I occasionally visit sites like Apartment Therapy (not just for apartments anymore), Houzz, and watch HGTV to get ideas for our home. While I ran across some cool ideas, the practical side of me just didn't see how some of these ideas would work in our home. Here are a few of them:
1. Open kitchen shelving - These look great on the web and in photos. They give your kitchen a more open look and give you the opportunity to show off your dishes (assuming they are show off worthy). However, how do you keep them clean? Do I want to wash my dishes again every time I want to use them? Not really, I prefer a closed cabinet that keeps out the dust, bacteria, pet dander, etc.
2. Clothing closet in the bathroom - While this may be a way to give you less doors in the bedroom, do I really want my clean clothes practically in the same room as my toilet or moisture from the shower? Not really.
3. TVs mounted over the fireplace - While this really helps with the furniture layout of a living room/Den, I think most of them are required to be mounted too high and do I really want a fire burning under my expensive plasma? I really think this layout is a pain in the neck in most of the setups I have seen.
4. Picture frame arrangements without any art or photos - I see this quite a bit. A bunch of empty frames arranged on a wall. I prefer using my picture frames with pictures.
5. Uncomfortable chairs in an office - While I like molded plastic , molded plywood, wire chairs, etc.. I just can't see how comfortable that would be for regular use in a home office environment. Also, the lack of wheels makes it harder to move around. I prefer a nice comfy chair with wheels in an office, even if it doesn't look as good in photos.
6. Open backed or see through office desks - These are okay for a laptop, but for an office with cables for music, video, monitors, etc. I don't see how they would work. When I see these desks on certain sites, they often unplug everything for the photos. I remember seeing a pic with a laptop and lamp sitting on a desk. No wires to be seen. However, someone asked them where they keep their router and printer and they admitted that they were hidden out of site for the photo. There may be some cable management tools for helping, but in real world use, they seem impractical for all but the most minimalist setup.
6. Speaking of minimalism - There are sites devoted to minimalist office setups. They usually include a laptop, plant, keyboard and mouse sitting on a desk. This really just looks boring to me. I realize my setup is a bit crazy for some (most?) people, but I don't think I would ever use an office if this was the setup. It seems just as useful to use the laptop in a comfy chair or at the kitchen table.
7. Low couches - While I love the looks of some modern furniture, I never knew just how uncomfortable some of these couches were until I tried them out. One was so low to the ground it was like getting out of a bean bag chair every time I wanted to get up. Maybe this is my 6'5 frame talking, but I don't feel comfortable with my knees up near my chest.
8. Streamlined furniture - While these give you more space and look good, I don't like feeling like I am falling off a couch when I am chillin'.
9. Huge mirrors sitting on the floor - This has become quite the trend. A huge mirror in a small living room can make the room feel larger. However, I can just envision a guest coming over and tripping on the mirror, knocking it over, and shattering it all over the floor. I would never hear the end of the seven years of bad luck that were caused by my design choice.
10. Hiding all tech - I have a friend that hired a designer to help with the interior of an apartment he rented. Her main issue was trying to hide his television and speakers. Why? Is it just awful to walk into home and realize that the owner likes music and/or movies? Heck, most of the people that visit my home want to watch movies or sports. I could just see us all gathering in one of our small bedrooms to watch The Matrix on a TV hidden in the closet. Not gonna happen.
While most of these ideas really do look great in photos. I just can't see how they would work with my lifestyle. However, if they work for you, then enjoy it. I just hope I don't visit and end up leaving with seven years of bad luck.
1. Open kitchen shelving - These look great on the web and in photos. They give your kitchen a more open look and give you the opportunity to show off your dishes (assuming they are show off worthy). However, how do you keep them clean? Do I want to wash my dishes again every time I want to use them? Not really, I prefer a closed cabinet that keeps out the dust, bacteria, pet dander, etc.
2. Clothing closet in the bathroom - While this may be a way to give you less doors in the bedroom, do I really want my clean clothes practically in the same room as my toilet or moisture from the shower? Not really.
3. TVs mounted over the fireplace - While this really helps with the furniture layout of a living room/Den, I think most of them are required to be mounted too high and do I really want a fire burning under my expensive plasma? I really think this layout is a pain in the neck in most of the setups I have seen.
4. Picture frame arrangements without any art or photos - I see this quite a bit. A bunch of empty frames arranged on a wall. I prefer using my picture frames with pictures.
5. Uncomfortable chairs in an office - While I like molded plastic , molded plywood, wire chairs, etc.. I just can't see how comfortable that would be for regular use in a home office environment. Also, the lack of wheels makes it harder to move around. I prefer a nice comfy chair with wheels in an office, even if it doesn't look as good in photos.
6. Open backed or see through office desks - These are okay for a laptop, but for an office with cables for music, video, monitors, etc. I don't see how they would work. When I see these desks on certain sites, they often unplug everything for the photos. I remember seeing a pic with a laptop and lamp sitting on a desk. No wires to be seen. However, someone asked them where they keep their router and printer and they admitted that they were hidden out of site for the photo. There may be some cable management tools for helping, but in real world use, they seem impractical for all but the most minimalist setup.
6. Speaking of minimalism - There are sites devoted to minimalist office setups. They usually include a laptop, plant, keyboard and mouse sitting on a desk. This really just looks boring to me. I realize my setup is a bit crazy for some (most?) people, but I don't think I would ever use an office if this was the setup. It seems just as useful to use the laptop in a comfy chair or at the kitchen table.
7. Low couches - While I love the looks of some modern furniture, I never knew just how uncomfortable some of these couches were until I tried them out. One was so low to the ground it was like getting out of a bean bag chair every time I wanted to get up. Maybe this is my 6'5 frame talking, but I don't feel comfortable with my knees up near my chest.
8. Streamlined furniture - While these give you more space and look good, I don't like feeling like I am falling off a couch when I am chillin'.
9. Huge mirrors sitting on the floor - This has become quite the trend. A huge mirror in a small living room can make the room feel larger. However, I can just envision a guest coming over and tripping on the mirror, knocking it over, and shattering it all over the floor. I would never hear the end of the seven years of bad luck that were caused by my design choice.
10. Hiding all tech - I have a friend that hired a designer to help with the interior of an apartment he rented. Her main issue was trying to hide his television and speakers. Why? Is it just awful to walk into home and realize that the owner likes music and/or movies? Heck, most of the people that visit my home want to watch movies or sports. I could just see us all gathering in one of our small bedrooms to watch The Matrix on a TV hidden in the closet. Not gonna happen.
While most of these ideas really do look great in photos. I just can't see how they would work with my lifestyle. However, if they work for you, then enjoy it. I just hope I don't visit and end up leaving with seven years of bad luck.
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