oh..i also never followed trends ... but i had to regret and remove my own ideas :D and believe me - that were lots of ideas and styles through the years 🤣
@@DeeDee_Stands_On_Business Bingo! I totally agree. What annoys me are people who take classic furniture, decor, etc. and say, this is in! Get lost! Classic is classic! meaning, its timeless. You want to save money? are you concerned about the environment? Get classic timeless pieces. Sadly, a lot of people are very insecure, and follow like robots what others dictate. And another factor ANTIQUES. Using antiques helps the environment becuase its real wood, and it originally was made to last. Today you have complete junk, and you have to put it together using some crap mini wrench. Also, the stuff today gets junked quickly falling apart. Ok, even if you like very simple lines, the 1930s-1940s furniture are simple lines. Also, the furniture back then was very well made, and made to last with real wood, etc.
If you live in a true farmhouse then it is authentic and not a theme 😉 👍. The problem is some parts of farmhouse can be used in all sorts of styles but many people start to go all the way giving it that un-authentic cheesy theme feeling. Farmhouse tables are great (I have one myself) but all the all white, faking distress/shiplap is when it goes down the wrong path. Nothing wrong with a farmhouse staying true to its self 😀 if fact it is better with people work with the character of the house. My exception to that rule is cookie cutter homes with out a clear style 😅 I have had to add character to my 80's cookie cutter 🤣.
@Linda A Phillippi I wish there were more designers & architects who were on the same page as you! Embrace what it is even if it isn't your style. Farmhouse isn't my style but if I lived in a true 100 year old farmhouse, then you better believe I would embrace the style (of course with modern solutions & technology.) Since 1980s cookie cutter doesn't have any true personality then I feel free to add personality that my 80s cookie cutter is lacking. Too many time have I watch some home remodeling show and they took a true character home and remodeled it outside it's character. I just get so frustrated over that 😤 there would be people who loved the home's character & history as it is so why do these people push their image of perfection on an existing home that is no where in that ball park.I feel like transitional styles might be a work with the existing structure and person taste. It is horrifying to see your childhood home list online stripped of all of it's original character and given a Fixer Upper make over. I am not a sentimental person and there were some improvements made but I had a problem with stripping it's over all character and design into a cringey HGTV worthy design 😬! Unfortunately, money talks and not everyone appreciates nor understands design or architecture. Of course I am no expert but I would never take a historical Victorian and pull a Fixer Upper on it like HGTV dose. I appreciate style, craftsmanship and history of a building even if it is not my preference.
I love how you always say, “If you love these, don’t listen to me.” Style is so subjective and I love that you’re not trying to make people feel badly for liking what they like. * goes to grout new bathroom floors with Nick’s glitter grout *
@@katie7748 so true. Obviously I would never use glitter grout for anything, at least until Nick releases his version. But it’s so refreshing to have a UA-cam style guru let people know upfront it’s okay to like what we like and that we don’t have to agree with him on everything. And he’s not a jerk about it, which is sadly always refreshing in today’s world.
You can't even give those giant entertainment centers away! We had one that we tried to sell, then give away, then donate. No takers, so we cut it into pieces and used it as firewood for our fire pit.
It's as if the all cool grey thing was an extreme reaction against that all warm yellow brown tuscan thing. It also went from cheesily ornate to flat and plain.
My gray walls help offset my wood floors. The original owner had painted the interiors a yellowish beige and it really pulled out the orange in the wood floors. The gray I picked toned that down. I think balance is important, and all-anything is going to lack it.
@@vanessabogaert2104 That really works! I did the same kind of thing in a room with built-in orange-ish & dark wooden cabinets. I painted the walls a soft gray & it really toned down the orange. They almost appear cherry now. It's weird lol. (I am not re-doing cabinetry. Not for me.) The only thing I really can't stand is wood-look floors that are gray. It makes a room look like a black-and-white photo--because Nick is right; it's not natural....and it's the most difficult & expensive thing to try to warm up.
