33 Contrarian Design Takes
No, they're not all cranky...
Design of buildings and spaces is full of popular takes - and the line between what is a subjective take and what is a universal truth can be frustrating to understand, especially for those who don’t work in the design world every day.
What is *actually* good? How do you strike the balance between appealing to the most number of people, and just being bland?
As a designer and architect, I’m paid to give my aesthetic opinion, and I’m expected to have a particular stance on things…which isn’t hard for me to do!
Here’s a list that is mostly focused on housing…I’ll do another one at some point on restaurants and hotels.
This list is meant to be argued with…so drop your comments and thoughts below!
1. Do what you want, it’s your own house [I guess that means you can disregard the rest of this list…!]
2. Most people overlight their spaces
3. Never, never walk through the bathroom to get to the closet
4. "Breaking up the massing” is expensive, counterproductive, and usually really ugly
5. Don’t put the bedroom on the corner if it makes a stupid layout
6. Choose wood cabinets over painted for most applications
7. TVs over the fireplace are in poor taste and also uncomfortable to watch
8. Color is awesome and people should use more of it
9. Too many specialty built-ins in the kitchen are annoying
10. But every kitchen should have drawers and rollouts in lower cabinets
11. Fancy light switches are more trouble than they’re worth, but simple dimmers should be installed on just about every fixture
12. Gas stoves are overrated
13. Every house should have an ERV and separate ventilation system
14. Shiplap inside is stupid
15. Every toilet should be dual flush
16. No need for a fancy microwave
17. Never use white grout on a floor
18. TVs don’t belong in bedrooms
19. Dual vanities need way more space than most people give them
20. Run physical speaker wire
21. Run physical ethernet cable
22. Don’t use flat paint
23. Oiled wood floors look better than polyurethane, and are just as durable
24. HVAC systems are usually horribly designed, wasteful, and an eyesore. Architects should know the basics of mechanical design, so they can prevent these various travesties.
25. Many buildings are the result of the software they’re designed in, rather than the skill of the designer wielding the software
26. Wood veneer is just fine, and looks super cool, as long as it’s good quality and installed properly
27. Most interior trim is installed improperly, according to its actual historic usage
28. Counter depth fridges are annoying
29. If you strive for “no maintenance” you’ll be 1. Disappointed and 2. End up with a house made of mostly plastic
30. Garbage disposals are superfluous. Just compost your food waste [it’s not hard!]
31. More projects should use triple hung windows
32. And the grand finale: a quick list of stuff that’s ugly and terrible
a. Corner shelves in showers
b. “Palladian” windows [Palladio was awesome and doesn’t deserve this association]
c. LVP flooring
d. Fake wood in general
e. Heavy cornice lines made with layers of PVC trim
f. Plastic railings
g. White wire shelving in closets
h. Wall to wall carpeting
i. Giant lanterns over the kitchen island
j. Pre-fab cable railings [get the parts and assemble it yourself]
33. But let’s not end on a sour note…here’s a quick list of stuff that’s awesome and great!
a. Living brass finishes that patina with time
b. USB ports on outlets
c. Recessed ceiling fixtures [rather than flat pancakes/wafers]
d. Texture
e. A bench at the entry
f. A cool mailbox and address numbers
g. A light up doorbell button
h. Hidden fasteners on a deck
i. Working with a really good architect
j. Working with a really good GC
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I'm considering getting #29 as a tattoo
We learned #17 the hard way. White grout on the floor is a "never again" for me.