Home design loves and hates?

[sonrisa]

The kitchen desk/ fridge/ wet bar posts got me thinking.

What are some things you love in home design? What are some things that annoy you? Big or small.

We’ve been looking at rebuilding on our lot and one builder does these really modern homes but every design has Jack and Jill bath for the kids a d a kitchen desk. WTF? How are Jack and jill baths still a thing - let alone a default? Have none of these people ever lived with the guaranteed kid blow up that is a bathroom where either one is locking the other out all the time or they are walking in on each other inadvertently? we lived for a year as a kid with one and it was the worst. I’d much rather have all four of us share one bath than have that mess.

[VillainV]

Hate:

- Wood look tile. I think it’s going to look really dated very soon.
- When there’s no door between the primary bedroom and bathroom.

Love:
- Hardwood floors and non-wood alternatives (I like tile, just not wood-look tile)
- Mudrooms or some thoughtful place to put things as you enter the house

[memenee]

Hate:

I strongly dislike pendant lights in kitchens. I hate them over the sink and over the island/peninsula. I’m sure this is an unpopular opinion because everyone seems to have them but I just really don’t like them.

[starburst604]

Not so much a design thing, but functionality. A lot of the homes built around here from the early 2000’s and earlier don’t have any lighting in the bedrooms. You have to provide it with lamps. It was an annoyance when we moved in and then a friend who is house hunting commented on noticing that about so many houses. Not one of our 3 bedrooms has any installed lights. They do all have ceiling fans though, but those may have been put in by previous owners and not original to the house.

[cosmowife]

Lol, I had a jack and Jill bathroom as a kid and I loved it. I loved having my bathroom right in my room. My sister and I each had our own sink and shared the toilet/shower. We never had an issue with walking in on each other or anything else. Plus it was fun to run back and forth when we were little.

I think my biggest peeve is rooms that are not designed for proper placement of furniture. Our previous house was a good size (1800 sf I think?) but the rooms were all tiny and about 2’ too small to comfortably hold a decent furniture arrangement. It was so frustrating! It was a center hall colonial so a giant staircase sat smack dab in the middle of the house which caused the small room issue all around it. My current house is a ranch so no issues with this.

[gummybear]

Hate: master bedroom sitting areas
Our bedroom has an enormous sitting area that is a complete waste of space. It’s useless and indulgent and stupid, especially bc the other bedrooms are small and could desperately use the added square footage. Our bedroom is plenty spacious without it.

I need to think of a love...

[gummybear]

Ok, love.
.

When we refaced our kitchen we ditched the stupid cabinets above the fridge and put in a wine rack. We are not connoisseurs or anything so temperature control isn’t really a concern and this is a perfect use of space. It’s so much more functional and was a minor, cheap change out. 

[expectantsteelerfan]

I have LOTS of thoughts on this because we were recently house hunting and considering building.

Things I hate/don't understand:
- Formal living rooms. Almost all the new builds have a small, closed off 'formal living room' right off the entrance, and while they weren't a dealbreaker for us, I know for us, they will literally never be used. The house we're buying does have a formal living room, but it is more open concept so it's completely open to the dining room which is open to the kitchen, so while I expect it still won't be used regularly, at least people will walk through it?
- brass/gold fixtures. I know this is the 'in' style right now, but I hate it. One of the houses we put an offer in on had just been built in 2019 and was basically brand new because the family had to move for work right after it was finished, and it had brass fixtures in the kitchen and every bathroom, and it was killing me a bit to know that we would change out all those practically new fixtures, but we were outbid anyway. I also don't LOVE black, but it's better than brass IMO.
- Garages without a door that isn't the garage door, especially big oversized garages. In the house we are buying, my kids are going to go in/out of the garage when they get on/off the bus, and we don't have an access door, so it's going to annoy the heck out of me that they will open the garage door so many times per day. But this was one of the things we compromised on.
- SUPER BUSY tile designs, especially with accent tiles.
- Unpainted wood trim or wood paneling.
- Glass front/open shelving. I know these look nice, but I don't want people to see what's in my cabinets and I don't want to have to dust/clean the open shelving.
- Appliances in the island.  I don't want a prep sink or main sink or stove top on my island.  I want it flat and empty and lovely.