I hate to be unreasonably cynical, but in all fashion trends (clothing, hair, makeup, home goods, interiors, etc.) the wider the swing from one style trend to the next, the more consumers must pay to not be "out of style". If you have to gut your kitchen to go from Tuscan Side-Show to Stark Minimalism, then you're going to spend a lot more on cabinets, counter-tops, appliances, paint, etc. than if you just want to warm up your upper cabinets by going from semi-gloss Shaker fronts in Behr Nano White to semi-gloss Shaker fronts in Behr White Peach.
We bought our house from an older couple who basically had all the trends you listed put in the house. However they used such quality, beautiful materials that we just kept the Tuscan kitchen etc. I will say that almost everyone who walks into our house comments on how much they like it lol. So I think some of these things are timeless if you use quality cabinetry and materials. I mean who is really going to tear out or refurb high end cabinents event if they are out of style? You'd have to have a lot of money to waste to do that.
You can still update and refresh some by painting walls, painting or refinishing cabinets, changing a sink or faucet out, new light fixtures, cabinet knobs/pulls, maybe just get newer counter tops, etc. Save the best parts and augment the overdone/not as nice aspects. It's also pretty cheap to do this too.
I agree. My house was built in 2000 but with high quality everything. I don’t love the countertops but I cannot in good conscience rip it out just to replace with less expensive quartz I love. It’s such beautiful black granite and so thick that I doubt I’ll ever replace them.
One month before the lockdowns began, I moved into an "all gray everything" rental home. Gray tile flooring. Gray walls, Gray carpet in the bedrooms. White trim throughout. It felt like a very nice prison. I started wondering if I should buy an orange jumpsuit! At one point, I ordered a bag of fresh limes & a bag of fresh lemons to stack in bowls and bring some COLOR into my space. I had no furniture with me (2,500 mile move just beforehand) and everything affordable on-line (sofas, living-room chairs, rugs) was gray, gray, gray, taupe, and gray. I went from a person who was mildly fond of gray to a person with more than a little bit of a gray-phobia. Furniture manufacturers and retailers are finally catching on to the color trend (mustard! pale teal! rusty orange! butter yellow!) but now I'm anxious about over-reacting and turning my home into a carnival. Sigh.
Why did you buy get furniture when you already had grey walls? The walls are just the neutral background. You could have gotten nice colored furniture, draperies, cushions, artwork and rugs.
I’m a royal colors girl. My husband is a neutrals man. We did COLOR for 10yrs and now we’re doing neutrals but with aubergine and sky blue as accent colors. We literally picked sea shells off the beach one vacation day and that’s how we choose our new palate. We decided if that combo is good enough for nature, it’s good enough for us. If you don’t want to repaint everything. Pick some warm colors to add as accents. If you can repaint. Do it. Your house should wrap it’s arms around you every time you come home. Life’s too short not to love where you live ☺️
Hi Nick! I’m Italian and I grew up in Tuscany and I agree with you! Those kitchens are an “Americanised” version of what old fashion kitchens look like here😅
Real Housewives of New Jersey kitchens - (No snark here - I live in New Jersey and I love New Jersey. It's a great place with lovely towns and great recreational areas.)
Every country takes a trend and makes it their own, so of course it is "Americanized" in the US. How could it be anything else? Buy a Tuscan house and move it here, the way Hearst used to buy up stately homes and have them shipped to CA? There are undoubtedly homes in Tuscany that are "Italianate" versions of the originals in other countries, too. No reason to be smug and superior about knowing the version in its native environment. We all grew up somewhere with whatever was native there.
Sheesh... I grew up in Europe where people are proud of their houses retaining the patinas of the past. We displayed furniture, objets d'art, even utensils that were still in our possession after 100-150 years, if not more. Being au courant is good for the economy but not necessarily for the soul. Some people may feel good every time after refreshing their surroundings, surely they must feel pride with a pinch of a sense of superiority for their ability to "read the times" and be properly trendy. But after a while... a sense of rootlessness will set in. Guaranteed!
