Instagram Has Made Our Homes Boring
Before you close this tab, hear me out.
I love Instagram.
It's introduced me to incredible designers, talented makers and beautiful homes from around the world. It's inspired my own work more times than I can count.
But I also think it's quietly changed the way we decorate our homes.
And not always for the better.
Somewhere along the way, we've stopped asking, "What do I love?" and started asking, "What performs well?"
The Great Copy-and-Paste Era
Scroll through Instagram for five minutes and you'll probably see the same things repeated over and over again.
The boucle chair.
The oversized olive tree.
The stack of coffee table books.
The limewashed walls.
The travertine side table.
The perfectly styled shelves.
None of these things are inherently bad.
In fact, I like many of them.
The problem isn't the furniture.
The problem is that we're all beginning to decorate from the same mood board.
Homes are becoming less personal and more algorithmic.
Beautiful Doesn't Have To Mean Identical
One of the things I love most about interior design is that no two homes should ever feel the same.
Your home should tell the story of your life.
The places you've travelled.
The books you've read.
The artwork you've collected.
The chair you found in a flea market that makes absolutely no sense to anyone else.
Those are the things that create character.
Not buying exactly what everyone else has saved on Pinterest.
We've Started Decorating For The Photo
I sometimes wonder whether we're designing homes to live in—or to photograph.
The perfectly fluffed cushions.
The untouched coffee table.
The candle that's never been lit.
The kitchen that's almost too pristine to cook in.
A beautiful home shouldn't feel like you're worried about using it.
It should invite you in.
It should feel lived in.
The best homes have signs of life.
A blanket thrown over the sofa.
Books that have actually been opened.
Fresh flowers beginning to wilt.
Evidence that someone genuinely enjoys being there.
Personality Will Always Outlast Trends
One of my favourite things about working with clients is discovering the pieces they already own.
The painting picked up on holiday.
The antique chest from a grandparent.
The slightly wonky ceramic bowl bought at a local market.
These are rarely the most expensive items in the room.
But they're almost always the ones people ask about.
Because they have a story.
And stories never go out of fashion.
The Pressure To Get It "Right"
Social media has also made us believe there's a right way to decorate.
That every room needs to be finished.
Perfectly styled.
Ready to post.
But homes aren't products.
They're constantly evolving.
The best interiors grow with the people who live in them.
A new lamp here.
An artwork there.
A dining table that's gathered years of memories.
That evolution is part of what makes a home feel authentic.
Design For Your Life, Not Your Feed
The homes I remember aren't the ones that looked the most like an Instagram square.
They're the ones that made me feel something.
The hallway that welcomed you in.
The reading chair everyone wanted to steal.
The kitchen that naturally became the centre of every conversation.
The spaces that reflected the people living there.
That's what good design should do.
Not impress strangers on the internet.
Support your everyday life.
So yes, use Instagram.
Save the inspiration.
Discover new designers.
But don't let an algorithm decide what your home should look like.
Because the most interesting homes have never been the ones that look like everyone else's.
They've always been the ones that couldn't belong to anyone else.
Create A Home That's Unmistakably Yours
The best homes aren't built by copying trends—they're created by understanding the people who live in them.
If you're ready to design a home that reflects your lifestyle, your personality and the way you want to live, I'd love to help.
Get in touch to start your project with Room Service.