"I See It So Often": People Are Sharing Their Most Controversial Interior Design Opinions

Buzz Feed

20-04-2025

When it comes to decorating your home, trends come and go, but your own personal style is forever. Recently, people on Reddit shared their most "controversial" interior decorating opinions, and I love this honest energy. Here are some of the top comments:
1. "Kitchens and bathrooms have gone off the deep end with prioritizing form over function to the point where I don't even like looking at them. Showers with penny tiles and miles of grout that will get moldy no matter what you do, marble kitchen countertops that you can't even breathe on without damaging, open shelving that you have to dust regularly, etc, make me anxious. All I can see is what a pain it will be to maintain. Give me a house with a kitchen and bathroom that are easy to clean, otherwise I don't want it. These are utility rooms. Stop making them so goddamn fussy."
2. "While looking at houses, my boyfriend and I noticed no houses have linen closets anymore. I guess they call them California-style bathrooms, and it drives me crazy!! Where do people put their towels?! Their products? I damn well know the under the vanity cabinet isn't enough."
— ErraticSiren
3. "I think 'chopped' throw pillows look ridiculous and are something you should only really see in a store, not your home."
4. "Dark colors can work fine in small spaces. They can make a space feel very cozy, and I don't find that they make rooms feel smaller at all."
— coffee_and_physics
5. "I love traditional style timber kitchens with dark benches. I keep seeing what I love as the 'before' photo, and then someone paints it all white and grey."
6. "We've kept the artex ceiling in the living room of our '60s house. It's a work of art, really — a meticulously perfect fan pattern. Most people would have had it skimmed, but it fits our mid-century modern vibe and I'm convinced that in the future it'll be a sought-after period feature."
7. "I don't care for decorative pillows on a bed. I look at the bed and think about how they're all going to be on the floor before I can get in the bed."
— No_Username_60
8. "Old-style bathrooms, with the tiles halfway up, are superior. Bathrooms are naturally more gross and at risk for gross things happening in there. Drywall just doesn't tolerate the same amount of scrubbing and sanitizing. I also think colored tiles should come back with the practice. I've seen a few people do modernized versions of the Pepto pink bathrooms, and they're nice. I'd love to see a modern version of a baby blue bathroom."
10. "I hang my art to relate to what's around it, not to conform to some interior design 'rule' about eye level. Every placement creates a vignette or composition with the surrounding furniture, and sometimes that means hanging lower than the typical gallery guideline. Plus, if the art is meant to be viewed from a sitting position (say, in a dining room), that should be taken into account."
12. "A little kitsch never hurt anybody (motions to my Elvis plates collection I inherited from grandma)."
13. "Most people have absolutely no idea about color temperature for lights and don't actually know what 'warm white' is. Also, when people say they hate grey interiors, it's usually because the grey colour used is cool-toned and more like non-metallic silver. Warm-toned grey is absolutely gorgeous."
— lo_leo
14. "I don't love too many plants in a room. It just starts to look wild and outdoorsy, and that's not my vibe for an inside space."
15. "TVs over fireplaces are the interior design equivalent of socks with sandals."
— Joeyreed1999
17. "Carpet in the bathroom is a vibe. Fight me."
18. "Matching furniture sets make rooms look like a showroom. Mix and match beats matchy-matchy every time."
— kitchendoors001
19. "I love black ceilings. People say they make rooms appear smaller. However, black is a receding color, so my ceiling gives the impression of being a lot higher than it is."
20. "Granite countertops, especially the busy ones with mica flakes, are the GOAT of kitchen countertops."
21. "I hate anything rustic or faux distressed. Shabby chic is just… shabby. Learning to fix and refinish wood and metal and mend textiles has been life-changing."
— Current_Step9311
22. "Natural wood panelling is sexy. I don't mean shiplap, yuck. But a good, warm stained wood panelled wall is to die for."
23. "I hate books being used to prop up lamps or other things. Books are for reading! OR at the very least for display, but you need to be able to access them without rearranging the decor. I guess I assume this is controversial because I see it so often!"
— luckycrookshanks
24. "I don't get placing books on shelves with the spines facing in and the pages facing out."
25. "Bare-bulb light fixtures and unfrosted bulbs are awful. Who the fuck whats to fry their retinas when they accidentally look at a bulb because theres no glass or shade over it? What the fuck happened to using shades/semi-opaque glass to direct light rather than letting it diffuse everywhere including directly into your eyes?"
— boxdkittens
26. "I love open shelving in the kitchen, instead of upper cabinets. It's more functional and attractive. We put plates, mugs, glasses, and teapots on them."
27. And finally, "Quit decorating for the cameras. Your house is for you to live in. Use all five senses to make it liveable, not just sight, and damn sure not the sight of internet strangers."
— Weird_Squirrel_8382
What's your interior design hot take? Share it with us in the comments or via the anonymous form below: