I don't understand the appeal of all these whites and pastels. Just don't get it. Anyone care to educate me?

I think her best advice was "take everything I wrote with a grain of salt"!

I did like reading about what is trending, since I'm usually out of the loop. Her curtain rod section interested me because I've been going back and forth on what size rods to get. I wasn't sure I would like the look of the slimmer ones, but I do :)

I like reading about what is trending too, but it doesn't influence what happens in my home unless I already like the color, or something about the particular style of decorating. No way I would paint my rooms gray or whitewash my wood furniture because it is a "trend". I like color, wood, pattern and oriental rugs so I guess I am out of date again :-) There were some really lovely rooms featured though! Thank you for the link. I enjoyed reading it.

Thanks for linking. I'm debating about what to do with my curtain rod in the bedroom. Also after seeing more pics of woven shades hung up with the rod has helped me make the decision install mine that way.

I was kind of shocked to read about the fading away from white trim with wall color. My house doesn't have super architecture but still, I like bright white trim.

Good read!

Thanks for linking. I'm debating about what to do with my curtain rod in the bedroom. Also after seeing more pics of woven shades hung up with the rod has helped me make the decision install mine that way.

I was kind of shocked to read about the fading away from white trim with wall color. My house doesn't have super architecture but still, I like bright white trim.

Good read!

There was something very, very 'trendy' about this blog post. It seemed to be really saying here's the fashion, follow it...or you'll be hopelessly outdated.

I personally am looking for more color and vibrancy. Yeah, it's great to have some oversized pieces but don't they just say *trend* to you...the big, big light fixtures are cool, but only if they come with a story about how you bought them at an estate sale in the Ardennes.

Every room I like on her post had big punches of color.

I, too, thought the idea of wrapping paperback books in craft paper a looney one. I'll always be hopelessly out of fashion on that one. Don't people actually want to be able to find a book and read it again????

Who knew I was ahead of trend? Hanging art on outside of bookshelves? Check.

Concrete in the house? Check.

Bamboo shades with drapes over them? Check.

I've been thinking a lot of painting the entire guest room shades of white and pale gray with olive green accents...seems my idea isn't too far fetched after all! But I will say, I read years ago that Belgian style is coming into trend.

Caroline made several good points. I glanced at the pictures when I first saw this thread, but went back to read after reading trailrunner's post. It was painful. I'm not getting into everything, but it seems to update means to replace/purchase trendy items. I agree with the paper wrapped or turned backward books - I've seen them elsewhere. Don't get it. You want pretty or textured, buy vintage/antique leather bound....or don't put out books.

I've complained about the file sizes used on the site (here) before. For example, the first two photos are PNG and over 900KB. They really should be changed to JPG and compressed to 50KB - it won't distort the image, they don't have to be smaller, and the pages will load much much faster. I avoid blogs that take so long to load.

To further update with paint, consider painting all the woodwork the same color as the walls.

Oh WOW, I'm TRENDY again!

I go over to that blog every time someone mentions something interesting on it but I have a very hard time reading it because it is formatted so poorly. But I pushed through today. Sigh.

I will never be trendy with my house or my clothes and I really and truly don't care. What I feel bad about are the people who will go into debt trying to replicate something that they've read they "must" have or they will be dated and therefore, in some way, less than someone else.

Yep. The blog itself is bogged down by those huge pic files, so I only go there when someone mentions it. Her writing is mediocre and contradictory. I thought the point of the post was to update in a more timeless style, since the economy was so bad, but she goes on to list trend after trend. If "everything will be dated" in 10 years anyway, why bother?

I do like most of the rooms posted. I like white walls, pale colors, minimal foof, and a few large accessories.

Books at our house are not decor, they're...books. That we read. A lot.

Again, I really like most of the rooms posted in the photos, but the "article" was trite, lame, poorly written, and as out of touch as most everything else I've read on that blog.

I enjoyed looking through the photos on the blog, but I didn't pay much attention to the written word. I found a lot of the looks refreshing and clean looking. Even more fun is reading everyone's take on the article.

The book bit was really funny to me! How in the h... would that work! We are big readers here too!

