Trending ... YOU DO YOU
It’s a new year and there are a new set of articles, videos and TikToks about Trends We Love! Trends We Hate! Trends We Adore! Trends That Should Land You In Jail!!
I love poking around those topics and seeing what people are saying, but I almost always end up sad and a bit amused. So many things that are OUT are things we were so excited about not too long ago. It’s true that if you just wait long enough, a trend will come right back around and you can love or hate it all over again. To put a finer point on how ridiculous trends and trend-forecasting can be, do yourself a favor and watch Bowen Yang and Aidy Bryant absolutely SLAY as the SNL - Trend Forecasters.
If you find yourself a bit annoyed with all the new year trend talk, I’d like to ground you in some of my all time favorite interiors and why the best advice is to always be true to yourself.
These are designers who live/lived in these spaces. I find homes like these to be the most inspiring and informative!
Ilse Crawford’s London Townhome - 2003 - I often can’t put my finger on what makes an Ilse Crawford signature design, which is one of the reasons I like her work so much. She is a master at combining styles and colors and keeping you guessing. I’ve always liked this loft she lived in with her husband for 15 years. It combines warm and cool tones, looks lived in, seems cozy and also organized. Mmm. Love it.
Design Mom’s House in San Francisco aka The Treehouse - 2017 - I love to see how big families actually live and Design Mom does it with panache. Her tiny French town Tall House is fantastic, but remember her San Fran home? It’s realistic, it’s playful, it’s happy, it’s normal. She designs how they live and it shows.
Beata Heuman’s Swedish family home - 2023 - One of the queens of the now-popular Swedish Grandma Maximallism, Beata Heuman just knows what she’s doing. This is her family’s home-away-from-home, and WOW what a visual feast. You think you’ve got the hang of it, and then BAM you walk into the bedroom and see that lumbar pillow. And you just let it wash over you and you take it all in. Because she’s designing for herself, her people and she knows that no pattern or color scheme is ever off-limits.
Heather Peterson's Minneapolis Home - 2025 - I listened to this designer on a podcast and was intrigued by her sharing that she gravitates toward brown, cork, and rattan and has embraced using them throughout her projects even if they aren’t “popular” at any given moment. This is her home in Minneapolis and it’s so refreshing to see her interesting mixture of styles, colors, and materials all under one roof.
I hope you’re inspired to design for yourself in your own home! Let this be your new year’s reminder … YOU DO YOU!
Originally posted on Substack January 20, 2026.