The Biggest Interior Design Mistake?
The Biggest Interior Design Mistake?
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I think "what's in/out" is being defined by media focus on celebrity homes. A truer vision of trends might be derived from simply looking at stores like, say, Ashley Furniture or Ikea. Gray is by no means "out" although there is a sudden reappearance of caramel/tan/light wood tones. White kitchen cabinets will never be "out" but white-on-white-on-white clearly is. I also think the "cottage core" version of second-hand eclectic will never be entirely out. I learned a good lesson decades ago: one of my bosses wore shirt-dresses even when they were way out of style, but she always looked good because they suited her perfectly. We installed a light-wood kitchen, with sliced beach pebble backsplash, at the height of the gray trend, because that's what we wanted, and it's always gotten compliments. I guess, for ordinary people with ordinary budgets, it's wise to stay classic on more permanent items such as flooring and cabinets, and go trendy on other items.
1. You’re wise and fabulous.
2. Just because someone, or a few someones, say a trend is out does not make it so.
3. A friend remarked that if we intend to stay in our place for a while, get what we want because whatever we choose will be out of favor in ten years.
White kitchens may go out of fashion, but what you’ve designed is timeless. Everything is perfect. I’ll bet your Mum gets even more joy from it because you designed it.
I loved scandi/japandi styles with grey/white/pale wood years before it was named and still love the grey/white/pale wood aesthetic now it’s being shamed … I’ve just added lots of green plants, which was a trend way back when (I had the obligatory cheese plant!) and am enjoying the much wider variety this ‘new’ trend of biophilia is giving me … will I rip out my pale grey kitchen cabinets, paint my greige walls brightly, or throw out my pale wood floors and furniture? Not while my love affair with clean, minimal but textural and cosy continues … hopefully for decades more! Maybe I will even have the odd moment in the style ‘sun’ now and again! I love it like black and white photography … maybe not as warm as colour, but colour isn’t as calm for me … each to their own in what speaks to your lifestyle and emotional responses
I like a somewhat… brutalist interior design, preferably with a splash of biophilic design. Wood, stone, concrete, brushed steel, etc. I try to avoid painted as far as possible, but it is sadly not always possible… so much shit is painted for no reason. And contrast these raw textures with softer textures and warmer colours on textiles and go for nice inviting "poofy" furniture. Warmer light temperature help make the place feel nice and cozy. And of course lots of plants. Sadly, as I live in a rented apartment, my hands are somewhat tied when it comes to aspects.
I use what I like from A TO Z. AFTER ALL I AM PAYING FOR IT 😅
White, grey or black are so neutral they’re quite literally timeless compared to other colours. I don’t think it would go out of style really.
The driving factor behind interior design trends often seems to be boredom for those who spend most of their time focused on such things. For most people design of their kitchen, bedroom, house is somewhere down the line in importance after actually living their lives — not unimportant in that it can impact the way it makes you feel, but also not the central focus. If style results organically from choosing what you like rather than performing to impress others it has the added quality of authenticity.
Interesting at the end of the video when sustainability was mentioned, I want to use or incorporate bamboo in my next build. (in the Philippines)
White kitchens will never go out.
I currently have a warm wood kitchen and just ordered white cabinets. I think white kitchens are classic and can be updated with decor or a change in backslash or wall paint colors.
I thought this was common sense or just known – the more furious a fad explodes, the faster it fades. This is way I'm worried about the gorgeous curved archways, etc, being incorporated in so many new builds in Australia. I don't want it to become a fad.
I installed a self designed kitchen to our home, an Australian Contemporary design, 9 years ago. It combines a simple white tall shaker style doors and deep under counter drawers, and accented with black v-groove pantry and integrated fridge wall, in addition to the are area around the black cooking appliances. The only nod to trend was concrete look engineered stone bench tops. The v groove echoes some of the exterior treatment. Simple white hand pressed, rectangular tiles.
Just sold the house. All the prosective buyers commented on the "new" kitchen! Assumed it had just been installed! It was a great lesson to not be too safe, but steer a classic, proven style direction, and take in the whole house as a guide.