I haven't even completed my first decorating look, so I am always astounded at how rapidly these articles want us to change our surroundings. I carefully choose most every piece I bring into my home. I purchase for the long term. At 43 I still have some Target furniture in my guest room. All the accesorizing, which I do think is lovely, I only see as more things to dust around or gather dust. The drapes are lovely, but I see cobwebs and upkeep for me.

I don't think I will have completed my current decorating style until I am 70, but by then maybe my Oriental Rugs and Bob Marley Posters will be cutting edge again!

I don't know if it's updating your look more that dating your look. I always think many of the rooms that she shows are quite pretty but she lays on the trendy items pretty thick. Because of the way she goes on ad nauseum about seagrass rugs, slipcovered furniture, zebra rugs, and belgium furniture, it actually deters me away from such trends. I worry about her clients because she has such a narrow vision. Can she give them what they want? Personally, I think the sign of a great designer is one that is versatile and can work within different styles.

I question how many homes in Texas can really carry a theme of old world France and Belgium?

I also noticed that there are a lot of positive posts but many of them are other bloggers saying positive things and getting more advertising for their own blogs.

I know I sound negative and have no problem saying things that aren't nice. I don't think design has to necessarily be nice. I believe there is a balance between the positive and the negative.

You shouldn't always limit yourself on these forums to only saying nice things...an individual can certainly disagree/voice their opinion as to whether a particular design choice would be "good" or not. As long as it's done respectfully, as if you were face to face with the person.

I would assume many people come to this forum for honest opinions and only saying the nice things certainly does no one any favors.

I think I am out of style...nope...wait...I'm in...oh never mind...I'm out...LOL.

I especially like this statement: ItâÂÂs impossible to stay ahead of trends, so why bother? Buy what you like now and enjoy it!

"I, too, thought the idea of wrapping paperback books in craft paper a looney one."

That is just plain stupid, isn't it? Unless you also put the name of the book on the back of the wrapper, it's for people who can't/don't read.

It reminds me of the college kids who would make paper bag wrappers for their books to protect the cover so they could get a better price next semester.

On the Colour me Happy blog, the author, a color consultant, refers to the Cote de Texas 10 year rule. She also refers to Cote's observation that using antiques keeps a room from being dated.

Here is a link that might be useful: trendy/timeless

The whole cover the books thing just lost me.

What that says to me is that every single item in a room is for decorative purposes only.

People who have the time and/or money to pay someone to cover all their books just aren't living on the same planet I am. LOL

I am amused to hear that my skimpy curtain rods, for which I apologized profusely a few years back, here on this very forum, are now the right look for the decade to come. Except that I sold that house, with its forward-thinking window hardware, and finally ponied up for decent-sized rods at my new house.

There is no hope....

I just had to jump in and defend those of us who like a decorative approach with books! DH and I each have a Kindle (so we do read a lot even though there are not loads of books laying around) - But I have been known to wrap some books in craft paper - even put them on the shelf backwards (gasp) to see all that glorious old paper lined up in shades of white. I think it is interesting visually - I just enjoy that sort of thing. I did not realize people would assume I didn't read.

krycek: that is what i meant...being respectful is what the "say something nice or say nothing at all" means to me. Not that you shouldn't say something critical just say it constructively. So in that respect I was OK.

I read the article to my DH while he was resting on the sofa...the IN STYLE one that has nailheads LOL. He says the whole thing is supposed to have run in the magazine on April Fools Day , the editors made a mistake. c

This is a compilation of current decorating trends that we are all seeing in the magazines - nothing more, nothing less. We have talked about most of them here.

Isn't there always something silly going on in decorating? Covering books in paper is no sillier IMO than covering your bed with throw pillows and having to move them twice a day.

I don't have any problems viewing her blog or with pages loading.

Just wanted to say that i'm not endorsing the post in any way, just thought it interesting. It is interesting seeing the responses here. I never thought about so many negatives though. Which is fine - I do think you can be negative in a nice way.

I guess I don't read every word (I tend to skim) and had not really noticed her bad grammer, writing style, etc. It's a blog, not a magazine article. I've never had trouble with her pics loading either.

There are certainly things she shows that are not for me, but I do love many rooms she's designed and the house tours. Especially loved her posts on Lauren Ross.

