chunky jute woven rug do if literally, in a matter of minutes, your entire home can be flipped upside down by that adorable little kiddo of yours + a furry four-legged fido running around? Ultimately, when we start thinking about “what’s in style” or “what’s trending” in the home industry 

We lose sight of functionality + the things we value. Influenced by the impulsive dopamine rush + all the eye candy we forget to look inward as to whether those trends make sense or don’t make sense for the way life unfolds in your home.

Take a minute to look around the room you're sitting in + ask yourself, are the things you see that you think you like — pillows, rugs, even furniture –– are they all conducive to your lifestyle?

Home Trends Promote A Disposable Design Culture

And when they’re not fit for your family, they end up becoming someone else's problem — likely the planets. 

You’ve probably heard the term “throw-away society” when describing modern consumer culture. In the simplest terms, it’s excess consumption of short-lived or non-durable products. 

While I’m not going to deep dive into the likes of say fast fashion, I am here to tell you that there’s a very real problem with the home industry + that’s because keeping up with the latest home trends compounded with buying cheap materials, furnishings that aren’t made to last has created a disposable design culture.

In a study by the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) — they found that when you combine the architectural + design industry with the construction of a building, “it has the same impact on climate change as the oil industry.” 

Get the study, here.

That’s absolutely shocking! Right?!?! 

The reality is that we have to be responsible for our actions + all of the design considerations we’re making about our home. 

Hence our emphasis on ensuring everything we bring into our homes having a purpose. It’s why we say that home is everything you need + nothing more. It’s why we promise to design + organize a home you never want to leave.

The Fast Furniture Dilemma

I want to spend a moment to paint a very vivid picture about why at Elegant Simplicity we emphasize that home is a process of peeling back the layers + layers of stuff that we all accumulate to allow you to curate the things you love.

Recently, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that 12 million tons of furniture went to the landfill in the United States in a single year.

Now, there’s no shame in shopping at Ikea (they in fact have a few sustainable initiatives) but it’s also no secret that when it comes to Ikea they don’t exactly make the highest quality furniture.  Couple that with their insane rate of production –– Ikea makes 15 Billy bookcases a minute.  

And, you can see very quickly how furniture that’s

• being mass-produced

• not the most durable (+ then consequently) 

• impractical for the way you live

...is a recipe for disaster that long term is contributing to those 12 million tons a year.

But to be fair, it wasn’t always this way. In the 1960’s that number reported by the EPA was roughly 2 million tons. Yes, a lot has changed since then –– heck, I wasn’t even born yet *wink*

In a world that’s about going further + faster, in a society that’s been conditioned by means of instant gratification, convenience is a serious driver for purchasing something that we often refer to as being online china. In other words, mass-produced furniture made of inferior materials. Seriously, think about how easy it is to jump on Amazon, Wayfair or even Target’s website, scroll until you find what you want + likety-split in no time flat have it delivered to your door the same day?

This level of efficiency, the world we live in...it’s amazing + it’s also incredibly devastating. 

However, the good news is knowing that quality materials can oftentimes be repaired + restored

So, where do we go from here? In other words, now that you know the real cost of home trends + the disposable design culture that we live in — what’s the solution?

Make Home A Love Investment

One of the biggest considerations to make when purchasing things for your home is how was it made? By whom? Where? And with what materials?

If we start or reinvigorate, our desire to purchase things for our homes that we care about then the furniture or materials themselves have an amazing lifecycle. They're designed by someone, manufactured or built by someone else, shipped, delivered + then used by your family. The best part?

Likely because they're made of high-quality materials + made to last you’ll have them for a very long time + when you’re done with them, you’ll pass them on to someone with all this love + appreciation for that piece. 

The materials your home is built with + the furniture you choose to bring in, takes on a story that everyone who comes into contact with it can be told. Home is a mirror reflection of self + because of this what you curate for your home represents what you value.

I know that sounds amazing to you because you’re a part of our tribe + our community. And you share in our beliefs at Elegant Simplicity that the world tells us to go further + do things faster but HOME is about living slower + closer.

So the next time you feel an inclination to “just buy something of convenience” simply ask yourself, is there a better way? Is there another solution? Something more fitting for myself or my family.

And if there isn’t — then ok. How can you expand the lifecycle of that item by the way you use it, take care of it + what you do with it when you’re done?

Can you pass it on to someone else you know? Can you donate it because it’s still in good condition? Can you reuse it in some way?

Make your home a love investment.

If you haven’t already, check out our free video course:4 Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home and when you’re ready to jump in + begin your transformational journey of designing + organizing a home you never want to leave —let’s chat