The facade is the main exterior face of a building, while fenestration refers to the arrangement, proportioning, and design of windows and doors. A curtain wall is an exterior building wall that carries no roof or floor loads and consists entirely or principally of metal, glass, or other surfacing. A fake window, also known as a virtual or artificial window, is a simulated view of the outdoors displayed on a screen or through other optical means.
Window walls are a popular architectural feature in modern design, providing an abundance of natural light and stunning views of the outdoors. They are essentially floor-to-ceiling windows that span an area. In architecture, false windows and blind widows (German: blende), also known as blank windows, are shallow recesses. A cornice is the finished edge of the roof where it meets the exterior wall, of varying sizes, sometimes plain, but often decorative and marked by brackets. Curtain walls are non-load-bearing exterior wall cladding that is hung to the exterior of the building, usually spanning from floor to floor.
A blank wall is simply a wall with nothing particular on it (doors/windows). The arch is a kind of arc, forming the contours of an opening in the wall such as a door, window, and more. Flemish Bond, Flute, Foliated, and Clapboard are some of the architectural elements used to create weather-proof exterior walls. Columns can be solely decorative, while corbels are classical architectural elements consisting of a decorative molding extending from a wall for structural support, decorative purposes, or both.
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What is a glass wall in architecture also known as?
The Curtain Wall style refers to mid-20th-century buildings that use a prefabricated exterior wall sheathing system of glass and aluminum hung to their frames. This non-loadbearing enclosure can be made of various non-structural materials that meet insulation, wind-load, and aesthetic requirements. The use of this technology dates back to the 1909 Boley Building in Kansas City, which is credited as the first building to use an all glass exterior wall system.
Post-WWII advancements in building technology allowed these systems to become widespread. The first major example of the Curtain Wall style was the Equitable Savings and Loan Building in Portland, Oregon, which was the world’s first fully enclosed air-conditioned building.
What is exterior window cladding?
Window cladding is a vinyl or metal cover that protects a wooden core from the elements, preserving the wood and improving its weather resistance. It is found on the side of the window facing the home’s exterior, ensuring the wood is exposed and visible inside while protecting it from the elements. Advantages of window cladding include reduced maintenance, beauty, better insulation, energy efficiency, weather resistance, damage protection, and maintaining the look of the wood.
Cladding requires no painting, sealing, or staining, making it a cost-effective solution for homeowners. It also enhances insulation, reducing the home’s carbon footprint. However, cladding may not always be the most efficient option, so homeowners should consult a window contractor for energy savings. Weather resistance prevents water, wind, and other weather elements from penetrating the original window material. Cladding can also prevent damage to the window frame and wall structure. Overall, window cladding is a popular choice for homeowners looking to protect their wooden windows.
What is the word fake facade?
The term “false front” is used to describe a façade that is in itself a facade, thereby concealing the true public image. Nibletts proposed the construction of a patent laying-box with a false front, while Mingusville was home to a railroad station, a section house, and a one-and-a-half-story hotel. Red Oak’s inhabitants slept behind sun-bleached, false-front buildings situated on the sole road leading into the area.
What is the difference between facade and external wall?
Exterior wall cladding and facades are two distinct terms that refer to the exterior design of a building. Facade refers to the main exterior design of a home or property, often facing an open space or street. Exterior cladding is an external protective layer that protects and beautifies the building envelope. There are numerous exterior wall cladding designs available, while a building can only have one facade.
Exterior cladding is the use of panels that protect and insulate a building’s wall, enhancing its durability and resistance to the elements. Facade cladding materials are built to interact with harsh weather conditions, protecting the home or business from water, wind, UV-ray, and pollution damage. Additionally, their superior technology ensures that their color and finish will persist as beautifully as the day it was installed.
What is the architectural term for facade?
In the field of architecture, the term “facade” is used to describe the exterior wall of a building. This wall is often decorated with doors or windows and is regarded as the structure’s primary entrance. In some cases, the façade may be more elaborate or prominent in design.
What is a faux dormer?
The home has three dormer windows built from a sloping roof, while a false dormer window is built on top of a completed roof, appearing functional but not allowing light. These windows are purely aesthetic and are prone to moisture and rot issues due to their placement. Removing or replacing false dormer windows is challenging due to limited access to one side of the window. Overall, the placement of these windows poses unique challenges for homeowners.
What are fake windows called?
False windows, also known as artificial windows, are thin structures of 2. 5cm that can be used directly without any preparation on the wall surface. They can be used in harmony with wood or metal frames and can be decorated with various curtains. These panels are designed to create an artificial window, suitable for closed areas, especially dark rooms without windows. They can be used for both decorative and commercial purposes, offering eye-catching window models for both residential and commercial use.
What is a glazing wall?
Structural glazing systems are curtain wall systems that use glass bonded or anchored to a structure without continuously gasketed aluminum pressure plates or caps. These systems can be monolithic, laminated, dual-glazed, or triple-glazed insulating glass units (IGUs). The back-up structure may use aluminum mullions, glass mullions, steel blades, cable, or stainless steel rods. The interior and exterior may use extruded silicone/EPDM gaskets or wet sealed silicone depending on the system.
Structural glazing systems offer greater transparency than traditional captured systems, reducing visual interruptions and thermal bridging. Traditional captured curtain wall systems have pressure plates and caps that can conduct large amounts of heat, while structural glazing reduces these costs. Different types of structural glazing systems are available in the market today.
What is a window facade?
The term “facade” has its etymological roots in the French word for “front face.” The utilisation of glass in exterior facades serves to enhance the quality of light and the ambience, thereby increasing the prevalence of glass facades.
What is a wall with windows called?
A curtain wall, also known as a window wall, is a design feature used to create a curtain of windows. These windows are attached to the outside of a building’s floor slabs and hang on the sides, similar to a curtain hanging. They are non-load bearing and span slab to slab, providing a visually appealing and functional addition to a building. Both terms are often used interchangeably in the industry.
What is an exterior facade?
A façade is defined as the exterior wall of a building, constructed from a variety of materials including brick, wood, concrete, glass, steel, or curtain wall. Such structures are also referred to as “veneers.” A building facade renovation entails modifications to the existing exterior, including partial demolition and reconfiguration of exterior doors and windows, with the objective of revitalizing an outdated or damaged structure.
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Happy New Year everyone! 2023 has been a great year, and I’m so grateful for your incredible support 🙏 I have big plans for the year ahead and am currently working on a very exciting project (some of you may already know what it is 😉), but I’m also committed to post more and better articles! P.S. I’m currently looking for a article editor, if you’re keen or know anyone who is one, feel free to apply here: rlowell.notion.site/rlowell/Video-Editor-Job-7a15bb0f1a44440883506c307100b4fe
My sister almost bought an old house from back in the 1800s, but someone from out west beat her price. I by wild chance ended up meeting these people and coming over to their house one time. They were remodeling this house to black and white modern farmhouse look. The previously antique light fixtures and historic details were replaced with the most basic farmhouse chandeliers from Home Depot. It was depressing to see
Last winter I remodeled a log cabin that was a flip house for an investor. We butted heads through the whole job. He bought grey cabinets and used marble looking quartz countertops, with Satin nickel hardware and fixtures. The kitchen looked so out of place with all that rustic wood. The worst part is that I could have saved him 10k by doing eastern white pine cabinets and an earthy granite countertop. It still hasn’t sold.
Our vinyl floors are brown with some grey undertones which makes it awesome for decorating. You can use grey decor to pull the grey from the floor and complement your decor or use decor that pulls brown from the floor to warm up the space. I love the flexibility of changing things up just by changing my decor to play with the colors in the flooring.
I haven’t seen a home decor/design/ website address ‘how to decorate your 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s….(you get the picture) home to look like your home and still appropriate for its unique architectural design & style’- a ‘how to work with and not against the style of house/flat/space you are blessed (or not so blessed) to have’… I think it would be a cool article series. I’m a new subscriber & I feel like you hint at this aspect of design/decor. How to respect the integrity of your home from the 1930’s, but not live in an awkward time capsule…. Tips and tricks to bring design, functionality, and style to suit you AND your home (too often just suiting your style and plastering it around your opposite style home doesn’t come across like you might think it does). Enjoy the articles I’ve seen so far. Thanks
Great article and examples of dated trends that seemed stylish at the time. The gray floors were always confusing, as they look incredibly dirty and unnatural. Ripping out perfectly good fixed elements is an environmental crime. It’s better to stick with early 1900’s bungalow style (e.g. natural wood floors, classic white tiles) and get as wild and creative as you want with paint, art and accessories. When I remodel, I think, what is the least likely to end up in a landfill? It always comes back to 1920’s bungalow style.
After over 20 years with a WHITE kitchen floor 😮😟( not my choice!), installing “GRAY, Luxury Vinyl Plank” was one of the best decisions that I have ever made (besides installing a dishwasher!)😊. I like listening to designers, and I do learn from them, but as a recovering “rule follower”, I am finally at a place that I allow myself to “like what I like”. This applies to clothes, furniture and decor. It doesn’t matter what is on trend or what is phasing out, things have to say, “Me” and they have to make me smile. I don’t want my house to say “Anyone or Everyone USA”. If I love it, and things fit my aesthetic and budget, then I go for it. I don’t care for the all gray aesthetic either, so I have bold colors. Even after a couple of years, it still makes me smile. I think the most important thing is that you love your home.
I like your last point the most. I moved in 2022, nearly every home I looked at was super gray and generic, with no personality at all (plus the sellers wanted an extra $300k for their $150k renovation). I am so happy I eventually found a home that had all its original character and just needed some cosmetic touches to make it shine again.
This article is great because it helps home renovators understand that we can let trends slide or choose which ones fit well with our design / functionality goals. If it will make the space challenging to keep clean it is a hard no for me. We had fun updating a 1960’s ranch with Craftsman and chic elements. We are currently renovating a log cabin with a nod to the adjacent 1881 barn, soothing tones (no more orange wood color), warm and cool accent colors and unexpected decor choices for a log cabin. The whole lodge decor for log cabins will never go out of style, but it is also very cliché. When a log cabin is the main residence, the style can honor history in fascinating ways that are timeless yet fresh.
bought a beautiful 1935 home and it came with grey lvp. it looks horrible but i figured I can remove it later, turns out im gonna have to completely refinish the floors underneath but it is beautiful 1 inch thick oak hardwood flooring so I hope its worth it. I just can’t stand the grey lvp much longer.
What a great article! Everyone has their own opinion, but I must say I agree completely with this man. I have recently bought a very old house. Previous owner has painted the old solid wood doors either pink or yellow, most floors are painted light blue and so on. It looks terrible. I will not use gray, because I have never liked that color. I have tree basic colors when I renovate, brown, white and green. Floors will be maple in rooms that a little darker, elsewhere oak. Not easy to find when every home decor shops are full of white, grey and black vinyl, laminate or parquet. But I don’t give up.
Great article. It seems like avoiding unnatural things and things that defeat functional purpose are good ideas. Wood is not grey unless it is exterior and exposed, in which case it just screams “I need a coat of paint”. Metal is … metal coloured – silver/chrome. brass, copper etc.. Black metal taps are unnatural. Shiplap is ONLY for the exterior. As an architectural noise control engineer it is always a hard NO on internal barn doors. Pencil tiles defeat the purpose of a easily-washable backsplash. Heavily-veined marble is for horizontal work surfaces only. There has never been a “word sign” that doesn’t just scream “tacky”. If I see “Live. Laugh. Love.” on a wall I cynically think the occupants aren’t all that happy.
I agree with you on all aspects of these trends. The barn doors have got to go, and the cheesy words whether they’re on canvas, carved from wood, made from plastic or decals are ultimately vapid. I’ve been home shopping recently and I can’t believe how many people have signs in their home to indicate the room. I don’t need a sign that says kitchen, laundry, pantry, or bath. I’ve wondered if the factory workers who make these signs think that we’re so stupid that we don’t know what room we’re in.
I bought my villa just over ten years ago. It was ‘stuck’ in the time it was built,. Recently, I have been able to update it in most areas. First was a full paint job from cream (a dirty cream at that) to a light grey, window sills, front door & skirting boards went from old wood look to a fresh white. Then came the floor. From old carpet to oak floor boards. It looks so much fresher. I had bought light grey blinds when I first moved it as there was nothing up at all. Last week I bought some new sheer pleated curtains that I need to hem as there are a drop of 250cm. I need 193cm but the store had nothing else!! For ALL curtains 🤨 My personal furniture is soft creams mixed with light wood finishings that I like. No words on walls, huge no no. One wall in the dinning room is white framed photo’s of my family ( frames). Next on the ‘to do list’ is the bath room & then kitchen. (kitchen floor has been done. May ask you, I have a bath that is taking up a lot of room in the bath room. My villa is a 2 bed room, 2 toilet (2nd toilet in laundry). Should I keep the bath or go for a larger shower area? TIA.
Can you do a vid on what to do with an apartment that has light grey walls(cool tone) and the grey vinyl wood plank flooring( that’s warm tone) apartments aren’t going to give leave this for a while, it’s too cost effective for them. The grey couch looks to bold, the cream clashes with the walls too much and white was to harsh, do you have a color palette recommendation that could help get the right color of furniture
thanks for this! your last point to not ignore the history and architecture of the home is super important! i wish that was your first point! because time and again i witness clueless home owners ripping out beautiful, say, art deco bathrooms in a period art deco home to replace with modern c r a p. as you said, such a waste. infuriating and sad.
The floors are the worst thing, at least you can rip that crap off the walls without much cost. When I picked my floor, that cold grey looked terrible with my natural grass cloth. I searched high and low for tan/brown tones, finally got it at a deep discount because nobody wanted it. The fix is warm toned neutrals and earth tone pastels. Trends are almost impossible to avoid, by mistake, I got lucky.
I totally get the barn door warning. I have two barn doors both for closets and in both instances absolutely practical due to spacing and functionality concerns. I just saw a barn door in a hotel bathroom and thought the same thing – seriously, why! I’m glad you suggested pumping the brakes on grey flooring and marble accents because I was just about to go full steam ahead on it. I still don’t see what’s wrong with the “reality” kitchen as I have a similar layout. Like shag rugs, panels, wall to wall mirrors and wallpaper screams 1970’s, I don’t want someone to come in decades from now and time stamp my design choices.
I really enjoy your articles, Reynard. I am mentioning this to give feedback, NOT to be negative or ugly: Sometimes the music is loud enough that it distracts from your voice. You have a nice voice, and we’re here to hear your great advice (not music). Again, I hope that’s helpful, and thanks so much for the great content! 🙂
The barn doors are useful in areas that are cramped and where two doors collide like a master bath or a small bathroom. They look ridiculous in a large bedroom, but pocket doors are out of reach for most home owners. Some design trends like different cabinet colors in the kitchen, I feel that the homeowner will regret this in a few years. A simple Shaker-style cabinet in the kitchen will last through time. As far as tiles, a simple white subway tile is better than anything trendy. If you like trendy tile, then try peel and stick tile.
We are in our late sixties. We bought a new home with this house and land package. We couldn’t inspect the building or its progress during Covid and when we could, the house was nearly at handover stage. Imagine our surprise when we found that the ensuite had a huge doorway with no door. At no time did the builders mention that it didn’t come with a door or offer us a choice of door, which would’ve come with a hefty price I’m sure. My husband put in a barn door, which was the only logical alternative, at 2.3m high. Thank you Porter Davis. Not.
I never understood to whole gray everything trend. It’s a horrible color. It’s the color of the winter sky in the midwest of USA and by March the skies look like they’ll break free plummet to earth crushing us all. As an architect and builder, I recently designed and built my own home. It’s filled with the colors of red, orange, yellow, blue, green and purple with no gray, black or white anywhere. I used colors on the ceiling as well as wall paper. It’s bright cheerful and relaxing. It’s an open floor plan using partial glass partitions and doors, ceiling height variations with different finishes and changing floor levels to define spaces.
My entire house is gray because it was only a few months old when we bought it and the previous owner chose builders grade everything. The house was so expensive we haven’t been able to afford to paint anything but it’s been 2 years and we FINALLY have enough to replace the GRAY sheet vinyl wood-look flooring with a beautiful light maple wood tone LVP
Right before you said that the black and white homes don’t really work in Texas that’s what I was thinking. I live here in East Dallas and even though I like the look there are so many in the last couple years and you’re right they look at a place because we have so much gray concrete and not enough green. I’m so glad it came across your website I think this is the best design website and will help me in my house because you go in the depth but say it still in a few words of why things won’t work and why they will in locations and have made me think. Sorry for the run-on sentences
I had a sneaking suspicion that marble backsplash/bathrooms were going to come up. We’re about to close on a new build house in a suburb and we don’t have a choice, they are using marble tiles for the backsplash (at least it ties into the marble top island) and bathroom walls. Annoying in the bathroom they have tiled half of the wall and in the kitchen they have only done the bit directly behind the cooker and a bit of trip in the wall between the top and bottom cabinets. To their credit it’s not heavily veined, slightly in grey. Cabinets are white with bronze/gold hardware. We will probably go for light oak wood flooring but we don’t want to have tile the whole bathroom and kitchen wall in this marble. And we can’t rip it out to start again. Do you think we can mix a plain light tile colour with the marble?
So many of the things you commented on have been on my “out list”, too. I was delighted when you mentioned word signs. Ugh. Hated them from the very beginning. The only one I have ever had is a wooden sign that says Merry Christmas, which I hang on my front door during the season. That feels okay to me. But word signs, sayings, and poetry on the wall are absolutely not timeless and kind of tacky.
Decor and fashion… I’m skeptical when someone else tells me what’s in and what’s out, because at the end of the day it’s what you like and I could care less what anyone else thinks. If it comes to selling, neutralize and potential owners will always look at the space and how they would decorate anyways.
Thank you for calling out the decorative word/quote items. All of this stuff is available by the truck-full at WalMart, Target, Meijer, etc. proving it is a trend (because it wasn’t there 10 years ago) and because it provides an illusion of custom-made for very low price and ironically, repeatability for stocking store shelves. IMO: The only word/letter-as-art/decoration is the use of a singular initial, as from a name. Those do have a place in virtually any home, but only once, and must be balanced like anything else in the deco-plan; but as soon as that singular initial become initials, become whole words, become whole sentences, the quality of the alphabet-as-art is diminished.
I’ve been in New York real estate for 24 years and I HATE grey floors because it’s too taste specific. You will never see a high end home with those cheap looking floors. I knew it would be a flop eventually. It’s horrifically bland and you’re stuck with it. Please listen to this guy. He is on point!
What about either shiplap on a very small wall in the basement? We have a small wall between a short hallway to our laundry room and s bsthroom door. It’s maybe 5’5 feet, maybe 6′ at the most. We had a fire and they needed to do a portion of this wall over. Our basement is older snd has textured walls. It doesn’t look bad, but where they had to fix this waall it means some of it is textures and some is flat. We thought shiplap over it and then wall art on the shiplap would be a cheaper solution.
I bought a home with grey vinyl floors, which were in good condition so I couldn’t justify replacing them. Then I had a pipe break in the kitchen (which flooded all the main living spaces). Insurance covered the repairs, and now with warm, slightly reddish wood vinyl floors, my house feels 100x more cozy and classy. It also goes much better with my favorite acacia wood and dark walnut furniture pieces. The grey was just so awful, it sucked the life out of everything.
I agree with everything you said. Apart from hating grey myself, l just dont understand the fad. Barn doors are ugly and pointless. I dont like anything which is going to look dated a few years down the line. Simple and classic is best. Using art and soft furnishings which can easily be changed, is my preference 😊🇬🇧
You sound like just the man I need for flooring advice. Pets trashed carpet and it went into garbage cans long ago. We are living with the bare concrete slab, off white tile in bathrooms and fake terra cotta tile in three entries plus laundry plus kitchen and kitchenette. Over the past twelve years I have considered and rejected luxury vinyl tile, engineered hardwood and carpet. The fake terra cotta 13×13″ tile is a yucky orangey brownish and it is hard to find a complimentary tile color. It covers 800 sq ft. The bare concrete is 2000 sq ft. We are in Texas, notorious area for slab movement, so I will need an isolation membrane but none of the installers I spoke with want to do that. They want to set tiles right against the concrete with no barrier. Now even wondering if we should do sheet vinyl like in the big malls or even a garage type epoxy coating so floor will look like terrazo. What material and what color makes sense to you? Most homes here have put in wood look tiles but they look too fake to me. We still have a herd of dogs.
I just discovered your website. All your info seems so on point. Great advice! Wondering if you have an advice if one needs to tile half way up the wall. This is due to an ongoing water issue at the bottom of wall. Hence, deciding to tile bottom half of the wall. The upper half will be painted. Unsure how this will look overall. Your advice would be very helpful.