Things I love:
- Jack and Jill bathrooms (lol at OP hating these). We saw some houses where every bedroom had an ensuite bathroom, and that was overkill for us. Our new house has what for us is a perfect set up...a Jack and Jill that has a sink area, door, tub/shower/toilet area, door, and another sink area. So my kids can be at their sinks while still having privacy from the toilet and shower and each have their own separated sinks. Our guest room does have it's own ensuite, so if when they are teens they really feel the need for separate bathrooms, one of them can claim that one, but I told them if it gets to that point, they will need to take over cleaning their own bathrooms.
- Mud rooms off the back of the house to the yard. This is us specific because of our dogs, but most of the houses we looked at had sliding glass doors off the dining area to the back yard, and I hated the idea of my dogs going in/out through that area, especially in bad weather. Our new house has a laundry/mud room off the kitchen with a door to the outside, so that will work out perfectly for us. Eventually I will want to move the laundry to the 2nd floor and then install a dog-washing station in the mud room, but I can deal with main floor laundry for now.
- Fun tile in non-main spaces. I love the floral tile and fun colored tile and fun colored cabinets in spaces that aren't main kitchen/bathrooms. When we move the laundry, I will do this for the laundry room. I do prefer more neutral tile in the main areas though.

[Deleted]

I had a Jack and Jill bathroom growing up and loved it. We've talked about remodeling our second floor to add a master suite over the garage and then redoing the current layout to add 2 jack and jill bathrooms, one for the boys and one for the girls.

Hate: I don't know if I hate it, but I'm just not a fan of the rooms with cathedral ceilings. I guess it looks okay, but it must cost a fortune to heat and cool. Also, soffits in the kitchen. If you don't have to hide hvac or anything, why would you not install more cabinetry instead of useless space covered with drywall?

Love: front porch. does that count? I live in a side hall colonial and my dream is to add on a front porch that goes the entire width of my house. I also love fireplaces.

[neonpink]

Hates: shiplap. It’s the avocado fridge of today. Stupid floor plans, without decent storage or angled walls to “be different.” Oversized pillows where you can’t use the furniture. Uncomfortable modern furniture.

Love: layering texture and colors. Organized drawers, trash drawers. Power outlets inside cabinets to hide away appliances or hairdryers.


I am an interior designer. The list could go on.

[neonpink]

Hates: shiplap. It’s the avocado fridge of today. Stupid floor plans, without decent storage or angled walls to “be different.” Oversized pillows where you can’t use the furniture. Uncomfortable modern furniture.

Love: layering texture and colors. Organized drawers, trash drawers. Power outlets inside cabinets to hide away appliances or hairdryers.


I am an interior designer. The list could go on.

[bittybomb]

I also love Jack and Jill bathrooms. But I also love the desk in my kitchen. I can sit down and go through homework there, or pays bills quickly. My kids also love it because they're not allowed to eat outside of the kitchen. From our desk you can see the tv in the living room, so they often take turns having a snack or dessert there without missing out on their show 😂

I hate small powder rooms. So many of the houses built in our neighborhood have these super tiny powder rooms with the worlds' tiniest sinks. It's tricky to maneuver in there!

I hate when houses don't have adequate storage. Our 1912 house did not have a coat closet, and storage for the most part was really lacking. When we gut renovated, we added a coat closet and added spacious closets to the bedrooms. It's been a game changer for managing clutter.

My biggest hate is builder basic hollow doors. I just hate them so much and think a small upgrade to a house's interior doors does wonders for the look.

[fryjack2]

I do not like:

Oversized rooms. Our master is huge. It has a sitting area with a fireplace. We have turned the fireplace on twice in 3 years and it was me being a smartass pretending to jokingly set the mood. I use the bedroom to sleep in. I don't need all that wasted space. I hang out in our sunroom, not the bedroom.

Those weird wasted space areas at the top of the stairs where people put a desk or random table.

Craft rooms. What even does that mean? How many crafts are people doing that they need a whole room for them? Why isn't it just called a rec room or family room? I realize that is person specific as crafting is not how I spend my spare time.

Wall ovens scare the crap out of me. I just think of fires starting when I see them.

I love:

-indoor/outdoor living and whatever design incorporates that

-toilets that are separated from the rest of the bathroom with a pocket door.

