Popular Design Trends That Are Impractical
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:13 - TV Above Fireplace
01:18 - Open Showers
02:38 - Barn Doors
03:56 - Floating Staircase
05:01 - Zellige Tiles (Installation)
06:38 - Chandelier Over Bathtub
07:25 - Desk In The Middle
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I'm glad someone finally addressed the TV over the fireplace thing. I stayed at an Airbnb with that once, and it was awful.
Oh I agree. Why would anyone want to look up all the time? It gives you neck ache and you can’t feel relaxed or comfortable.
I agree. The TV should always be at eye level.
When you just want that sports-bar look/feel in your house! LOL.
I used to have one 10 or so years ago in an apartment where the TV was about 65-6 meters away from the couch. That made it a little better, but still not comfartabld. Good for 3-4 hours max. It was OK as we barely watch TV. Now we don't have a TV in the house anymore. Just, in storage. I might get a table projector in future.
we gad a power outage and finally used the fireplace, the TV frame deformed due to the heat.
I love the look of a floating staircase without a hand rail, but fell off one when I was carrying a laundry basket and fractured my elbow. Definitely a design trend that looks great in photos and doesn't function at all in daily living.
Saw a great one once, it had perspex acting as a handrail - barely noticeable unless you were looking for it - and had a couple more sheets under the stairs blocking them off so items/people couldn't fall through. And they also had a clear plastic handrail up against the wall so if you needed to hold onto something you could, but you couldn't really see it against the wall. They had kids and grandparents who visited so it needed to be safe and that was their solution. Looked fabulous, literally as though the wood was floating, but the perspex added the needed safety aspects.
i hope your elbow is okay now omg😭
While not floating, our community college library had a staircase with no risers, totally freaks me out and gives me vertigo. I imagine a floating staircase would be worse.
When I was a kid, my grandpa's house had a curved staircase with no banister on the inside edge. It always scared the beans out of me. More recently, my wife and I bought a house that didn't have balusters going down to the basement and our kids did not want to go down those things whatsoever. Safety trumps aesthetics every time, just do it right.
My (rented) house has two staircases without risers, and without solid sides. While my wife and I are okay with it, anytime we have guest with children it's a hazard, and the landlord said they had trouble renting it out to families.
Omg I’ve finally found a channel that goes right into the details of the subject and I don’t have to sit here and listen to their life story, this is going to be one of my go to videos when I want to learn about design ideas. Thanks for the Great info!!!
And it's so refreshing to have a designer focus on practicality. So many designers only seem to care about how everything looks & pish posh when someone points out how impractical it is.
Finally, a designer whose prepared to tell the truth about some highly questionable ideas.
Finally an interior designer with common sense. Thank you for justifying what I thought were ridiculous ideas and not practical. Well done!
An interior designer with common sense! I know, it’s like finding an architect that isn’t an obnoxious f***.
Absolutely agree... maybe cause here in Brazil these things are not as common (like fireplaces), but these things look awful and kind of useless to be honest. What is the point of a open shower? Does it make the room look bigger? Yes! But it also makes you clean a much bigger space, what the hell is up with that????
Totally agree that all of these trends are impractical! Especially the tv placed too high and the lack of privacy for barn doors. 😆
a barn door is a pocket door that really wastes wall space. a lot of wall space. just throw the door away and just have an opening.
A barn door appears to be what I know as a sliding door with a fancy sliding arrangement at the top. I grew up with sliding doors in all our bedrooms, they didn't have ANY gaps around the doors other than the normal one at the bottom to clear the carpet or lino. No fancy rail either, plain silver rail with two sliding mechanisms, and they not only kept sound out - they fitted as tightly as a normal door except they totally covered the opening rather than fitting into the opening - and they also kept the heat in at night (unless left open slightly to allow light in from the hallway light, mea culpa). If you have ones that don't fit across the doorway without any space between them (and you couldn't slide a piece of paper between ours, they literally slid against the wood door surrounds) then it sounds as though they have a problem, because the ''barn doors'' I've always known and used - going back to the 1960s - are a space saving way to block a bedroom doorway when the bedroom opens into a narrow hallway and there isn't any realistic way to have a door that opens on hinges. Personally I prefer them, doors that open on hinges can be dangerous and trap little fingers, it is also very hard for a teen to slam a sliding door.
We had put a barn door in a condo we renovated. We enjoyed it for a little bit and helped us sell the condo when we moved out. But we grew to hate it over the 2 years we had it. It was for the bathroom and privacy was a problem as you had gaps and the door was noisy as fuck.
