Is denim decor one of the tackiest design trends of all time?

Almost everywhere you go someone is wearing denim. But would you use denim in your own home?

Interior designer Becky Lee said while denim isn’t considered trendy in the design world, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it in your own home.

“I wouldn’t say denim’s ‘trendy’ but it’s definitely not ‘tacky’,” she said. “We are in the design age of ‘anything goes’ – as long as it’s executed with commitment and curated well.”

Lee said denim has been a fashion staple since the 1960s largely due to its durability as a fabric, but also because “as a colour it’s very versatile”.

Lou Barker, interior designer and owner of furniture store Blue Scarlet, is a lover of all things denim and said she’s previously used it in her home.

“I love denim for furnishings and, just like jeans, the styles may change slightly but it never really goes out of fashion,” she said. “Denim is timeless.”

Want to give it a go? Incorporating denim into your home isn’t as hard as it might seem.

“Denim in interiors will coordinate effortlessly with natural leather – just like your favourite jeans with a pair of boots,” Lee said. “So, denim blue paired with tan, is a relaxed and stylish match made in heaven.”

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Lee, who is a self-described colour lover, said although she doesn’t have any denim in her own home, her turquoise couch “could happily change into a denim outfit and still look great with the magenta and mustard cushions”.

Denim blue also pairs nicely with wood, cane and other natural fibres.

If you want to test out the denim trend but are worried about how it will look, start by incorporating it in smaller doses, Barker said.

“They can always use it in, for example, cushions, a small Roman blind or a lampshade would probably look pretty cool too.”

However, before you fill your living room with denim, there are a few things you should be careful about when styling your space.

“Denim is quite a strong colour, so if you’re using it in your home make sure there’s some visual relief around it,” Lee said. “Add freshness and contrast with patterns, plants and lighter colours.”

Lee also said you should take care not to do it as “a whole lounge suite in denim will look dated…as in fashion – ‘double denim’ interiors can be hard to pull off”.

In it for the long run? Make sure you protect the surface of your denim furniture.

“As denim is normally made from cotton, and therefore a natural fibre, people need to be mindful that it may fade a little,” Barker said.

– This story originally appeared on stuff.co.nz