It’s that time of year again when we dive into the most “frightening”
home design trends of 2025—the ones that could spook potential buyers,
clash with current tastes and even potentially hurt a home’s resale
value—that is, if you’re not careful.
Throughout the year,
designers, real estate professionals and consumer surveys have all
weighed in, sharing their disdain for certain looks, layouts and décor
choices that can feel outdated, overdone or completely impractical. From
furniture faux pas to
paint color missteps, we’ve gathered the worst of
the worst in countdown fashion. Find the trends that make designers cringe, buyers roll their eyes and homeowners question what they were ever thinking.
Once the “it” plant of Pinterest boards everywhere, the fiddle leaf fig
is officially passé. Interior designers now call it the houseplant that
locks your home into the late 2010s. Sure, it’s bold and sculptural—but
it’s also earned a reputation for being fussy, difficult to keep alive
and viewed as a cookie-cutter accessory.
The New York Times
first called out the “death of the fiddle leaf fig tree” in 2022, and
others have since followed suit. Homeowners are seeking more variety in
their houseplant choices. Looking for alternatives? Try
snake plants,
rubber trees or
oxalis for less maintenance and more personality.
Red brick has slid down on curb appeal charts, with just 2% of designers
calling it the most desirable in 2025, falling in at last place on the
preference list.
Off-white,
natural wood and
deep gray dominate buyer
preferences nowadays, according to
Fixr.com’s
“2025 design and trends color report.”pdf
Red brick still holds its charm in historic homes—but lately it has
read more as dated, particularly as more homeowners favor lighter,
versatile finishes that better match modern tastes.
The gray flooring craze continues to cool. Surging in popularity from
2018 to the early 2020s, the look can now make spaces feel cold and
washed out. Warm, natural wood tones are taking over, seeking to connect
interiors more to nature. Still love your gray floors? Contrast them
with bright, colorful accents to help balance things out—just don’t
expect them to be the star of your space any longer.
Maximalism has gone wild and cluttered “
granny chic” versions are out.
The anything-goes, pile-on-everything approach has left too many homes
feeling chaotic. Lately, it’s about embracing “maximalism with
meaning”—bold colors with layered textures and eclectic finds that tell a
story. After all, if buyers can’t see past the
zebra rugs and neon
wallpaper, you likely are doing a home a disservice.
Just when you thought home tech couldn’t get any stranger, along comes a
growing sector of smart toilets. Ambient lighting, app and voice
control, music, health monitoring—do we really need our toilets doing
all that? Smart home expert Brandon Doyle, a real estate pro with RE/MAX
Results and co-host of
The Technical Difficulties Podcast, calls the
smart bidet “one of the most over-the-top devices. “Your standard bidet
is interesting enough for Americans,” he said on a recent episode of
Real Estate Today,
“but when you layer on sensors and automations, it gets kind of
weird—it’s a good conversation piece but it’s definitely goofy.” Like
other flashy smart gadgets, these toilets may be more spectacle than
practical upgrade—attention-grabbing, yes, but horrifyingly
overengineered.
Yes, people really are
spray-painting their lawns green!
Lawn paint can disguise brown patches for a quick sale or backyard
party, but it’s a cosmetic fix that doesn’t solve soil or watering
issues. And used deceptively, it can cross an ethical line in real
estate when you’re using it to cover up serious lawn issues. Today’s
buyers value honesty and sustainability—not painted turf. A healthy
lawn—or even drought-friendly landscaping—can beat a painted quick-fix.
Red … again?! This time for the walls, not the exterior. More than half
of real estate agents surveyed by Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate
called red walls an instant buyer deterrent. Red also popped up high on
Fixr.com’s 2025 survey of
the most off-putting interior colors for home selling,
which also included lime green, bold pink, purple, orange and mustard
yellow. What colors should you use instead? Better Homes & Gardens
Real Estate’s poll found that “new neutrals” reign—colors like soft
greens, warm grays and nature-inspired tones. They note that buyers
crave calm, move-in ready spaces, not bold personal statements they’ll
have to cover later. So, save those fiery hues for accents—not your
entire dining room wall.
All-white kitchens have had a solid run, but they’ve become predictable
and a kitchen cliché. Today’s homeowners want warmth and personality. Two-tone kitchens—mixing
painted uppers with wood or darker lowers—or colorful kitchen islands
add dimension and character without a full remodel. White is still
classic, but combining it with natural or wood tones and nature-inspired
hues can keep a kitchen feeling fresh, modern and far from
cookie-cutter.
They may look sleek and modern on Instagram, but floating stairs are
high in cost and low in practicality. Without risers or sturdy supports,
they can feel more like a safety hazard than a design win. Plus,
they’re not cheap, and that’s money that could be better spent creating a
dream kitchen. Buyers and homeowners likely will appreciate safer, more
functional stair options. (Note: In my experience, a buyer's physical inspector may call out stairs with no railing in the physical inspection report.)
What once felt playful on TikTok has officially turned terrifying in
2025. Homes drenched in hot pink—from walls to furniture—now part of the
fading
Barbiecore craze read as overwhelming and juvenile. A few pink
accents are fine, but full-on candy-colored décor is chaotic and dated.
Designers are retreating to earthier, grounded color palettes—soft
greens, warm neutrals and natural textures—leaving Malibu
Dreamhouse-style interiors and the bubblegum craze stuck firmly in the
past … and back in the toy aisle where it all began.
To see the entire article with completely descriptive photos, just click on the link --
Sometimes sellers don't enjoy frank feedback from their listing agent, and sometimes it's not practical for construction design changes in order to sell, but an article like this one can help for preparation!