Also for the zellige tiles: it is an artisanal, intensely labour intensive process. People really break their backs over them. They're too precious to be used as a 'trendy' tile that the owner will take down in a year or two because of the next fad. These tiles are made to be used in a home for decades and decades. It is a sign of gratitude to the maker of the tile to put them up for life. If that is not your vibe, go for paint or stucco.
Agreed!1
Tile already has enough practicality issues with the potential for needing access to the plumbing, adding onto that by creating potential problems with tiles that have different profiles/elevations can lead to hazardous edges in an area where slip & falls could translate into lacerations, or tiles being set irregularly allowing for leakage due to grouting. Considering the lighting in bathrooms isn't typically going to be designed to take full advantage of this style, it's pretty easy for the texture effect to either not be that noticeable and/or having shadows causing an unintended emphasis of edges DETRACTING from the natural aesthetic you're going for instead of emphasizing it. Unless you have money/time to burn installing zellige tiles, you're almost always better off minimizing the negatives and maximizing the impact by hitting up Habitat for Humanity or some other kind of remnant building material store and achieving the same effect with slight color variations/mosaic style when looking to install tile with this look. Just remember that if you're shooting for a more artisan look, then don't expect to PAY standard prices for the install. You need someone with the experience to do it correctly in terms of build quality, and with the eye to do it well in terms of aesthetics.
@@lstcloud Not to mention are far more likely to come loose over time or any small earthquake due to their comparative weight and mounting methods to other materials.
And dust magnets
I have them for 10 years, no such issues> Are people here just shooting shit without actual experience with the materials?
One thing I hope to see go one day is the completely open floor plan some houses have now. The house I live in has the living room, dining room, and family room combined into one massive door without walls that extends all the way to the ceiling of the second floor which is just a balcony overlooking the massive room. In addition, the kitchen only has a bar separating it from the massive room. Sounds roomy and light right? No, all it accomplishes is making one giant echo chamber and giving you no privacy in the home without being in a bedroom. You can't even put plates away at night in the kitchen as quietly as you can because the house acts as a megaphone, blasting that quiet clinking straight into the bedrooms. It sucks.
Try having a conversation while someone is watching tv, the kids are playing and the dishwasher is running. They are impractical for a lot of reasons.
Agree. Our living/dining/kitchen is all one, too, and it's awful. Any noise in the kitchen (or smell), and no one can hear the TV.
Wow it's interesting to see this here. I always thought an open concept floor was a brilliant idea and I actually planned to have it in my house in the future, but I never put any thought into the negative sides it could have. Thanks for this insight, it's an interesting thing to consider when looking for a new place
It has advantages if you have small children to keep an eye on but has more downsides than advantages for me. @@JessicaAVoigt
This is why as an amateur sound guy and someone with apparently bad taste, I've always been fond of popcorn ceilings and wood paneling. Sucks that sound right up. No shag carpet, though that would do it too.
I like how you didn't title the video "Popular Design Trends You Should STOP USING NOW!" You don't try and convince us why these are never usable in any case. You instead provide a critical view of each trend, and explain reasons not to have, but also reasons to have, each feature in a house. Showing both sides is key. Subscribed!
Zellige tiles have been a fad for a few years here in europe (and are a little cheaper because of distance to morroco). There is another downside: Because of their irregular shapes, especially pertaining the thickness of the tiles, you can have varying amounts of grout shown and sometimes at difficult angles. This means the grout get dirtier more easily, making more and more thorough cleaning necessary. An often overlooked downside to Zelliges.
We bought a house with tiles for the countertops. Cleaning the grout on those beautiful tiles was my thought too!
We added zellige tiles more than 10 years ago in our kitchen and the amount of grout showing is minimal, and shouldn't be an issue if you have a good tiler. We never have any problem with cleaning, basically just wipe it down as with other surfaces. I think people who like zellige tiles understand that the "look" is more bohemian and are not looking for a clinical neat look.
😮😮😮 VERY shocked by some of these choices! The floating staircase without the hand rail feels ESPECIALLY risky!
Having visited many homes and apartments still under construction, to me they scream "contractor hasn't finished the job". 😮
@@sarahrosen4985 ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️
They are against the building code in many areas because of the risks to children.
That's the kind of stupid duct tape can't fix.