Fully agree. I was an amateur designer for at least three decades, but for the last two years I am pioneering the niche of wood houses (based on I-joists and wood-based thermo insulation), healthy and alive (the walls and roofs are breathing, while exceeding the super-passive – or the opposite, active – standards). I took design courses, I watched hundred of documentaries, I did hundreds of measurements, I drafted hundreds of layouts, I executed some of them etc. My favourite styles are art deco and art nouveau, going towards eclectic (for a modern take on them), fusion. I fight all the times with customers asking bs like you presented. If they insist, they are not anymore my clients, I learnt to specify this from the very beginning, as I am not compromising for money (I am not their whore, even though the majority of architects, designers, builders give up to their customers’ money). Of course, I subscribed to your website after perusal about ten articles of yours, we are on the same wave length. Well done and all the best. God bless you!
I can see how the barn door could come in handy, like where a door would require a pocket door or a non hinged door. I’ve never liked the looks of them but in the right area they might be the best design solution. Definitely NOT for a bathroom! We have a house that is a 10 minute walk to the beach that has ivory vertical shiplap with high ceilings with exposed beams, it’s absolutely gorgeous and I love it. But it would look really weird in a house that is not by the ocean or in the country.
When decorating your home, he only question that matters is, how long do you intend to live there. If the answer is ten years or more, just do whatever you like regardless of what anyone else thinks. If/when you decide to sell, you’ll need to update anyway since most finishes will be worn out. If the answer is less than ten years, consult a Realtor or interior designer to select the finishes that are bringing the best return on your investment even if you hate it. We are building our forever home and I couldn’t care less if anyone likes our stylings. We will die before selling the house so who cares what the next owner wants!
I can understand having neutral wall colors when trying to sell a home, but once you get moved in, give your home some color. Otherwise, it looks like you’re living inside a golf ball. I’ve never cared for barn doors, word signs, or ship lap either. Don’t do something just because it’s trendy; do it if you like the look yourself. As far as kitchen countertops are concerned, marble will stain; go with something like quartz instead.
Well, we have no one but the stores to blame. Trends are foisted upon us for at least a decade at a time. I’ve heard that Farmhouse is out of style for three years now, but stores are still selling/pushing their inventory. You walk into a furniture store today and its all cream, brown, gray, and a shade of dark blue furniture without any flare. Boring styles, fake wood for real-wood prices. It’s terrible now. Cheap, cheap, cheap-looking and boring. I pray 2024 at least offers pretty colors.🙏🙏🙏
I hate it when people ruin the interiors of beautiful historic homes, and replace it with a minimalist look that’s really popular right now. It feels like it’s removing any character that the home had. I want my home to feel like it’s alive and welcoming, not like I’m spending the night in a hotel room.
I noticed he used the term “builder grade” a number of times. It’s an important thing to keep in mind, as there are certain trends that really depend for their success on quality finishes. I gotta say how much I detest “barn doors” as a trend. The look is intrusive in most cases, largely due to the visually imposing hardware. It will look out of place without a degree of rustic theming, which makes it even worse.
Happy New Year, Reynard. My kitchen has white subway tiles with black tile outlining the top/where it ends. It came with the house and I wasn’t too keen of it. Subway tile used to be a huge trend everywhere, in homes and commercial spaces. But like you mentioned, interior trends originate from the idealized version of a place; eg cottage, farm house. So I ended up sticking with it because it suits the surrounding area of my city home. I think I’ll just paint the white walls, because it looks too sterile, particularly as the room with the most windows and lighting.
Hey Reynard, I have these random beams in my apartment that are actually uncovered columns of the buildings I guess. Do you have any idea how to decorate or „interiordesign” around them? They are in corners of my living room and kind of annoying because they kind of ruin the view of a plain wall if you understand what I mean. Thanks for your content, youve become my go to for interior design! 🙏
I’ve renovated in an older condominium project and have incorporated shaker style sliders (within the primary bedroom to close off the restroom and also the closet), a gray/brown luxury vinyl flooring and a hale navy accent color wall in the dining room. Each of these items included has been part of a cohesive design that borrows the colors that we see from the water view. The sliders were a practical application as pocket doors weren’t feasible (plumbing in walls) or where the original standard door was an awkward placement. Your comments are well thought out, but I’m still good with those design choices I made (and no signs were used)😅. Good content and balance is key.
Thanks for a really interesting vid. We are renting a 1940s house in Australia and it still has the original tiles in the bathroom and kitchen, and many fantastic design elements. Unfortunately, there are horror story walls in the dining room that was apparently popular in design in the 1950s. If you’re in the Blue Mountains (west of Sydney) sometime, pop in and tell me what the hell they were thinking?! 😂
Here I am sitting in my black and white paited house lol. We bought a 1998 home which was seriously dated as 1998. If I had to conform to my home’s 90’s style I would never like it. One piece of design advice designers always give is to stick with your home’s style but how many of us actually can afford 300 year old homes in London or million dollar contemporary homes? Why can’t I try to take my 90’s home and make it contemporary, classic or something entirely different altogether?
Good ideas, stay away from trends. White tiles look great, or white or gray paint is good. If you want color, in kitchen or any room, use colorful accessories. We are not allowed to paint walls. So, I use colorful cushions, wall art. I have three portraits my fiancé did of me around the studio small colorful appliances can work in kitchen. Good thing about accessories, they can be exchanged out. Great article, thanks.
black tapware is TERRIBLE in bathrooms. which I’ve learned, because our water is hard and the water spots are terrible. we’ve been renovating for 10 years, always wanted to do a black bathroom, and now we have learned why it’s a bad idea, esp in the modern era where most options are cheap. thankfully it’s just a guest bathroom.
