Very inexpensive engineered wood floors are not always able to be refinished. Please tell people to check the top veneer thickness when they buy. It’s the wear layer. Some are paper thin.
Yes, true! In general, the veneer needs to be 1/8” minimum, but 3/16” is ideal. My husband has owned a GC business for nearly 20 years and has installed it all. In general, yes, real hardwood is amazing. That said, I have been very impressed with how well medium to higher priced engineered wood holds up. I love hardwood, but if you have pets and kids you will see more scratches compared to engineered hardwood in my experience. You can argue that the natural wear and tear of real hardwood is beautiful, but some people don't like that.
@ Yes, there are excellent engineered wood floors out there and the finishes are not only durable but you can get colors and techniques that a typical crew could not do as well on site finished floors!
I have open concept home. Brand new. 2600. 2.5 garage. All brick. Even patio posts. Huge closets. Tile floors that look like wood. That was a must. But I can’t even hear my dishwasher when it’s on. Soooo quiet.
If you can afford to have somebody do this for you that is money well spent. You never want to do a job twice = makes it very expensive. I did a 30-minute free Sherwin-Williams consultation and was pretty pleased with the results. But I should mention that I have enjoyed some business success as a small time house flipper. I'd recommend hiring a designer if you can afford it and then if you have any colors that you're on the fence about that they recommend get the 30-minute consultation from Sherwin-Williams for free to figure out which one would be the best. So you don't regret it
Two things I hate: sinks in islands, having dirty dishes and other clutter out in the open, plus I am skeptical about the efficiency if the vent and second, refrigerators up against and end wall so that the doors don’t fully open, making it difficult to get the drawers out.
Me too, the island sink is in nearly every new build now and I hate it. I like to have people sit at the island and visit with me while I cook. I don’t want a sink there splashing them, or having people view dishes and clutter.
we just did this with dining room that had a butler pantry attached with 2nd door access from the hallway. When we remodeled our 1st floor, we closed off the hallway door and added some folding french doors and now it's another 1st floor bedroom for when/if my father needs to move in with us.
Great tips. Something I am seeing in new builds in my area is the solid surface backsplash that is the same as the countertops. They are a dream to keep clean, and the look is modern.
I've always liked the Office/Guest room combo. Unless you have guests all the time, it works out well. I work from home, but I can set up a temporary office in our study, family room, or craft room for a few days or a couple of weeks if we have guests. I like guests to have a private room when they stay with me.
The reality is, home decor is as timeless as your love for your space! 💯😆 Just now updating my home after 12 years and people still think we just bought this house. The trick is to keep your space CLEAN 🧽 💦✨
I'm working on my new build and I am choosing black windows inside and out. I don't have the money nor the time as I am a senior to change it up but after 60+ years of white windows I am looking for change. Also black windows inside looking out into a yard full of trees and flowers is like a frame on a portrait. I'm not going to put any blinds or drapes to cover my gorgeous new views. I did black faucets and handles on an off white kitchen but I can change those out anytime. I am moving out to country and so the black seems to fit and so I am taking the plunge. I am doing white oak flooring to help offset the black an make the house look bigger. Our home is brick and stonework on outside. I am having my whole home painted Chantilly Lace only because I want a blank canvas so I can live in the home for a bit and then decide what colours to paint. I don't like accent walls either. I was lucky to get small samples of cabinet/quartz countertops, flooring etc to bring along to help coordinate other colour choices. It sure can be overwhelming at times but it is also exciting creating a vision for your home. Thank you for the tips.
One thing I requested in my new build showers is walk in shower with no glass door. I hate cleaning those doors. I love the convenience of taking a shower and walking out without having to clean the shower doors 😊
Thank goodness black and white is on the way out!! Barn doors should go too! Everyone wants their home to be unique but then re-creates the same house that everyone else already has...
You said it! So true, HGTV and Pinterest have people eating it up and thinking they are doing “something different”, yet it ends up all looking the same. 🤣🤣🤣
One trick is to have multiple sets of hardware. You can have trad white cabinets, but as trends change, you can swap from nickel to bronze to black hardware etc.
All homes should be built to accommodate the elderly and disabled. This will be better for everyone. Large wide doorways and hallways make using a cane, walker or wheel chair much easier. Bathrooms or wet rooms need to have flat floors and no shower hump or pan. A flat floor allows for easy access and drains need to provided. Easy to use lever door and faucet handles are easier for the elderly to grip and open. Main floors should include a master bedroom, restroom, shower, laundry and wide walk in closet with few steps to enter. Homes should be designed with aging in place in mind.
As long as you are willing to pay the cost difference for these things go for it…….but the average person is not and already complains homes are too expensive. Just the zero curb shower you mention is one example of more expense than a curb shower. You have to water proof the entire bath floor and with curbless entries you generally need a larger shower to allow space for the water to flow and stay in designated shower space without a curb or glass to block it. Larger doors and hallways are more expensive also.
@@ashdav9980 Short term thinking is what keeps people poor. The long term savings of an energy efficient house saves you money many times over. Short term thinking will keep your poor. It is a hard but necessary lesson to learn. Spending a little more upfront can pay dividends in the future.
@ashdav9980 Have you priced interim care at a rehab facility? Which is where many HAVE to go because their downstairs bathroom door is too narrow for a wheelchair or doesn't have a regular shower on main floor? No need for extravagant Curbless showers. There are many other features that help one age-in-place. Such as various counter and window heights. And when building- a 36" door cost < $40 more than a 30" door.
@@ashdav9980there is a cost difference but this about safeguarding the long term feasibility of the home. I have an aunt and uncle who retired about 12 years ago, building their dream home in the process. An amazing lakeside home on a hillside split over 3 levels. It was the third of fourth house they’d built so the vision was really clear. Both were active and fit but over the next seven or eight years later his knees and her hips had given up. Day to day their dream home was just not liveable.
I live in Texas. A lot of people here put Austin stone on their houses which has a yellow or orange tone or undertone, and then they put a bright white or cool grey with it, and it looks terrible. Pay attention to undertones!
Everyone on our block has painted their house white, stone, brick, stucco and I am the only holdout in keeping my natural brick color. The other owners wanted their house to stand out, even though they are all custom homes so are unique, now look like tract homes because of their uniformity of color . I have a house next door that has been ‘updated’ for over 8 years. Constant crews on an almost daily basis, even holidays. The house now has a third owner in this time period and immediately a crew came in to ‘update’. I have learned that he runs a flipping business. At least the owner who started the improvements, did it for their enjoyment, the second were never outside as the furniture remained covered until it went on the market. Everyone ignores the ramshackle backyard privacy fence that is missing boards or rotting out.
@@tastx3142 Yikes. I wonder how long it will be before people start trying to strip that paint off their brick and stone. That should create a lot of jobs....
@ They just made their low maintenance exterior to an ongoing maintenance expense for brick and stone. One new owner asked me what was underneath the paint since the stone also had a decorative horizontal line with diamond shapes. They liked the location and floor plan but didn’t like that the flipper had painted the exterior stone and were dismayed that they had also removed the stone fireplace. The painted interior colors and staging was poorly done so nobody was interested and the new owners got a good deal and have no plans on moving.
I never follow trends and design what feels right, but I do like contrast, doesn't have to be as aggressive as black and white. If you look at my very last short, it has the kitchen I built for my folks. I went with dual color kitchen and I really love it! I have no idea if it's a trend or a past trend or a trend that will come up, but I'm loving the dual tone kitchens lately. One of my homes I did blue bottom (wood grain showing) and white washed top cabinets with very light blue undertone, it was really pleasant.
