Top 3 Home Trend Predictions that Were Wrong for 2022

If you ever do fix-and-flip deals, you know how careful you have to be when you are trying to follow the latest trends in home décor and design. If you hit the trends right, you can add thousands of dollars in value to your deal when homebuyers bid up the property because it is on trend. Miss the trends, however, and you could have a “lemon” on your hands because a buyer may want to pay less since they will have to make changes to the house once they buy it.

In 2021, the pandemic-driven home renovation craze continued full steam ahead out of 2020. Confused.com, a self-described “consumer comparison site” designed to help consumers compare products and services, recently released a report on what predictions were hits and which ones were misses for last year.

For example, home design experts predicted “Cottagecore,” a design trend that originated in 2017 on Instagram that romanticizes rural and farm lifestyle interpretations of home design, would dominate design in 2021. Instead, sleek, minimal, modern trends emerged as the leaders, although plenty of people are still searching the term “cottagecore” online because they just have no idea what in the world it means.

Design-Trend Misfires

Here are two other design trends that did not pan out quite as expected:

Rustic:

Many fix-and-flip investors confuse rustic and farmhouse décor, but rustic home design has more coastal and Tuscan elements that keep rooms bright and airy as well as plenty of repurposed wood and aged finishes. However, rustic never caught on in 2021 – and it certainly never replaced the always popular “farmhouse” aesthetic. Farmhouse design keeps homes cozy and always goes for exposed wood when possible.

Japandi:

This trend combines Japanese and Scandinavian cultural elements with an emphasis on nature and minimalism. Experts thought that with the ongoing remote work trend, homeowners might want a little more peace and nature in their lives. Since this trend also emphasizes getting rid of items that do not serve a purpose, it seemed likely that homeowners who were feeling cramped during lockdowns might like it. However, Japandi simply did not catch on and homeowners continued to prefer farmhouse décor.

Modern Wins in 32 States

If you want to play it safe, then Modern and Farmhouse designs are the best trends to stick with. Of all 50 states, 46 states posted preferences for these two trends over all others. New Mexico put Japandi on the map as the only state with a leading preference for this style, and Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire favored Tuscan looks. Everywhere else, however, the clean lines and natural finishes that dominate both modern and farmhouse took the prize.