In this snack-sized episode of Home: The Second Story, we talk about the difference between trendy and timeless design, and why that question comes up so often for homeowners. Clients often arrive with inspiration images, social media saves, and a real concern about making the wrong choice. When a renovation or new home takes major time, money, and resources, it makes sense to want the result to last. But timelessness is not as simple as avoiding trends.
Marilyn points out that many things now considered timeless were once trendy, unfamiliar, or even unpopular. Craftsman homes are a good example. They were once seen as strange or too modern, and now many people love them. Trends need time to settle. That makes chasing them risky, especially now that social media speeds up the cycle so much.
We use the modern farmhouse as an example. Black and white modern farmhouses became a huge trend, but the problem is not always the style itself. The problem is when the look gets applied too quickly or too superficially, like painting a one-story ranch black and white and calling it farmhouse. The stronger path is to understand the deeper design elements, such as simple massing, good proportions, and restraint, instead of copying the most visible parts of the trend.
A major point in the conversation is that style words are often limited. Clients may say “modern farmhouse” or “timeless,” but those words can mean different things to different people. That is why inspiration images matter so much. Pictures help everyone point to what they actually love and talk about the feeling, proportion, material, light, and function behind the image.
We also make the case that timeless does not mean traditional. Modern homes can be timeless. Traditional homes can be timeless. So can homes that do not fit neatly into a named style. The more important questions are whether the space functions well, has good light, supports real life, and makes sensible long-term decisions.
Resale value also comes up. People worry that a future buyer might not like a countertop or tile choice. But if someone is not selling soon, that should not drive every decision. The bigger resale problems come from strange layouts, poor circulation, and decisions that are expensive to undo, like putting the only laundry room behind a primary bathroom. Paint, finishes, and many surface choices are easier to change.
We close by talking about AI and social media. Inspiration is moving faster than ever, and AI images can make trends feel even more intense because they are not always grounded in real construction. Our best advice is to bring the images anyway, trust the design team, and focus less on online lists of what not to do. Good design comes from thoughtful decisions, not fear of trends.
(00:00) Intro
(00:15) Why clients worry about trendy versus timeless
(00:54) Trends change, and timelessness is complicated
(02:05) Modern farmhouse and the danger of surface-level copying
(03:30) Why style labels can be reductive
(06:50) Loving the design and making sensible decisions
(07:14) Social media trend lists and what they get wrong
(08:41) How architects help clients find a timeless direction
(09:38) Timeless does not mean traditional
(11:47) Sheri’s own kitchen renovation anxiety
(13:36) Resale value and what really hurts a home
(15:48) Structural decisions matter more than trendy finishes
(18:07) Bring the images and trust the process
Speakers: Sheri Scott & Marilyn Moedinger
Sheri Scott (00:00):
Hi, and welcome to a snack-sized episode of Home: The Second Story. I'm Sheri Scott with Springhouse Architects in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Marilyn Moedinger (00:09):
And I'm Marilyn Moedinger with Runcible Studios in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Boston, Massachusetts.
Sheri Scott (00:15):
Well, today, we want to talk about trendy versus timeless. We have a lot of clients come in that have photographs and inspiration pictures and things they love, and some of it's trendy but one of their concerns is: “If I'm investing all of this money and I'm taking all of this time and all of these resources to do a big thing like this, I want it to last, and I want it to be timeless.”
And how do we do that when we love trendy things, because that's why it's trendy, because it's beautiful, versus how do we design for things to be timeless?
Marilyn Moedinger (00:54):
Yeah, and things change over time, so there isn't really timeless in a certain way. Those terms are kind of difficult because what does it mean to be trendy? So, certain things that we now consider timeless were super trendy when they came out.
So, if we look back over architecture history, especially vernacular architecture history or homes, then we'll see things that were super trendy at the time that are now what we would consider timeless, or that things that were not popular at all when they came out or people thought that it was too modern and too weird, like craftsmen (oh, weird), and now everyone's like, “Oh, that we love craftsmen.”
So, sometimes things need time to bake a little bit and that's why chasing trends can be a little bit fraught. So, one thing here to think about, too, is that trends in our social media era happen a lot faster.
