The Décor Trends We All Thought Were ‘Us’ Until We Grew Up

There is a moment in adulthood when you open an old photo album (or, more realistically, scroll back far enough on Facebook) and come face to face with your past interior choices. You stare at the photo, tilt your head, squint a little and whisper:

“Oh. I really thought I was onto something there.”

We all go through décor eras that felt like personality, self-expression and sophistication at the time.

Looking back, they read more like an emotional timestamp. A snapshot of who we were and what we thought adulthood looked like.

These are the trends that shaped us, challenged us and occasionally haunted us. And honestly, they deserve to be studied.

The Lava Lamp Enthusiasm Phase

There was nothing ironic about the lava lamp the first time around. We fully believed the hypnotic blobs were the epitome of cool. A sign of taste. A declaration that we understood ambience.

If it glowed, burbled or made the room look vaguely intergalactic, we were in.

The lava lamp did have one lasting effect, though: it taught an entire generation that lighting alone can define a mood. Perhaps not always the mood you want — but a mood nonetheless.

The Paper Lantern Era (aka the “I’m very sophisticated now” years)

Installing a paper lantern felt like joining the world of responsible people who knew what “soft lighting” meant. Never mind that the lantern collected dust, tore at the slightest breeze and sagged in places no one wanted it to sag.

We walked around with enormous confidence simply because our ceiling light had a round shade.

It was our first encounter with the idea that scale matters. Pity it took a while for the lesson to sink in.

The Great Wallpaper Border Catastrophe

At one point in time, wallpaper borders were considered a stylish finishing touch. A visual crown. A decorative flourish that showed you cared about detail.

In reality, they were the interior equivalent of a thin, decorative headband — charming on a ten-year-old, alarming on anyone older.

Not only were they impossible to remove without therapy, but they also created a visual line around the room that served no real purpose except reminding you of every strange design choice you made below it.

The Metal Bed Frame With “Character”

The twisty wrought iron bed frame was a rite of passage. I had one. It made us feel romantic, mysterious and vaguely poetic, even though most of us paired it with polyester bedding and questionable wall art.

In hindsight, these bed frames were the decorative equivalent of dramatic eyeliner: bold, committed and absolutely out of control if not handled carefully.

But they did teach us one thing. Statement furniture needs a supporting cast. Not chaos.

The Full Matching Bedroom Set

This era deserves its own museum wing. The matching bedside tables, the matching dresser, the matching wardrobe, the matching mirror — all bought as a package, all insisting on being placed together like an overbearing theatre troupe.

If you were lucky, one piece was tolerable. If you bought the whole set, there was no escape.

It taught an important lesson: just because furniture comes together, does not mean it belongs together. Some relationships are purely transactional.

The Everything-Is-IKEA Moment

It starts with a Lack table. Then a Billy bookcase. Then a Malm drawer unit. Before you know it, you are living in a crime scene photograph where every item is light birch and costs under €40.

We bought these pieces because they were practical, affordable and made us feel like we had our lives in order.

The issue was never the IKEA items themselves. The issue was having every IKEA item. But it was a valuable chapter — the moment we learned that convenience needs contrast, otherwise the room feels like a waiting area at a Scandinavian dentist.

The Accent Wall That Tried Very Hard

There was a time when every interior problem was solved with an accent wall. Feeling uninspired? Accent wall. Want drama? Accent wall. Want to hide the fact that you have no furniture? Accent wall.

Unfortunately, the accent wall trend went through a stage of deep maroons, violent turquoises and muddy browns — and many of us were casualties.

But it was the first time we experimented with colour psychology, even if the psychology was mostly panic.

So What Do These Eras Mean Now?

They demonstrate something worth celebrating: that taste develops through doing. Through impulse, experimentation, regret, and the occasional moment of accidental brilliance.

Every questionable décor phase nudged us towards a more confident, more grounded version of our style. They forced us to confront what we liked in theory versus what actually worked in a room with four walls and natural light.

We do not evolve by getting it right. We evolve by getting it gloriously wrong, then realising what wrong actually taught us.

And honestly, if your current home reflects even a fraction of that journey, you are doing better than you think.