Are feature walls naff? Canvassing opinions

[preghead]

We have been renting for a few years but should hopefully soon be doing up a new house. Last time I did this you painted all 4 walls the same colour or maybe one or 2 walls in contrasting colours - the whole wallpaper feature wall thing has passes me by. Has it been and gone do you think? I am rather hoping so as it seems a faff and I don't really want to have to learn how to wallpaper! I have viewed so many houses recently and they all seem to have the floral wall paper on one wall, bed or sofa against and it seems a bit samey too me, noughties equivalent of the flying ducks?

I have seen some interesting geometric patterned wallpaper so could be tempted by that but it is possibly too much for all 4 walls. Shall I just stick to basics and farrow and ball all 4 walls in each room? ( will reuse an old dulux colour i used last time and loved here and there as well for those that baulk at the MN farrow and ball thing )

Erm I hate posters who don't read the op properly, the op ASKED if they were naff.

She asked about "feature walls" being papered, none of the other stuff was mentioned in original post. As I said - in what was essentially a light hearted little rant - op asks innocent question.

Whoops, sorry 2blessed

If it's any consolation, you would think my kitchen hideous (because it is).

For all those with taste - whats not naff? I like all the keep calm and union jacks but can see they're being overdone - whats the next trend?

Curved kitchen units seem to be "in", bit too different to age well?

Not that I have taste btw, just thinking about doing up a house and been on lot of viewings recently so been noticing these things ...

I really don't like curved kitchen units, but they do seem to be having a moment. The new big thing is mid-century modern, isn't it? Which can look fantastic, but possibly won't once it's been through the mass market mill.

Things that have become so ubiquitous they are surely on the way out: white with brights, Louis Ghost chairs, coloured glass splashbacks, curved glass coffee tables, chandeliers, shabby chic, brown leather sofas, wet rooms, big square pouffes, spotlights, mock-wood laminate floors, venetian shutters. (I have at least some of these in my own home, and want others, before anyone thinks I'm being snotty.)

Things I'd like to see more of: industrial retro, unintegrated kitchens, parquet floors, high-backed sofa (with arms and legs), retro pendant lights.

Oh just painted my dining room wimborne white, do you think white with sludgy shades? (can't face painting all that ornate coving again

Noooooo not White inside shutters! I really want some! Youre right, they are everywhere, but I love them and will have them even when they're sold in next! I do think some things just get popular because they function better than the alternatives (curtains) rather than the mass Market churn thing.

OP - are you having 'twigs and pebbly shit' as well?

Steady!

I agree with minidiva that feature walls are great in kids' rooms. DD has opposite walls in her room in a fab wallpaper with the others plain, looks great but it's too much of a strong statement for the rest of the house, it's dated and looks as if you haven't finished the papering.

Not naff but dated. I quite like it, especially in bedrooms (although I have just defeatured my own bedroom wall, done 11 years ago) but I wouldn't spend time doing it now because I would want to change it very soon.

I agree, preghead. Nothing beats a nice shutter.

If you want one have one. who cares if its 'in' or 'out' ?

I am coveting my neighbours shutters too!

but i fucking hate 'twigs and pebbly shit'

i vote shutters off the naff list.

It's not a naff list, just a has-reached-saturation-peak list. Shutters are beautiful [frantically defends herself from a reputation as a shutter-hater. Lord, I'll be defaming Farrow & Ball next. Actually, you could probably add Farrow & Ball to that list.]

i have a feature wall in both my living room and dining room with quite bold wallpapers - and lovely white shutters.
Lots of chunky solid oak furniture. I think it looks great, but then i would, as i chose it.

very naff

Shutters off the naff list - carried!

Can we get glass splash backs off the naff list, I have just bought one and it hasnt even been fitted yet. AND I thought I was being very individual and cutting edge.

I'm really going off oak - it's so ubiquitous...it's starting to make me feel slightly queezy.

So naff - it's actually put me off buying several houses! I like a very light room with some brightly coloured pieces of furniture, or a bold artwork. chandellina I detest the blown up baby photos too!

oh no I have plummeted to new depths of naffness, my newly fitted kitchen inwhich I am about to put a dark purple glass splashback into is OAK. I obviously have taste issues.

I way prefer going to houses with the odd "naff" feature but some sense of character, people having fun with their decor, than the endless kind of brown lifeless houses. I think a chimney breast looks nice papered as it doesn't mean you have to leave the rest of the walls bare. However, I'm obviously behind taste-wise as it had never even occurred to me to get my shutters removed, it would be like removing a door - what a strange thing to do.