Sheri Scott (02:00):
So fast. Yes, yes, yes.Let's talk some specifics.
Marilyn Moedinger (02:05):
Oh, yeah. Okay. Let’s get it.
Sheri Scott (02:05):
One of the huge trends that everybody is over, I think, is black and white modern farmhouse. So, to dissect that a little bit, it's a beautiful style, and I do think it can be timeless. I think that what makes it trendy is when people just apply the black and white colors to the one-story ranch down the street and call it modern farmhouse. The trendiness of it is the application of it; it's not the inherent design.
Because I think a modern farmhouse, which means basically, I mean, I'm not great at defining styles for everyone that's why I like to look at pictures. But more of a simple massing form, typically two stories (doesn't have to be), but some verticalness to it.And it's not dependent on black and white, but it's dependent on kind of the minimalism of that. And that's where the black and white trend kind of came from because it's more minimalist.
So, I think things come in as design elements.And if you can pull the actual design elements out of it, not the trendy part out of it, not the simple application part out of it, then it can be a timeless design.
Marilyn Moedinger (03:30):
I have so many hot takes, so I'm trying to figure out which of these I should actually say.
Sheri Scott (03:34:
Right, I know.
Marilyn Moedinger (03:34):
But I don't really think about style. If someone is like I want a modern farmhouse, already, I'm not interested in that conversation, because it's just very reductive. It's a very simplistic way to understand what design is.So, for me, the idea of something being trendy or timeless is grounded in deeper principles than certain colors or certain things that people see on Pinterest.
Things that will always be timeless are spaces that function really well, spaces that have good lighting, spaces that accommodate your life well, that's timeless to me.And whether it's sort of purple or blue or black or white is sort of to the side. That's, to me, the bones of it-
Sheri Scott (04:35):
But there are styles, there are architectural styles.
Marilyn Moedinger (04:36):
There are, yes. I just struggle a little bit with the concept of style in architecture.
Sheri Scott (04:43):
Yeah, I hear where you're coming from, and I think that's how our brains work. But our clients, when they sit down with us across the table, feel like they come with this vocabulary from social media or wherever else, and that's the only way they have to communicate it to us.
And that's why I always say bring pictures.
Marilyn Moedinger (05:04):
Bring pictures!
Sheri Scott (05:07):
Because saying these words, even me saying modern farmhouse to you, we're both in the same industry, and it means something different to both of us.
Marilyn Moedinger (05:17):
Right. And I think that's ultimately what I … so we're on a podcast that's mostly about words so we can't show pictures very easily here, but I think that's absolutely it. So, I also find that sometimes when I'm working with people, with homeowners at the beginning of a project, they're a little bit hesitant or ginger to use these terms, to use terms like style or modern farmhouse or even to use terms because they're concerned.
They know that I am a professional. So, it's like if I went into a fashion designer who was going to be making me a custom garment, and I was using all the wrong words because I don't know the right words. I don't know how to talk about all those things. But if I come in with photos and with inspiration images, now we're speaking a similar language, and now we can point to things and say …
So, I think when it comes to trendy and timeless, like these ideas, when someone says, I really want a timeless design, that actually means something drastically different to different people. So, it helps to look through images together and say, “Well, is this image timeless to you?Is this image trendy to you?”
And honestly, to your point, does it really matter if it matches the definition that we all learned in school or that we talk about amongst architects? It kind of doesn't matter.
Sheri Scott (06:50):
It matters that you love it, right?
Marilyn Moedinger (06:52):
Yes. And it matters that you're doing things that are sensible and that make sense for the project.
Sheri Scott (07:00):
And that's a good point. I took it in the design direction, but I think that a lot of our clients, when they say timeless, they do mean, “I don't want it to lose value.”Which is a whole other conversation.
Marilyn Moedinger (07:14):
That's a whole other conversation.I think sometimes, in these conversations too, I mean, we've definitely gone straight to the highbrow conversation about timelessness and what that might mean. There are also these conversations where it's 10 trendy things we're not doing in 2026, and I'll read these on Instagram or whatever, and I'll read these lists of, “We are not doing waterfall countertops. We are not doing this; we are not doing this.” And I'm sort of like, okay …
Sheri Scott (07:45):
It's not true.
