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If, like me, you basically live on Instagram, you’ve probably come across the ‘propaganda I’m not falling for’ trend.

Well, I’ve officially jumped on the trend… but I WON’T be jumping on these interior design bandwagons 👇🏽

“Ceilings should stay white”

For years we all just rolled with this rule!

The fifth wall deserves some love and painting your ceiling blankets the room in colour from above, which i find especially effective when the walls are still white.

In our guest bedroom, we painted our ceiling a mustard yellow and kept the walls white, while in our master bedroom, we have a black ceiling and white walls.

Don’t overlook your ceiling — it’s the perfect opportunity to add a big dose of colour in one fell swoop.

👀 READ: Room Tour – Guest Bedroom

“Decorate for resale value”

If you listen to this, you’re basically just renting your house from the next buyer… which could be for 10, 20 or 30 years.

That’s no way to live your life, so I say decorate your house for YOUR happiness.

Designing your dream home is NOT about what an unknown future buyer wants. Where’s the dream in that?

👀 READ: 4 reasons NOT to decorate for resale value

“Less is more”

Sometimes, maybe it is, but other times, more is more.

A cluttered bathroom is probably overstimulating but a cluttered gallery wall full of art I love? Yes please!

That said, there’s still a bit of an art to maximalism. It’s all about keeping things curated and contained and knowing when to stop.

👀 READ: How to make ‘intentional clutter’ work in your home

Fast furniture

All IKEA everything is not a flex.

It makes sense some of the time, but for the most part, you’re better off searching Facebook Marketplace than buying a cheap flat pack.

Your great-granddaughter won’t be cherishing your BESTÅ cabinet one day, so do your wallet and the planet a solid and consider buying secondhand as is, or upcycling something before spending big bucks on flatpacked furniture.

Matching furniture sets

I don’t care what anyone says… your coffee table doesn’t need to be from the same collection as your entertainment unit.

And whatever you do, don’t buy one of those matching bedroom furniture packages. Your bed frame, bedsides and tallboy do NOT need to match.

In fact, your space will look a lot more interesting with some contrast.

Even your dining chairs don’t necessarily have to match! The key is just to find a common element in your space to tie everything together.

“Stick to a neutral colour palette”

I love neutrals – but why are we all so scared of colour?

Nature is full of colour so I don’t know why architecture and interiors were devoid of it for so long.

Thankfully the tides are slowly turning and we’re all embracing colour again!

👀 READ: 12 ways to add more colour and pattern to your home

“Stick to one design style”

If that’s your vibe then you do you boo, but it’s not the key to a thoughtfully designed space.

You can totally make victorian and mid-century modern and contemporary work together – it’s called eclectic, darling.

Eclectic interior design is a design style that takes inspiration from different eras; it’s a beautiful amalgamation that mixes old with new while embracing colour, pattern and contrast.

Eclectic homes happen when you mix and match things you love without worrying if it all fits neatly into a particular design aesthetic… and it can be oh so beautiful!

👀 READ: 8 tips for combining interior design styles

Minimalist playrooms

Not only is a beautiful scandi playroom super unrealistic to maintain, but kids deserve colour… which includes plastic toys that don’t fit the fantasy.

Good luck sticking to an all-natural aesthetic when your kid gets into lego, barbies, magnetic tiles or monster trucks!

👀 READ: Room Tour – Our Eclectic Playroom

Downlights everywhere

Downlights are usually overdone, with way more than what’s necessary.

Instead of relying on downlights in every room, add sculpture to the ceiling with pendants and chandeliers, maximise natural light, and layer lamps to set the mood at night.

Lamps are kinda like plants; you can never have too many. In our living room, our gallery wall shelf has small table lamps and candles dotted along the entire length, including a rotating disco light that bounces sunlight around the room at certain points during the day.

Lots of our lighting is from Residence Supply, who ship internationally. You can use our code MISMATCHEDHOME for 10% off.

“Gallery walls are going out of style”

Not on my watch!

Gallery walls (originally known as salon walls) have a long history, tracing all the way back to 17th century Paris.

Given their history, I don’t think they can ever really go out of style… and who cares anyway? Follow your own trends!

Whether you like them colourful and cluttered or simple and subtle, gallery walls are always a good idea… especially, if you’re an art lover.

👀 READ: How to hang a gallery wall

“Dark paint makes the room feel smaller”

This is a pretty common misconception – I think it’s all about lighting and how the dark paint is done.

Colour drenching (painting all the walls, ceiling and trim the same) with a dark colour can actually make the space feel bigger, because you’ve removed all the visual lines that are created when the walls are dark and the ceiling stays white.

🎬 WATCH: Why colour drenching works

Chat GPT / AI design

As a creative type, I simply refuse to use it… not just for design, but anything.

Personally, I think more of us need to collectively say no. I fear for our jobs (across disciplines) and I fear for our sense of reality.

Our brains have got us this far without AI, so let’s not let it take over tasks that we can do ourselves just because it’s more convenient. Having said that, if they invent technology that can do all my chores so I have more time to be creative, then I am all for it 😆

Rant over 🎤💥

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