Oh regarding the books, I've seen them wrapped before, it's not for me, but I imagine there are some people who maybe use books for decorating and those for reading also. I have some old books out that I have not read - I just liked the looks of the covers. How many here have used books to stack under objects? However, I do enjoy reading from time to time and also have books for that reason.

tina

Will seagrass rugs soon become a decorating cliche? I bought one last year and love it. But it was disconcerting to see seagrass rugs in so many of those pictures.

I considered painting the trim the same as the wall color just because my house is small and it would blend better, but decided against it because everytime you paint you have to paint baseboards, window trim, etc. I take it as marketing - just like in clothing they constantly change the look so you will go out and buy more. For me the look has to first function, then I am thinking about the esthetics, not the other way around.

I agree with what carolfm wrote. Reading about trends and being a slave to them are not the same. I enjoy the pictures she uses in her blog, although I agree that they should be compressed, or whatever needs to be done, so that they don't take several minutes to load! Her writing? Well, she admits to not being a writer so I don't expect expertise.
I live in the Houston area and I can say for certain that her preferred look is not the main. But, the people I hang out with can't afford a designer.
As for myself, seagrass? Not with a cat. White slipcovers? Not unless I like to wash them everyday...besides, I love my orange couch. Cover my books? Insanity for someone who is constantly re-reading. I did paint my living room walls gray a few years ago, so I am following that trend by accident. However, MY walls have a wainscoting of "smudge" from the little kids.

I'm not good at playing follow the leader, never have been. But, I do think it is good to update a little..I mean I don't want shag carpeting from 1972.

I didn't read the article as usual, like Tina I skim, only much more.

Something's you just like that never go away in YOUR mind. I loved white sofa's and cream together in 1969 and in 2010 and I'll probably die loving it. It looks so classic and classey and crisp to me. I have loved black for years too, black cars, black walls, black painted furniture, black boots, little black dresses. Once you go black, well you know the rest. (lol) But, that goes for white too.

This probably has nothing to do with the topic, I should of read the article, duh.

....Jane

"As for myself, seagrass? Not with a cat."

I am happy to report that my cat doesn't use our seagrass rug as a scratching pad (unlike the faux seagrass nylon samples I brought home. It only took 15 minutes for our cat to discover the joy of nylon carpeting).

Overall I like her blog, although I agree it does take forever for the pictures to load. And I don't understand the obsession with seagrass. I mean it's nice and I do have one seagrass rug in my dining room, but I wouldn't want a house full of it.

The best advice in the article is at the end. Don't take this list of trends and run to your house to incorporate all of them. Better to look at the current trends and take one or two ideas that resonate with you to incorporate into your existing decor. A nice way to update or modernize it a bit without re-doing your whole house.

Very interesting, I definitely get a potterybarn/martha steward feel to alot of the rooms. But some gorgeous inspiration and some, huh? what were they thinking (back to back couches)

Thanks for the link because I seldom read blogs. I collected a bunch of fun decorating blog sites, but I find reading them on any regular schedule difficult to do for some reason.

The grey furniture and linen slipcover look is already starting to look dated to me. When I first saw the style, it seemed clean and refreshing, but now it feels dusty and lacking in joy. I need MORE color in my surroundings, not less. I guess I'll just have to live with decor that is out of style. LOL!

I thought it was nice enough, but it's definitely directed at pretty un-trendy people, if that is considered updating. Seagrass? Animal hides? And seriously, the bamboo shade and panel combo, that is SO not new. I love it, but I've loved it for at least 15 years. (Maybe it's out and back in again.)

Really, Houston isn't very trendy, so I get it. Nothing wrong with it, they were good suggestions to update traditional rooms that might be a bit boring but not horribly dated. I'm not trendy either, except for my new brass hardware, ha ha.

awm03, my poor natural rugs have been tufted and torn. Luckily they are smaller and I can turn the clawed parts and hide them until completely destroyed. At least my current cat leaves my furniture alone.

Now I'm feeling REALLY old, since my last house (where we lived for 30 years) had the wall and trim to match, as well as some of those skinny rods with rings (in its early years.) In my 3-year old house here, I'm loving some color on the walls w/white trim everywhere. We need to add some window coverings for softness, but I DON'T want to cover up the trim with them. Really need to learn how to take and post pictures so I can ask your advice about that!

htnspz, you had me laughing with your comment, "I question how many homes in Texas can really carry a theme of old world France and Belgium?" I don't read blogs, but I guess they tend to take on a life of their own and those who have them frequent blogs of others. They feed off each other so to speak. Is it any wonder we're being led to believe that seagrass rugs with an animal print over it and slip-covered are "in"? There are so many people who follow vs. buy what they like and what fits the style of their home.

