The TikTok Designers Have Spoken: Here Are 5 Decor Trends You’d Never Find In Their Own Homes

We’ve all seen those Cottagecore, English-style kitchens with pots and pans swinging overhead, yes? Well, according to NYC-based designer Nina Takesh’s TikTok, “No matter how you display pots and pans, they’re never going to look good.” Not only are “they going to get dirty,” she says, but “even if you were to buy all new pots and pans, this is not a good look. It’s busy, it’s crowded and it’s an eyesore.” What’s more, Takesh also addresses the hanging plant fad in the video: “I have received several messages from your plants, and they’ve all said they would rather not be hanging from the ceiling,” she jokes. “They would much rather come down and live in a cool planter.”

Sticking with the theme of plants, more than a few designers have expressed their desire to never see a faux version again. “I really hope there’s an end in site for the faux olive tree craze,” says designer and DIY expert Ryan Filipski in a video. “Go visit Tuscany, get your fix on olive trees, and then come back and invest in a real house plant! There are so many options for houseplants that can grow in low-light conditions—so there’s absolutely no excuse to have a faux plant in your house.” Interior stylist Anthony Immediato also backs this up in a video, saying: “The [greenery] always looks fake. You can get the most realistic option and they always look fake…it’s worth learning how to take care of a plant for [the sake of your decor].”

Then, we have another shabby chic meets Cottagecore trend that Immediato and Takesh would both like to see disappear: Whitewashed furniture and accent pieces. “Just buy real, vintage furniture,” Immediato mentions in the same video. “[The white-washing trend] doesn’t look good; you can tell it’s faux, and it’s likely the [same price] as a vintage piece that already has the aged, wear and tear [look] that [you’re going for].” And of course, Takesh backs this up: “If you have anything [whitewashed] in your home, it should be [brought] back to the flea market it came from,” she says in her TikTok as well. “This is [because] the room is dictated by [the whitewash]. It becomes the focal point because it’s so eye-catching—and you don’t want the focal point of your room to be [an outdated trend] that doesn’t look great [to begin with].”

We have to admit, we had no idea pillow-chopping was a thing. But evidently, it is, and it’s already exiting the design scene. Aoife Tobin, designer behind Style So Simple, explains in a video: “It’s been said that chopping your pillows makes your house look too formal—like it’s straight out of a photo shoot. Now, people are opting for a more relaxed feel in their homes. They’re laying the cushions casually on the sofa (or bed) as opposed to formally dressing it.” Designer and DIYer Jennifer Laura also touches on this in her video, saying, “You will not catch me karate chopping my pillows. Let your pillows live; let them breathe. They don’t want to be chopped.”

Finally, for a fad Filipski would like to see die (alongside the olive trees): DIY sconces and wireless lighting. “[The wireless charging lights from Amazon are] a pain in the ass,” he mentions in the same video. “The light will die after three hours and you will *never* keep up with recharging it every single night.” However, he also offers a solution: “I have two USB-powered under-cabinet lights from Amazon. They’re both plugged in, they stay on all the time, and the cord is white so you don’t even notice it.” He also adds: “Another work-around is using a cable collector [which] can draw the eye up and out towards your sconce.”