I'm not sure if I've ever agreed with a decorating video more! I loved how you gave us ideas for being timeless instead of trendy if that's what we want. It seems like so many decorators want to create customers by making them dissatisfied with what they have right now. Bravo! I think you gave us great ideas!
Natural, local materials will always be safer from a design perspective. In the US we have millions of choices of artificial materials. So many ways to make bad decisions!
I love the coziness and safe feeling of walls. In our kitchen remodel, rather than open up an entire wall from kitcken to living room, we decided to put an arched window in front of the sink area. I purchased a handmade wood window that opens from Turkey. This of course matches our 1990s mediterranean home. Ordering from Etsy saved us $$$ over buying from a local dealer. The window is now a beautiful addition to our home and brings in light to our previous windowless kitchen. There is still a sense of coziness and i can also be a part of conversations in the living room.
Open concept is good for people who need barrier free spaces. I would prefer to break up the space a bit. Not have a maze of walls, but just something to separate the rooms a bit. Also, I think open concept spaces are harder to heat, and the noise level can be too much. I like my quiet space.
From the horror stories I’ve heard and the experiences that some of my friends have had I say the main caution is do not buy new construction to begin with.
You have to know and understand construction AND check on the worksite every day to catch errors and shortcuts. If both those things are not possible I would buy an older home. It shouldn't be this way but it is.
@@lukejohnson1274 the problem is if you knew that stuff well enough to be able to catch it you’d be building your own house. I built a house that wa I bought a house that was built in 1900. The electrical and plumbing had been updated. I’ve updated a little bit since then and I love it.
New production homes are cheaply and often poorly built. But if you can afford a custom home by a high-end builder, new construction is definitely the way to go.
The limestone interior wall on the first home shown is beautiful, but the con of using limestone indoors is the Raydon off-gassing that is a product of this particular natural stone.
I refuse to dedicate an entire room in my house to work, I did as you suggested, I have a small desk area, but the rest of the room is a relaxation area with books, and comfy chairs!
I'm so glad you like the blue exterior. We had our lake cottage sided with a navy blue and we love the way it looks with the white windows and wood accents.
My white walls reflect light so much better than the pale yellow I had before. Plus, the artwork really shows off against the Alabaster white color. It feels fresh and clean. I would love burgundy kitchen cabinets with butcher block- but my husband veto'd that.
We have been remodeling our old home for over 20 years. We have nailed it! Everything you have mentioned we have done. Only thing we did not do that you mentioned was granite countertops. But I am hoping that comes back in 5 years! Great video!
Hi Ashley, we're doing a reno on an old house from the 1930/40's, the window trim were originally black with a wavy (old)glass pic window! Replacing all with new blk windows but keeping the old picture window, the wavy glass is beautiful!!
Another worse idea , as someone mentioned is sink in a island. Previous craze was even worse, they kept placing stove tops in an island with vent hanging down in the middle . Not only all grease going everywhere but vent hood getting filthy as well. This was mostly in higher range houses and now these houses keep showing back up on a market and losing on cost because new buyers need to calculate total kitchen remodel.
I have had my stove top on the island for over 20 years now....loooove it. Clean up around the stove is so much easier, no leaning over the stove to clean the backsplash. My Jen-air has a downdraft which I barely use. I cook from scratch every day but I don't make fried chicken..the crease all over is not really an issue. Sometimes I cook in my friend's house her stove is against the wall with an overhead vent, I feel claustrophobic, constantly thinking I will hit my head, lol
I have always had a small bar sink on my islands. I’m in my third home and love my island. It’s seats 4-6 people at a raised bar height on one side with regular counter height on the other for working. It’s very functional.
I knew it! I think black windows are a “ trend”, and that white will never go out of style. When it comes to a rather big expense, it’s important to be careful, unless, like you said, if you can afford it, then go with whatever you want. No all white paint for me. My opinion only. I do love white ceilings, and trim. I like the light taupes for main walls, like open concept kitchen, family room, and like those rooms to flow. I have a separate living room, and I love my Chocolate Mousse in there. Great video! BTW: I hate my granite kitchen counter tops, but can’t afford to change it to quartz.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster is THE white paint. Our entire house is this color and looks amazing everywhere in any light. Never pulls funny tones. Feels warm and bright and I pop color everywhere with decor so easy to change out
In 2007 I did my bedroom in “vanilla sparkle” which is a creamy color. It’s so versatile it’s worked it’s way into other rooms. My boys want it in their room even. It just matches just about everything.
I think paint colors are very specific to orientation of the house and whether it gets enough natural light. For example I’m in a north facing duplex. I share a wall with my neighbor. I get morning sun then just shadows starting at noon. When I first purchased the wall color was typical beige. I hated how dingy the walls looked all the time. When I remodeled I tried softer warm whites and I realized I needed the brightest white out there to give my home the life it was missing. Yes you see smudges here and there but touch up pens are great!
When it comes to an island in the kitchen my new fave is a "half-circle" vs. a rectangular slab. Islands continue to increase in size. They are massive.The half-circle softens the bulk and makes conversation easier. Plus it blances all the rectangles in the kitchen. What do you think?
The first things to consider are not how good it looks now or how much it costs but how livable is it? I had a very stylish black kitchen in a new place I bought. About three days after trying to live with the very stylish Black Kitchen I put another renovation project on hold to get a far less stylish White kitchen that I can see what I'm doing in and don't need to spend hours cleaning all the time.
I hate open concept layout for large spaces but love it for small spaces. My 960 sf 2 story townhouse condo has a very open layout living/kitchen/dining wide open and that keeps the rooms light
All new buildings should be designed with large roof overhangs. The large overhang provides beauty and protection from the sun, rain and wind. Protection of the doors, windows and siding make for a more durable and comfortable home.
Builders are designing kitchens that place a wall stove and refrigerator, next to one another. Very Energy inefficient and a bad design. Also, there is a trend for master baths to omit a soak tub. Shower only. Builders should make the tub an available option, rather than omit altogether. In addition, have noted that some tubs are installed up against drywall. Surrounding wall area should always be tiled.😊
@@ddeangelis6156 Many municipalities require a tub in each dwelling. I wish we didn’t have the second tub as we don’t use it, it’s awkwardly located, and I’d rather have the space for storage. To each his own.
Just completed our new build retirement house. Huge ceilings, white grid windows, and open concept! The mud room, laundry are separate. We absolutely love it!
I agree, if a real chef wouldn't like customers in the kitchen why would home owners? Most of the so-called (entertainers) cook before their guests arrive. I dislike the no cabinet open shelving, it's less storage, looks like you ran out of money, and your dishes collect dust. Don't let anyone tell you what you should like, (HGTV)!
@@carriesmith7843 Effect your house in what way? Do you plan on selling your home. If not then it's yours to design. It depends on the buyers. I sold a house that didn't have the open concept however, it has the possibility of, some homes the open concept doesn't fit. For example it's too small, taking away from the design or causing you to move plumbing, gas and electrical.
A quite young couple made all the choices for our house that I’ve lived in for two decades. They only lived here four months. Lots and lots of orange wood, silver cabinet knobs!, antique gold door knobs, chrome, bathroom, fixtures, gold, and brassy fans, and lighting fixtures. (Thankfully all was painted a warm white and almost matching carpet.) Slippery bath tile! Thankfully, they chose an exterior vinyl that hides the color of mold ? that grows on all the houses around here.
My two cents, natural stone is truly timeless like travertine floors, granite counters, & stainless kitchen appliances. If you ever have a water leak or large spill, laminated floors are done. Nice video, thanks
Leaks or large spills aren't common and it's not like you can't have water on laminate. Heck most bathrooms have laminated flooring and water gets on it. With tile, especially limestone, you have to worry about chipping or cracking, staining, and scratching. All flooring has some drawbacks.