I was in a period modern home a few years ago that had an older version of these. Most weren’t quite as wide as ones you get today. It was genuinely terrifying to walk on them, like walking on construction frames or a tightrope.
As a kid I once almost fell through a floating staircase.
As an older person they really look scary as heck. Going up would be fine; it's the going down part, especially holding something.
As a very graceful young adult they look like I would still fall on them. Doesn't exactly scream safety.
I've fallen off multiple stairs to conclude I can't manage having stairs in my living environment. They don't even need to be floating either.
I’m a whole ass adult now and one of my top worst fears is invisible stairs. Or even any stairs that have holes….. or even stairs
We all did. It was called Mario 64.
I'm glad you mentioned barn doors. I always thought that in most homes, they look idiotic and you can tell that they were put there because it's popular and not because it made sense for the style and function of the home.
Your content isn't just great, it's necessary. Building conventions that have been around for 50 or 100+ years have stood the test of time. New trends are sometimes just done to be pretty, or in the case of some, inexpensive. As you point out, they also don't always translate from one area of the world or country to another. Building techniques that work great in the dry southwest do not always hold up in the wet northeast. Thanks!
I just came here to pat myself on the back for every decision we made with our house, including avoiding many of these!! Lol. We got so much pushback from our very traditional builders and neighbours at first because SO much thought went into prioritising practicality and style over current trends and culture (UK). The result is lots of people come to see our finished house to get ideas for their own renos! Most importantly overlooked, especially in London: STORAGE!!
It's the respect with which he makes his points. Sometimes people speak trashy forgetting most home owners are lay people n simply going with the floor
I love a cupboard under thw stairs too much to ever have floating staors, plus I love when risers are painted interesting colours.
Oh my goodness! Finally a designer with common sense! Thank you young man. You are very wise.
Also extreme textures on walls. Can be a nightmare to clean and or renovate
Wow! This video nails ALL of the things that drive me bonkers in home design. Strangely, many of these things are actually used in model homes which may seem appealing. Buyers find out later that these "features" are just SO wrong. The TV over the fireplace is the #1 killer item. Now I know I'm not crazy.
You hit the nail on the head with the barn doors! Similar to the problems of barn doors, I see a lot of crampy apartments in Toronto where the "door" to the bedroom is at the corner of the room. It's two perpendicular sliding glass doors that when you "close" it forms the corner of the bedroom. I think it's impractical because it doesn't properly seal so smell goes through. The "doors" aren't even magnetic to hold them together like some shower doors! The (thin) frosted glass is also not a good material for sound insulation. Add the fact that you now have 0 privacy (your guests can still kinda see you through even if it's frosted) and you can't even lock it!
Floating stairs cases give me vertigo
My eyes are always drawn to the missing riser and I am afraid that I will put my foot straight through the gap.
Also open showers are great for the elderly
Yeah, the place above the fireplace is for art.
Open showers are great for wet room bathrooms, but you pretty much have to design the room around it, so slapping one in as part of a renovation or conversion isn't a good idea. You have to redo the whole room.
Watching this and realising I’m too broke to follow any of these trends in the first place. Soooo……a win?
😂😂😂
I'm so glad you mentioned floating staircases. As a disabled senior, just LOOKING at them makes me nervous! If I stay somewhere that has one? I'm sleeping downstairs! 😮
I had a small son who, when confronted with one of these, refused to even try to climb it, nor would he let me carry him up. Sometimes kids are smarter than the supposed grown ups!
I live in a small apartment and the bedroom door seriously reduced the amount of usable space. I was able to convince the property manager to replace the bedroom door with a farm door. Yes, it doesn't seal, but is wide enough that it more than covers the door frame. It also freed up all of the space that was being used by the arc of the previous door. A pocket door would have been best option.
If your space is small enough that you need the extra space a door opening takes up, you basically live in a studio and the privacy a door provides is negligent anyway
@@darchocla Oh thank you. I guess I should have deferred to your expertise on my apartment and the door first.
Yep, those dorms aren’t about “trendiness” but need for space; most of my storage have those.
I think pocket doors should be used WAY MORE OFTEN.
Great to see you callout the fireplace TV BS everyone does
I have a small house with an 83 square foot galley kitchen a 26-inch wide case opening into the breakfast room and a 32-inch door into the dining room. Barn doors would be a solution because they wouldn't take as much space as hinged doors. I have pocket doors dividing the bedroom section from the living-dining space, a pocket on the master bedroom's private bath, and a pocket in one of the bedrooms.