-breakfast nooks and window seats

[karinothing]

May 7, 2021 4:58:34 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

Not so much a design thing, but functionality. A lot of the homes built around here from the early 2000’s and earlier don’t have any lighting in the bedrooms. You have to provide it with lamps. It was an annoyance when we moved in and then a friend who is house hunting commented on noticing that about so many houses. Not one of our 3 bedrooms has any installed lights. They do all have ceiling fans though, but those may have been put in by previous owners and not original to the house.

OMG this is the worst. Our house does not have any overhead lighting in the bedrooms. Nor does it have ceiling fans. I keep wanting to put in lighting but don't want to deal with the dry wall repair and painting lol.

[chickadee77]

Hate: big street-facing garage, single outlet bathrooms (especially in newer construction where there's no reason for it), those gas fireplaces that are super tiny and framed in (not sure what they're called), open shelving in kitchens... I could probably go on, ha. @@ After having kids, I'm not liking open floor plans as much, either. Our current house has a huge open central room with kitchen, living, and another weird room that, pre-kids, we used to read/play music. But since the ceilings are all open, with the kids, it just gets so LOUD. I know, this, too, shall pass. I still think it's beautiful, just not super practical for our current lives.

Love: Natural light, especially in bathrooms and kitchens, use of stone and wood, wood-burning fireplaces, economical use of space, large pantries. Again, I could go on with this, too, lol.

[simpsongal]

Oh man, I have a lot of house opinions.....
Love:
Architectural details (well done, not those tacky columns in the middle of the room). But substantial moldings, cased openings, wainscoting, etc.

over 8 foot ceilings, it's the one thing I wish I could change in our home.

Aged brick

Winding staircases, or turned staircases w/landings - I realize they're impractical for space and heat but I just love the look. I don't quite mean the giant foyers w/stairs in newer builds, more like you'd see in a classic home (I think devonpow has one)

Meh:
Black windows - I realize they're all the rage, but they seem very limiting, particularly on the on the interior from a design perspective

All white kitchens (seeing a lot of white tile, white counters, white cabinets). Just looks too stark.

Hate:
Large garages that are prominent/proud to the rest of the house (e.g., stick out w/the door receded, or in any way extend forward). I realize it's a necessity on some lots, but not all and I really dislike the look.

Doors w/"fake wood" texture (often have a plastic look too). Vinyl windows that look cheap for the kind they replace in the opening that make your original windows smaller

Arched windows (ala the 1990s).

Completely open floor plans.

TVs above fireplaces

[simpsongal]

May 7, 2021 7:44:30 GMT -5 karinothing said:

May 7, 2021 4:58:34 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

Not so much a design thing, but functionality. A lot of the homes built around here from the early 2000’s and earlier don’t have any lighting in the bedrooms. You have to provide it with lamps. It was an annoyance when we moved in and then a friend who is house hunting commented on noticing that about so many houses. Not one of our 3 bedrooms has any installed lights. They do all have ceiling fans though, but those may have been put in by previous owners and not original to the house.

OMG this is the worst. Our house does not have any overhead lighting in the bedrooms. Nor does it have ceiling fans. I keep wanting to put in lighting but don't want to deal with the dry wall repair and painting lol.

+1 - we've slowly coverted the center "boob" light in our 1971 home to ceiling fans.  But I generally hate the light that's cast from ceiling fans (it's usually so harsh, esp in a bedroom).  When we redo our master bath, I'm having them put in recessed lights in the bedroom too.

Thoughts on types and number of switches?  I was thinking of putting a row of small ones above the headboard, w/switch by the door and by the bedside table.  Or maybe I'll just do 6 small lights around the room - definitely on a dimmer.  

[Deleted]

May 7, 2021 7:44:30 GMT -5 karinothing said:

May 7, 2021 4:58:34 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

Not so much a design thing, but functionality. A lot of the homes built around here from the early 2000’s and earlier don’t have any lighting in the bedrooms. You have to provide it with lamps. It was an annoyance when we moved in and then a friend who is house hunting commented on noticing that about so many houses. Not one of our 3 bedrooms has any installed lights. They do all have ceiling fans though, but those may have been put in by previous owners and not original to the house.