The problem with lofts is that the mess is always out there in front of you when you go upstairs. I prefer a playroom instead. Love all your idea. I totally agree about the white walls. We went with SW white Duck which is a creamy white and it is perfect
Rather than open concept, I want noisy and quiet spaces. Noisy = kitchen + casual dining + family room can be open to one another. Quiet = living room, formal dining, den, bedrooms/bathrooms (of course) should be walled off and preferably have doors.
I am building my forever/last home on family land. It will have board and batten in antique white with white trim, white windows. Brick foundation and steps, with a painted front door (yet to be determined). Inside, it is open concept, two bedrooms and baths. Paint colors will be darker trim and doors, lighter (warmer) walls. Kitchen cabinets will be the trim color. Island will be painted SW Empire Gold. Floors will be an LVP that will complement antique furniture pieces. Nothing black in the house...using antique brass pulls and same with hinges. Door knobs are glass with brushed brass backs. I want it to be homey and comfortable, and as light filled as I can get it, considering the few windows throughout. I am traditional, but it will be updated in contrast to my current home. Wallpaper in bathrooms and mudroom. Ceiling fans in both bedrooms (simple, nothing fancy, white) and in living area...because I live in the deep south. Kitchen sink will be below windows that look out the back. I've always lived where the window is above the kitchen sink.
I’ve lived in many homes and feel completely opposite as you do! I hated all the separate rooms and felt alone preparing last minute stuff in my kitchen while guests were in the living room . I missed out on a lot of conversations and interactions . It’s interesting how different we all are, but for me, open concept living is the best!
It depends on how the open concept is designed. I’ve had one house where the design worked and one where it didn’t. We’ve been in this house a year, and I’m looking for another one because I hate the kitchen/dining/family layout.
I love to use a bit of black accent but white is my go-to. I repainted my whole home in it years ago to the horror of friends and I have never regretted it! Subway tile with charcoal grout has been amazing too.
I knew it! I think black windows are a “ trend”, and that white will never go out of style. When it comes to a rather big expense, it’s important to be careful, unless, like you said, if you can afford it, then go with whatever you want. No all white paint for me. My opinion only. I do love white ceilings, and trim. I like the light taupes for main walls, like open concept kitchen, family room, and like those rooms to flow. I have a separate living room, and I love my Chocolate Mousse in there. Great video!
When we were getting windows, the black ones were 3x the cost of white. We didn't feel it was worth it so we got white. Stone on walls collects dust and it's a pain to clean it.
I inherited my parents house built in '59 and had to gut both bathrooms due to a leak upstairs and the downstairs due to a flood by Hurricane Harvey. I was so glad to get rid of the full avocado green bathroom upstairs even though it was expensive. Thankful my cousin is a designer and she helped me on both remodels but she had a hard time of talking me out of white walls but I'm glad I listened to her. We expanded the bathroom into my old bedroom which is huge and now I have a glass walk in shower with a bench instead of a green tub. Thankfully my parents had already remodeled the kitchen in the late '90s.
Great video, new subscriber. I agree 100% with everything you said. As a realtor I saw some much pale cool gray ugh and everything farmhouse. So excited to see warmer tones coming back in. I have a small open concept home that we are renovating bit by bit. I'm considering a feature wall on our TV wall / not the FP wall because otherwise the big black box is drawing the eye and I'd rather incorporate some of the dark green from the island and brass sconces as the focal point.
I don’t like the open concept. We segregated the kitchen/dining from the great room. There is a big opening between the two but not like open space living. I am building now and yes…black windows and exterior French doors. I painted walls alabaster and love the look. I really don’t care about trends. I know what I like. I plan to use light colored roller shades to block sun when necessary along with drapes where needed. We are installing white engineered oak floors and oak doors. I’m not sure what color to stain doors yet. FYI- engineered hardwood is more expensive than hardwood. It is designed to avoid cupping or separation between the planks that can happen with hardwood due to temperature and humidity. . This will be the last home I build so just adding all the things I have seen and loved. One tip is to put your laundry room close to master suite. We currently have a one story that is quite long in terms of configuration. Laundry room is on one side and master on the other. What a pain. Dragging bed linens through great room and kitchen to get to laundry is just dumb. I don’t ascribe to laundry in closet. Not a good place for water and humidity. Plus I want it close; just not that close. So, it is just outside master suite. We have no children so no issues. I am probably the only person on the planet who said no to any sort of tub in master. I have one in current home that I have used very little yet have had to clean it weekly for 20 plus years. It looks pretty but not fun to clean. During my working years I really had no time to linger in a bath very often. While cleaning I fell and injured hip in fall so that ended tub love for me. Tubs are dangerous at any age but we are retired and need to avoid the hazard. You are spot on about ensuring coordination of painted cabinetry with floors and walls. I hadn’t thought that through and may end up having to repaint cabinets in powder room. I’m also doing a couple walls in powder with wall paper. So heed the warning to have it all together prior to committing to paint color. Excellent video and thank you for the information.
Pre finished hardwood is cheaper than engineered, but unfinished hardwood (which is what most want) is not cheaper, unfortunately. Glad you liked the video!
Open concept is a great idea. Anytime you can change layout for great area or kitchen you dont have to remove walls. Walls also make things feel smaller and tight.
You aren't the only person not wanting a tub in the master. We don't want one either! And it's rather difficult to find plans that have the laundry room with access from the master suite, but that's what we're looking for also. It seems rather silly to have the laundry room across the house from where the clothes are!
We are currently remodeling our kitchen and my number one want was, "There has to be a wall between the rooms!" I tried open concept and I hate it so much.
Were putting an office in our new home and we were going to put a murphy bed in it so we could use it as an extra bedroom when needed. We decided to go with a sofa bed instead as this can be used when guests are visiting and the room can be used as an additional TV or movie room.
I don’t like the over use of can lights in open concept. The problem is there are no walls with outlets to plug in a lamp! The overhead lighting is harsh. There is nothing cozy about it. For ambient lighting, nothing beats a lamp with a beautiful shade. Also, I agree that kitchen clutter is inevitable and who wants to display at everywhere?
If you’re building the home you can have outlets placed where ever you want. That’s all decided in the electrical walk-through. Plus, code dictates a certain number of outlets in each room, some in specific areas. If you are purchasing a newly built home that you didn’t get any say in, your point is true. My pet peeve is not having floor electrical outlets to plug in a lamp when furniture is moved away from walls.
I really really dislike open concepts, two story living rooms, and lofts that open to downtairs…waste of space and SO loud. Also, regarding color, I love how you said that “it’s the overuse of it”. One thing I love telling people as someone who has built 4x, don’t* let the design center people persuade you. Do what is timeless. I got talked into a backsplash years ago, I replaced it 4 months after closing! Ps. Accent wall=cringe!
I just paint my white windows black. I'm painting my house black with redwood trim. My house is over 115 years old and build with redwood wood. I am remodeling the exterior to the original exterior. It looks so good and my neighbors love it.
I wish I had found you a couple of months ago. I've had a polar white color on my walls (whole house) since 1996! I was ready for something different. But oh my goodness! The warmer whites are back in. I went with SW Ivory Lace. A little less yellowy than what I had. It's nice. Very homey but bright and lifting too. (Without being stark.) I realized that I needed to stay warm because of my red oak floors and alder cabinets.
