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josephdappen

What's your biggest design pet peeve?

josephdappen
10 years ago
We all have our pet peeves. What are yours

Comments (496)

  • bondia
    4 years ago

    Diana Bier Interiors - "houses with garages as the focal point" - YES!

  • lynartist
    4 years ago

    Diana Bier! I call those garages “ Front Loaders”!

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  • PRO
    Flo Mangan
    4 years ago

    All the above AND oversized, puffy furniture that never fits into spaces well and recliners to boot! Do I get one more. The failure to do scale drawings of spaces before shopping to determine proper size furnishings! I have come to believe that people don't know how to measure at all.

  • Denita
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    ^This is the truth Flo nailed it. I can't tell you how many homes I've shown where you have to shimmy passed an oversized recliner at the end of a sectional that takes up the entire room in order to get to a door to go to the pool. There is six inches and I'm no skinny young thing (anymore) and this is the best way to tell buyers that the room is too small for anything - much less the furniture that is there. I agree that no one seems to measure anymore and they don't want to hear about scale or access to the furniture or doorways in the room without calisthenics. The whole room with these pieces screams don't buy me with the overstuffed furniture, valences over verticals, coffee table sitting in the middle of the room and no seating nearby. I could go on but Flo nailed it and so did everyone else.

    Edit: The skinny shutters on inappropriate windows and landscaping used as a barricade drive me nuts too:) One more thing I don't like at all: styling bookcases and coffee tables.

  • mtpo
    4 years ago

    ORANGE —- fine for fruit, not so fine for upholstery!

  • printesa
    4 years ago

    mtpo, I have an orange sectional and we love it:) One's pet peeve, another one's favorite thing:)

  • PRO
    Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
    4 years ago

    The reason people don't measure is that they would have to use math!

  • LH M
    4 years ago

    Black. For anything and everything. I just hate it. It swallows light and I’m a light-craving creature.

  • hermothersdaughter
    4 years ago

    Form AND function ok. Form over function is not. Too many houses are “dressed to impress.”
    Vessel sinks.
    Fake furniture legs in front of cabinet toe kicks.
    Ceiling fans with lights.
    Electric fireplaces.

  • mtpo
    4 years ago

    printesa, thanks for taking my “orange” remark in good spirit. Orange brings back memories of a couch my parents had for eons in their “rec room” — the fabric was so sturdy it would probably have lasted for another 299 years if the room hadn’t flooded from a frozen pipe! The fabric had orange, olive, gold and brown. Ugliest couch I’ve ever seen but it sure did “function.” My DH is a San Francisco Giants fan— he loves orange!

  • printesa
    4 years ago

    mtpo, sometimes the sturdy furniture can be pain, doesn't it?:) you wish it would break so you could get something new, but nope:) I do love color, but I don't think I would love such a combo of colors as you described:) Our sectional, which can be separated into a one arm sofa and a chaise, is a corral orange (that was the name of the fabric), but it's not something that screams in your face..for us it looks pretty neutral:) We've had it for a long time and it still looks good. I could get different covers at some point when the fabric wears off..everything is removable

  • carmen morgan
    4 years ago

    Giant 24 x 24 bland vanilla tiles. I've seen builders use these in what could have been a warm cozy Santa Fe, NM home but it's ruined with soul less outdated bland tiles.

  • Carol jean Mudgett
    4 years ago

    Furniture set against walls

  • erinsean
    4 years ago

    I do not like furniture turned catty cornered in a corner. Some chair recliners must be that way and that is okay but dislike a couch, a bed, a bookcase that way.

  • PRO
    Flo Mangan
    4 years ago

    I have another one! haha! I get all these emails advertising from sources/vendor/stores, etc. On the front of the ad, there is a gorgeous chair or pillow etc. that I want. Click on that and you can NEVER find the item in the photo! Drives me crazy!

  • hollybar
    4 years ago

    Most unlined curtains. Lack of personalization.

  • Jennifer Carter
    3 years ago

    Garage conversions that still look like garages. Either make a room (or three) out of it or leave it as a garage.