OMG this is the worst. Our house does not have any overhead lighting in the bedrooms. Nor does it have ceiling fans. I keep wanting to put in lighting but don't want to deal with the dry wall repair and painting lol.

If you hire someone who actually knows what they are doing, there shouldn't be any drywall repair needed. We added overhead lighting to every bedroom in our old house and it's just a matter of running wires and cutting the appropriate sized hole in the ceiling for the new fixtures. So as long as have someone who knows what they are doing, it's a pretty easy job with minimal clean up and/or repairs needed.

[penelope]

Can not stand:

--Open shelving in the kitchen. Previous owners had their dishes there. They were colorful and cute and it looked fine, but my dishes aren't and I'm not replacing everything just to utilize those stupid shelves. They just attract clutter.
--doors from outside that open directly into a room. Our front door opens straight into our living room. In the warmer months there are always shoes piling up and so much gets tracked into the house because of it. We try to only utilize the garage entrance but in the summer it's not always convenient when coming in from the yard.

Love:

--Breakfast nooks
--mud room / breezeway - keep the mess out there!
--trash drawers. Ours has two garbage cans so one is for garbage and the other for recycling.

[abs]

Hate: the trend of getting rid of ceiling fans in favor of intricate lighting/chandeliers. No thanks. Yes it looks nicer but um perimeonopausal people need ALL of the cooling help they can get.

Meh: the all white kitchens. Just looks stark and hard to clean.

Love: grey paint, lol. dedicated offices. Our next house will have this...didn't realize what a big deal it would become! Big garages, too. We don't have basements here so having extra room in the garage to store crap is very handy.

[starburst604]

May 7, 2021 8:09:05 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

May 7, 2021 7:44:30 GMT -5 karinothing said:

OMG this is the worst. Our house does not have any overhead lighting in the bedrooms. Nor does it have ceiling fans. I keep wanting to put in lighting but don't want to deal with the dry wall repair and painting lol.

If you hire someone who actually knows what they are doing, there shouldn't be any drywall repair needed. We added overhead lighting to every bedroom in our old house and it's just a matter of running wires and cutting the appropriate sized hole in the ceiling for the new fixtures. So as long as have someone who knows what they are doing, it's a pretty easy job with minimal clean up and/or repairs needed.

Yes we had some recessed lights installed in our living room and there was no mess after. Another room with zero installed lighting when we moved in!

[karinothing]

May 7, 2021 8:09:05 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

May 7, 2021 7:44:30 GMT -5 karinothing said:

OMG this is the worst. Our house does not have any overhead lighting in the bedrooms. Nor does it have ceiling fans. I keep wanting to put in lighting but don't want to deal with the dry wall repair and painting lol.

If you hire someone who actually knows what they are doing, there shouldn't be any drywall repair needed. We added overhead lighting to every bedroom in our old house and it's just a matter of running wires and cutting the appropriate sized hole in the ceiling for the new fixtures. So as long as have someone who knows what they are doing, it's a pretty easy job with minimal clean up and/or repairs needed.

But how did they access the wires? They have to get to them somehow.

[shopgirl07]

Hate barn doors. And earth tones.

Love a butler’s pantry. And just large kitchens in general.

[simpsongal]

May 7, 2021 8:10:13 GMT -5 penelope said:

Love:

--Breakfast nooks
--mud room / breezeway - keep the mess out there!
--trash drawers. Ours has two garbage cans so one is for garbage and the other for recycling.

I think you're the second person to say this.  I'm planning on doing a breakfast book w/built in bench and lots of windows when we renovate our kitchen.  Meanwhile, I have 2 neighbors doing $$$ renovations and neither of them are putting tables in their large kitchens, they're just doing large islands w/seating.  I find this surprising....but apparently is becoming a trend? 

[notoriousmeg]

May 7, 2021 8:10:13 GMT -5 penelope said:

Can not stand:

--Open shelving in the kitchen. Previous owners had their dishes there. They were colorful and cute and it looked fine, but my dishes aren't and I'm not replacing everything just to utilize those stupid shelves. They just attract clutter.
--doors from outside that open directly into a room. Our front door opens straight into our living room. In the warmer months there are always shoes piling up and so much gets tracked into the house because of it. We try to only utilize the garage entrance but in the summer it's not always convenient when coming in from the yard.