Marilyn Moedinger (07:46):
That's not true and/or does that matter? So, the trend cycle in architecture or in homes has to be longer because the trend cycle with clothing is you can buy a piece of clothing-
Sheri Scott (08:05):
Yeah. I was going to say a pair of jeans.
Marilyn Moedinger (08:08):
Right. And wear it for a season and you're like, “Oh, these aren't cool anymore.”I mean, that's not ideal. Fast fashion, not ideal, but you could do that. Whereas a design process, it takes a year, the construction which takes 18 months, and then you move in and furnish it, which takes another six months, and you're referring back to something, some trend that you saw somewhere so it can't move that fast.
And I think tuning out the social media noise and focusing on getting inspiration from places that aren't so noisy, if that makes sense. Does that make sense (laughs)?
Sheri Scott (08:41):
It does. It does make sense. What I want to say to clients of mine is, you don't have to worry that much about it, just tell me what you like, and we'll figure it out together. And I will take care of you and I will guide you to a timeless project that is a style that you love because you showed me 10 different things that you love and we kind of pull it all together.
And maybe that's where I'm always hesitant to call it a style because at Springhouse, we don't have a style that we design in.You tend to accumulate clients that kind of like the same things because of portfolios and all of that, but I say scale and proportion. It is all scale and proportion.And if you can get that right, then it doesn't matter.
Another thing is, one of my pet peeves is: timeless does not mean traditional, right?
Marilyn Moedinger (09:38):
Yes.Hear, hear.
Sheri Scott (09:40):
Yes. A modern design can be timeless, a traditional design can be timeless, anything in between, like it doesn't even have to have a name, and it can be timeless. It's just beautiful.There's something about architecture, especially residential architecture, when you live in it and you host things in it and you raise your family in it, there is a timelessness to that when you get the scale and proportion right.
Marilyn Moedinger (10:05):
That's a hundred thousand percent right. And I think people are worried about things like the aesthetics mostly when it comes to sort of timeless versus trendy which I get. And sometimes the way that I have that conversation is to say, “Well, paint the walls whatever color you want because that's easy to change.”
And honestly, the sort of what looks out of date as long as it's not completely off the wall is probably good for 15 or 20 years in a lot of ways. If you're choosing shaker cabinets and whatever, those aren't going “out of style”.
There is always going to be something new and flashy that's coming around because people are trying to sell you – whether it's products or whatever, people are trying to sell you on things and trying to convince you that the faucet you bought last year is so out of date, and it’s just not true.
Sheri Scott (11:09):
Hopefully, it doesn't translate to architecture as quickly.
Marilyn Moedinger (11:13):
I think it's much more of a mindset thing. What do you love? And if you look at great fashion icons, people who dress really well, and they have sort of timeless looks because they return back to the same basic principles about fit and knowing their lifestyle, quality, and then the other stuff just kind of goes away, and you're not worried that, “Oh, that's a color that isn't cool anymore.” It's like those conversations don't even come in.
Sheri Scott (11:47):
I will say I have just recently had some anxiety myself about timelessness versus trends because at my house, we've made a decision recently to not move and to stay in this house for so many reasons, so we're redoing our kitchen and our floors. It's so much harder.
And so, it gives me a lot of empathy for our clients because right now, I'm faced with, okay, I know what I like. I know what I see on my … of course, anytime you utter a word “kitchen renovation,” then your feed is flooded with kitchen renovations and I'm snapshotting everything and saving it.
And we're trying to negotiate between the two of us, what we like and what we don't like, but it's a big investment to make these decisions, and I do expect to live with it for 20 years. It's tough to pull the trigger.
And my intention is to make a couple of selections and then take it into my office and ask my professional people for their opinion because even though I make these decisions for other people every day, it's hard to make it for yourself.
Marilyn Moedinger (13:05):
It is hard. And I think that can translate for our clients as well, is that we're there to help guide them through the process. It is helpful to have someone else to help you look at stuff.
Sheri Scott (13:16):
Yeah, because somebody else kind of gets above it, and kind of looks at it from a different perspective than when you're in it and thinking I need the spice drawer right here, and I love the wood, but I'm going to have wood floors, and I don't want to make a mistake.
