Interior Design Trends That Are Making a Comeback

As some people mentioned in the comments section, sunken living rooms can be a challenge for people with disabilities and they can be a bit of a hazard! So consider that if you are considering one for your home. I will also be addressing this in an upcoming video on this subject so thanks for the comments! ❤

I think individual rooms could be a response to the last two years and staying home. Being able to have a private area to escape to feels necessary now. I think that the sunken living room is also coming from the pandemic. Invite your friends over for an intimate party, and the coziness of the area feels so anti social distancing.

Ever since my grandmother-in-law came over and plunked herself where she could have a bird's eye view of my every move while I was making Christmas dinner for the family and subsequently made a huge mess pulling a flimsy tin foil pan with the turkey out of the oven, spilling most of the drippings....EEK!! I am a Huge Fan of a closed kitchen. Maybe with a lock.

You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that individual rooms in a house are trendy. People always give me side eye when I tell them that I hate open concept and never want to live in one big room.

Sunken living rooms look super cool and I get why they are coming back from an aesthetic sense. BUT-have a cocktail or two or simply a guest who isn't necessarily paying attention to the changing level and you have a twisted knee or sprained ankle. As a Gen-Xer, I saw this happen more than once. On another note, sitting on a couch in a sunken living room creates sight lines with people who are standing on the level above that are not always...well...optimal. Like, you can be sitting on the couch and at eye level is someone's crotch. It's awkward. Last but not least, I remember that the sunken living room acted like a dust bowl. All of the dust and pet fur in the house ends up in that space. Also, I grew up with a sectional sofa. Again, looks super cool. But trust me, you will get tired of the constant shifting that occurs with use because they always look slightly janky if they aren't kept in line. The every single day need to 'fix' the couch gets old.  Can you tell that keeping the living room clean was one of my chores as a teenager??

I LOVE having a separate kitchen. It's a full room. And so many people have told me to open it up, but the older I and my kids get, I appreciate having a more quiet, separate space. It's peaceful, as opposed to one giant, crazy room.

I have watched a video about maximalism few days ago and I felt that the host was making a good point: in the UK - where I live - the weather is not that nice most of the year. That can explain why people got tired quickly of minimalism here: if the weather is always grey and your flat is half empty, it can get quite sad. Maximalism is a way of creating a comfy cocoon for the cold days.

Back when sunken living rooms were around the first time we used to call them ankle breakers, for the obvious reason that a lot of people broke ankles if they weren’t paying attention. Probably still applies.

I have a separate kitchen in my 1950s home. I never want anything else. Sometimes I want to be alone. No one wants to hear pots rattle when they’re into something in the living/dining room. I can watch or listen to something in the kitchen and fam can do whatever in the other room. Love.

Yes, at age 61, I noticed many years ago that when things come back they are slightly different. As long as dark brown & orange wall to wall shag carpet doesn't come back, it's all good with me!

As a physical therapist I've got to say that I do not like sunken rooms. Because the mobility issue for people. But either makes the room completely in accessible to some people or make a falling hazard. As people get older they really need to start to plan, decide if they want to live in that house forever and if they do how accessible it might be. I hate to see people having to move out of their house just because it's not accessible for them but it happens all the time.

I grew up in a house with a sunken living room and I loved it. My parents said it made their feel cold 🤷‍♀️ I did used to run down the hall and leap off of the top step, hop across the coffee table, and land on the couch. I don't think that they liked that either 😆

Love these trends. Before 2020, we had too much noise in our lives, a lot of responsibilities pulling at us, so a minimalist approach was needed for balance. To me, these trends are all driven by the events of the last couple of years and a direct expression of our human yearning for balance: the desire for more privacy in the home, cozy spaces and colors to stave off the insecurities of real life, less need for minimalist dwellings because there hasn't been a lot of outside noise/activities to escape from, more decor to keep the eye and mind entertained.

I want the Parlor Room to make a comeback. Especially now that my son is starting to get into school-age I suddenly remember what it was like to be a kid when we got rid of separate room areas and constantly being yelled at to turn the TV down with my friends because the grown-ups were talking in the dining room literally feet away from the living room. I want a parlor where I can hang out with the other adults and my kid can watch whatever he wants in a living room or den area separate. Also totally agree about stainless steel being out. I just bought new appliances this week and we got all black appliances to go in our kitchen with white cabinets and deep plum colored walls. It looks so much better than stainless steel

Dusty rose got popular in the '80's along with "seafoam" and beige. Those colours became popular with the "country kitchen' concept. Decor included lots of ducks/ geese with ribbons around their necks. The whole country farmhouse look became popular mid 80's. Lots of matching decor. Sunken living rooms are a deathtrap for older people. I've witnessed the missing of the step disaster. I can't wait to see the end of gray and black. It's had it's day.

I am absolutely on board for bringing art deco back. Currently working on a room rehaul as such…ish

I'd just like to add with the cost of fuel going higher sometimes a large open plan space can be less cost effective. We only heat the rooms in use. Also with open plan there is less ability to "escape" or regroup if needed!

When I learned about Art Deco and Art Nouveau in high school, I knew right then and there that I would fill my home with those styles some day. Well, I don’t have a house to fill yet, but my apartment has touches of it, and I love that it’s easy to shop for! I’ll never tire of it :)

Warning: if you're tempted to buy a colourful refrigerator, avoid Smeg. Australia's consumer magazine, Choice, recently tested a massive range of fridges and the Smeg tested at the bottom of the group - way worse than any of the other brands on the market. The colour is really their only selling point.

Ooooo we had the “sunken” den growing up. I remember it always feeling cozy and the whole family all together each evening. It had all these neat “hidden” compartments for storage built in the walls and molding that hid the seams so nobody knew they were there.