Timeless Design Is Just Trendy Colonialism?

Interior design loves the word timeless.

It’s used as a compliment. A goal. A gold standard.

But when we look closely, many of the features we label timeless—white marble kitchens, ornate moldings, brass fixtures—are deeply rooted in European aristocracy and colonial wealth. These were not neutral design choices. They were visual signals of power, dominance, and exclusion.

So why are we still treating them as the ultimate expression of taste?

The Myth of Universal Good Taste

What’s often framed as “classic” is simply what history allowed to be preserved and celebrated. Entire cultures were erased, dismissed, or labeled primitive—while European aesthetics were canonized.

When Afro-Caribbean, African, or Indigenous design elements appear, they’re often categorized as trends rather than legacies.

That’s not accidental.

Decolonizing a Room Isn’t About Erasing History

It’s about contextualizing it.

Decolonized design asks:

• Who decided this was beautiful?

• Who benefited from this aesthetic being elevated?

• Whose stories were excluded?

It invites us to design with intention rather than inheritance.

What Decolonized Design Looks Like

• Color used boldly and unapologetically

• Patterns that tell stories

• Materials sourced for meaning, not prestige

• Art that reflects lineage, memory, and identity

A decolonized room doesn’t reject luxury—it redefines it.

A New Definition of Timeless

Timeless design isn’t about mimicking the past.
It’s about creating spaces so personal, so rooted, and so alive that they never lose relevance.

Your home doesn’t need to look like a European estate to be worthy.
It needs to look like home.