We all have home decor trends that we love, hate, and honestly love to hate—myself included. I’m writing to you from my living room, where there’s a mural of pastel shapes and a wavy coffee table that I currently love (though that’s not always the case). At the time, I was planning on creating a playful space that was colorful and not so self-serious, which led me to commission an accent wall to address the problem of my 15-foot-tall boring minimalist white walls and a custom-made coffee table that was not available off the shelf before.

Fast forward to the present and, of course, I’ve found that my own design choices aren’t popular (I don’t need to explain the backlash against accent walls and flourish overload). But as I stuck to my guns and committed to the look, I realized that most designers and tastemakers in the industry have their own controversial design trends that they also love. And that plenty of people still buy flourish decor. So, in the spirit of hot takes, we spoke to six design experts whose style we admire to find out which home decor trends they can’t get enough of—even if they’re not the most popular.

Leaving the original wood cladding of a house untouched

Listen, we love a fresh coat of white as much as designer Leanne Ford does, but Sam Arneson, one of Los Angeles’ leading real estate agents for the creative, nature-loving scene, is a strong advocate for preserving your home’s original wood ceilings and trim. In a world where homeowners keep turning to white paint as a design solution, their answer is a resounding “Jesus, please don’t!” They go on to explain, “I’m 100% against it in literally every scenario. Original wood is so sexy and adds much-needed warmth, texture and dignity. I honestly would love to have as many unpainted wood surfaces in my home as possible.”

While not everyone feels the same, we have enough evidence to back up Sam’s case. Lucy Akin, founder of Ciao Lucia, agrees – her home is still full of the original pine siding. “Usually people buy the house and suddenly it’s all white,” she says. “When you walk into the cabin, you’re just blown away by how much wood there is – I wanted to keep that.”

Kate Hayes and Krista Little of Hayes Little Studio preserved the original details of a Craftsman-era home in Georgia—dark wood beams, fireplaces, windows and trim—and combined them with warm, welcoming accents to create a more modern space despite heavy, historic elements. “We didn’t want the house to feel like an oppressive Victorian library, but we also didn’t want it to feel like a white box,” Kate adds.

Go for super trendy decor

In 2024, it feels almost illegal to pledge allegiance to a trend and give it pride of place in your home, but designer Sarah Tract of Sarah Tract Interiors loves embracing a current shape or object if it helps bring a particular vision to life. “I think being ‘too trendy’ is controversial, but I also think it’s great to express yourself in whatever way you feel is right for your home,” she says.