Seriously she might as well leave up the same pictures no matter the subject. All the houses look the same. White on white rooms, homes so big I don't know anyone IRL living in them, let alone decorating that way.

I like this board because I see all styles and come away with lots of ideas.

Her blog should be renamed "Cote de White on White."

Sorry, I have a very painful tooth and on pain pills so I'm grumpy today. :)

I don't care for most of the rooms in the article--or perhaps I should say I have a hard time relating to them. They're overly formal, overly opulent, overly staged. But I try to keep an open mind about some of the trend pronouncements. What I find, speaking strictly personally, is that I'm a bit slow to like many trends, whether it be in fashion or decorating. Of course some I just NEVER learn to like, but others have to creep up on me, I have to be exposed for a while before I embrace them. Is that just marketing? Maybe. I also find that sometimes I develop a liking for something that later ends up being trendy and I think "wow, I was ahead of the curve on that!" But was I really, or was it subliminal exposure to a coming trend that finally reaches market saturation? One example is sun faces: I started acquiring them several years ago and then suddenly noticed them being sold everywhere. Here's another example: I was browsing an old, maybe 2004, decorating magazine and saw an white ceramic owl vase/umbrella stand. It was instant lust, I really loved that thing. But in the process of trying to track it down I suddenly realized that owls are everywhere. I suspect that my attraction to that owl vase was from being exposed, unaware, to the increasing number in the marketplace.

So I'm trying to dampen my knee-jerk antipathy to some of her pronouncements, like white walls/woodwork when I really enjoy strong-colored walls and white woodwork. I suspect that with enough exposure I'll come around. Not that I want to be a victim of trends: wall paint is easy enough to change, but I'd certainly have to think long and hard about painting floors or furniture. I can't see giving up my oriental rugs. I like light furniture, like my antique scrubbed pine cupboard, but I'm not crazy about the washed-out settings they seem to be displayed in now. I wonder if some of these designers are watching too many vampire movies!

Oh well, enough navel gazing.

Last night I was flipping through a Ballard Design catalog before chucking it. (It's fun, but not quite my style.) I gotta say, Ballard is certainly channeling CdeT in a huge way. I am assuming it's NOT the other way around... ;-)

It's all there:

Seagrass
Animal hide rugs
Bleached furniture
Enough linen for the state of Texas
Slipcovers
White-on-white

I collect antique and vintage decorating books, and what's funny is that this post sounds exactly like them! You "must" do this, and "have to" do that, etc, etc. It's all so dogmatic.

That being said, tinam61, thank you for posting the link. I think it will be fun to watch for the styles/trends she mentions in the coming decade.

I can only imagine the look on DH's face if I told him we needed to sand down our dark stained hardwood floors so that they could be more in season with current trends, and painted white! And that we needed to recover all our reupholstered furniture in white linen slipcovers.....he'd freak out, for sure!

While I sometimes enjoy Joni's blogs, I'm not convinced that every house has to have a seagrass rug on the floor to be in style, and that white walls, woodwork and ceilings are suitable for most homes. I like color, and I like contrast, something that was lacking in most of those featured homes. My decorating tastes are undoubtedly terribly dated!

Good news, though, I've been wanting to put cornices up over the curtain panels in our bedroom for a couple years now, but hesitated because I thought they would make the room look "dated"! Interesting to hear that cornices are now a "new trend"......fabric and staplegun, here I come!

Nanny-- too funny, my DH would freak! For him it's all about the fine wood and how it's finished!

Seagrass rugs? Not too nice to walk on, are they? And cornices with heavy drapes? Geez no! I've just gotten rid of ours in the dining room! Larger accessories? Yes! Painting out the crown moulding and trim? Not for us!

All that pale grey and white would look fine in my house, it would blend in with the dust and (white) cat hair! Princess Posie cat would shred up the seagrass and it would become dust too....
The grammar, spelling and items with the wrong names would steer me far away from that blog....
To each his/her own however. I'm just very thankful that I don't have to live in that manner.