4 Ways to Know if a New Trend is for You

Last week, we talked about how I find true inspiration in the midst of a social media-run world. The reality? It’s not easy. With an overload of inspiration flooding our feeds every day, we can start to feel as though everything we see is everything we could ever want. Today, however, we’re talking about how to know if the newest inspired trend is really for you.

In our last blog post, I mentioned the importance of identifying the true values of a client’s life. This directly inspires the space I help them create. Identifying what you value most in life is crucial to knowing whether or not you should follow the next design trend to hit you with a targeted ad.

For example, if you say your Living Room would become your dream space if only it had a blue couch you saw on Instagram, we’d then encourage you to ask yourself why a blue couch would make or break your space. What does the color of the couch add to your quality of life?

Maybe you just like the color blue, or maybe it’s a new trend you’d like to try.

We’d then ask you: What purpose will your Living Room couch serve? Will it be a gathering place for friends and family? Oh! And how big is your family? Do you have dogs that think the couch is theirs? Will the couch need frequent cleaning because of this?

The questions could go on for a while, but I’ll save you from the detailed breakdown of the importance of a couch.

Sometimes we like the look of a space, and we say we want it for ourselves. It doesn’t really matter if you end up with a blue couch or not; all that matters is that it serves you as your life needs to be served.

We’ve all heard of buying a smaller pair of pants as motivation to get the body you want. But let’s be realistic here and avoid problematic mentalities. Invest in trends that make sense for the life you lead now, and you’re sure to end up satisfied.

Let’s be honest. New trends can be expensive. This, of course, does not mean taking on a new trend is a bad idea but rather that some trends require more investment than others.

The same goes for new design trends. If a trend requires changing most or all of your space, then your wallet is going to take a hit.

Trends (earth tones, floral wallpaper, mixed metals, etc.) can be expensive projects all on their own, so taking on a new trend every month will undoubtedly bring on financial strain. This is why it’s important to be picky with the trends you commit to and only invest in the ones you’ll want around for the long haul.

There was once a time in which I had the blind, naive courage to include hot pink chairs in my Living Room. For a month or two, I’d glance over at them and think, “Wow, I love that pop of color.” Eventually, that glance became a glare as I regretfully sat with my decision to put a notoriously obnoxious color in the main room of my home.

While it’s true that trends come and go, we are not meant to take on every single one at the drop of a hat. When you dive into a new way of decorating, organizing or designing, you have to consider whether or not you’d still like that trend a year or even three years from now.

Like with love and relationships, if you’re looking for something long-term, you should choose what will make you happy for potentially many years to come. A trend that will make you happy for a month or two just isn’t worth it, and it probably wasn’t meant for you to begin with.

We’ve all been there. Your favorite designer on Instagram posted about the new furniture in their Living Room, which was most likely an ad they were paid to post, but you’re sold. If they have it, then I should, too!

You’re not alone. In fact, you’re actually part of quite the opposite. As humans, we thrive within community as it gives us a sense of belonging and fellowship with the people we like most. We want to be like the people around us, live like them. At the root of it all, it’s about survival.

But committing to a new trend just because your favorite influencer is doing it is not life or death.

We spend so much of our lives trying to be like everyone else for acceptance and affirmation. Fight this mentality, and ask yourself if the trend in front of you is something you actually like or if you like it just because someone else does.

Before jumping on the bandwagon of the next trend you see, ask yourself these questions:

1. Would the trend enhance my lifestyle or enrich what matters to me most?

2. Will following this trend put a financial strain on me? Am I taking on trends too fast?

3. Will I like this trend a couple of years from now?

4. Do I really like this trend or do I like it because someone else does?

We exist in a constant flow of information, and that information is coming to us pretty much anytime we open our phones. It’s hard to weed out the trends that actually inspire us, that bring us closer to the kind of person we are at our core.

The truth is: Not every trend is for you, and that’s OK.