more opinions
Suspect it might be easier to keep a running tally of decorating and architectural trends about which I have Strong Feelings than to make a new post anytime I discover something new. Here goes nothing. (Behind cuts because it got LONG.)
Love it:
Walnut
Espresso
Mahogany
Light smooth woods (birch, alder, etc.)
Louis XV
Queen Anne
Mission
Antique bronze
Brushed nickel
Patinaed copper
Sage green
Moss green
Apricot
Deep red
Chocolate brown
Creamy yellow
Muted aqua
COLOR on walls!
Crisp white on walls, if it's a deliberate statement
Under-cabinet lighting
Weathered wood
Exposed beam ceilings
Wood trim
Sitting porches
The "Away Room" concept
White or ivory upholstery
Mixed fabric textures
Long sightlines within a house
Old houses with the original floors, mouldings, and windows
Ceiling-height windows
Garden windows
Casement windows
Window seats
(Almost any windows really)
Unexpected nooks
Sitting areas on a stair landing
Multi-level floors
Ceiling treatments used to define spaces within a large room
Attic rooms with strange angles
Multi-purpose space
Walk-in showers
Tumbled glass tile
Velvet
Slub silk
Burlap
Jacquard
Paisley
The Noguchi coffee table
Antique Oriental rugs
Jacobean floral designs
Quirky chandeliers
French doors
Roman shades
Passive solar design
Highleg chairs
Camelback sofas
Rolled or flared arms
Well-done antique marquetry
Arts and Crafts
Biedermeier
Asian influenced design
Shoji screens
William Morris
Tiffany glass
Art Nouveau
Poppies
Demilune console tables
Big fireplaces
Fieldstone
Plaster
Slate
Wrought metal
Lofts
Creative lighting
Timber-frame houses
Plants!
Natural materials
Chaise lounges, upholstered benches, and settees
Things with grids on, especially mullioned windows and coffered ceilings
Farmhouse style (in moderation)
Random found objects used as decor
Being able to see the living area from the stove
Furniture-styled cabinetry
Soapstone
Vintage earthenware
Things with a story behind them
Hate it:
Bad or badly edited Mid-Century Modern
Knotty pine
Miniblinds
Faux woodgrain
Galley kitchens
Cabbage roses
Art Deco case goods
Beige walls
Greige anything, especially exteriors!
Gray painted furniture
Baby blue
Open shelving instead of upper kitchen cabinets
Window valances
Door valances!
Smoked glass
Dolls
99% of all wallpaper
Fake ivy
Skirts on furniture
More than one slipcovered piece in a room
More than one faux-"distressed" piece in a room
Excessive throw pillows
Laura Ashley
Tray ceilings
Dried hydrangeas
Oak parquet
Upholstered furniture that appears to have fat rolls!
Tall skinny foyers
Short squatty end tables
Entertainment centers
"Entertainment walls"
Carrara marble counters
Wall-to-wall carpet, particularly since tearing some out and seeing what lurked beneath :P
Most printed upholstery and curtains
Toile especially!
Plaid on anything larger than a throw pillow
Cornices
Subway tile
Federal style furniture
Nubby chenille
Obvious pleather
Stainless steel outside the kitchen or bath
Shower and toilet in a separate cubicle from the sink
Light fixtures that are too small for the room
New expensive things made to look old and cheap
New cheap things made to look old and expensive (if it obviously didn't work)
Old interesting things made to look new and generic
"Country" style cutesy kitsch
"Southwest" style anywhere outside the actual southwest
Cottageware
Any decorating scheme that pulls entirely from popular and cliche'd expressions of a style rather than original sources (see a lot of current "Tuscan" and "Mediterranean")
Beer signs
Wall "art" featuring overused platitudes
Houses with three living rooms
Pictures of small children not related to the homeowner
Living rooms decorated with paintings of someone else's living room (also applies for dining rooms and bathrooms)
Very small or detailed prints hung above eye level
Like it, but only in other people's houses:
Aubergine
The minimalist look
The layered look
Hand-painted botanical wallpaper
Original, excellent-quality Mid-Century Modern
Beach house style
Kilim carpets
Stained concrete
White marble floors
20-foot ceilings
Silver grey
Midnight blue
Lime green
Turquoise
Black-and-white graphic prints
Black leather
Flea-market chic
Industrial style
REALLY BIG statement piece wall art
Distressed leather
Log cabins
Lodge style (minus the cheesy moose)
Whitewash
Reclaimed barnwood
Leather cocktail ottomans