Some times, some spaces, a non-hinged door is the best solution.
Pocket doors and barn doors are not the same. Barn doors take up as much if not more space that traditional hinged doors. To cover a 30” opening you need a door larger than that for a barn door and a track that is the double the size of the door. So your potentially taking up 70-80 inches of wall. This costs you that entire wall space from being able to put anything on or against that wall. This means your choosing style over wall space and there is an argument to be had for that. Also pocket doors in houses jam over time. The wood frames warp as houses age and they also get stuff jammed into the pockets all the time. Eventually in many houses that have them the door just stays open because it becomes difficult to use. Another minor problem with pocket doors is the track has to be built into the wall which means it cannot be a load bearing wall. More often than not a pocket door wall is thicker than a normal wall to accommodate the track (also a minor problem). If pocket door gets jammed bad enough you have to break open the wall to fix it which means repairs are more costly. These issues are why pocket doors never took off and why they remain a niche item to solve very specific problems. There are swing doors that have existed for 100s of years with just the need of WD40 and a cleaning. And if installed properly swing doors do not take up that much space and do not require an entire wall to put up.
@@rjgaynor8 I already have three pocket doors that have worked well for the 25 years since we had them installed in a previous remodel: one on a bathroom (installed within a load-bearing wall with proper reinforcement in a beam and framing above and to either side of the door), one as a bedroom door, and one as a divider between the south end of the house (living room-dining room-kitchen ) and the north end of the house, critically blocking the view from the dining room directly into another bathroom.
Hinged doors from the kichen into the dining room interfered with the modest dining table and chairs and the credenza, and a hinged door into the breakfast room will interfere with access to the laundry room and pantry.
This house presents challenges. Neighbors have demolished and replaced houses in better condition, to the detriment of the neighborhood charm, but if I had the budget for that I would still preserve the exterior appearance and interior structure.
@@rjgaynor8 2:49 This is the general lay-out I'm considering for the door from the kitchen to the dining room, using two 24-inch doors to make an open plan for most puropses, but to allow the space to be closed off when things become smoky ir cooking fragrances overpower. The small gap around the door frame will allow make-up air for the kitchen vents to flow the right way without the toasting chilis tear-gassing other occupants as they would with a fukk 44-48-inch wide opening.
Again, a hinged door will not work in the limited space I have, but a pair of barn doors with this installation layout will.
Everyone of those trends says led by the nose instead of having your own sense of style, but the biggest impractical trend is open plan.
Open floor plans are also really bad news from a fire safety standpoint. The lack of partitions allows for maximum airflow, which is guaranteed to accelerate fire development.
It amazes me that people can spend twenty or thirty thousand dollars to have marble countertops in the kitchen, but start to bitch and whine about spending an extra $2.50 per square foot to have a residential fire sprinkler system.
Barn doors absolutely CAN seal when closed, if they are designed correctly. I put one in a music room that seals both air, and sound out. I made the door myself, and the jambs and surrounds so that a gasketed lip on one edge of the door mates with a wood ridge that protrudes from the doorway frame. To seal the top edge I made another gasketed lip on the door that was cut at a shallow angle, to match the inverse angle on the top door jamb that protrudes out. When the door is opened, the two angled surfaces part and do not rub against one another, but press together firmly when the door is shut. To pull this off it can’t be a free hanging door, it has to have a guide at the bottom to hold the door vertical in plane. So, a barn style sliding door Can be made to seal… it just takes some planning and guile and a custom made door. You aren’t gonna get a store bought door to seal.
Most people won’t want to pay extra to have the barn door custom made with seals.
@@username00009 I didn’t pay extra. I just designed it and built it myself. Including the door out of Beech, with sound proofing in it, and the door jambs out of cedar I happened to have piles off. The only part I bought was the stainless round rail with pulley mounts. Thing is, if you are having a custom door built. Its literally just 4 or 5 pieces of wood cut correctly to form the sealing ledges, and a roll of self stick foam gasket if you want a door that genuinely seals and keeps sound contained.
@@christopherpardell4418 Dad built all of ours back in the 1960s, they didn't have gaskets but then they were on bedrooms and we didn't need to seal against noise. They fitted tightly over the door frame and the only gap was the one at the base to allow them to slide over the lino or carpet without sticking, the same as you'd have with any door. They give as much privacy as any door on hinges does.
