| One thing the Irish say, is that the thing about the past, is that it’s not the past. |
| Certain things are timeless. The little black dress. An Eames chair. A pint of Guinness. In an age of unending interconnectedness, ideas and inspiration, innovative ideas rarely hit from nowhere. This is important when thinking about designing outside of ‘trends’; it’s especially hard because we’re having to wonder about transient fads from age of hyper-information, rapid consumption, instant gratification, and Amazon deliveries. A diaspora of desire. To and to haven’t. Trending design styles are typically socially loud. If you have a pulse on interior design and notice that everyone is clamoring to update their homes with a new and unusual element at the same time, quite likely, it’s trendy. Jesus, Mary and Joseph and all his carpenter friends, I’m so over the homogenous gray on gray on gray, the white on white on white, both having the same marketing team as cottage cheese and cauliflower. Because man, are they ubiquitous. I have never been on the gray on gray on gray bandwagon, nor the white. Just like I don’t like perching on bar stools, having screen doors as front doors, and scalloped lampshades. Which all makes me sound very curmudgeonly, quickly becoming apparent I should limit contact with other people for the rest of the day. Now, let’s take a step back and consider the question: What is timeless and what is merely having a moment, a passing craze? |
| Remember sharp-tongued Miranda Priestly laying out the process whereby Andy’s cerulean blue sweater originates from Oscar De La Renta and is “filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin.” |
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| Good taste is never about being right—or wrong. Well, maybe just a bit wrong. For example, there were some decades in the past that had their fair share of questionable choices and colours, what some might call “disturbing to others”. It’s tempting to think that something had gone cosmically wrong, like Mercury is in retrograde, even when it wasn’t; really a handy shorthand for several shades of “Why?” |
| The Punchy ’60s. Lime green. Rattan. Faux wood veneer paneling soliciting unsolicited attention. Groovy shag carpets, Having to “rake” the carpet just before company arrived and walking through those same 9 feet of shag carpeting to change the TV channel. |
| The Retro ’70s. Avocado green, harvest gold, and burnt sienna. Rattan. Macramé. Carpeted bathrooms. The inestimable “conversation pit” living room, where at cocktail parties, late-staying guests tended to fall in, and fencing was needed to keep children from daily concussions. |
| Then came the bows and frills of The ’80s, making up in enthusiasm what they lacked in wit. Neon green. Rattan. Floral couches. Mirrored walls for a “timeless” look. Pastel everything. Leg warmers. Padded shoulders. Tequila Sunrise cocktails. (Although these are also still good.) |
| Next the perplexing Grunge ’90s, you’re glad if you missed it. Forest green. Rattan. Sponge painting. Track lighting. Entertainment centers. VHS tapes. Carpet on walls. Decorative border wallpaper. Swag curtains. Oversized leather sofas. |
| The 2000’s of Futuristic Aesthetic and Minimalism. Blue-greens. Rattan. Stainless steel appliances and backsplash. Granite countertops. Crocs. Skinny jeans. iPods. Shabby chic. Uniform gallery walls. Sleigh beds. Concrete flooring. Light coloured wood flooring. Reclaimed wood. Glass-topped tables. |
| Gray Wave of the 2010’s. Gray. Beige. Greige. Rose Gold. Rattan. Shiplap. Brass accents. White walls. There wasn’t a living room untouched by a shade of gray – the unheralded neutral hue of the decade. So began the trend shift from warm neutrals to cool grays, sometimes with the tropical hints of bright colours. |
| Today is a day for “the wearing of the green” and to herald in the new neutral—green. It’s 2025, the age of the “Anti-Trend” and Biophilia, prioritizing harmony, wellness and ecological sensitivity. Gone are the days when neutrals were limited to white, cream, gray and beige.Greens have now transitioned from a trend to a classic choice. They have earned their keep. Like my poor grandfather. My grandfather came from Ireland to get a better life, but my grandmother tracked him down and that was the end of that. |
| Colour is one of the few things that say so much with so little. But it all depends on the shade. (Please, not shamrock green.) The most important—and the most challenging decision in choosing the best green neutral, is to get the undertone right. Nature’s palette of serene greens, such as sage and olive with their gray and brown undertones, are go-to choices for longevity with universal appeal. These are colours that feel more natural and organic. They also pair well with other neutrals such as cappuccino and greige, or with bolder shades like mustard yellows and deep navy. When choosing the shade of green, consider how your space is used. Is it for relaxation, work, dining, or in a high traffic area like the hall? You may want to use a subtler green for restful spaces or make a daring statement with a deep, dark green in a dining area. |
| Nevertheless, individual taste is timeless, not trendy. Collect a bit of the blarney or storied objects for your home that you love regardless of whether they are in the prevailing zeitgeist of alluring fashion or not. (They probably aren’t.) Trust yourself, and create something that reflects you, where most every object is a memory. A reminder. Or where they are implicitly cherished for only the very fact that you own it. Maybe they are items that don’t cost much, but make life a bit sparklier. Or a special version of an everyday thing. |
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| Be an individual. Find your own taste—or I could tell you. Keep green and leprechaun. Sláinte! Thank you for reading to the end of this post. A baffling decision, but thank you. |
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