Boring and unhappy design: the brand new regular

Very first thing I noticed after I awoke this morning was a hyperlink from a reader: “HGTV is making our houses boring and us unhappy” and I gave a giant fats HALLELUJA and an enthusiastic AMEN! To be trustworthy, I’m questioning why there haven’t been extra articles or response to it (and if there have been, ship them my means!). Are we not all considering it? Or have they performed their job in convincing us that white, gray, stainless, farmhouse is the one solution to dwell?

Sure, these are tendencies and have, like they’ve up to now, shifted slowly however certainly right into a by no means ending hamster wheel of maintaining with the Joneses, or maybe extra precisely phrased “does it have resale worth?”. However that’s simply it–they’re tendencies, supposed to “encourage”, promote, achieve viewers/viewers, please advertisers, transfer quicker, be extra environment friendly. It’s a enterprise mannequin and it really works! Because the homogenization of design continues to unfold earlier than our eyes resulting from social media and enormous television networks, it could be useful to know HOW and WHY that is occurring.

First off, HGTV and different house networks are attempting to attraction to the lots–it’s the largest viewers. Larger scores + larger advert cash = extra $$$$. As soon as they discover a present that folks reply to, they run with it ex: Magnolia. I’ll admit that I don’t watch HGTV so I didn’t see the dawning of the Magnolia period coming, nevertheless it’s laborious to flee now that each new neighborhood is a direct outcome from it ie: board and batten, uncooked wooden beams, fiddle leaf tree, black home windows…the fashionable farmouse (coincidentally, this text about trendy farmhouse simply got here out this weekend too). It’s Chip and Joanna’s world and we’re all dwelling in it. It will be dangerous to deliver on a brand new present displaying extra variety in type (and folks) as a result of they need to journey that wave.

The factor is–I do know that plenty of these makeovers have been actually fantastic and entire heartedly welcomed. From my information, the houses have been an actual 90s teen comedy makeover–gorgeous, particularly when put next with earlier than however all the time wanted? I guess the householders felt like 1,000,000 bucks–I do know I might have! And householders have been watching and studying the methods and sources to enhance their houses too–all empowering.

However when years go by and the identical look is utilized time and again and that’s the one type you discover in shops and in your city…issues get difficult. Realtors, householders, design “specialists” begin repeating the language that they assume is most dear–will it resell? Will the following homeowners need it?

So then you definitely begin designing for the house you’ll at some point promote, for the householders who will at some point need this place. And then you definitely dwell in a home that’s by no means yours. It’s bland, personality-less, and worst of all…GREY.

And now my query is–is gray the colour of your coronary heart? Is that what makes you content? Is that what you need to be surrounded by. Gray can actually be performed nicely, as can beige, gray’s accomplice in crime. However the level is–is it default or intentional?

True design empowerment comes once we, as viewers, customers, and actual life house homeowners, and nicely, people, understand that these house design networks are a enterprise mannequin and aren’t essentially making an attempt to get us to brighten from the guts (there are, in fact, exceptions). How do you promote coronary heart?! It’s not as worthwhile as a system of white paint + shiplap + sans serif home numbers in your buying basket. It takes extra time, experimentation and experience–I get that it’s a more durable promote. It’s a secure guess that these combo of issues will look completely high-quality and tasteful.

Okay, this can be a lot of arrange for my level–and I’ve a couple of of them that I’ll spend extra time on in subsequent weblog posts as a result of I like diving into all this.

• There’s a distinction between actual property and making your own home a house that you simply need to spend time in
• If your own home seems to be prefer it might be anybody else’s, it means much less
• Once you design in your happiness, you reside higher. Your setting has a big impact in your well-being
• If tendencies make your coronary heart glad, go for it!
• There are different locations to get inspiration

Okay! That’s it for now. I’m actually having fun with your ideas over on Instagram tales and Thread proper now (as a result of apparently I do this now as nicely :/. I’d love to listen to your feedback under!