I only liked the accent wall in that dining room, the dark blue. But why didn’t they at least cover the dining seats with that same color? And use very small amounts of that color in the rooms? It adds depth and interest but is a sore thumb. @2:17. That is contrast gone too far. The rug helps but not enough.
Not my wheelhouse but it’s funny how I’m approaching middle age and I find it extremely difficult to wrap my mind around certain trends being dated. Geometric walls and tiles still don’t seem dated to me but the word signs seemed dated the first time I saw them. Some trends I never understood in the first place like sliding barn doors. On the other hand when I see a kitchen that’s very 90’s it still looks good to me despite having white appliances and maple cabinets. Probably just a matter of me having unrefined taste like a young adult getting drunk on box wine 😂
I am a beginner in all this, and I just designed an apartment with a barn door, I think my reasoning is quite good. The kitchen is just in front of the entrance, and it has access to another room just ahead. There is a big open dining space right by the entrance and there’s quite a wide, open archway on the other side to the living room. The owners wanted an open floor plan to have more visual space, so then, as the entrance to the kitchen is just by the archway, I have a wooden barn door to cut through the white of the walls, and also interrupts the very long “hallway” when they enter the apartment while having a bigger and more spacious opening when they need more continuity. Have I made a right call?
I’ve never cared for all black houses or ANY modern house design. They ALWAYS stick out like sore thumbs & are a blight on the landscape. The same also goes for houses that have a ton of windows & broadcast all that unwanted light to the neighbors. Homes should “snuggle in” to the landscape so that they look more peaceful. It makes NO sense to design a cheap (they ALL look cheap regardless of price), modern exterior that everyone else will be forced to look at & cringe.
Im not into the barn door look or the addition of strips of wood added to your walls. Do not like heavy colors either. Earth tones has always been my go to and shades of the sea. Wild bright colors will turn on you fast. Don’t believe me, let someone die you love while standing in a room painted with one of these colors. You will never like it again. Maybe your standing in an orange room when your person breaks up with you. Everytime you see that particular shade of orange you’ll turn nauseous or depressed. All it takes is a strong feeling to come over you while in a room painted a wild color and your drama has just begun. 😅
I did enjoy your article! All your DON’Ts are all the DOs that populate 99% of what is done by HGTV decorators😂 As someone totally lacking in design skills and style I would advise people to just do what they like to do, surround themselves with colors and designs they enjoy, things that fit their lifestyle and how much they enjoy or don’t enjoy cleaning. Because all the current DOs will be DON’Ts in a few years. So unless you can afford to redecorate every few years don’t chase what’s in style but embrace your style!
This is all such great advice! So, in context to what you were saying about matching the architecture of your house… what would you suggest for someone like me who has a house built in 1978 but I absolutely hate the decoration styles of the 70s! Can I get away with the more modern mid century look in there even though the bones of the house are a little later than that? I mean there is the big rock fireplace and there is not the big window walls like a mid century modern would have.
I have never understood, or liked, the whole monotone decorating thing. It’s boring and ugly. I have never gotten the barn door thing. What a waste of a wall. Pocket doors are the same thing and don’t waste your wall space, close all the way and can be locked. Mostly, I dislike trends. Trends are just a way for designers of anything to make money by convincing people they need to change everything. I find designer rooms hilarious. Who has the time ALWAYS carefully and artfully drape that blanket over the chair or end of the bed? Why deal with 8 hundred pillows carefully arranged on your bed? Seriously, who tours your home? All white anything just screams constant cleaning to me. All in all, forget trends. Decorate your home in the way that makes YOU happy.
I likeI to watch HGTV programs but have become bored with: white, white, some wood, then wicker. I have seen this over and over. Ugh. I have always hated the barn doors especially on bathrooms. And for years I have hated backsplashes, especially ones that go to the ceiling. I mean, what is the purpose. Do we splash high on the walls? Designers that have artistic/design school backgrounds make choices that are unique making each home seem special. I have been intrigued by Farmhouse Fixer who twice painted walls black and it worked, but I thought that viewer armatures better be careful. 😐
Most of these so-called trends I never liked in the first place, especially all the gray and white (blah) and those funky elongated tiny tiles for the kitchen (give me a headache). People forget that the word “trend” is really a marketing ploy to sell items that used to be called a “fad.” Trending means nothing. Classic means everything. Give me color, unique pieces of furniture to accent a room, sensual textiles/fabrics, beautiful lamps, and a warm and cozy feeling.
As long as there are stupid architects and builders, “sliding” doors are here to stay. The one I had installed in my dad’s house because the builder didn’t think there should be a door between the bathroom and bedroom, plus the door opening itself was small, I had two 24″ regular doors used as a bi-parting “barn door” ($375 if you can do it yourself). To have a swing door installed would meant having the opening framed ($) and creating door issue #4. There were already 3 doors opening into that one small area. My house also has doors issues and since regular doors cannot work, both in bathrooms, “slider” doors will have to do. I cannot afford to have pocket doors installed in both bathrooms (over $1000 each). Maybe stop calling them barn doors and see if that alleviates the irritation. Everything else you said, oh yeah, agree.
