When Better Homes and Gardens reported recently that catalog-perfect and cookie-cutter interiors are out, many homeowners breathed sighs of relief. Calling it “the real home trend,” the story explained that “today’s homes are moving away from picture-perfect decorating toward spaces that tell a story. Instead of matching sets and untouched surfaces, homeowners are embracing layered rooms filled with meaningful items designed to reflect their daily lives.”
It’s a shift local designers say they have seen first-hand. “People are finally craving a sense of uniqueness inside their homes,” explains Jennifer Kasselmann of Art by Design Interiors. “They want spaces that feel collected, personal, and reflective of who they are, not what a catalog tells them to be.” Clients, she says, are tired of the “copy‑and‑paste” aesthetic. “Instead, they want rooms that tell their story — their travels, their history, their personality.”
Rachel Nelson of Concetti agrees. “We’ve been watching clients pull away from that ‘I could have found this in a showroom’ feeling for a while now,” she says. “They come to us less with a Pinterest board they want recreated and more with a feeling they’re chasing. They want to walk into a room and feel something specific. They want it to be undeniably, specifically them.”
We caught up with a number of local design experts to see what they thought about the move toward more authentic spaces and ideas for how you can cultivate a more personal and expressive style in your own home.
In With The Old
Brad Stanwick, founder of the Parson’s Nose Antiques, is happy to see things changing. “It’s finally OK again to include antiques in interiors,” he says. “We have had such a long run of picture-perfect interiors where everything matched, was neutral and patina was not appreciated and in fact, was frowned upon.” Incorporating antiques is one of the best ways to personalize your spaces, he says. “Honestly, I believe at least one piece of furniture in every room should be old — it can be involved and expensive to get an old sofa up to today’s standard, but a console table, chest of drawers or case goods are an easy add. You need to be OK with different wood tones; it’s hard to get an antique to match something out of a catalog, but they can complement each other. And the color black should also be in every room in one form or another — a dark piece of furniture, a lamp, or accessories.”
The proliferation of ever-changing micro-trends has had at least one good effect, he says. “Interior design content is changing at such an alarming rate, some of it by influencers, some of it by AI,” he explains. “It’s a great reason to stick with what you like, what makes you happy and worry less about trends,” he says.
Thanks for the Memories
Joel Baird of Baird Design Group has seen a return to showcasing heirloom pieces at home. One of his favorite parts of the job is helping others organize collections. “I love taking people’s items and categorizing them and installing them in interesting ways,” he says. “Gallery walls and bookcases can be very interesting and layered with memories.”
His own home is a good example. “We have a guest room with memories from my wife’s family cottage at Higgins Lake. Wooden water skis, a black-and-white image created of the shoreline, a clock from the cottage and her dad’s old bucket hat. In our family room, we started collecting clocks and put them on the mantel.” His living room includes artwork by his grandfather, original works by artists, and pieces created by his children. “People are definitely starting to want more, including interesting objects, textures and color,” he says.
“We have many clients that want to incorporate art they have collected from their travels, family heirlooms, and furniture that they adore,” agrees Lauren Guidry of GHK Design Collaborative. “A perfect example of this is a client that asked us to include a rocking chair that they’ve rocked all of their babies in. It’s moments like that that really make what we do so special. We get the privilege to create spaces for our clients that reflect who they are, and tell a story about their life.”
Begin by assessing what you have and love, designers advise. “Start with what you already own and take your time,” advises Paige Loperfido of Décor and More Design Studio. “The most interesting rooms often begin with personal pieces, i.e., art, heirlooms, travel finds…even something as simple as reupholstering a chair or framing personal photography can completely shift a space toward something more personal. By layering textures, patterns, and materials with intention, you create depth, warmth and character. That’s what ultimately makes a space feel interesting and personal, rather than tied to a single moment or trend.”
Go For The Bold
Beyond mixing old and new — “a vintage piece next to something modern instantly adds depth” — and showcasing meaningful items such as art, books, heirlooms, travel finds and heirloom pieces, Kasselmann says to choose color with intention. “Even one bold hue can transform a room from generic to expressive,” she says, and to support artisans. “Handmade tile, pottery, textiles and furniture bring soul and texture. And let imperfection live, she counsels. “Patina, wear and character make a space feel lived-in and loved.”
Consider wallpaper, says Nelson. It’s “honestly one of the most underutilized tools out there. The range is wild right now. Large-scale murals, classic grass cloths, textured naturals, bold geometrics. There is genuinely something for every personality.” And people forget you’re not limited to just the walls. We’ve also started having custom wallpapers designed by our in-house graphic designer and printed locally, which takes the “collected” feeling to a whole other level. Nothing says ‘this space is mine” quite like something that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”
Kasselmann advocates being brave. “A lot of it comes down to fear — fear of making a mistake, fear of resale, fear of stepping outside what’s considered “normal,” she says. “Social media has also created this pressure to conform to a certain look, and it rewards sameness. But safe often ends up feeling sterile. When every home on the block looks the same, inside and out, it strips away the joy and identity that make a space meaningful. People are starting to realize that playing it safe doesn’t necessarily make them happy.”
She sees good things ahead. “I think we’re moving into an era where individuality is the new luxury. More color, more pattern, more mixing of eras, more personal storytelling. Homes will feel collected rather than coordinated. I also see a continued rise in artisan work — handmade tile, custom upholstery, local craftsmanship — as people seek authenticity and longevity… a home should embrace you and reflect what you’re truly comfortable in. At the end of the day, you have to love where you live.”
Nelson agrees. “There’s a whole script people feel like they’re supposed to follow. You need a dining room. Your walls should be neutral. Keep resale value in mind. And those “shoulds” pile up until the space stops feeling like yours and starts feeling like a performance for someone else. “You don’t have to follow trends. You don’t have to design for a future buyer you’ve never met. Your home is an extension of who you are. It should feel like coming home to yourself, not like a space you’ve been tolerating. When we name that out loud in our first conversations, you can actually see people exhale.”
It’s worth the extra time and effort, says Susie Kapadia of GHK. “Curated spaces require more trust in your own taste, and that can feel vulnerable. Like with anything, trusting your gut is always the way to go and the results will feel much more genuine and authentic. The most interesting spaces usually come from a little experimentation, layering, and imperfection.”
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: It’s personal: Homeowners are rejecting picture-perfect rooms
Reporting by Khristi Zimmeth, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