We had a problem when we wanted to paint a dark room into a lighter color because it was already on the dark side of the house. All of a sudden, the trim color looked horrible! It was what you said about the UnderTones not matching between the walls and baseboards and upper moldings. Aren't the paint stores supposed to know how to help with this?
Some bright light designer put a black toilet in our southern nevada home. How about constant never to get rid of hard water rings. They will not go away.
Here is the trick with black. And it never changes. Black is a grounding color. It has visual weight. The more you use. The heavier it becomes. However, used sparingly, it can ground your pallet and keep it from visually floating away.
Thank you. This video helps me know in which direction I want to go in decorating/remodeling areas of my home: the opposite. For instance, if subway tiles are being seen in all kitchens, I know that I definitely do NOT want subway tiles! I steer clear of cookie cutter, copy cat decorating or fashion trends and stick to what is classic and timeless. That said, I do agree with you on white walls, which I call apartment white. Yuk.
Timeless fixed elements are the way to go. Inject personality with artwork, fabric, rugs, decor, etc. You should take a second look at the timeless elements I mentioned, especially subway tile. Subway tile has been around for over 100 years and comes in so many varieties, give it a try!
How refreshing to hear a professional verbalize my own (amateur) thoughts and instincts. I recently painted Manchester Tan for our main rooms and the cabinets Feather Down. I was afraid it might look like yellow cream but it’s more like a very pale greige. We have travertine floors that I have to work with but it is good to hear that engineered wood can be changed? The color we chose for a bedroom floor that flooded looks similar to your “Do” example photo. I’d love to mimic that. I’m so with you on how clinical white walls can appear. The “don’t” photo looks like a furniture store to me. Too many tables and chairs in one room. And all rectangles. My neighbor did the same exact thing, it lacks character. Everything looks cluttered as you said and purchased all at once. I will take my classic round pedestal breakfast table and separate dining room. However I’d like to upgrade my granite but quartz doesn’t fit the other materials in my home and I am really hesitant it will become as dated as grey wood floors will be. What countertop material do you recommend for those who want timeless but don’t want the upkeep of marble?
Just bought a 3 bed, 2 bath, 1400 sf home. The kitchen, dining and living room are very small spaces. We are taking walls out and basically gutting down to studs. Open concept is really our only choice to have usable living spaces. We are elderly so we hope that an open concept and adding accessibility features will allow us to age in place.
I am on board with most of your takes. Not that we all have to be the same. One thing that wasn't mentioned and is a sore spot for me are kitchen cabinets that look cheap(but arent) it doesn't take much to make it look expensive. 1. use flush mount or inset if the budget allows, or with 1/4 reveal it looks 98% as good and the frames dont get chipped. Also do the stacked double wall cabinet with some glass. You will never regret it and looks like a movie stars home. Lastly...solid backsplash made from the same countertop material you use will NEVER go out, as long as you stay semi neutral. Put the crazy accent slab in the island. These tips have helped me differentiate my new builds from other builders.(ps...i always use a high quality RTA import cabinet and save tons)
We got talked into engineered hardwood, and it looked horrible in less than a week. I had true hardwood floors for 20 years, raised six kids and many dogs over those years, and the floor held up beautifully. I’m now in the process of putting hardwood in our home again, along with porcelain tile. Never will I use engineered wood flooring again. We tried two types, high end, and they were costly disappointments.
I like white board and batten accented with black exterior/white interior windows and wood accents perhaps stones wainscoting. Inside I plan on a natural stone fireplace and backsplash in the kitchen. Creamy white walls in the living room, color drenching bedrooms to make them dark and moody. I like large islands because we are not a dining room family. I hate accent walls unless it's perisian trims. White oak cabinets in the kitchen. Brushed brass pulls.
Very inexpensive engineered wood floors are not always able to be refinished. Please tell people to check the top veneer thickness when they buy. It’s the wear layer. Some are paper thin.
Yes, true! In general, the veneer needs to be 1/8” minimum, but 3/16” is ideal. My husband has owned a GC business for nearly 20 years and has installed it all. In general, yes, real hardwood is amazing. That said, I have been very impressed with how well medium to higher priced engineered wood holds up. I love hardwood, but if you have pets and kids you will see more scratches compared to engineered hardwood in my experience. You can argue that the natural wear and tear of real hardwood is beautiful, but some people don't like that.
@ Yes, there are excellent engineered wood floors out there and the finishes are not only durable but you can get colors and techniques that a typical crew could not do as well on site finished floors!
Also last time I shopped for it, some are finished with a finish that can’t be sanded.
You missed one "con" with the open concept. Noise! Especially with dishwashers and exhaust fans.
I never liked the open plan concept.
Another con - trying to watch tv.. but the cackling in the kitchen gets annoying very quickly
I have open concept home. Brand new. 2600. 2.5 garage. All brick. Even patio posts. Huge closets. Tile floors that look like wood. That was a must. But I can’t even hear my dishwasher when it’s on. Soooo quiet.
And don’t forget cooking odours. At least with some segregation you can contain them.
@ everything I cook smells great!
I appreciate the talent of people like this who can pick colors. It's harder than it looks.
If you can afford to have somebody do this for you that is money well spent. You never want to do a job twice = makes it very expensive.
I did a 30-minute free Sherwin-Williams consultation and was pretty pleased with the results. But I should mention that I have enjoyed some business success as a small time house flipper.
I'd recommend hiring a designer if you can afford it and then if you have any colors that you're on the fence about that they recommend get the 30-minute consultation from Sherwin-Williams for free to figure out which one would be the best. So you don't regret it
Two things I hate: sinks in islands, having dirty dishes and other clutter out in the open, plus I am skeptical about the efficiency if the vent and second, refrigerators up against and end wall so that the doors don’t fully open, making it difficult to get the drawers out.
Me too, the island sink is in nearly every new build now and I hate it. I like to have people sit at the island and visit with me while I cook. I don’t want a sink there splashing them, or having people view dishes and clutter.
Sinks and cooktops. I hate them both on islands.
@@laneyluneva Exactly! Let’s sit at the island and gather around the flame or get splashed by the sink...said no one ever 😂
I especially hate cooktops at Islands. Especially if little kids are around
I like it. Makes you part of everything while you are working in the kitchen.
You are very calming. It’s the voice, the speed and the colours you wear. It fits what you are speaking about- calm environments
For me black is modern, love it
New builds for families are worlds away from my senior little house life, but it's fun knowing what is trendy. Good job with explanations. Thanks!
I have always loved the older homes where each room was its own space. Never been a huge fan of open concept.
Same. They’re so loud! Cooking and cleaning in the kitchen while someone trying to watch tv is not fun.
5:48 Add a small closet so the room can double as an extra bedroom. Extra bedrooms are always good for home resale value.
we just did this with dining room that had a butler pantry attached with 2nd door access from the hallway. When we remodeled our 1st floor, we closed off the hallway door and added some folding french doors and now it's another 1st floor bedroom for when/if my father needs to move in with us.
I love the black! It's so elegant and timeless
I feel black windows are just as timeless as white windows. They’re a beautiful esthetic.
Black and white windows will never go out.
Yep!
I think they look more timeless.
Disagree. They aren’t timeless because they aren’t historical. They are trendy.
Ugh. I detest them. They add a foreboding feeling to a house. The modern day haunted house.
Great tips. Something I am seeing in new builds in my area is the solid surface backsplash that is the same as the countertops. They are a dream to keep clean, and the look is modern.
I've always liked the Office/Guest room combo. Unless you have guests all the time, it works out well. I work from home, but I can set up a temporary office in our study, family room, or craft room for a few days or a couple of weeks if we have guests. I like guests to have a private room when they stay with me.