  • Darlene
    3 years ago

    The assumption that everyone must like and go out and buy the latest trend in furniture style. Classic lines never go out of style, and my home reflects MY style.

  • PRO
    Elia Alvarez
    3 years ago

    Darlene hit the nail on the head. You can never go wrong with Classic. Stay Classic on the structural things and get fancy with the decorative elements. This is a tip for maintaining good value on the home if and when it comes time for resale.

  • Amy Lynn
    3 years ago

    For reasons unknown to me, I hate grommet drapes. Even when I see them in high end applications, they make me grimace.

  • joe12333
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Fun to see how this thread has continued to grow! Over the last few years, I've developed quite a few new pet peeves. Amy, I agree with you -- absolutely cannot stand grommet drapes. I also can't stand yellow and grey (though silver and gold isn't bad). In general I try to stay away from mixing crisp and muddy colors, as they always feel like they don't work well together.

    After moving into out new old house I've come to appreciate older architecture even more and now I cannot stand a lot of aspects of newer architecture. Double height great rooms, split levels, and open concepts just don't do it for me. Don't get me started on McMansions and all that they entail... Exterior wise, I cannot stand windows without proper sills and fake shutter -- they are meant to close, not be stationary!! I also have come to prefer windows with wood muntins and separate panes of glass, rather than the ones where the muntins are part of the glass itself, they always seem so flat.

    I am probably part of the minority that still truly enjoys wood furniture. I'm really not a fan of rooms where all the furniture is painted or metal or whatnot. I find that nice wood really helps to warm up a room and make it feel more grounded and elegant. I think people worry it looks old fashioned, but I think if you balance it with a bright, crisp color palette, it just looks elegant.

    Ok, thats my two cents, I guess I'll hop off the soapbox now!

  • PRO
    Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
    3 years ago

    How many times can I like Amy's and Joe's comments????!!!!! I always think grommet drapes look like shower curtains.

  • Denita
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I would much rather see grommet drapes (any decent drape) than those silly tied up curtains that appear all over the MLS for some unknown reason. Was that a fad I missed? If so, I wish it would go away again.

  • PRO
    Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
    3 years ago

    That's a good question, Denita, but I don't think the choice is grommets or tied up curtains!

  • Denita
    3 years ago

    lol....true Diana.

  • lynartist
    3 years ago

    😂there’s a big difference between the grommet “ drapes” you can pick up in the store to custom grommet drapes so I won’t say I hate them all. As far as yellow and gray... that can be a bit tricky. If you get just the right yellow and gray combination it can be quite lovely but considering all the dilemmas on picking gray we see here I can understand why joe or anyone else might not like that combo! Yellow is another difficult color for a lot of people!

  • Daniela Marino
    3 years ago

    Thinking that fake plastic plants and fake plastic lawn account for having greenery at home. Also, giant bedrooms that need to put a living room in one side of the room to fill the space!

  • Amy Lynn
    3 years ago

    lynartist, you are right that there is a difference between store bought and custom grommet drapes. But to me, it's the difference between store bought and custom shower curtains on your curtain rods. It just looks wrong, no matter the expense and customization 😂

  • Seajay Sparkles
    3 years ago

    How come I’m just seeing this thread. What a hoot. It’s almost noon and I’m still reading every word. First, I would like to commend all the commenters for using real English and punctuation. Nothing gets my blood boiling more than those who type comments as if they were tweets (I’m guessing here because I’m not a tweeter) using no capitalization or punctuation. My decor dislikes are vertical blinds. Of course, there is one exception … Hunter Douglas Silhouettes. One of the most beautiful design elements to come along particularly in the way they filter light into a room in the most flattering way. And remote controlled shades, either vertical or horizontal, are the icing on the cake.

  • lynartist
    3 years ago

    Speaking of shower curtains... they are almost always too short! I hate seeing them in the standard 72” size cut across the middle area between the ceiling and the tub! I always do a custom shower curtain up to the ceiling!

  • PRO
    Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
    3 years ago

    I've never seen custom grommet drapes.

