Since I’m snuggling my newborn baby girl, I wanted to arrange for a little blog “maternity leave” of sorts. I’ve asked several fellow bloggers to play a little game having to do with home decor and design. The game is called Fling, Marry, Kill. It’s exactly like F*ck, Marry, Kill, but with home design trends. Each guest will be sharing what design trend they’d have a Fling with but couldn’t stand to keep permanently, what trend they could Marry and keep around forever, and the trend they think needs to die. Today’s guest is Courtney of Cook Like a Champion!
Hi everyone! I’m so excited to be here on Ashley’s blog today while she soaks in some time with her sweet baby girl! My name is Courtney, and I share recipes over at Cook Like a Champion. Like Ashley, I live in Richmond and am a mama of two. While I mostly talk about food, I love a good DIY project. We’re actually working on phase two of our kitchen renovation right now (we finished the first part about five years ago in a totally unplanned renovation), and I’m eager to share pictures of our progress soon.
Today, I’m talking design trends I love and ones I can totally live without. What designs do you want to have a fling with, marry, or say good riddance to? Here are mine!
Fling –
Black walls. Okay, as a person who has nearly her whole house painted with a light color (Sherwin Williams Sea Salt), I have to say I’m totally lusting over all the black walls I’ve seen recently. I love the moody contrast they add, and something about them seems so luxurious. As much as I love them, though, I don’t think I could commit to black walls long term. I have three pets inside and could just see myself needing to frequently dust those walls to keep them looking good.
I am obsessed with this dreamy kitchen from No Glitter, No Glory. Just look at those dramatic black walls and how they contrast with the warm wood countertops! 
Marry –
The design trend I will never tire of is something so simple. Any guesses? It’s stripes! I’ll take an occasional herringbone, but plain stripes are classic to me. This goes for my clothes, too. I am a sucker for stripes. (Boden has my favorite striped tees if you’re like me and can never have too many stripes in your wardrobe.)
I have these Dash & Albert Catamaran Stripe Rugs all over my house, and I never get sick of them. Stripes are my forever favorite design trend. 
Kill –
My last design trend, one I loathe, is probably going to make some people mad. Sorry! It’s all the signs/wall art with random words like “live, laugh, love.” I mean, I love coffee more than most people, probably, but I don’t need a sign that just says “coffee” hanging up in my kitchen. I’m not totally against quotes or word art on the walls, though. I have some gorgeous prints from Etsy with quotes from Harry Potter and favorite song lyrics, and I love those because they’re personally meaningful to me (and hand-lettered) and not just some random words that say something broadly inspirational, know what I mean? You may think that’s totally dorky, though, and that’s okay!
I feel like this one from Amazon is the perfect example – the faux old wood, the multiple typefaces – it’s just too much. My style has definitely changed over the years, and I’ll admit I had something similar to this in my first college apartment. 