Ahh when the overpriced house you just bought was remodeled with gray vinyl plank floor and you had no say in it.. 😑 and the housing market was so limited at the time. Thanks past owner. They had the gray walls too… we painted those to a classic cream white… but the floors…oh the floors… plus the bedrooms have all new gray carpet.. I have ALWAYS hated this gray trend since it’s inception
Some of these points are really good. I don’t agree entirely with the gray laminate flooring. We have it in our kitchen, which runs right into a large all glass breakfast area that has white porcelain hexagonal tile. It blends perfectly and helps reflect even more of that natural light around the kitchen itself, which doesn’t have any windows. I agree with the accent walls. Whether it’s geometric or just painted, they are absolutely terrible because no one ever does it right. When we purchased our home 5 or the 7 bedrooms, 3 of the bathrooms, living, den, and the 2 story entryway (yes, even there) had a painted accent wall. It was AWFUL looking. Unless you live in coastal New England, shiplap shouldn’t be anywhere in your home, ever, and good grief, those word signs… tacky tacky tacky. This was a great article with some really great advice. Simple is almost always best. Use some decor to add character and pattern, not things that require a full remodel to change.
Hey! You’ve been creating great content with interior decorating. There are a lot of new productions that are available to be advance purchased. Therefore it’d be valuable some content regarding decorating a brand new space. Normally in these cases, you’ll have a floor plan and you might not like to do a lot of renovations as it’s newly built homes/apartments.
The RGB light strips drive me NUTS! They’re the Gen Z equivalent of the Millennials’ fairy lights trend, and they both scream “college dorm.” Also, putting them behind your screens (TV or monitors) can actually impact how you perceive the color quality on the screen, so it just makes your movies and TV shows look worse to your brain. The only places I’m willing to allow it, imo, is backlighting some of those office pegboards that are everywhere, because those spaces are often fairly dark and in need of some color… if you want to look like a Twitch streamer, go ahead I guess. 😅
I am in a 1938 house in need of reframing an exterior wall. I am adding window area (three 24-inch windows in place of two 32-inch) and my design includes 6-inch-wide trim between the sashes to echo the sash weight pockets in the old wall. Going with a barn door between my galley kitchen and small dining room (the hinged door bangs into a sideboard that’s just too big).
Nice article. I enjoyed it and did like some of the suggestions. But I do have a suggestion myself. In many of these examples, the ones that are the “mistake” are for homes in a completely different budget than the ones that show what you should do instead (i.e., probably completely unattainable for the people who own the mistake example homes). It would be way more educational if both groups were of similar homes. Especially if the “do this instead” isn’t all multi-million dollar mansions. It’s way more interesting to see what you can achieve with builder grade materials.
First time viewer, love your website. Thank you for calling out the overly GREY rooms. Too much beige or grey is difficult to see. Would you please touch on the “hotel” or “spa” trend? Is it a trend? Is it exclusive to furniture? Personally, I do not want to visit my home, I would like to live in it.
What do you think about bamboo flooring? The house also had a minor Asian theme with walk-in sauna like Japanese wet bath with bidets with fancy white garden tub with a shower with 5+ spouts and fancy finishes, an Japanese themed accent wall in one bedroom with a fan that remind you of Japanese themes, the rest is more of a hipster bistro almost commercial theme with colors and accents that complement bamboo with beige and brown. The kitchen falls into the trendy geometric splash but it is rectangles. It has a western style bar, projector/movie room and gameroom with darker colors. Is it a trap to buy such a quirky house? The seller is even willing to sell the decked out furnishings for a 3800 sq ft room with 10 flat screen tvs for 25k extra. To make matters stranger this house is sub 600k since it is a suburb to a major city. It is in Texas and also has no trees, but has finishes of a multi-million dollar home and has been on the market 80+ days. It is 35 mins to the airport, but if there is any traffic it can take an hour or more to get to the other end of the main nearby city.
I live in a house that was built in 1900. The first thing we did was rip out all the carpet and install hardwood. At the same time, we painted all the rooms with different neutral colors. We used the heritage collection of paint colors by Benjamin Moore. We then replaced all the appliances. Finally, we spent hours and hours looking through lighting fixtures. We selected fixtures that were true to the home and similar to what may have been used when the house first had electricity. The one thing that made me sad is that the windows had already been replaced with vinyl. If we could afford it, we would have installed wood windows, like Bella Windows. I think it is so important with older homes to maintain or bring them back to their original glory. We have 2 bathrooms we still need to do, and I have been researching colors and fixtures from 1900. I look forward to bringing the bathrooms closer to what they would have been when the home was first built. In my town, in the city limits, it’s now against code to install vinyl windows or modernize homes on the historic west side. We have so many heritage homes, and they are truly stunning. I onoy wish these rules would have been in place prior to the 50’s through the 90’s.
Never understood why someone would want those barn doors. You can’t even close the door for real. There’s also a reason you don’t see them on almost any barns as the main door. They break easily if they are accidentally pushed by animals or farm vehicles. They are just small rollers on a ‘track’ that’s only 3 sides. It’s easy to push the rollers off the tracks. So tacky. I guess people will buy anything
if youre going to install flooring for resale value, please put in hardwood not vinyl or laminate that will get ripped out anyway cause its a cheap product. Put in carpet instead, it’s cheaper and easier to rip out. geometric pattern walls- yuck maybe in a kids bedroom- but simple picture molding is always a classic.Shiplap, ugh have fun cleaning out the dust between each board every weekend. just don’t do it unless you live by the shore or a farm.