Love:

--Breakfast nooks
--mud room / breezeway - keep the mess out there!
--trash drawers. Ours has two garbage cans so one is for garbage and the other for recycling.

Yes to doors that open directly in to rooms. We are looking at new apartments and a few open directly in to the kitchen. No thank you. All I can see is my son’s scooter and shoes on the floor and crap piling up on the counters.

[rupertpenny]

I love old stuff. It makes me sad when people renovate all of the period details out of a house. Our building was built in 1900 and the apartment has definitely been renovated since then but we still have a tin ceiling in the living room and it makes me happy. I also really love a 1940-1950s bathroom with colored tile. Not related to the age of a home, but I do like white walls where there is warmth coming from somewhere else, like wood floors.

I hate a lot of things. Wall to wall carpet. Open shelving. Black fixtures (I don't mind brass, but I agree it will look dated pretty soon). Farmhouse style. Wall words.

[Deleted]

May 7, 2021 8:23:34 GMT -5 karinothing said:

May 7, 2021 8:09:05 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

If you hire someone who actually knows what they are doing, there shouldn't be any drywall repair needed. We added overhead lighting to every bedroom in our old house and it's just a matter of running wires and cutting the appropriate sized hole in the ceiling for the new fixtures. So as long as have someone who knows what they are doing, it's a pretty easy job with minimal clean up and/or repairs needed.

But how did they access the wires? They have to get to them somehow.

Through the existing outlet and switch. Then they cut a hole where the new fixture is going and use a fish to pull the wire to the new hole. If you have an attic or crawl space, it's even easier of a job. Honestly, any skilled handyman can do this job. Do it! You won't regret it

[felicity]

Loves:
Homes with a bigger great room that includes a large eat in kitchen and family room and no formal living/dining. I wish these were common where I live. Almost all single family homes here (including ours) have a separate formal living and dining room plus a smaller eat in kitchen and family room. Most of my area was built in the 80's and 90's and this was the thing to do then.

A really functional outdoor living area. I love love love our screened porch.

Gas fireplaces. Wood is nice, but too much of a pain to use regularly for us.

White cabinets, but not everything else white in the same room.

Warm colors and materials with cooler accents like blues to balance it out.

Lots of easy to access storage. We have a large storage area in the basement and a big shed outside. It's nice to then be able to use our garage for our cars and not have to crawl into the attic to get things.

Real stone counters and tile. I know quartz is more popular these days, but in person I like the variation and depth of certain natural stones. Not all of them, and especially not many granites, but some of them.

Dislikes:
I said this in the UO post, but I dislike white walls in most homes that are becoming increasingly popular. I know it was never really in or out, but it seems to be the color of choice for many more lately. I'm not talking really light gray or tan walls, but the super white walls. I only think they look good in homes with lots of architectural details, like bookcases, moldings, large walls of windows, or even shiplap, or if the room is very decorated where you can't see much of the stark wall.

Those square tiles with geometric patterns painted on them. I see them a lot on home design shows. They love them for bathroom floors and kitchen backsplashes. I'm not a fan of the look, and I think they will look super dated quickly.

Flat front cabinets.

Super modern anything.

Those half shower walls instead of a door. I'd be freezing.

Tile in main living areas like the living room or family room, unless you live someplace tropical or the desert.

[dontlook]

I think people overthink trends. Go for what you love even if it’s in and will look dated in the next decade. I’m not even sure what qualifies as classic. White kitchens would seem the most classic but plenty of people hate those too.

We just built a house. It’s pretty close to my dream house with a few modifications for budget lol. White kitchen cabinets, wall oven, built in microwave that looks like another oven, big venting stainless steel hood, desk area right off the kitchen for kid clutter and mail, open concept, mud room off garage that hides the mess, laminate wood flooring throughout the main level (although due to the pandemic we didn’t get the color we wanted). I love that we have multiple access points to outside: slider off dining room, garage, front door and basement.

Things I wish we had: custom cabinets. Ours are pretty but our old house had the most amazing custom cabinets but the color wasn’t my favorite. They were too nice to even consider painting.

[shauni27]

I hate not having a mudroom. We are getting one added on this fall and I cannot wait.
Popcorn Ceilings. Both homes we owned (built in the 90s) have had popcorn ceilings and I just do not understand it.