Interior design preferences can be (and usually are) all over the map. Though people talk in absolutes about many of the controversial trends we tend to see these days, the fact is...some folks really like them! More than that, some people have particular reasons for loving them in the first place — and they're reasons that are often left out of the conversation around current home trends.
I asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to get real with me about the "hated" design trends that they actually enjoy in their own homes, and to be perfectly honest, their answers were wildly refreshing. These were some of the most insightful responses I received.
And if you care to weigh in on the trends below, you can let us know exactly where you stand in the polls throughout this post!
1. "I love my open shelving in the kitchen, and that's coming from someone with two cats and a dog. If you don't like it just because you think your glasses and dishes will be covered in animal hair and dust overnight, clearly you have zero taste. If you actually use your dishware, you'll never run into that problem. I love all my dishes and glasses, and my 'gorgeous' open shelving is often the first compliment I get when new visitors come to my house."
2. "I disagree with people who hate open floor plans. It really depends on your family. We don't have an open floor plan in our current home, and we hate it. I don't like feeling separated from the family while cooking, especially on holidays. Everyone is in the living room and I'm on my own, or everybody is awkwardly in my way. Plus, open floor plans make your home feel bigger."
3. "Barn doors are the ultimate space savers. Hating them is such a stupidly privileged stance — only someone who has never had a small space would hate them."
4. "I like a microwave over the stove, and I get pissed when I see people renovate a kitchen and put a hood over the stove and slide the microwave into a lower cabinet, so you have to bend over to heat something up (and it becomes a toy for children). When you have a compact kitchen, all the real estate you can use for storage is so valuable. It makes no sense to me, and it costs more because you have to purchase another appliance. I'm a kitchen and bath designer. It may look sleek, but it's not practical for everyone."
5. "Say what you want, but I'll take a house with four 'tiny' bedrooms over one with two sprawling sleep caves. What are people doing in their bedrooms? Taking ballet classes? Personally, I love the feeling of a cozy bedroom. Plus, it means that we can host our entire family when the holidays roll around."
6. "I don't understand the hatred of clear shower doors. Y'all mean to tell me your friends and family are just hanging out in the bathroom getting ready while you shower naked behind frosted glass?! I'm not letting anyone into the bathroom while I shower unless I'm behind something totally opaque. Plus, my clear shower makes it feel so much bigger!"
—Caroline, 45, Georgia
7. "So if I can't put my TV above the fireplace, where am I supposed to put it?! If you're getting neck pains from watching your above-the-fireplace TV, I think you might be watching too much TV. Personally, I love the way mine looks, and I even have one of those frame televisions that looks like a painting when it's not in use. The epitome of class!"
8. "I'm sorry, but as a germophobe, I much prefer having a toilet in a separate room from the rest of the bathroom. That's how they do it in Japan, and I wish they did it in the US, too. I just want to keep poo particles from flying up and landing on my bath towels. Also, it's good if you live with someone and they (or you) have to go while the other person is in the shower or bath. I can't go if there's someone else in the room that I can see, and I don't want to see someone else using the toilet, either. As long as you only touch the door handle before washing your hands, you're not spreading germs around."
—[deleted]
9. "No one wants an open kitchen because of the 'mess,' but who cares? When I have guests over, cooking is part of the shared experience. Everyone wants to gather around the kitchen and enjoy the company of the cook. Walling it off creates a barrier to the social experience of hosting and a totally false idea that the food prep was not a significant amount of work. I think younger generations are not interested in faking a perfect scene — real life, including the mess, is more important."
10. "I hear you on painted brick being an annoying method for covering up perfectly good stonework, but some brick is just plain old ugly because of color variations and quality. My husband and I moved into a mid-century house with a brick fireplace that was so hideous, it made me nauseous. After I limewashed it, it totally works in the space while still retaining the wonderful texture that brick offers in the first place."
—Chelsea, 34
11. "Closets attached to bathrooms are great. You enter our main closet from the bathroom, and I love it. The closet has a door and isn’t open to the bathroom. I like it because I get up earlier for work than my husband, and I don’t have to wake him up when I'm getting dressed for the day."
12. "I used to be very anti–luxury vinyl plank flooring. However, our new townhome is LVP, and a) it has a texture/grain and legit feels like hardwood (there are some good-quality ones out there!), b) it is easier on my feet and knees than the solid oak floor we had in our old house, and c) with a toddler and a dog, it is a dream come true not having to worry about spills or scratches. This stuff can take a beating!"
13. "IDK, man. Say what you want about black-painted houses, but I've lived in light- and dark-colored homes, and you couldn't pay me to live in a white house again. I practically had to pressure-wash it once a season. With our current home's black exterior, I maybe wash it once every two years and it still looks brand new."
