TL;DR
A House Beautiful report published ahead of 2027 gathers designers’ views on five textile patterns they say are starting to feel overused or dated. Their comments reflect individual professional preferences, not measured industry-wide sales or consumer data.
Interior designers consulted by House Beautiful say they are ready to use less of five familiar textile patterns as 2027 approaches: abstract brushstrokes, mass-market block prints, faux tapestry, ikat and oversized watercolor florals. The report documents designers’ opinions about patterns they find overused or difficult to combine; it does not establish that the styles have fallen out of favor across the wider market.
The designers’ comments point to different concerns rather than one shared rule. Sara Swabb, founder of Storie Collective, says high-contrast abstract brushstroke prints can feel forced when individual marks compete for attention. She prefers textiles with subtle color changes and the irregularities associated with hand-painted patterns, which she says can bring depth and work well with other fabrics.
For block prints, the distinction is between handmade work and mass-produced imitations. Sonia Chauhan, founder of Studio Sonia, describes traditional block printing as a repeated process using a hand-carved block and says small imperfections show the work of a person. Her criticism is directed at mass-printed versions, not the textile tradition itself.
Designer Adnan Anwar says he prefers tapestries as wall hangings, rather than using tapestry-style fabric to cover a sofa or walls. He says a pillow can be an acceptable smaller use, particularly if it is made from an actual tapestry remnant. Meghan Jay says ikat can be difficult to layer with other patterns and may bring colors that feel too saturated. Jay and Eve Jean, founder of Eve Jean Interiors, also say oversized, washed-out watercolor florals are losing appeal. Jay favors smaller botanical prints with more definition and detail.
How Fabric Choices Shape a Room
For readers planning a room update, the report offers a view into how some designers are approaching pattern, scale and material. Its practical takeaway is not that homeowners must replace a particular print, but that the effect of a textile depends on how it is made and used, and how it sits alongside other colors and patterns.
The comments also distinguish visual style from production method. Chauhan’s preference for handmade block printing centers on the process and the marks it leaves behind, while Swabb describes an interest in subtle variation. Those views suggest that some designers are responding to the abundance of similar-looking, mass-produced patterns by seeking more individual detail. The report does not show whether that preference is shared by consumers generally or whether it has changed sales.
For anyone who already owns these patterns, the designers’ remarks are preferences, not instructions to discard furnishings. Jay’s concerns about ikat relate to layering, for example, and Anwar objects to tapestry print on large upholstery while allowing that a pillow can work. The advice is specific to scale, placement and combination—not a declaration that each pattern is unusable.
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Five Prints Under Designers’ Scrutiny
The report places the designers’ comments in the run-up to 2027, when attention in the design community often turns to expected colors and trends. It says some textile patterns had become nearly ubiquitous over the preceding year, but provides no market figures, survey results or defined period to quantify that reach. The five choices are presented as patterns the interviewed designers personally plan to use less.
The categories are not all equivalent. Abstract brushstrokes and watercolor florals describe visual treatments, while block print refers to a technique whose handmade form is contrasted with mass production. Ikat is discussed as a pattern that can be challenging to combine with other prints, and the tapestry comments focus on using tapestry-style designs in upholstery. That distinction matters: the designers are criticizing particular versions or applications, not necessarily every textile in each broad category.
The report names five designers and attributes specific views to them, but does not present a poll of interior designers or evidence of a coordinated industry shift. Its statements are best read as professional opinions offered in a trend report, with the underlying preferences varying from one designer to another.
“Abstract brushstroke prints “can feel a little forced when the contrast is stark, and every mark competes for attention.””
— Sara Swabb, founder of Storie Collective
How Broad Is the Shift?
The report does not establish how many designers share these views, whether consumers are changing their preferences, or whether demand for any of the five pattern types has declined. It supplies no sales data, survey findings or market baseline to measure the scale or timing of a shift. The claim that the patterns had become nearly ubiquitous is not accompanied by a defined time window or a quantified comparison.
It is also unclear how the designers’ preferences will translate into projects or purchasing decisions as 2027 approaches. The comments are not a blanket rejection of the patterns: several are qualified by production method, placement or styling, and Jay specifically recommends a more detailed botanical alternative rather than abandoning florals altogether.
Designers’ Choices Into 2027
The report frames the designers’ plans as looking ahead to 2027, but gives no schedule for follow-up data or a later industry assessment. Readers can watch for whether designers continue to favor more detailed botanicals, subtle color variation and handmade textiles in their projects. For now, the published material documents what these named designers say they intend to move away from—not a confirmed market-wide trend.
Key Questions
Which five textile patterns do the designers say feel dated?
The report names abstract brushstrokes, mass-market block prints, faux tapestry, ikat and oversized watercolor florals. The designers’ reservations differ by pattern and by how it is produced or used.
Are designers saying all block prints are out of style?
No. Sonia Chauhan distinguishes handmade block printing from mass-produced versions. She values the small irregularities created by hand stamping and says those details are missing from mass-printed fabric.
Does the report show that these patterns are losing sales?
No. It presents interviews and professional opinions, not sales figures or consumer survey results. The size of any broader change in demand is not established.
What alternatives do the designers suggest?
Sara Swabb prefers prints with subtle color shifts and hand-painted irregularities. Meghan Jay favors smaller-scale botanical designs with clearer detail and character, and Chauhan prefers block prints made by hand.
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