The reality is, home decor is as timeless as your love for your space! 💯😆 Just now updating my home after 12 years and people still think we just bought this house. The trick is to keep your space CLEAN 🧽 💦✨
As someone who loves to decorate as a hobby, I really enjoyed this video!!
Yes! The mismatched undertones is my biggest pet peeve with new builds!!
Some spaces feel unsettling while others feel calm. I think that could be the reason.
I'm working on my new build and I am choosing black windows inside and out. I don't have the money nor the time as I am a senior to change it up but after 60+ years of white windows I am looking for change. Also black windows inside looking out into a yard full of trees and flowers is like a frame on a portrait. I'm not going to put any blinds or drapes to cover my gorgeous new views. I did black faucets and handles on an off white kitchen but I can change those out anytime. I am moving out to country and so the black seems to fit and so I am taking the plunge. I am doing white oak flooring to help offset the black an make the house look bigger. Our home is brick and stonework on outside. I am having my whole home painted Chantilly Lace only because I want a blank canvas so I can live in the home for a bit and then decide what colours to paint. I don't like accent walls either. I was lucky to get small samples of cabinet/quartz countertops, flooring etc to bring along to help coordinate other colour choices. It sure can be overwhelming at times but it is also exciting creating a vision for your home. Thank you for the tips.
Sounds wonderful!
Agree about the black window frame “framing the exterior view”.
You are absolutely correct! Black windows are gorgeous. They are like a frame for the view outside!! Love it!!
Love the Black windows. Great choice!!!! They really make a home "Pop" Enjoy your new home.
One thing I requested in my new build showers is walk in shower with no glass door. I hate cleaning those doors. I love the convenience of taking a shower and walking out without having to clean the shower doors 😊
I have this and use a short bar to hang a shower curtain on which hides my shower completely. It also keeps cold air out as I shower. I love it.
@@mamaat5682 I would be freezing w/o the shower doors!
@@yakiraheyman7307- I use beautiful curtains with a waterproof shower curtain on the inside.
@@yakiraheyman7307 we have a heat lamp and a very deep shower so it’s not cold in our open door less shower
It is freezing had to put up a curtain….i was trying to avoid. Pretty but freezing
Thank goodness black and white is on the way out!! Barn doors should go too! Everyone wants their home to be unique but then re-creates the same house that everyone else already has...
Lol 100%
I don't mind black and white if it's done right, but you are 100% correct about barn doors. Especially on bathrooms!!
You said it! So true, HGTV and Pinterest have people eating it up and thinking they are doing “something different”, yet it ends up all looking the same. 🤣🤣🤣
I have color now and am going black and white because I love it and it’s timeless
One trick is to have multiple sets of hardware. You can have trad white cabinets, but as trends change, you can swap from nickel to bronze to black hardware etc.
All homes should be built to accommodate the elderly and disabled. This will be better for everyone.
Large wide doorways and hallways make using a cane, walker or wheel chair much easier.
Bathrooms or wet rooms need to have flat floors and no shower hump or pan. A flat floor allows for easy access and drains need to provided.
Easy to use lever door and faucet handles are easier for the elderly to grip and open.
Main floors should include a master bedroom, restroom, shower, laundry and wide walk in closet with few steps to enter.
Homes should be designed with aging in place in mind.
Yes. Always.
3' doors are also glamorous
Higher outlets, too.
Main floor full bath too
As long as you are willing to pay the cost difference for these things go for it…….but the average person is not and already complains homes are too expensive. Just the zero curb shower you mention is one example of more expense than a curb shower. You have to water proof the entire bath floor and with curbless entries you generally need a larger shower to allow space for the water to flow and stay in designated shower space without a curb or glass to block it. Larger doors and hallways are more expensive also.
@@ashdav9980 Short term thinking is what keeps people poor. The long term savings of an energy efficient house saves you money many times over. Short term thinking will keep your poor. It is a hard but necessary lesson to learn. Spending a little more upfront can pay dividends in the future.
@ashdav9980 Have you priced interim care at a rehab facility? Which is where many HAVE to go because their downstairs bathroom door is too narrow for a wheelchair or doesn't have a regular shower on main floor? No need for extravagant Curbless showers. There are many other features that help one age-in-place. Such as various counter and window heights. And when building- a 36" door cost < $40 more than a 30" door.
@@ashdav9980there is a cost difference but this about safeguarding the long term feasibility of the home. I have an aunt and uncle who retired about 12 years ago, building their dream home in the process. An amazing lakeside home on a hillside split over 3 levels. It was the third of fourth house they’d built so the vision was really clear. Both were active and fit but over the next seven or eight years later his knees and her hips had given up. Day to day their dream home was just not liveable.
I live in Texas. A lot of people here put Austin stone on their houses which has a yellow or orange tone or undertone, and then they put a bright white or cool grey with it, and it looks terrible. Pay attention to undertones!
Spot on!
A great ‘white’ to go with Austin stone is SW Neutral Ground 7586. Looks white but a great match w/ Austin stone
Everyone on our block has painted their house white, stone, brick, stucco and I am the only holdout in keeping my natural brick color. The other owners wanted their house to stand out, even though they are all custom homes so are unique, now look like tract homes because of their uniformity of color . I have a house next door that has been ‘updated’ for over 8 years. Constant crews on an almost daily basis, even holidays. The house now has a third owner in this time period and immediately a crew came in to ‘update’. I have learned that he runs a flipping business. At least the owner who started the improvements, did it for their enjoyment, the second were never outside as the furniture remained covered until it went on the market. Everyone ignores the ramshackle backyard privacy fence that is missing boards or rotting out.
@@tastx3142 Yikes. I wonder how long it will be before people start trying to strip that paint off their brick and stone. That should create a lot of jobs....
@ They just made their low maintenance exterior to an ongoing maintenance expense for brick and stone. One new owner asked me what was underneath the paint since the stone also had a decorative horizontal line with diamond shapes. They liked the location and floor plan but didn’t like that the flipper had painted the exterior stone and were dismayed that they had also removed the stone fireplace. The painted interior colors and staging was poorly done so nobody was interested and the new owners got a good deal and have no plans on moving.
Ceilings! So many people forget about the 5th wall!
I never follow trends and design what feels right, but I do like contrast, doesn't have to be as aggressive as black and white. If you look at my very last short, it has the kitchen I built for my folks. I went with dual color kitchen and I really love it! I have no idea if it's a trend or a past trend or a trend that will come up, but I'm loving the dual tone kitchens lately. One of my homes I did blue bottom (wood grain showing) and white washed top cabinets with very light blue undertone, it was really pleasant.
Enjoy your homes.. Make it yours.
...only if it's actually yours, until then put the power tools down and only swap out your paint and curtains.
I'm not sure if I've ever agreed with a decorating video more! I loved how you gave us ideas for being timeless instead of trendy if that's what we want. It seems like so many decorators want to create customers by making them dissatisfied with what they have right now. Bravo! I think you gave us great ideas!
Thanks so much for watching!
In Mexico we use stone a lot very durable, practical, very lasting , variety of colors . Very beautiful homes here
Yes!
Yes. Same in Texas.
Natural, local materials will always be safer from a design perspective. In the US we have millions of choices of artificial materials. So many ways to make bad decisions!
Love your videos! Clear and helpful. Would love a cottage/country palette video similar to the farmhouse palette you did a while back.
I love the coziness and safe feeling of walls. In our kitchen remodel, rather than open up an entire wall from kitcken to living room, we decided to put an arched window in front of the sink area. I purchased a handmade wood window that opens from Turkey. This of course matches our 1990s mediterranean home. Ordering from Etsy saved us $$$ over buying from a local dealer. The window is now a beautiful addition to our home and brings in light to our previous windowless kitchen. There is still a sense of coziness and i can also be a part of conversations in the living room.