14. "I love my open stairs. They let the light flow through the house. When we had the stairs put in, we took an extra step to ensure the safety of our granddaughters. We put stainless steel rods horizontally between the treads, ensuring that the little ones would not fit in between, while still letting the light through."
—Ali, 73, California
15. "I'll take a laundry closet over a laundry room if need be. Who is folding their clothes in the laundry room? Do you really just stand there and do nothing but fold? I take mine into the living room so I can be comfortable on the couch and watch TV at the same time."
16. "I don’t know why anyone would be mad at quartz counters. They’re super durable and easy to clean, and they don’t have to be resealed like granite does or have the maintenance issues of butcher block and concrete. They come in many versatile colors and patterns, and they look better than a lot of other cheap options. What are they suggesting as an alternative, exactly?"
17. "People who don’t want to put carpeting in bedrooms confuse me. It’s quieter if you have to get out of bed in the middle of the night, so you don’t wake your partner. It’s softer on your feet when you’re winding down or getting up. And it doesn’t get super cold and unpleasant as soon as you get up in the morning in winter! I don’t understand why everyone hates carpet now."
18. "Stovetop pot-filler hatred has me so baffled. 'Why have a pot filler near the stove when you’re going to eventually remove the pot from the stove anyway?' That’s like saying, 'Your waste is just going to get flushed into the sewer system anyway, so just go shit outside right into a storm drain!'"
19. "I think the hatred of the 'modern farmhouse' has gotten WAY out of hand. They're not perfect for every area (I live near downtown Austin, and they're popping up in neighborhoods where they make no sense!), but otherwise, I love their clean, modern aesthetic that still feels timeless. The people who hate them are probably just jealous of Joanna Gaines."
20. "People who hate bare light bulb fixtures clearly use the wrong type of light bulbs. If you use an Edison bulb, yes, you'll hate your space. Opt for frosted bulbs whenever possible for a soft lighting effect while retaining the gorgeousness of your bare bulb fixture. I'm an electrician; trust me on this one."
—Anonymous
21. "I'm fine with the lack of medicine cabinets in bathrooms these days — medicine should never be stored in the bathroom anyway, for humidity reasons."
22. "I really don't understand why we eliminated wallpaper as a standard wall covering. Older wallpapers were washable and stood up to kids like iron. If you did have some damage, you could just remove the sheet and replace it with your extra stored roll. Paint gets scuffed up so easily, and patching it never matches!"
—Mary A.
23. "Why the farmhouse sink hot takes?! I'm definitely having one put in in my next house — I'm tired of washing huge pots in a little sink."
24. "I love having a cooktop on the kitchen island, even though others complain that it's 'messy.' It allows me to visit with my grandkids while I cook their Mickey Mouse pancakes — and that way, they can see that both Grandma and Grandpa cook."
—Mike, 66, Washington
25. "People think wood trim is outdated, but I love it. We built our home 36 years ago with a custom builder. We have beautiful, 5-inch oak baseboards, and everything is trimmed in wood, including door openings and kitchen cabinets, which we refinished 10 years ago. We sanded and varnished it all ourselves to save money at the time. Please don't paint over this...ever! It can never be replaced."
26. "Doorless closets! Everyone hates them, but I'm obsessed. For me, I was forced to use them because the closet was in an area with limited floor space, and opening and closing a door just to get something wouldn't have been practical. My doorless closets helped me to become (and stay) way more organized, and they've actually helped to eliminate a lot of stress from my life."
—Claudia, 33
27. "I would never light my home just using overhead recessed lighting, but to the people who complain about 'pot light overload,' just install a dimmer switch. We moved into a house with no recessed lighting at all, and I can't tell you how annoying it is not to have the option to make your room super bright at night, especially if you're looking for something you misplaced, or cleaning. At least with a dimmer switch, you can customize the brightness!"
28. "Homebuilder here. I know people had new-build homes with entire sides that don't have windows, but the houses with a full side wall with no windows are likely done that way because of the fire code. The cost of fire-rated glass is UNGODLY, and no one would pay an extra $10,000 for one window that doesn't operate."
29. "Why hate high ceilings? Sometimes the increased view and space make any small issues with heating worthwhile."
30. "I love the neutral color scheme of gray, white, and beige. It helps me feel calm and less cluttered. Then you can emphasize with pops of color as needed. Older-style homes with lots of color make me feel quite tense. They're too busy, and there is too much to look at."
—Anonymous, 30, United Kingdom
31. And finally: "You can pry my all-white kitchen from my cold, dead hands. Your navy blue cabinets will be 'ugly' in 10 years, but my white kitchen will only be 'divisive.'"
Which controversial design trend do you actually love — and why? Tell us in the comments below (or through this anonymous Google form), and your submission could be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed post.
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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