"It Still Looks Terrible": 55 Popular Home Design Trends People Hate So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So Much

Despite how popular some home design trends are these days, not everyone is a fan. Lately, we've been writing about modern home design trends that people actually hate (or that they think will soon become outdated), and it's sparked a TON of discussion in the comments. Here are some of the most controversial opinions readers have shared so far in 2026 about today's biggest home design trends:

1. "Ridiculously huge islands. You will never seat eight people there — unless your house is a diner. I just signed up for Discover+ and saw a 15-foot island in a narrow kitchen on Restoring Galveston. No. Just no."

—u/Kind_Procedure_5416

2. "Granite countertops: They're hard on the dishes, too. Set something down a little too hard, and shards everywhere!"

—Anonymous, 65, Connecticut

3. "I hate the bland white/grey look with white furniture and no character — and adding a little bit of trim to pretend that they have paneling. If you want paneling, get the real thing. I prefer real wood floors over laminate, although I admit the latter are often more practical. Everything looks the same nowadays."

—jcs3d

4. "Low armless oversized furniture. Impossible to get out of and bad for the back. Also, beds with hefty frames around the mattress — shin bruisers."

—Anonymous, 65+, New Jersey

5. "Cooktops with NO OVERHEAD VENTILATION. Seriously: WTF."

—Anonymous, 62, Washington

6. "Super tall cabinets. Being only 5'1" tall makes it impossible for me to reach the cabinets that are above the refrigerator space. Total waste."

—Anonymous, 65, New Hampshire

7. "Anthracite-coloured window frames giving funeral parlour vibes. Hardwood is beautiful but expensive and needs maintenance, so stick to white uPVC — it won't date."

—Anonymous, 57, UK

8. "Open-shelving in the kitchen looks messy and hard to keep clean. Cabinetry works so much better."

—Anonymous, 69, Washington

9. "The weird, same greyish, brownish floors that are in every single house and apartment."

—Anonymous, 59, Denmark

10. "I can't for the life of me figure out why the microwave is mounted directly above the stove. The outside of the microwave collects moisture from the stove's heat, which then drops into my food cooking on the stove. Yuck."

—comfyrockstar36

11. "Shiplap everywhere. It's nice in small doses, but whole walls of it will feel dated soon."

—u/Forina_2-0

12. "Sage green. And I say that as someone with two rooms painted sage green. I think it's an inoffensive and natural color that goes with a lot of different tones, but I'm always seeing that recommended when people ask what color they should paint their cabinets, doors, living room, bathroom, bedroom, siding — it's everywhere."

—u/JuJusPetals

13. "Having the sink on a kitchen island. Put a dish drainer and dirty dishes on it, and it looks terrible. Also, the island will constantly be wet."

—heroiclatte76

14. "Gray walls, carpet, kitchen tile, etc. I hate gray. It's so overdone. I am looking to buy a house, and I have told the realtor not to even think of showing me anything grey inside or out."

—uniqueraptor2935

15. "The 'Garage House' — when the garage is way out in front of the house. All you see is a garage door. If the whole neighborhood has them, it looks like you live in a storage complex."

—Anonymous, Illinois

16. "[The lack of storage.] I would love to see a return to more storage space. Little nooks on the sides of cabinetry, spacious hall closets, built-ins…it comes in so handy and can add extra charm, too (maybe you would like to display your books or teacups you collect). I know sleek lines and less clutter have been prioritized, and I'm sure less storage helps reduce building costs, but I feel like without storage, the clutter is still there, just without a place to call home."

"I feel like older homes with more nooks and crannies have aged well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if people started seeing homes without much storage as a sign of the era of the house."

—edgyjaguar4063

17. "Black and dark gray houses. People have no clue how that will heat your house in a California summer."

—Anonymous

18. "Brass fixtures and anything close to brass: rose gold, etc. Looked horrific in the '70s and '80s, and it still looks terrible."