Open concept is good for people who need barrier free spaces.
I would prefer to break up the space a bit. Not have a maze of walls, but just something to separate the rooms a bit. Also, I think open concept spaces are harder to heat, and the noise level can be too much. I like my quiet space.
From the horror stories I’ve heard and the experiences that some of my friends have had I say the main caution is do not buy new construction to begin with.
You have to know and understand construction AND check on the worksite every day to catch errors and shortcuts. If both those things are not possible I would buy an older home. It shouldn't be this way but it is.
@@lukejohnson1274 the problem is if you knew that stuff well enough to be able to catch it you’d be building your own house. I built a house that wa I bought a house that was built in 1900. The electrical and plumbing had been updated. I’ve updated a little bit since then and I love it.
Avoid D.R. Horton homes. Period.
Speak for yourself. We built our own house.
New production homes are cheaply and often poorly built. But if you can afford a custom home by a high-end builder, new construction is definitely the way to go.
The limestone interior wall on the first home shown is beautiful, but the con of using limestone indoors is the Raydon off-gassing that is a product of this particular natural stone.
I refuse to dedicate an entire room in my house to work, I did as you suggested, I have a small desk area, but the rest of the room is a relaxation area with books, and comfy chairs!
I’m using my guest room for the winter as my craft room until the summer. Hoping folks will visit for the beach
I'm so glad you like the blue exterior. We had our lake cottage sided with a navy blue and we love the way it looks with the white windows and wood accents.
My white walls reflect light so much better than the pale yellow I had before. Plus, the artwork really shows off against the Alabaster white color. It feels fresh and clean. I would love burgundy kitchen cabinets with butcher block- but my husband veto'd that.
We have been remodeling our old home for over 20 years. We have nailed it! Everything you have mentioned we have done. Only thing we did not do that you mentioned was granite countertops. But I am hoping that comes back in 5 years! Great video!
Hi Ashley, we're doing a reno on an old house from the 1930/40's, the window trim were originally black with a wavy (old)glass pic window! Replacing all with new blk windows but keeping the old picture window, the wavy glass is beautiful!!
I believe it's wavy because there is lead in it. I agree, it is beautiful!! I'm so glad you are keeping it true to its original style!
One suggestion for future videos…please consider time stamping the sections. It really helps the viewers. That said, really helpful video! Thanks!
Yes, PLEASEEEEEEE
It’s in the description section.
Another worse idea , as someone mentioned is sink in a island. Previous craze was even worse, they kept placing stove tops in an island with vent hanging down in the middle . Not only all grease going everywhere but vent hood getting filthy as well. This was mostly in higher range houses and now these houses keep showing back up on a market and losing on cost because new buyers need to calculate total kitchen remodel.
I have had my stove top on the island for over 20 years now....loooove it. Clean up around the stove is so much easier, no leaning over the stove to clean the backsplash. My Jen-air has a downdraft which I barely use. I cook from scratch every day but I don't make fried chicken..the crease all over is not really an issue. Sometimes I cook in my friend's house her stove is against the wall with an overhead vent, I feel claustrophobic, constantly thinking I will hit my head, lol
I have always had a small bar sink on my islands. I’m in my third home and love my island. It’s seats 4-6 people at a raised bar height on one side with regular counter height on the other for working. It’s very functional.
We have an island cooktop with a downdraft vent. I wouldn't want it any other way.
There shouldn’t be a vent hanging over an island cooktop! A downdraft is what’s used.
I knew it! I think black windows are a “ trend”, and that white will never go out of style. When it comes to a rather big expense, it’s important to be careful, unless, like you said, if you can afford it, then go with whatever you want. No all white paint for me. My opinion only. I do love white ceilings, and trim. I like the light taupes for main walls, like open concept kitchen, family room, and like those rooms to flow. I have a separate living room, and I love my Chocolate Mousse in there. Great video! BTW: I hate my granite kitchen counter tops, but can’t afford to change it to quartz.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster is THE white paint. Our entire house is this color and looks amazing everywhere in any light. Never pulls funny tones. Feels warm and bright and I pop color everywhere with decor so easy to change out
In 2007 I did my bedroom in “vanilla sparkle” which is a creamy color. It’s so versatile it’s worked it’s way into other rooms. My boys want it in their room even.
It just matches just about everything.
Is Alabaster the color in the living room at the 14:14 minute mark?
I think paint colors are very specific to orientation of the house and whether it gets enough natural light. For example I’m in a north facing duplex. I share a wall with my neighbor. I get morning sun then just shadows starting at noon. When I first purchased the wall color was typical beige. I hated how dingy the walls looked all the time. When I remodeled I tried softer warm whites and I realized I needed the brightest white out there to give my home the life it was missing. Yes you see smudges here and there but touch up pens are great!
Like your presence & personality. Thank you.
I’m a pain consultant at a large box store and I appreciate your input. I learned from you thank you.
When it comes to an island in the kitchen my new fave is a "half-circle" vs. a rectangular slab. Islands continue to increase in size. They are massive.The half-circle softens the bulk and makes conversation easier. Plus it blances all the rectangles in the kitchen. What do you think?
I prefer clean lines in the kitchen, but I agree, it facilitates conversation better!
Just found your channel! Such a great video!!
New build? My old build needed this information!
The first things to consider are not how good it looks now or how much it costs but how livable is it?
I had a very stylish black kitchen in a new place I bought.
About three days after trying to live with the very stylish Black Kitchen I put another renovation project on hold to get a far less stylish White kitchen that I can see what I'm doing in and don't need to spend hours cleaning all the time.
I hate open concept layout for large spaces but love it for small spaces. My 960 sf 2 story townhouse condo has a very open layout living/kitchen/dining wide open and that keeps the rooms light
Wood stained cabinets all the way. White cabinets show dirt so easy.
All new buildings should be designed with large roof overhangs. The large overhang provides beauty and protection from the sun, rain and wind.
Protection of the doors, windows and siding make for a more durable and comfortable home.
Builders are designing kitchens that place a wall stove and refrigerator, next to one another. Very Energy inefficient and a bad design. Also, there is a trend for master baths to omit a soak tub. Shower only. Builders should make the tub an available option, rather than omit altogether. In addition, have noted that some tubs are installed up against drywall. Surrounding wall area should always be tiled.😊
Not many small city lots have room for any bedrooms on the first floor.
Especially in warm climates like Florida.
I have a little less three foot overhang, protect exterior wall from weather and keeps sun out in summer.
@@ddeangelis6156 Many municipalities require a tub in each dwelling. I wish we didn’t have the second tub as we don’t use it, it’s awkwardly located, and I’d rather have the space for storage. To each his own.
I will be so glad when open concept is done!!!
Why?
Just completed our new build retirement house. Huge ceilings, white grid windows, and open concept! The mud room, laundry are separate. We absolutely love it!
I agree, if a real chef wouldn't like customers in the kitchen why would home owners? Most of the so-called (entertainers) cook before their guests arrive. I dislike the no cabinet open shelving, it's less storage, looks like you ran out of money, and your dishes collect dust. Don't let anyone tell you what you should like, (HGTV)!
Does open concept affect your home?
@@carriesmith7843 Effect your house in what way? Do you plan on selling your home. If not then it's yours to design. It depends on the buyers. I sold a house that didn't have the open concept however, it has the possibility of, some homes the open concept doesn't fit. For example it's too small, taking away from the design or causing you to move plumbing, gas and electrical.
