Home design trends may look stunning on social media, but living with them every day is a whole different story. What seems sleek and modern in a remodel often turns out to be impractical, high-maintenance, or just plain frustrating in real life. And if you ask homeowners with years of experience, they’ll tell you exactly which choices are timeless upgrades — and which ones you’ll regret the moment the novelty wears off. So, we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community over 60 to share the home design trends they absolutely cannot stand. Here’s what they had to say:
1.
“Double sinks in the bathroom. I don’t care who it is or what they’re doing, I don’t want to share my bathroom time with anyone.”
2.
“I dislike the lack of entryways found in most new, open-plan homes. Maybe it works in California, but in states that get cold, it’s a terrible idea. Every time you open the door in winter, a cold blast of air will blow through your entire house. If you don’t have a big hall closet, you also end up with a giant pile of shoes visible to the rest of the house. I’m sure they’re cheaper to build, and some people love the look of walking into a giant space, but they aren’t practical for daily life in a cold and windy place.”
3.
“Every new house seems to have your microwave built into the lower cabinets. Sure, it’s tucked away, but I cannot see the damn thing! How can I use it without bending over or kneeling? It makes me so mad every time I see it.”
4.
“Beige everything. Especially the ‘beige moms’ who even make their kids’ toys beige. They are the No Fun League of humanity, and their home has the personality of a paper bag.”
5.
“Rain shower heads. After showering, while drying off, the extra water in the line gathers in the flat rain head, and then dumps cold water down your back. Not a design feature I love.”
6.
“I 100% despise, cannot stand, and loathe the doorless bathroom off the primary bedroom! I’ve lived in two houses like this, and nothing about it is appealing. The most annoying: My significant other is up before me to get ready for work, and no matter how quiet they try to be, I have no chance of continuing to sleep since all the lights and the sounds (shower, hairdryer, drawers, cabinets, faucet, etc.) going on in the bathroom resonate directly into the bedroom. So frustrating!”
7.
“Subway tile. I hate subway tile. So boring.”
8.
“I really dislike vinyl siding. It looks cheap, and who wants to live surrounded by a petroleum product? Don’t we have enough environmental risks? Hasn’t asbestos taught us about these suspicious products?”
9.
“Carpet. It’s disgusting and high-maintenance. I don’t care if you clean your carpet daily — it’s still disgusting.”
10.
“I’m not a fan of vessel sinks in the bathroom. They always seem too high, and I end up getting water everywhere when I wash my face.”
11.
“Walk-in closets that are accessible only through the bathroom! Who wants to have their clothing saturated with the humidity and other airborne ‘contaminants’ from the bathroom?! And who wants to put their suit or dress on in the bathroom?”
12.
“None of the new homes have medicine cabinets, especially in half baths. They just put up big mirrors. What if people need an Advil, a toothbrush, or a hairbrush? And then, how can they put them away so that things stay neat? What are these people thinking?”
13.
“Barn doors inside homes.”
14.
“Just turned 70 and I’m very far away from being called a fuddy-duddy. I’ve lived in many different houses here and abroad, so this age group is likely to have experienced a similar range of living situations and can offer insights into the pros and cons. Open concept is just way too noisy.”
15.
“A sink and a stove on an island? Aesthetically not so nice, and you have to keep repeating yourself: ‘The stove is hot, the stove is hot’ — just ridiculous.”
16.
“I dislike when they install a freestanding tub just far enough away from walls that water and other things can run down the gap, but too close to get anything in there to clean the wall! And what happens when it comes time to repaint? The same goes for those vanities in an alcove that don’t butt up against the wall. How the heck do you paint inside the one- or two-inch pointless gap?”
17.
“I’ll never own my own home, let alone one with vaulted or cathedral ceilings, but how would you keep those things clean?”
18.
“My main pet peeve in home design is the intense lack of closets! I like clothes and holiday decorations. They need to go somewhere. My house has huge bedroom closets — and not even a single storage closet.”
19.
“Farmhouse sinks are the worst. With their flat bottoms, water doesn’t drain properly, and it takes 10 gallons of water just to clean them.”
20.
“Adding tall niches in showers…but not adding shelving into said niches. Why have it be 3 feet wide and 2 feet tall on the wall when you can only use one shelf?”
21.
“I LITERALLY HATE THE FRONT GARAGE! I really sold myself short on this one. I can’t stand that I don’t get enough natural sunlight into my home. This was the worst decision for me.”
22.
“Putting laundry (and laundry closets) in the kitchen. Very impractical to bring your dirty laundry into the kitchen, where things should be kept clean and sanitary.”
23.
“What’s the deal with pot fillers over the stove? Doesn’t anybody realize that the full pot will have to be moved off the stove at some point anyway? Why invest in that extra plumbing?”
24.
“Shower doors that are only a half door. Water from your shower gets all over the bathroom floor, and cold air gets in while you’re showering. I’ve experienced it at a supposed upscale hotel, and I definitely did not like it.”
25.
“Luxury vinyl plank flooring. It looks and feels like plastic flooring. TV rehab shows must be getting paid to push it. People are covering or tearing out real hardwood, terrazzo, and quality tile with this cheap-looking paneling for floors.”
26.
“Clear glass shower enclosures mean constant cleaning of water spots. With frosted or textured glass, the spots never show.”
27.
“Kitchen cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. It would’ve doubled my kitchen renovation costs for me to take my cabinets to the ceiling, and then I would have had cabinet shelving that I could only access with a ladder.”
28.
“I love an exposed beam, but it has to suit the style of the house. Adding them into a house that doesn’t have them is infuriating — we can totally tell your brand-new McMansion doesn’t need those faux wood beams to support it.”
29.
“Waterfall countertops! What is the point of the extra expense and color overload?”
30.
“The ‘lamp shade’ that is just an open wire frame, or bare bulb. You see them on every home improvement show, and some look nice…but who wants to look at a bare lightbulb all the time?”
31.
“Open shelving in the kitchen. It looks great in photos, but unless all your dishes and cups match each other and you’re willing to put them on display all the time, it’s impractical for day-to-day use. I feel like if you have open shelving in the kitchen, your stuff could get covered in dust if you don’t use certain things all the time, and if (like me) you have a cat, that open shelf would be way too tempting for the cat to avoid. I’m sure people love the aesthetic, but it’s just not practical for most of us.”
Do you agree with these hot takes, or do you secretly love a vessel sink and subway tile moment? 👀 Drop your own design pet peeves in the comments!
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