—Anonymous, California

19. "Barn doors inside and Scandinavian stick furniture."

—Anonymous, 68, California

"ANYTHING modern farmhouse. If I see another barn door, I might lose it."

—Anonymous

20. "The 'Chip and Joanna Gaines white farmhouse' — look, it's every new renovation in our town; it's boring and already dated."

—Anonymous, 51, Northeast

21. "Kitchen islands where you can sit, but you're all facing in the same direction. Who eats like that???"

—Anonymous

22. "The love for 'English Cottage Maximalism,' or any other variation of 'Romantic European Timeless.' I have personally loved it for YEARS before it became a 2025–2026 trend. I know it's all going back in thrift shops in about a year..."

—Anonymous, 30, USA

23. "Subway tiles."

—Anonymous, 42, California

24. "Rounded and arched everything. We've seen it all: arched-shaped candles, rounded chairs, cabinets, and even various arch-shaped throw pillows. While they are initially different, cute, and chic, I think they will soon be referred to as post-COVID style and outdated."

—Anonymous, 38, Georgia

25. "I hate vaulted ceilings....waste of space, and I like cozy rooms."

—ropre

26. "Color drenching. It provides no dimension, and when homeowners have to paint that trim in the future, it'll be a nightmare because the lighter paint will just chip off, showing the dark color that's underneath."

—Anonymous, 59, Indiana

27. "Square sinks. So hard to keep clean!"

—Anonymous, 63, USA

28. "Waterfall islands. Are you really putting the expensive tile at kicking level?"

—Anonymous

29. "Electric fireplaces. I live in a community where storms cause power outages every year. An electric fireplace is a waste. Only gas or wood burning will work. And don't put a fireplace in a place like Florida (that's just unnecessary)."

—Anonymous, 45, South Carolina

30. "Black exterior paint on houses. The color fades, and it just looks bad."

—Anonymous, 30, Tennessee

31. "Freestanding tubs. They look great but are uber impractical for kids or older people."

—Anonymous

"Those freestanding massive tubs are so hard to clean and clean around (especially behind, if they are next to a wall). I'd happily do away with bathtubs altogether (except for one in a child's bathroom), and go with a shower with a built-in bench for older family members."

—Anonymous, 57, New Jersey

32. "Glass showers. Who wants to squeegee them every day? Rain-X is a poor fix. It doesn't last and still needs a squeegee. They are cheap."

—Anonymous

33. "Microwaves above the stove. Reaching over boiling pots is dangerous."

—Anonymous, 76, Utah

34. "Recessed and trimmed-out shower shelves. Why draw attention to your collection of shampoo bottles?"

—Anonymous, 65, Arizona

35. "Homes with all-gray everything are the worst. Gray is so depressing. Gray exteriors, gray bathrooms, gray walls, gray tile — it looks like a morgue. A dirty morgue. I understand if you don't know how to pick colors; it seems challenging, but if you travel to places where people have fun with color, you can get ideas. Or just look at pictures. I got the idea for the exterior of my house from a story about the Caribbean."

"Now, people walk by and smile; one person said it reminded him of his home in Martinique. It’s chartreuse with cream and orange trim."

—shycaptain24

36. "Bar stool chairs. They're impossible to adjust while sitting in them."

—charmingmatcha256

37. "LED bathroom mirrors. See them in many new homes. It's so tacky!!!"

—Anonymous, 54, Louisiana

38. "Open pergola-type roofs at a front door entrance. It doesn't keep you dry as you fumble for the house key."

—Anonymous, 72, Rhode Island

39. "Refrigerators that blend in and look like the cabinets, or one big glass door that shows everything inside. Personally, I wouldn't do the clear door because I'm not Martha Stewart, where all her lovely, brightly colored, fresh vegetables are lined up perfectly to show their best angle."

"My fridge is full of glass jars, condiments, bottles of juice, milk cartons, open cans of dog food, and leftovers."

