I was in a local Marshalls Home Goods in Webster, Texas recently and thought to myself, "I wonder if home goods stores in Paris or London carry mostly US decor?".  I realize that local artists will most definitely offer local options if I do some research, but I really just wanted some affordable catalogue accent pieces in a hurry.  All I could find were prints of French bistros and architecture, throw pillows with French phrases, clocks with London tags and anything but domestic decor.  Most of the pieces were very nice to look at, but I've never been to either place!

So, when I saw this article today on MSN Living, I agree that maybe it's time for some trends to go away...kind of like patent shoes.

I have to admit, I participate personally in nearly half of the 10 trends listed.  It's difficult in many parts of Texas, and in my own house in Pearland, to escape the mounted animal trend.  I have even suggested many of the trends below as staging ideas for sellers.  A bright bowl of green or red apples shows up great in a photo afterall. In addition, home builders in most of the Houston suburbs still rely heavily on "Open Layouts" and "Cookie-Cutter Kitchens" with granite and stainless appliances.  But recent data shows that those homes continue to attract a strong group of home buyers, so the trends continues locally.

But as we all know, trends do change over time.  I'm anxious to see what the next 5-10 years will reveal about people's buying patterns for their homes.

Here is the full list from MSN Living:

1. Taxidermy
2. Open Layouts
3. Cliched Design
4. Cookie-Cutter Kitchen
5. Obvious Signage
6. Chalkboard Overload
7. Food as Decor
8. Neon
9. Intentionally Distressed Furniture
10.TVs on the Mantel

If I had to choose one item from the MSN Living list above that I'd prefer to see less in homes I tour, it would be the "Obvious Signage". If you need a label to find the bathroom in your home, you may be in trouble. But these are just opinions.

What do you think?