To dive deeper into the question why everything looks the same and is boring I recommend the videos of Design Theory. Many of these videos are very insightful.
Some time ago I watched a video that also did try to explain thy question of How Did The World Get So Ugly?
Also cars. Next time you look at traffic, try to see the amount of white, gray or black cars. It must be at least 80%.
I have a nice blue volvo and it’s beautiful because it has a fucking color. :)
Yayyyy Volvo
The best cars, although volvo has been sliding down lately and making bad decisions and having lots of problems with their new models.
No heart. No soul. Appliances built to fail.
Pre War is not good enough for such luxury. What you need is:
antebellum
“Wow, this vinyl flooring. SO Antebellum!”
I live in a 100 year old building and would kill for those appliances
Older buildings are so beautiful but living in them if not maintained is a literal nightmare. My old apartment building was 100+ years old with pipes that banged like crazy against the walls and the waterlines were so badly corroded they shut the hot water off for a week to fix them (which got them a complaint from the health department because they didn’t offer us alternate lodging).
For real my house is falling apart and I’d love just to have a normal functioning house 😔
It’s just missing the thinnest granite countertops you’ve ever seen.
I hate that flooring. Just so you know, don’t place car tires on it because it will burn in the tire tread. (Didn’t want my tires stolen before I put them on)
It’s luxury not because of any element in the house, rather because the return on investment needed to justify building housing over just putting the money in the stock market require it be priced as a luxury unit.
Millennial here, I remember hunting for apartments and the staff of one place proudly said let me show you the upgraded unit. I went in and couldn’t hide how I much I disliked the greyscale upgrade. They were then like well we have one unit that hasn’t been upgraded. Showed me that unit and I was like “oh wow this is way better”. At that point they were super angry as if they upgraded their home the same way and I just said they had the ugliest home.
Me as a cabinetmaker 20 years ago when everything went white everywhere. Why would you throw away these nice maple cabinets for this white melamine?
Yeah, I’ve seen a few of the modern home improvement shows where the first thing they do is paint bricks in the house with a thick white latex paint. That’s not an improvement. There are other ways to brighten up a place like installing lights…
YES!
Our house was built in the 60’s and pretty much untouched since the 80’s (except for motor shutters and security doors put in the 2010’s). Fucking love it.
(Although we did paint (WITH COLOURS) and remove the 50 year old carpet)
Antebellum
and unlike art deco - this kind of luxury is dirt cheap.
ohh don’t forget the manufactured marble and quartz blacksplash
Textured-grey, durable flooring: a life-saver when you have kids.
Really? I had to add flooring like that to match the horrible millennium gray carpets that were installed by the family before me. It is horrible with dirt. Dirt is more brownish than gray and it stands out like crazy.
Surely It’s easier to rip out the carpets than to install new flooring
No way, millennial grey carpets (brand new, mind you) all over the house and clashing vinyl in three bathrooms. The choice was really, replace all the brand new carpets AND the 30 year old vinyl, or just replace the vinyl.
Except most floors are that horrible pressboard rubbish, and you’d have to buy and install 3/4 inch plywood, then some sort of flooring over. It’s not easy nor inexpensive.
I am eager for faux wood vinyl planks to go out.
I don’t mind vinyl, but just find the attempt to imitate wood makes it feel obviously like cheaping out.
Polished concrete is way underrated.
Too bad most people pour epoxy over their concrete.
you mean concrete paint?
or clear sealant?
ok for garages, I suppose. Inside the house, maybe not so much unless you are into that look.
I was thinking more this…
Oh, no. I’m not most people. I guess it could have been interpreted that way though.
Terrazzo is one of my favorite textures, and polishing it, is simply peak.
In general, making things look like something it’s not just feels wrong. Unironically painting plaster walls to look like stone or brick comes to mind - you’re ruining the plaster.
TBH, I’m a sucker for the ceramic tiles that have a bit of wood grain. I think it’s because you can easily tell it’s not real wood because it’s cold, but the ceramic gives it a comfy hefty and the wood look gives visual interest and a texture that improves texture.
The plastic fake wood is convenient. It came with my kitchen and is both water resistant and easy to clean. I’m not sure what I’d go with if I redid my floor.
Oh I am fine with the vinyl, I would just prefer some non wood appearance for it . Also would favor tile over plank.
that shit has a layer that is literally printed onto a thin sheet of vinyl.
The better quality stuff has quite a thick ‘wear layer’, with the effect all the way through that layer, so they don’t lose it too quickly.
Wood is not good for longevity, especially in a hot and humid location near the ocean. These full vinyl planks will survive a lot of abuse in addition to the environemnt. Do they have to lool like wood, no, but what should they look like?
I prefer a vaguely stoney look, but again not trying to look too much like specific stone. Further I favor larger tiles over plank form factor.
Or some sort of design untethered from imitating some other material, though I admit I don’t know of any examples of that off hand.
Just something about very specific wood looking with a plastic feel, especially the ones that have a bit of ridges along the grain that actual wood wouldn’t have.
But absolutely agree that a decent thick vinyl plank or tile is a great material.
I guess the plank form factor is because wood has grain which runs lengthwise in a direction and lends itself to planks. I doubt you could ever get planks to line up and look like stone, or tiles to line up and look like wood for that matter. Tiles and stone might work, but there may be some industry thing about avoiding the look of the older asbestos tiles.
planks make installation easier too. big squares would be awkward. small squares would be more tedious. other shapes would not interlock like a straight line. Also, seems can be nearly invisible in a quality locking material.
When we sold our house in the city 4 years ago, the realtor suggested we paint over our accent wall, and have all the walls in the house painted “reliable gray.” Apparently that’s the color that sells houses to white people.
I have either rented or lived in family homes for my entire life.
Ever since my dad gave me a fake option of room colour, I wanted nothing more than to own my own fucking house so I could be in my black room.
I got rejected for a mortgage a few years ago, and the lack of being able to paint the walls in my environment is STILL something that depresess me.
i call that ‘zillow gray’
“Landlord Greige”
painted “reliable gray.” Apparently that’s the color that sells houses to white people.
that and “swiss coffee”…
“neutral sells” is an old real estate truism.
.
It presents possibilities. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen people shut down a listing based on the current color… Changing it from puke green to… Anything else is apparently more work than changing from gray to anything.
I’m obviously washing over needing to reprime the walls depending on the color and quality of paint but it’s not just white people. White is too sterile but gray strikes the right balance. Same with staging furniture. Sets too many expectations for people sometimes.
I think the idea is that a light colour tends to make the room look bigger and “fresher” than a dark one. It’s also definitely a lot easier to paint over than a “Teal Ripple” feature wall. Neutral colours and basic but nice looking furniture also means a potential buyer isn’t put off by the current occupier’s decorative tastes.