Marilyn Moedinger (13:36):
I think in terms of that question of, well, and you hinted at it earlier about, like if I make a mistake, then either, A, I'm not going to like it, so that's one consequence or B, I'm going to ruin my resale value.
And I want to talk about that second one for a second because that one people will say, “Well, I'm spending all this money. I don't want to do anything that a future buyer wouldn't like.”Okay. Are you selling in the next three years?Because if you aren't, it doesn't matter. I guarantee you that if this is a home you're going to live in for 20 years, the kitchen will need to be redone at that point, just don't worry about it.
And as long as you're not doing anything completely crazy, we walk into these homes all the time because we do so many renovations. We're like, “What was this person thinking?” Why do I have to go through the master bathroom to get to the only laundry room in the whole house? Like, that's the only access in this house we're looking at right now for this client.
And all of us are sitting there scratching our heads.And it's because they didn't work with a designer or an architect who was helping them make sensible decisions. So, that meant that when they sold it, the person who bought it was like, “Wow, I'm going to have to reconfigure the master suite.It's so weird. None of this makes sense.”
And you have to walk through this other room that's in between the bedroom and the closet, it's so weird. And that is what hurt their resale value, not the kitchen counters. They were going to pull those out no matter what.
Sheri Scott (15:09):
Right, right. That's a great point.
Marilyn Moedinger (15:11):
So, that's why, to me, that trendy versus timeless is not about you can only do white subway tile or else, it's not about that.It's about are you making really weird decisions that lock in – you renovated things, you made the living room really tiny, and now I can't fit a section on it, also something that they did at this house. And you're like, “Well, now what?”
So, those are things that are much more difficult to reverse and if it's just painted a weird color, we'll just repaint it. That doesn't hurt your tile, all that stuff, people are going to rip that out anyway.
Sheri Scott (15:48):
The more structural, the more-
Marilyn Moedinger (15:51):
The more basic to the house. That's the stuff to me that matters. And the sort of the trendy stuff, I mean, I don't know.We can't make it through an episode these days without bringing up AI. I think when people are looking for images on Instagram and Pinterest and wherever else, it's chock-a-block of AI images that have no grounding in reality and I think that is also making it difficult for people to kind of decipher what to do.
Sheri Scott (16:25):
And those images get generated so fast. I mean, our cycles are going to continue to get faster and faster because now, we don't have to see something we love and then have a hundred other people build it to see it everywhere. Now, it’s we'll just generate an image.
And that can be helping the whole conversation about AI can be helpful, but I think in the long run, it's going to speed up our cycles and make things seem more trendy than they ever have before.
Marilyn Moedinger (17:04):
I think you're right. I also think that if you look at an architect's or designer's website, if you look at my website right now, all of my projects that I'm showing are from three years ago at the earliest. Because by the time I'm in design right now or construction on projects that I won't get to take photos of for a year or two until they're done.So, what you're seeing on people's websites is like behind, if that makes sense.
Not behind in terms of trends or whatever, is not what they're doing right at this moment. And I think that that traditionally has been how people got inspiration images, is looking at designers' work which is two or three years (by the time you're documenting it) behind when you're doing it.
And now, we're doing some slightly different things, we're trying some new things. But AI is so fast that I think it's going to be very interesting to see how that impacts how people think about this question.
Sheri Scott (18:07):
So, keep an open mind on trendy versus timeless, and just ask for what you want.Have pictures of what you love. Even if people bring me trendy pictures, we'll talk about it.I don't want to scare people off from just saving all the pictures that they love because, oh, well, my architect's going to think that I just want an AI image or whatever. We won't think that. Just bring it and we'll talk about it and we'll figure it out in real life.
Marilyn Moedinger (18:38):
Bring all the images, put it all together and trust your team. Don't worry so much about what some Instagram person is saying are the top 10 things you should never do. That person is interested in selling you content, not helping you make good design decisions. On that note … (laughs).
Sheri Scott (19:00)
Thanks for joining us today on Home: The Second Story for a quick stack. Questions for us, topics you'd like us to cover or interested in being a guest, reach out at admin@htsspodcast.com, and follow us on Instagram. See you next time.
[Music Playing]
Voiceover (19:15):
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