So your solution is for people to build it themselves? Not everyone has that luxury and can’t afford to have it custom made. Also no matter how well you built that door if your using weatherstripping to seal the door it will wear out over time meaning your door isn’t even close to zero maintenance. There are hinged doors that just needed a bit of WD40 over the hundreds of year they were installed. I will stick with the more durable option.
@@rjgaynor8 I got nothing against hinged doors. Just pointing out that it certainly IS possible to make a barn style door seal for those that want the look or don’t have the room for a swinging door. And the weatherstripping in the door I built is certainly as durable as the weatherstripping in your car door. Though I would not use a barn door for an exterior door on a dwelling. And most interior swinging doors do not air nor sound seal at all. As to making one… if you are hiring people to do your renovation, you certainly can afford to have one made. If you are a do it yourselfer, then you ought to have the skills needed to build a simple flat door with some wheels on top. Or, it would not be that hard to simply buy an existing barn doors and modify it so it can seal. Mostly, its a couple of strips of wood attend to two sides of the door, and a replacing the door trim with wider boards to engage the sealing surfaces. Pretty simple, really.
I give up a little corner in my living room before putting a tv way up on my fireplace mantle. Besides, Decorating the fireplace is pure joy with the changing seasons.
A practical designer… a rare occurrence!
This channel is really coming along well. Keep up the great work Reynard. I’ve already learned so much from your channel.
The term “PowerPoint” is not used here in the US. That refers to a slide presentation application. We say “outlets”. The first time I heard “powerpoint” for electrical outlets was in Australia and I had no idea what they were talking about.
Floating staircase terrify me. It makes going up and down stairs feel more dangerous than it should
Hint - for open showers in the tropics/humid climates - put a ceiling fan in your bathroom - it will dry out the room, & prevent mould. 👍
Very good points! People fall in love with the look, but forget to consider the function and practicality...and safety!
I’ve always thought it gauche to have a TV anywhere near a fireplace.
take it from someone who is currently in the process of buying a house, despite the current market conditions. I couldnt count the number of places I passed on because of some of the stupid design choices that were mentioned in this video. especially the barn doors in dumb places, as well as some of the other features that werent necessarily bad, but usually implemented poorly. some others i can think of right off the top of my head are tile stairs and converted garages.
KItchens painted white with open shelves. That screams the designer never cooked a meal in their life.
Wait.... tile stairs??!! Do you mean the stair that allows you into the jacuzzi bath tub? Or stair, stairs? I've never heard of such a thing, but sure sounds like a huge safety hazard at best!
Good choice to not buy with crazy features. You'd be going in paying top dollar only to have to do renovations!
@@Boutys_mom yeah, no joke, they were the stairs from the first floor to the second floor. using tile like what you'd see in a kitchen or bathroom. I think they were ceramic tile. huge safety hazard, and kinda tacky, imo. they had tiled whole house. no carpets. i guess they didnt put much thought into it and decided to do the stairs too.
A problem with zellige tiles, based on your photos, is that the clay they are made from is probably not fully vitrified. The photos show some chips and blemishes in the glaze surface. You also mention pitting of the glaze surface. These defects could allow water to affect the underlying clay body. Unvitrified clay will absorb water that comes in contact with it. This could cause the tiles to pop off, or even worse, water to damage substrates.
My handy husband installed a barn door on our master bathroom and solved the privacy problem by adding a 1 x 3 molding on the inside of the door on each side, and a white rubber weather strip seal on the molding of the door frame. These come in a kit - pick the one that comes with a metal installation strip and edge it forward until it perfectly meshes with the 1 x 3 molding strips.
I have a kind of awkward, narrow living room with a fireplace. Right now the tv is over the fireplace but I would like to move it to the wall. The issue is arranging the furniture since the room is so narrow. We have a sectional couch because our family likes to sit all together when we watch tv and movies. I will consider the mount you were talking about, but I feel the fireplace would look so much nicer with a beautiful piece of art over it instead of a tv.
An alternative to a tv is a pull down screen and projector. No wiring is needed for the screen as many are manual pull down types. The projector can be mounted on the ceiling above your seating area or behind you if the unit has a long throw lens. the biggest issue is wiring: you'll need to get AC power up there. The video image can be broadcast to the projector with a wireless video connection. With a screen/projector combo, the mantle area can be decorated and your screen can be almost any size to suit your viewing habits. When you're done watching, let the screen up and out of sight. This also works really well in very small spaces, like tiny homes.
