Interior design trends that are falling out of favour

When the home doubles as an office and a classroom, the way we use living space changes — and interior trends shift with it. Several styles that were once red-hot have shown their weaknesses in daily use and are quietly fading. Below are the trends losing their appeal — useful reading if a renovation is on your horizon.

1. Fully open plans give way to functional partitions

Open plans became popular for their sense of space and abundant natural light. But once the whole family works and studies online at home, the flaw becomes obvious: no privacy for anyone. The trend is shifting towards flexible layouts — keeping the airiness but using partitions (glass, louvres, movable walls) to zone off functions when quiet is needed. The full pros and cons are covered in what is an open plan.

2. Cheap “fast furniture” loses its appeal

Spending more time at home has made owners care about durability and quality. Instead of low-cost, short-life pieces, many now choose furniture built to withstand time. Cheap furniture not only fails quickly — it robs a space of refinement — so the “buy fast, replace fast” habit is on the decline. For a grounding in durable materials, see engineered wood types for interiors.

3. Open shelving that “looks good in photos” is losing ground

Open kitchen shelving is highly photogenic, but in reality it gathers dust, displays clutter and limits storage. The replacement trend combines closed upper and lower kitchen cabinets to tuck everything away, plus a few freestanding display shelves as accents — tidy, and with room to spare.

4. Exposed appliances yield to concealed, seamless storage

The modern kitchen prizes a clean look: a stainless-steel extractor hood on show is no longer read as a design feature. Instead, appliances are built in and absorbed into the cabinetry to create seamless surfaces and free up additional storage.

5. The monotonous grey-white palette cools off

Colour trends tend to run in roughly decade-long cycles, and the sameness of neutral schemes (white, beige, grey) has started to wear thin. An all-white space feels airy but can read as cold and sterile. The momentum is moving towards warmer, more characterful colours and cosier details, rather than clinging to monochrome minimalism.

Pick durable trends and avoid repeat renovations

What the fading trends share is that they are “great in photos, inconvenient in use”. When renovating, prioritise real-world function, durable materials and smart storage so you are not redoing the work in a few years. See also 9 mistakes to avoid when renovating your home to sidestep the expensive errors.

AIC works to a single-point design-build model, with over 10 years in the trade (since 2016 under the predecessor Nhân Việt; AIC was founded in 2019), two in-house factories (1,200 m² and 600 m²) and more than 695+ projects delivered. From a floor plan, AIC produces a BOQ estimate within roughly 4 working hours so homeowners can size the budget; projects are handed over with a warranty of up to 24 months. See our apartment interior design and build service.

Frequently asked questions

Are open plans still relevant?

Yes — but as flexible layouts rather than absolute openness. Keep the shared areas airy for connection, and add partitions (glass, louvres, movable walls) to create private zones when someone needs quiet for work or study.

Should I install open shelving in the kitchen?

Open shelves look attractive but gather dust, expose clutter in daily use and store relatively little. The balanced solution is closed cabinetry for the bulk of your kitchenware, keeping just a few freestanding display shelves as accents.

Which interior colours are replacing white and grey?

The shift is towards warmer, more characterful tones combined with cosy details, so spaces feel less cold and uniform. Neutrals can still serve as the base — as long as they are balanced with warm materials (wood, fabric) and colour accents.