In Architecture, It’s Better to Favor Timeless Design Over Passing Trends

As consumers, we are constantly bombarded by products marketed as “trendy”, “new”, “the latest, the greatest”, and “critical” to our lives.  In the fashion world, our clothes go out of style each year - long before the stitching is worn, or the fabric frayed.  In architecture, designs are often under some of the same scrutiny to be trendy or current.  But it is recommended we resist that pressure and instead establish a timeframe for architecture – one that is more in keeping with a long-term role. This design should create a better relationship to the financial commitment that is made when building a home.

So, instead of being trendy, we should be timeless. How do we create timeless architecture and resist the superficial pursuit of the newest idea? Let’s start by discussing “timeless” architecture. Timeless architecture is not determined by architectural style. There are renowned, timeless buildings built in every style imaginable - Classical, Victorian, Tudor, Greek Revival, etc. Secondly, timeless does not equate to being traditional with classical proportions and materials. And thirdly, timeless does not blindly recreate a style from the past, not unlike a bad movie sequel (think Police Academy 7). Timeless architecture looks both directions - into the past that pulls from the history of building design and into the future with consideration of how we live today and are likely to live in the future. We should be thinking of houses as 100-year-old structures.

Architecture should tell the story of its time through thoughtful ideas along with durable and sustainable materials that utilize the best technologies available at the time. Therefore, architects must have the maturity and self-confidence to bypass fashion and instead rely on the timeless rules of proportion, light, emotion, function, and space. Architects strive to achieve designs without outsourcing ideas from flashy pictures on Pinterest, TikTok or relying on, for example, Sherwin Williams to tell us the hot new color of the year. We aspire for more sophisticated design ideas that will outlast the next news cycle. 

An architect’s intent is to consider how spaces function and contemplate the reasons why they are created in the first place. This approach takes courage and earnest effort, resulting in timeless homes to pass along to generations to come.