10 things that make your home scream “I’m dated!”
(source: Denver Post)
1. Light fixtures that are polished brass and have scroll work or fluted frosted glass. But, be careful. Original old light fixtures that fit the home's architecture are often worth preserving.
2. Swag window treatments. Straight, tailored drapes or shades stay stylish, so long as they are not scalloped of poufy. "You want streamlined and edited, nothing that looks like a dust collector," Kelly said. "If simplicity isn't there, neither is timelessness."
3. Themed rooms. Rooms built around a theme get dated fast. Remember the Southwest craze? All that aqua and peach and sand-washed woods took the country by wildfire, then burnt itself out. However, elements of a theme, like a cowhide rug mixed into an eclectic interior, can work for the long haul. "We're not talking Western camp," said Kelly, "but cowhide in a sophisticated way, like how Ralph Lauren pulls it off."
4. Cottage-cheese ceilings, also known in the trade as popcorn. "They must come down," she said. "They will never come back in style."
5. Faux finishes. "We have become more authentic in our approach, so faux is not as popular."
6. Tile counters. When you can have a solid surface for not much more expense, why have tile? Kelly asked. "No one wants to clean grout on a horizontal tile surface ever again. It doesn't matter how tight the grout lines are. Go for a slab."
7. Fake plants. They are almost always past their prime, even when brand new.
8. Shower curtains. See swag window treatments above. Now think, "Ick."
9. Black baffles on recessed can lights shout 1980. Change them to white or silver.
10. Extra layers. Many homes would look instantly younger, fresher and more up-to-date if owners would edit and streamline what they have. However, homeowners commonly add stuff but don't subtract, so after 10 years it takes an archeologist to cut through the layers. Accumulation, more than any other factor, puts years on a home.