I stayed at a really nice hotel (for me; I am poor so not the Ritz) last week that was completely ruined by a barn door as a bathroom door. I had never experienced a barn door inside before, and I HATED it, exactly for the lack of seal. I was rooming with a male cousin of mine, and while Im comfortable around him, I still didn't need him to hear (or see; that gap is huge!) my business in bathroom. It was an awful experience simply because of that dang door. (It was also really hard to get it to stay shut...it had to be locked or it would drift on the tracks when someone walked by.)
I looaathe a tv above the fireplace. Finally, someone talking about it!
I cannot imagine the heat from a fireplace being good for the television.
Not on your list but I really don't care for the open floor plan. I much prefer rooms with doors. The dishwasher does not belong in the living room.
Another issue with open showers is the high points in the floor become mold/mildew factories. We have to keep the fan on for an hour after use to ensure the water fully evaporates. Further, we have chipped out the grout and regrouted due to permeated mildew stains. Even if the grout is sealed, this can be a problem.
We have a 1700mm x 700mm shower base with a 1200mm screen plus 400mm swivel door.
LVT flooring and no splashes, mould, puddles etc, and no grout stains after one year.
My son bought a big house put his TV above the fireplace. He would say oh come and watch TV, and you nailed it right on the head. It was like sitting in the first row of a movie theater. I absolutely hated it. The TV to me should never be watched when you have to look up at it.
I like your videos they are very considered of practical and financial needs.
it's like fresh air compared to the aboundance of content that push solutions that are unpractical or too expensive for many people
Again, like the first video, this was so informative! I love reality.
💯 on all counts - however items like the floating stairs with no handrail is against code in the USA, so will be remedied on resale if it's missing the rail. but I see it all over Asia and HATE it.
I’m adding a barn door from my room to my walk in closet. I’m really looking forward to it!!
I'm so happy we have a not so fancy shower with higher floor, it's so much easier to keep clean in my opinion. Also, the kids can have a quick mini bath when they are muddy
I just found your channel today for the first time. You do an exceptional job with this! Thank you so much for your work!
How are floating stairs without railings even allowed by code?
They're not! Usually it's done after the inspection, or perhaps some envelope. That's why I think it's important to point out as they're often seen in publications and magazines.
All good points here.
I have no choice but to put my TV above the fireplace. It’s actually the only wall in the living room craft room that I have.
To compensate I just installed my electric fireplace lower, which gives me a better range for placement of the TV.
I know you were referring to unmovable standard fireplaces.
Reynard, can you do a video on GOOD design ideas for people with disabilities? I have a walking problem and I really hate showers over bathtubs. I had thought open showers would be the answer to by problems but now I’m not so sure.
I have a barn door separating my kitchen area from the living spaces and it's an aesthetic pleasing solution, but a little nuisance to tell you the truth. It saves space, all right, but I have the feeling it's not very robust on the long run.
We had sliding doors growing up - don't know what a pocket door is but ours were like barn doors only no fancy sliders or handles, plain wooden doors that slid over the door opening tight against the wood frame blocking out sound, light and keeping the heat in - and we didn't manage to do more than put a few pinholes in them from hanging posters on them as teenagers. They lasted 20+ years when I moved out and another ten years after that, still being in place - the original ones just painted different colours over the years - when mum and dad sold the house 30+ years after it was built. Nothing wrong with a good sliding door, and the only issue would be if the sliding mechanism isn't sturdy enough and keeps sticking, usually because the door is heavier than the mechanism was designed to be used with.
Fireplaces are extremely impractical in a lot of locations, TV or no TV.
Also: thank you for the explanation on zellige tiles. I keep seeing them in videos from abroad but had no idea what they were called or why I'd never seen tiles like those here. My country has a robust tile industry with many historical and current types to choose from, so we're more likely to use those than to import a completely different style.
@@gooser__43 More like soot, insulation problems and bad heating.
@@gooser__43 Those come with fireplaces too, it's one of the places where I find them absurd...
if you don't mind I'll stay in my house, in a location with average yearly temperatures in the high 20sºC
@@gooser__43 I do have a big television (my mother likes it and spends the summer here) but 11 months out of 12 I get paid for my excess solar. Sorry!
@@NavaSDMBnot if they are gas fireplaces which are being installed in most newer homes and condominiums. I have one and I use it everyday in the winter.
@@helene420 You live in a place with actual winter. But hiw does it make sense to have a fireplace in Miami, Houston or San Diego, three locations ehere I have actually seen them? In such places they're about as logical as white shag carpeting.
