Tuscan style decorating was extremely popular between the years of 2005 and 2010.
Like most trends, the Tuscan style trend lasted only around 5 years.
Tuscan decor was dominated by the colors dark red, chocolate brown, and gold, the metal finishes wrought iron and oil rubbed bronze, travertine floor tile, exposed dark colored brick, and ornately carved oversized furniture.
One of the main determining factors as to whether a style is classic or whether it is a trend has to do with the style corresponding to a certain location. If you live in the location, such as Tuscany, then the style is a classic and you are able to fill your home with authentic quality items from the region. If you do not live in Tuscany, then the style is a trend and the items you are filling your home with are typically mass produced items of lesser quality.
For those who do not know, the Tuscan trend is over.
Most any decorating style that is very popular will become just as unpopular in the near future.
Unfortunately, when a style becomes trendy, retailers sell cheaper knock-off items that might have a slight resemblance to the trend, but are not at all authentic.
Do you really think that true authentic Tuscan homes are filled with ceramic roosters made in China, fake plants, McMansion sized dark ornate furniture, cheap mass produced unframed artwork, and bottles of inedible oil that are used only for decoration?
We are now several years past the Tuscan decorating trend, so you should start phasing those elements out of your home, if you haven't already.
Most of us can't afford to get rid of every item in our homes with a Tuscan reference, but we can make little changes to freshen our homes and make them more stylish and up to date.
photo courtesy of Arto Brick flickr.com/photos/artobrick/15832697773/