A quite young couple made all the choices for our house that I’ve lived in for two decades. They only lived here four months. Lots and lots of orange wood, silver cabinet knobs!, antique gold door knobs, chrome, bathroom, fixtures, gold, and brassy fans, and lighting fixtures. (Thankfully all was painted a warm white and almost matching carpet.) Slippery bath tile! Thankfully, they chose an exterior vinyl that hides the color of mold ? that grows on all the houses around here.
My two cents, natural stone is truly timeless like travertine floors, granite counters, & stainless kitchen appliances. If you ever have a water leak or large spill, laminated floors are done. Nice video, thanks
Leaks or large spills aren't common and it's not like you can't have water on laminate. Heck most bathrooms have laminated flooring and water gets on it. With tile, especially limestone, you have to worry about chipping or cracking, staining, and scratching. All flooring has some drawbacks.
I have travertine and after 3-4 years of family traffic it’s terrible.
I have skate in my entry and that’s been doing better.
The problem with lofts is that the mess is always out there in front of you when you go upstairs. I prefer a playroom instead. Love all your idea. I totally agree about the white walls. We went with SW white Duck which is a creamy white and it is perfect
Black windows are timeless in my opinion! You see the outside nature instead of the window and they bring a whole look of lux!❤
Hard disagree. Wood or White are the timeless options since they didn't really use black windows historically.
Rather than open concept, I want noisy and quiet spaces. Noisy = kitchen + casual dining + family room can be open to one another. Quiet = living room, formal dining, den, bedrooms/bathrooms (of course) should be walled off and preferably have doors.
I liked the video and agree with you soo much! You are right on it! 😊
No 📺 over fireplace
Said no man ever 😂
@@sheneedsmeright! Sometimes we gotta make compromises!
No tv period lol
Chose white oak hardwood for our renovation and I love it! Honestly, the cost was very close to engineered wood. Spend the extra and go for hardwood.
4:47 Those curtains belong on the blooper reel. 😆
I am building my forever/last home on family land. It will have board and batten in antique white with white trim, white windows. Brick foundation and steps, with a painted front door (yet to be determined). Inside, it is open concept, two bedrooms and baths. Paint colors will be darker trim and doors, lighter (warmer) walls. Kitchen cabinets will be the trim color. Island will be painted SW Empire Gold. Floors will be an LVP that will complement antique furniture pieces. Nothing black in the house...using antique brass pulls and same with hinges. Door knobs are glass with brushed brass backs. I want it to be homey and comfortable, and as light filled as I can get it, considering the few windows throughout.
I am traditional, but it will be updated in contrast to my current home. Wallpaper in bathrooms and mudroom. Ceiling fans in both bedrooms (simple, nothing fancy, white) and in living area...because I live in the deep south.
Kitchen sink will be below windows that look out the back. I've always lived where the window is above the kitchen sink.
Everything is so gray. And cold and institutional. No more gray!!!
It's only paint though. That's not a true construction problem that's more of a color preference.
Grey is classic
Grey is calming for me
The color combo that simply doesn’t look good or cohesive is gray wall with brown trim and a whitish floor. So common in offices. Not welcoming.
Gray is so overdone. Gray LVP flooring, walls, cabinetry.
I will never ever build an "open concept" home. In addition, I will always have a separate dining room.
Raising children is difficult. Raising children in open concept is a nightmare. Only private space is your bedroom.
I’ve lived in many homes and feel completely opposite as you do! I hated all the separate rooms and felt alone preparing last minute stuff in my kitchen while guests were in the living room . I missed out on a lot of conversations and interactions . It’s interesting how different we all are, but for me, open concept living is the best!
@@ndgrandma1818same here. Lived in closed off forever decades and finally went open concept in 2020 and will never go back.
Same we are renovating a ranch because all of our previous homes have not been open concept and u really are cut off
It depends on how the open concept is designed. I’ve had one house where the design worked and one where it didn’t. We’ve been in this house a year, and I’m looking for another one because I hate the kitchen/dining/family layout.
I love to use a bit of black accent but white is my go-to. I repainted my whole home in it years ago to the horror of friends and I have never regretted it! Subway tile with charcoal grout has been amazing too.
I knew it! I think black windows are a “ trend”, and that white will never go out of style. When it comes to a rather big expense, it’s important to be careful, unless, like you said, if you can afford it, then go with whatever you want. No all white paint for me. My opinion only. I do love white ceilings, and trim. I like the light taupes for main walls, like open concept kitchen, family room, and like those rooms to flow. I have a separate living room, and I love my Chocolate Mousse in there. Great video!
When we were getting windows, the black ones were 3x the cost of white. We didn't feel it was worth it so we got white. Stone on walls collects dust and it's a pain to clean it.
I think oil rubbed bronze is a timeless hardware choice. It goes with everything.
I have it and like it, but I call it oul rubbed off bronze as it is wearing off on all my door handles.
I have oil rubbed bronze my nine year old house we built. Would never choose it again. Shows hard water stains and rubs off when you try to clean it.
A trend that I can't wait to end is painted brick. Brick & stone are timeless. They should never be painted.
I inherited my parents house built in '59 and had to gut both bathrooms due to a leak upstairs and the downstairs due to a flood by Hurricane Harvey. I was so glad to get rid of the full avocado green bathroom upstairs even though it was expensive. Thankful my cousin is a designer and she helped me on both remodels but she had a hard time of talking me out of white walls but I'm glad I listened to her. We expanded the bathroom into my old bedroom which is huge and now I have a glass walk in shower with a bench instead of a green tub. Thankfully my parents had already remodeled the kitchen in the late '90s.
Really helpful! Glad I found your channel.
Had open concept...never again.
Great video, new subscriber. I agree 100% with everything you said. As a realtor I saw some much pale cool gray ugh and everything farmhouse. So excited to see warmer tones coming back in. I have a small open concept home that we are renovating bit by bit. I'm considering a feature wall on our TV wall / not the FP wall because otherwise the big black box is drawing the eye and I'd rather incorporate some of the dark green from the island and brass sconces as the focal point.
I don’t like the open concept. We segregated the kitchen/dining from the great room. There is a big opening between the two but not like open space living. I am building now and yes…black windows and exterior French doors. I painted walls alabaster and love the look. I really don’t care about trends. I know what I like. I plan to use light colored roller shades to block sun when necessary along with drapes where needed. We are installing white engineered oak floors and oak doors. I’m not sure what color to stain doors yet. FYI- engineered hardwood is more expensive than hardwood. It is designed to avoid cupping or separation between the planks that can happen with hardwood due to temperature and humidity. . This will be the last home I build so just adding all the things I have seen and loved. One tip is to put your laundry room close to master suite. We currently have a one story that is quite long in terms of configuration. Laundry room is on one side and master on the other. What a pain. Dragging bed linens through great room and kitchen to get to laundry is just dumb. I don’t ascribe to laundry in closet. Not a good place for water and humidity. Plus I want it close; just not that close. So, it is just outside master suite. We have no children so no issues. I am probably the only person on the planet who said no to any sort of tub in master. I have one in current home that I have used very little yet have had to clean it weekly for 20 plus years. It looks pretty but not fun to clean. During my working years I really had no time to linger in a bath very often. While cleaning I fell and injured hip in fall so that ended tub love for me. Tubs are dangerous at any age but we are retired and need to avoid the hazard. You are spot on about ensuring coordination of painted cabinetry with floors and walls. I hadn’t thought that through and may end up having to repaint cabinets in powder room. I’m also doing a couple walls in powder with wall paper. So heed the warning to have it all together prior to committing to paint color. Excellent video and thank you for the information.