Oh wait...
A few of my bosses installed the zellige tiles in their houses here in London,UK, and "lived" with them for all of two weeks .They were used as back slashes in the kitchen and shower rooms .The kitchen installers and bathroom installers were back recently installing corian surfaces ,nice surfaces by the way, in those former zellige tiles .The clean teams are now silent and my bosses,when they visit,seem happy until the next rip out!
We had them for 10 years, no issues, no complaints from my cleaning lady too. The tiles were probably not installed properly in the first place. Or do we get better stuff in Europe?
I agree. I have a friend who has his TV mounted high on the wall. It is incredibly uncomfortable to watch TV in his house.
Now, I also have a friend who has an "Indian" style house in which the whole bathroom is the shower. That's really nice and gives you lots of room to take your shower!
The only issue with this is that there has to be tile everywhere! And everything has to be waterproof!
I raised a house full of boys and swore if I ever built a house that I would have the floor drain to the center and tile all the walls up to the ceiling so the room could be hosed off
@@patricialong3492 Yes, that's exactly how bathrooms in upscale houses are done in India!
lots of good and practical advice. thanks!
"The outcome of your last spicy meal." LOL! 🤣 Great video!
Your videos are so to do point and gives so many information, thanks
Yes, a TV over the fireplace is a pain in the neck. ;-) Furthermore, unless there is a deep mantel to deflect the heat it may damage the TV. A rental house I stayed in had an open shower that was well designed with a full tiled partition. No glass to have to clean after use every day! Some floating staircases I've seen in videos lack a proper railing, which would be a building code violation. Rough-surfaced tiles would be difficult to keep clean, and in a kitchen, grout with any tile will absorb grease unless you regularly seal it.
Excellent video. I think the biggest design trend that is impractical - and very unsafe - is the free standing tubs that are now very popular. when indoor plumbing first started they were all like that. After the flu pandemic of 1918 for health and safety reasons tubs were now built in.
(another change as a result of the pandemic was built in closets rather than armoires) It was easier to keep the bathroom clean. Also, the tub in the picture is a major safety hazard as there is nothing to stop you from slipping and falling on the floor (it rather invites this) and nothing to grab on to to assist you in and out if you need it (or to keep from falling) as will as no lip on the tub as a place you can sit on if you need to. They really should be banned by the code.
You also now have the problem of extra mold building up behind or on the sides of the tub from splashing/vapor. Give me the old garden tub attached to the wall, thanks.
We bought the frame tv when it first came out. It said you would have a choice of 250 photos. I got 15 when I started - it's now down to about 7. You have to buy a subscription of 5.99 a month to get more (last time I checked) You supposedly are able to load your own photos but it's quite difficult and doesn't work the way it was presented when sold.
Thanks Reynard, I'm renovating a 100 year old timber house and was thinking of putting the TV above the fireplace on the original unpainted bricks, mainly for symmetry. Might have to re-think that.
I want to add my experience with open showers. I rented apartment with classic shower with doors on small rolls and now I live in the apartment with the open shower. Both small bathrooms. I find the open shower with one piece of glass (even though too short) ideal to clean. I need to quickly squeegee floor just next to the shower after every use, but it takes 3 seconds but in return I can wash almost all of my shower with a mop and a flat glass piece is super easy to clean. In the previous shower I needed to scrub the metal frame very often, lots of small nooks for mold to grow
Excellent content, Reynard! I'm an amateur space and design nerd! A great collection of important info, and really well explained. Delighted to subscribe. G Ire
You gave a lot f good points on your tips. Thank you! 😍✨
I was wondering what an open shower was, then when I saw the pictures, I immediately thought back to my time in korea. A lot of the older houses have open showers, matter of fact, the first place I lived there had an open shower. I couldn't stand having that water everywhere.
This is a fantastic video, really practical, detailed and well-thought-out advice!
Another thing to add about the TV problem, just like he mentioned is that your TV will most likely overheat due to the heat coming from the fireplace, it will also be a pain in the neck to set up anything like a gaming console or a TV Box. TVs should be at eye level and depending on the size of the TV you have to make sure you set up your couch at a safe distance from it but also not too far, for example, a 65" inch TV should be between 6.5 to 9 ft away from you for optimal viewing experience.
If the mantle is more than 6" in depth, you won't have that problem. The neck pain complaints are legit, though.
Looooove the mantel mount!
Loving this sort of content
Such great observations great video
Who invented wash basins that are so shallow they spill over when you put in half an inch of water?
