New Trends and Home Wreckers

It's a new year and already the hot trends of 2005 are so out! But what's next -- should you splurge on dual vessel sinks for your master bath, or leave the bowls alone and opt for a more functional approach?

A new addition to kitchens in 06?

Sally Beatty, for The Wall Street Journal Online, helps us decide what should adorn out homes this year.

On the Way Out?
Avoid these now-popular design trends in 2006

January's renovation resolution: Don't ring in the new year with a home-improvement look that's already on its way out. With the $233 billion remodeling business booming -- up more than 50 percent from 1993 to 2003 -- manufacturers and retailers are pushing more options for floors, countertops, bathroom fixtures and other stuff that costs tens of thousands of dollars to install and rip back out again.

But clearly, some big household fads are more quickly destined than others for the crowbar treatment. Those matte-surfaced, honed-stone countertops that have been big sellers over the past year or so? The idea may not look so brilliant in a few years, and even their makers say they chip more easily than shiny versions. Plus they stain.

So for homeowners considering installing open cabinets, floating staircases and bowl-shaped bathroom sinks, the question is: Which of these is the next doomed avocado-colored dishwasher? We talked to decorators, retailers and manufacturers and came up with five trends most likely to die.

Are vessel sinks being replaced by farm-style? Should you really buy the trendy glass doors? What's around the corner for countertops? Read more about New Home Trends.