  • lynartist
    3 years ago

    Hmmm, I’ve did them in this bedroom.

  • lynartist
    3 years ago

    And I don’t mind these at all. But everyone has their own opinion on that; I just think they look quite nice.

  • lkloes
    3 years ago

    Vertical blinds. All of them.

  • NancyD
    3 years ago

    Denita, you mentioned “tied up” curtains. Do you mean a valance that has ties to lift it up? Or tab-style curtains that are tied on to a rod? I don’t like grommet curtains, but the worse offense to me are curtains tied in the middle, as though you decided to paint the trim on either side of the window and had to get the curtains out of the way. Oy! There are two more things I dislike: Books that are all turned around on a shelf so you can’t read the titles (in that case, why have the books on the shelf?!) and Shelves that are staged to the point where there’s one useful item and the rest is meaningless decor (why bother?!).

  • Denita
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    @NancyD - no, the panel is tied in a knot. I have no idea where this style originated but I see it on many MLS listings - particularly in Texas. Drives me bonkers. Something like this image below: only many times the curtain is about 3 ft off the floor and the knot is about 4 ft off the floor. It looks a lot like college dorm style decor with thin, skimpy curtain panels.


    curtains tied at the bottom - Google Search · More Info


  • lynartist
    3 years ago

    🙄 yikes! That’s a new one for me!!!

  • Denita
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Lol...the first time I saw it I thought they were tied up for some other reason, like cleaning the tile or some other maintenance type work in the room. Or like Nancy mentioned, painting the window trim. Nope. Just someone's idea of "modern".

  • lynartist
    3 years ago

    😂😂😂

  • PRO
    Flo Mangan
    3 years ago

    Where is my “thumbs down” sign!

  • lynartist
    3 years ago

    👎

  • PRO
    Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
    3 years ago

    OMG, those are the WORST!!!

  • Denita
    3 years ago

    I will tell you though - from a buyer's agent POV - it's illuminating. Usually means the seller is young and broke and desperate to sell. Not a vibe that's good for any seller.

  • paradisecastle
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    In defense of grommet top curtains, to me, form follows function. Grommet curtains are pretty good for sliding glass doors. They are more updated than vertical blinds and pinch pleated drapes with the pull cord, and grommets can easily slide open or closed. I wish designers would change styles to be more functional rather than simply be what "looks the best". How about making it fashionable to have curtains an inch or two above the floor? This way dog owners wouldn't always have clumps of dog fur stuck to the bottom of the curtains or always suck up the curtains in the vacuum cleaner! Just a thought...😉

  • Seajay Sparkles
    3 years ago

    🤯

  • paradisecastle
    3 years ago

    My pet peeves are upside down wastebaskets turned into light fixtures, and hideous oversized hanging light fixtures over an island or table that look like they should be in an operating room.

    In defense of grommet top curtains, they are highly functional on sliding glass doors. They open and close easily provided there is only one support bracket in the center and the panels are on both sides of the door.

    My biggest pet peeve, however, is snobby people who look down their noses on anyone who doesn't care for the latest design fad, and also who do not believe in the freedom of speech and remove posts simply because they disagree with what was said. I thought this was a site for people with creativity and imagination not just for people who have a phony elitism?

  • lynartist
    3 years ago

    paradisecastle, I’m guessing nobody flagged your post but the censor may have inadvertently picked up the bu?! Remark, reviewed and decided to repost it.

  • paradisecastle
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I don't think so Lynartist. I was wrong saying it magically reappeared. It only shows up when I am signed in. When I am not signed in it can't be seen by anyone else. I was shadow banned.

  • Alice Edwards
    3 years ago

    Funny story, when I got my first apartment, i had made curtains from sheets, i was so proud of my work, they were some type of floral, of course! When my dad came over to visit, i asked him “how do you like my curtains?” He said “they look sheety!”

  • Alice Edwards
    3 years ago

    I’m from Texas, but i don’t like the knot thing either. Can you imagine the wrinkles it would create, lol