Pre finished hardwood is cheaper than engineered, but unfinished hardwood (which is what most want) is not cheaper, unfortunately. Glad you liked the video!
Open concept is a great idea. Anytime you can change layout for great area or kitchen you dont have to remove walls. Walls also make things feel smaller and tight.
Real hardwoods finished on site is the most expensive
You aren't the only person not wanting a tub in the master. We don't want one either! And it's rather difficult to find plans that have the laundry room with access from the master suite, but that's what we're looking for also. It seems rather silly to have the laundry room across the house from where the clothes are!
We are currently remodeling our kitchen and my number one want was, "There has to be a wall between the rooms!" I tried open concept and I hate it so much.
Were putting an office in our new home and we were going to put a murphy bed in it so we could use it as an extra bedroom when needed. We decided to go with a sofa bed instead as this can be used when guests are visiting and the room can be used as an additional TV or movie room.
100% correct about the black windows. I don’t hate the look, but I do think it will add a dated element to a home at some point
My parents had black trim on Windows back in 1960’s
😂 black windows will never look dated.
Off topic, but your skin looks amazing 😍
How sweet. RUclips can really be a very negative place for us sometimes. Thanks for watching and brightening my day!
@@homelikeyoumeanitlol yeah you do have beautiful skin!
As a Colorado Realtor, indeed every new home has main floor office and upstairs loft. Great Video!!!
I always love blue grey with white and black and white
I don’t like the over use of can lights in open concept. The problem is there are no walls with outlets to plug in a lamp! The overhead lighting is harsh. There is nothing cozy about it. For ambient lighting, nothing beats a lamp with a beautiful shade. Also, I agree that kitchen clutter is inevitable and who wants to display at everywhere?
If you’re building the home you can have outlets placed where ever you want. That’s all decided in the electrical walk-through. Plus, code dictates a certain number of outlets in each room, some in specific areas. If you are purchasing a newly built home that you didn’t get any say in, your point is true. My pet peeve is not having floor electrical outlets to plug in a lamp when furniture is moved away from walls.
I really really dislike open concepts, two story living rooms, and lofts that open to downtairs…waste of space and SO loud. Also, regarding color, I love how you said that “it’s the overuse of it”.
One thing I love telling people as someone who has built 4x, don’t* let the design center people persuade you. Do what is timeless. I got talked into a backsplash years ago, I replaced it 4 months after closing!
Ps. Accent wall=cringe!
I just paint my white windows black. I'm painting my house black with redwood trim. My house is over 115 years old and build with redwood wood. I am remodeling the exterior to the original exterior. It looks so good and my neighbors love it.
I found stranded bamboo for 2.99 a square foot a couple years ago, its a med rusty brown, very hard stuff!
Islands are great but they are starting to get so big they're becoming clownish.
My island is 8’ x 14’. Great for entertaining.
Not to mention the double island trend 🤮
I enjoyed your video. I thought your advice was very helpful, as were many of the comments.
Subway tile is a bit tired these days
I wish I had found you a couple of months ago.
I've had a polar white color on my walls (whole house) since 1996! I was ready for something different. But oh my goodness! The warmer whites are back in. I went with SW Ivory Lace. A little less yellowy than what I had. It's nice. Very homey but bright and lifting too. (Without being stark.) I realized that I needed to stay warm because of my red oak floors and alder cabinets.
Oh, love Ivory Lace. Great choice!
Fake stone on the front with clapboards on the side looks like you ran out of money
We had a problem when we wanted to paint a dark room into a lighter color because it was already on the dark side of the house. All of a sudden, the trim color looked horrible! It was what you said about the UnderTones not matching between the walls and baseboards and upper moldings. Aren't the paint stores supposed to know how to help with this?
Black window frames fade. . Ask people with black faucets if they like them… they don’t. Hard water. Black is HOT !
Some bright light designer put a black toilet in our southern nevada home. How about constant never to get rid of hard water rings. They will not go away.
Here is the trick with black. And it never changes. Black is a grounding color. It has visual weight. The more you use. The heavier it becomes.
However, used sparingly, it can ground your pallet and keep it from visually floating away.
Great advice!
Thank you. This video helps me know in which direction I want to go in decorating/remodeling areas of my home: the opposite. For instance, if subway tiles are being seen in all kitchens, I know that I definitely do NOT want subway tiles! I steer clear of cookie cutter, copy cat decorating or fashion trends and stick to what is classic and timeless. That said, I do agree with you on white walls, which I call apartment white. Yuk.
Timeless fixed elements are the way to go. Inject personality with artwork, fabric, rugs, decor, etc. You should take a second look at the timeless elements I mentioned, especially subway tile. Subway tile has been around for over 100 years and comes in so many varieties, give it a try!
How refreshing to hear a professional verbalize my own (amateur) thoughts and instincts. I recently painted Manchester Tan for our main rooms and the cabinets Feather Down. I was afraid it might look like yellow cream but it’s more like a very pale greige. We have travertine floors that I have to work with but it is good to hear that engineered wood can be changed? The color we chose for a bedroom floor that flooded looks similar to your “Do” example photo. I’d love to mimic that.
I’m so with you on how clinical white walls can appear. The “don’t” photo looks like a furniture store to me. Too many tables and chairs in one room. And all rectangles. My neighbor did the same exact thing, it lacks character. Everything looks cluttered as you said and purchased all at once. I will take my classic round pedestal breakfast table and separate dining room. However I’d like to upgrade my granite but quartz doesn’t fit the other materials in my home and I am really hesitant it will become as dated as grey wood floors will be. What countertop material do you recommend for those who want timeless but don’t want the upkeep of marble?
@@AllySa33 sounds like you have a good design eye! Look into quartzite or leathered or honed granite that isn’t too busy.
@ Thank you so much! 🥰
Just bought a 3 bed, 2 bath, 1400 sf home. The kitchen, dining and living room are very small spaces. We are taking walls out and basically gutting down to studs. Open concept is really our only choice to have usable living spaces. We are elderly so we hope that an open concept and adding accessibility features will allow us to age in place.
I love my white walls. Just don’t get daylight lighting.
I am on board with most of your takes. Not that we all have to be the same. One thing that wasn't mentioned and is a sore spot for me are kitchen cabinets that look cheap(but arent) it doesn't take much to make it look expensive. 1. use flush mount or inset if the budget allows, or with 1/4 reveal it looks 98% as good and the frames dont get chipped. Also do the stacked double wall cabinet with some glass. You will never regret it and looks like a movie stars home. Lastly...solid backsplash made from the same countertop material you use will NEVER go out, as long as you stay semi neutral. Put the crazy accent slab in the island. These tips have helped me differentiate my new builds from other builders.(ps...i always use a high quality RTA import cabinet and save tons)
We got talked into engineered hardwood, and it looked horrible in less than a week. I had true hardwood floors for 20 years, raised six kids and many dogs over those years, and the floor held up beautifully. I’m now in the process of putting hardwood in our home again, along with porcelain tile. Never will I use engineered wood flooring again. We tried two types, high end, and they were costly disappointments.
I put in a kitchen island/cart on wheels, love it!
White Looks clean
I love black windows, but hate it on fixtures and plumbing. My builder has the option of gunmetal, and that's what I've chosen
I like white board and batten accented with black exterior/white interior windows and wood accents perhaps stones wainscoting. Inside I plan on a natural stone fireplace and backsplash in the kitchen. Creamy white walls in the living room, color drenching bedrooms to make them dark and moody. I like large islands because we are not a dining room family. I hate accent walls unless it's perisian trims. White oak cabinets in the kitchen. Brushed brass pulls.