I like a nice deep wash basin that I can sit in, proper faucets and a place for the soap. In the olden days we never got wet feet when we washed our faces . You do now and hotels seem to think they are de rigueur.
I’ve never understood why they have the sink set at the designated level most are, at least in the US. I’m tall and have a bad disk and bending over a sink when my back flares up makes me wonder why they ever set the level that low for standardization. For children to access?
Great video. Nicely paced with great information.
Another issue with putting TV above fireplace. My fireplace has no mantle above it. Even though my TV is mounted a good distance (I'd estimate about 2.5ft) above the top of the fireplace it melted the bottom of my TV after warming up the living room on a winter night… I think if it at least had a mantle that could have blocked the direct heat but definitely be careful.
You may need to have your fireplace checked out. The melting point of polyethylene , the most common TV frame material, is between 365 to 418F, so your winter fire must have been hot indeed!
@@miket2120 It was more of a major warping of the entire bottom of the TV rather than actually melting.
The dreaded plastic deformation. I briefly saw something about a metal shield for TVs above the fireplace, but I didn't follow the link. Hope you have some luck in that.
Build a mantle and your problem is solved. There is no other solution. The heat will always rise about the front of thr fireplace, You just want to shift it a few inches in front of thr TV, not directly below it
NEVER thought about barn barn doors this way! Thank you
I love your video and advices !
With love from Romania !
Glad I watched this. I was planning to use sliding doors or pocket doors in my project. Though, there are great places for them, however, bedrooms and bathrooms are not good. As for office desk in middle of room. I did not consider the location of power outlets and how much more space a desk occupies. Good catch Reynard. 👍👍
Really good insight. Thank you.
Floating staircase when drunk eating a banana is not good either. Chandelier bathtub is final destination.
Agree. All great points
This is very helpful and i now realize i have a design trend that is impractical so thanks.
I like your subtle sense of humor. I cracked up at your comment re barn doors and “the results of your last spicy meal.” Kudos! 😆
Ha! A bathroom barn door-if you live alone. While we’re in the bathroom, I want the shower in proximity of the tub to rinse off after a soak. Add a heated towel bar and a radiant heat floor. The best arrangement I saw was the shower and tub situated behind a glass wall & door. Keep the heat in when necessary.
Now for the kitchen-enough with the racetrack style with the giant luncheonette counter. Two dishwashers required and if there’s space, throw in a petite clothes washer/dryer combo for kitchen towels.
Notes, just in case I hit the lottery. But 2 dishwashers are a must!
I had a shower without any curtain or a glass in a dorm room in Sweden. Basically just a shower mounted to the wall, drainhole, and nothing else. Cheap and ugly.
I had no splashes, everything in the bathroom was dry when I showered, I had no extra humidity in the bedroom, and there was no heating in the bathroom. Everything was perfectly okay and it was the best bathroom in the world because it was easy to clean, i can move without touching glass or a curtain, I don't have to clean glass. It was big, yes, like 8-10 sqm.
Great video as always
3:22 off the shelf or diy barndoors have problems like these… If you plan and constuct custom high quality barndoors properly with a carpenter you won’t face any of the above mentioned issues 🙃✌🏻
A pocket door is the better solution.
My house was built with a space-saving pocket door for my bathroom. Although expensive to retrofit, pocket doors provide the advantages of barn doors without the problems.
Our bedroom doors were what you seem to call barndoors, dad made them and we never had any problems with them at all. They were still going strong - albeit having been painted over the years as the rooms were redecorated - when mum and dad sold the house some 30 years later. Still with the original hardware, and no problems whatsoever.
Love my mantle mount!
Heard about the tv over the fireplace issue creating possible neck issues years ago, and thankfully, listened to it and have never done it. In fact, I've never done any of these mistakes. But no worries, I make plenty of other mistakes in my home, lol.
The one which gets me is the floating stairs. I don't know why anyone would think they are safe, even for young people in the 20's. They are often used in those 'Tiny homes' that you see marketed all over youtube and I've seen some people say wouldn't these tiny homes make great retirement homes for old people! They wouldn't because there is no where in the home where they can keep mobility equipment. Tiny homes and floating stairs are an health hazard.
I agree with everything you said!
Great video. Before beauty stands the logic.
Pocket doors beat barn doors
The same goes with the current trend of the wood wall paneling.
I recommend Schluter pre-sloped shower pans for curbless showers to help drain water.