Just went shopping yesterday for wood flooring. Idk why but I just didn’t feel like grey would be a great color. My wife kept moving toward it. I wanted something lighter that would match multiple paint colors and we settled on maple. I don’t know much about interior design but I guess by good instinct I was on to something😄
A lovely article which really explained how to use trends elegantly. It’s important, I think, to decorate your home the way you please. Different when you are decorating to sell a property. Also, trends infiltrate the market so strongly. I redid my kitchen a year ago and wanted to use bamboo or sustainable wood. I had a good budget, but expensive is too elegant a word. I visited so many outlets and glossy grey, grey, grey was everywhere. I had to pause because it was such an underwhelming experience.
Since I have always disliked grey, I am very ready for that trend to go. On the other hand I have a huge field stone granity fireplace which it gray. But my floors are real wood. I love my white, granite/marble counter top. I has a lot of veining but the viens are multi-collored and not reall bold. I have not understood using large swaths of granite, anywhere. It seem so expensive and not attractive.
I’m not concerned with trends or what people think of my home, I like what I like unapologetically, I don’t need validation or approval from others… plus I have a mind of my own, I don’t need trends to tell me how to design my home. I have hated barn doors since they first became popular, so ugly. I don’t mind gray floors, they seem more neutral than brown or reddish brown floors do imo, I think concrete floors are going to go out of trend soon, they can be nice… but horrible on the bones. Plus, I’ve seen people pour concrete over tile, even vinyl tile, so for me, when I see concrete, I think about how I may not be able to ever change it and lay tile over it because it may be too high and obstruct a door.
Great core advice and nicely delivered. If you are updating your space and doing the research on current trends and available upgrades and enhancements, it’s super important to not date your space and reach for longevity while still applying your own style. Thanks for helping us work toward that goal!
Of course, taste is personal and everyone can decorate their home as they want. But furniture and decor is not cheap and you probably want them to last for a long time. I find this article very useful, it helps to incorporate things you like in a way that won’t bore you in a couple of years. Plus, I love how calm and empathetic he sounds.
I did a kind of grey vinyl plank floor (white oak by Shaw) to get a stone/concrete look that i want able to do when building. I’ve gotten so many compliments on that floor and have been able to pair with s lot of other would times due to the natural browns/tans in it. Much better than that childy grey everywhere that I’ve seen in some homes
I think if you love whatever’s in your home, you should keep it. I think saying a decor choice is a trend, is silly. As far as barn doors, I have a small bathroom and there would be no room to walk around in or decorate. so a barn door looks so much nicer and it leaves more room in the bathroom and on the other side as well. I think designers and decorators want to keep changing the “trends” so that we have to spend tons of money. It’s ridiculous. If you love your home and what’s in it, that’s all that matters.
Thanks for talking about the faux marble effect. Not many people seem to talk about it and it looks really ugly. Most of the printed patterns look so artificial, it looks like mold! Not to mention I can easily see the printed dot pattern on the slab and it looks so cheap, when these patterns usually cost the most from any slab supplier. Really gross
0:36 Great point on the Gray tones and nice solutions! 0:07 The bathroom on the right, while not for me, will look good at any point in time. The thing about timeless is you can’t make a big statement, that’s what locks you into a timeframe. The only real statement this bathroom makes is the nook and tub tiles, which do lock you into ~nowish. Wood in general is the hardest to keep from going out of style.
Hotel bathrooms with the sliding barndoors are the dumbest things in the world. The last hotel I stayed at had them, despite the fact that the bathroom was massive, with plenty of room for an internally swinging door. There’s nothing quite like sharing the room with someone, and everyone’s got to deal with a bathroom door that doesn’t keep anything hidden behind it.
Barn doors : I never liked them, but I ran in a situation where there was no alternative. Renovating in the basement where there are load bearing structures getting the way of a standard sized door for a bedroom walk in closet, all of the sudden, a barn door was cool. I say, never mind the trend or lack thereof. Keep it as an option where it makes sense.
LIVE LOVE LAUGH… every Afrikaans speaking family in south africa that claim to be “family” people. i have seen this in kids art on the fridge. at their front door in beaded wire thingamajigs. in the lounge as wooden cutouts. dining room framed posters. the famous kitchen chalk wall.. in the passage as the set that lost its friends. some even in their bedroom as if its a reminder to maintain a happy marriage or something. thankfully i can retreat to the bathroom. they haven’t realised the one spot in the house has not been lived, loved or laughed yet…
Most of these are examples of excessive usage of cheap modern materials the manufacturers want you to use… because they know in 3-4 years, you’ll tear it out and do it again. When designing a home, the home’s era should have a voice in the matter. Tones and materials should be influenced by when a home was constructed and the style of the home. I’ve toured hundreds of mid-century ranches with Oak cabinets and trim. That… was an error of judgement. 😂 If youre gonna lean into a trend, it should be in small quantities. Gray walls are a fine neutral, but then choose a flooring that fits the era of the home. If the home was built in the 50s-60s, choose modern sleek cabinets or lighter maple or birch which resemble the metal or woods used during the era. And please, please, dont slap distressed barnwood in a victorian kitchen… Thats a change I have to undo in my own home left by the previous owners.
Well, regarding the shiplap (and I don’t even watch Chip and Joana! lol) We are planning on adding shiplap to the kitchen bar that opens to the main room, and also to the tall fireplace that reaches the high ceiling. The idea is having both places either in natural wood, or a very dry subtle green. I originally wanted stone but our budget doesn’t allow at the moment, and I want texture and a bit of color. Right now everything is white. I hate gray lol. Shiplap sounds like a good idea….. ? I guess the house style is between contemporary/farm house. Any comments or ideas would be awesome ♥