On resale value, there are things you can change easily like furniture and paint, and things you can't like kitchen cabinets and bathroom fixtures. For the stuff that is expensive to change, trendy is usually a regrettable choice. A good exercise is to imagine the best possible buyer of your place is someone who is literally the polar opposite of you. If you are a minimalist, they find the vibe cold and uninviting, etc. Could that person tolerate your choices or are you locking them into your aesthetic choices so strongly that they will discount what they are willing to pay by the cost to undo what you've done? Or is what you've done THAT CAN'T EASILY BE UNDONE sufficiently flexible/neutral that it is unlikely to raise the hackles of someone who you have absolutely nothing in common with stylistically?
Long-winded.
Buying stuff second hand makes you less vulnerable to this.
All white everything just screams "I don't want to pick a colour that will hurt the resale value"
Minimalism and Scandinavian style are here for over 20 years and not going away, their a good baseline.
The only mistake with the kitchen is how awkwardly the sink is next to the wall. No work space, water splashes has no where to go, etc. always leave a min of 30cm on each side of a sink or cook top.
A white neutral kitchen will have a good value as owners can put anything next to it. If you did a classic detailed kitchen and a new buyer likes modern he won't be able to tone a classical kitchen down, where as a modern kitchen can be fitted with anything you want.
Great content! Personally I always disliked these very minimalistic kitchens. They feel lifeless and impractical to me. What’s the purpose of a kitchen? Cooking in it or cleaning it?
This is the Lindy effect 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect
I subscribe to interior magazines via Zinio, and can therefore easily look up 10 year old magazines. It is very interesting to see what still looks good and what doesn't. In short, this exercise can help to identify timelessness.
I think the most important elements to have in mind, other than your budget, are comfort and coherence. It doesn’t matter the style really if it looks well in a defined architectural context. For example: I’m looking into buy a house with very high ceilings and original frescoes on them so it will be very difficult not to do a light limewashing on the walls because a flat paint doesn’t look well, but in other areas of the house you can go with flat tones without problem. Other important thing is to avoid buying everything in a rush: it’s better to wait and see what works in different scales and you can adapt or send back stuff you feel doesn’t adjust properly to your lifestyle. What I’ll absolutely avoid is to decorate in a style you don’t feels comfortable and lacks of any real functionality because it will look bad faster and you will hate yourself for ages. Nice video!
Design is personal, and it should never be adhered to just because an industry decides for US what we should do with our homes or spaces. If I want gray, I'm getting gray no matter who tells me it's out of "style". It's nothing more than certain people dictating the lives and tastes of others just to make a buck.
Sound advice there. White cabinets are a classic, but I´d prefer some colour around them. Quite easy to organise. One thing, though: I´m not sure I'd want an architect doing my interior. They seem to love built-in furniture, which I dislike, have no issues with melamine (which I hate) and above all, I have seen some truly horrible stuff installed in the name of ´honesty'. Raw concrete, rough chipboard, rusty metal; items which, if seen in the Tate Modern art gallery, I'd describe as ´shed art'. Stuff which if you found it in the shed, you´d toss it out without a second thought. Some things are best concealed or, preferably not used at all. Then there's the lime green, dayglo orange and psychedelic yellow paint. And the obligatory island in the kitchen with a breakfast bar. I loathe both. If anyone else ever lays a hand on my flat, (they won´t) it will be Marianne Evennou, with strict instructions to design a welcoming and inventive interior with as much interest as she can cram in!
In one week, I am moving into a new home with an all white kitchen. It is a blank canvas that I get to decorate. Yippee. Wood cutting boards, a stone vase with branches, wicker pieces, a painting. Can’t wait.
I shall be glad to see the back of bi-fold doors. In Britain. Where it rains or is cold nine days out of ten.
It doesn’t matter what’s popular, blond wood with pistachio green, millennial pink and grey will always be my colour scheme. They were my colour palette when I was 18, and still in my 30’s I’m always reaching for these colours or tones that compliment them.
I see your mum sitting alone in the minimalist white kitchen, drinking tea while a tear runs down her face. She wonders where she can hang up a potholder. Is it possible to add a touch of color, art, or homeyness anywhere? It doesn't look like it. If she hints at her unhappiness, the next generation talks about the resale value of the place once she's dead or in a nursing home. 2. Does that kitchen even have a place to sit down?
After watching this, I need to re-do my whole space.
This makes total sense.
You raise a good point, sometimes less is more in design.
My belief is decorate with the colours and designs you love. Your home should bring you joy and comfort (both physical and emotional comfort), not concerns over resale value in the future.