—u/Badassblizzard

40. "Pull-down faucets on the kitchen sink. They seem like such a great idea at first, but over time, all that yanking on the sprayer makes the whole faucet start to come loose. Can we please just go back to having the sprayer be a separate piece?"

—Anonymous, 46, Ohio

41. "Two-toned cabinets — the uppers one color, the lowers another. Looks like you got tired of painting and stopped. I’ve rarely seen it work. Just ick. It looks dated to me already."

—Anonymous, 63, Massachusetts

42. "When did we stop installing lights in rooms? Why do I need to buy a lamp for every single room, minus the bathroom and kitchen? Seriously, install lights in every room! This is so bad in 'luxury' apartments."

—Anonymous, 40, Illinois

43. "Making everything in your home, including your kids' toys, the same range of muted colors. It feels so boring! It feels like I'm in the first part of a Skittles commercial before the bag is brought out or something. I can't wait for those kids to become teenagers and rebel by making their rooms all pastels or neon!"

—Anonymous

44. "Having dining rooms right at the entrance of the home. Carrying food all the way from the kitchen to the dining room doesn't make sense. And where's the privacy if someone comes to the door while you are having dinner?"

—Anonymous, 40, Virigina

45. "I really dislike white cabinets. Unpopular opinion, I know. But any painted wood, especially white, just looks like a total landlord special to me. White cabinets usually mean that they are made of crappy particleboard with a plastic coating. If you have real wood cabinets, stain the wood an attractive color and highlight its natural beauty, but don't paint it!"

—Anonymous, 57, New Mexico

46. "Horizontal plank fencing doesn't age well at all and is more 'climbable' than vertical pickets."

—pasteltrash934

47. "More of an architecture thing than a design choice, but geometric shapes and all-glass walls. Personally, I don't like the feeling of knowing someone can see everywhere in the building from a block away, and the oddly square shapes just feel Cybertruck-adjacent and cost ~millions~. Like, why?"

—Anonymous, 21

48. "Painting over wooden or stone accents with white. It's so ugly, and it ruins the personality completely."

—Anonymous, 16, USA

49. "Curvy everything. Yes, the organic shape is cool and all, but in 20 years it's just gonna scream 2020s, not in a cool retro way. If I see another puddle mirror or beige couch, I might actually lose it."

—Anonymous, 18, Michigan

50. "Flat paint everywhere. Sure, it's the cheapest finish for a reason. You can't wipe it down or clean any of it without rubbing off some of the paint on whatever surface you're cleaning. Go with at least eggshell so the next person can clean the way when something splatters on it, or better yet, satin or semi-gloss."

—Anonymous, 40, Illinois

51. "Having different colored top and bottom kitchen cabinets. Blue on the bottom, white on the top. Yuck!"

—Anonymous

52. "A farmhouse apron sink. I wish I had never put one in, and I will get rid of it ASAP. It constantly has water on top and scratches on the front from people leaning against it. And it's so deep, I don't really want to run a sinkful of water for cleanups. Wasteful."

—Anonymous, 69

53. "Having master bedrooms on the main floor (unless you have a disability, of course). Why would I want to sleep right next to the door when someone breaks in? I want to be upstairs where I hear it and have defenses ready!!!"

—Anonymous

54. "Hell no on carpets. No. Nope. Nada. Never. I had only a couple of rules for my realtor: I had to be able to get my boat into the driveway, the basement couldn’t have water, and NO carpets. Period. I don't need that nasty in my house. Hardwood or tile only on floors. Hard rule. Unbreakable."

—trendycoach557

55. "What 'cost-cutting moron' decided to save the builder some money by removing bathroom doors? Even if the toilet has its own room, who wants to try and sleep while their partner is getting ready?"

—Anonymous

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

What are some modern home design trends that you actually dislike or think will be "outdated" soon? Tell us in the comments, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can use the form below.