A lot of those big entertainment centers (say from Costco?) were actually three pieces kind of nudged together. My daughter separated the pieces and took off the more gross trim, repainted and then installed them as built in cabinetry in her next house. You’d never dream what they’d started out as.
Yes that’s a great idea! I was thinking if people remove the top part of shelving it becomes almost the same as just a regular media console. Then it’s really up to you what you wanna repurpose the top for. If it real wood you could probably find someone to take it for free.
My mother did something similar with her giant entertainment centre. Hers was simpler and did not have ornamentation so I helped her remove the centre piece which housed the TV. She kept the two outer bookcase/storage units and kept them together in a corner with an armchair as her reading nook.
My media console was marketed with matching vertical shelving and a top to make all the pieces look like one unit. However, I chose to purchase the console only. BTW, my local thrift store currently has several large entertainment centers available.
Decor is very personal, I deliberately have lots of dated things in my home and I like it. My kitchen has painted cupboards and chrome leg table and chairs, my basement has brown paneling, and it has a very retro 70's look with lava lamps and the whole bit and it's my favorite space. If you put the most modern touches to you home it will eventually become dated. Enoy your own style.
I am so over all gray. I don’t have it but many of my friends do. It’s starting to feel like I am visiting them all in prison. I’ll be so glad when they update their interiors!
It's so dreary and institutional looking. I could never understand how anyone wants to feel like they were living in a black and white photo. The fake grey wood flooring is especially hideous.
😂 "made everybody apparently want to go live in an Olive Garden" - I do love that movie. But you were spot on. Thank you Nick for making me laugh out loud today. ❤️
I have never had a "porkchop" counter, but I think it is a genius idea. I can tell by your hair that you seldom have to find a place for the hot roller machine. Some of us "really, really" need counter space. Beauty is important in any room, but function is paramount!
I wouldn’t use objects sitting so close to the toilet. It attracts fecal matter. I get paranoid with my toothbrush on the counter. Just put your irons in a drawer.
Nick Lewis, going straight for the jugular with the Tuscan kitchen 🤣! All of your comments are so on point. It seems as if something is more apt to become dated when it's inauthentic. That's a good reminder for future projects. Thanks for all the work you put into these videos!
@@Nick_Lewis I have some Provençal decorating elements in my home but they are authentic in that they are mostly things I actually bought in Provence within the last 5-10 years or at least something that coordinates with those items.
We're installing a "Tuscan" kitchen right now, but a simple one, simple, not busy tiles, stainless appliances, narrow stainless vent hood over the range instead of a huge one, a geometric mosaic over the range literally right out of a Roman ruin, with a pot filling faucet sticking out of the middle of it, light wood cabinets, dark wood floor. Blind shelves next to the window over the sink. Airy and earthy. Function over all. It's going to look amazing and be super functional. Our kid made the mosaic, and is doing another piece of art for a bare wall, the dented cooper embossed design of a tree. We changed out the window over the sink for a 60" wide window, doubling the width and adding to the height. It shouldn't look dated , especially considering the rest of the home is stone and natural materials, it finally will fit into the architecture of the home. So Tuscan outside of Tuscany is fine so long as it's not smothering.
I put my huge entertainment center in the garage and use all the storage space and shelves to organize there where I never had enough shelving. It is not overly ornate, and it works for me. My garage has more personality now, too. lol
@@karlabritfeld7104 She didn't claim her garage was "full of old furniture." She said she repurposed one piece of old furniture to use as garage shelving. That's hardly a hoarding situation.
Both my bathrooms have pork shop countertops. I’m OK with them as they provide space for my toiletries, and the large mirror makes the bathrooms look bigger. But I did replace my builder basic toilets recently, and the height of the countertops was a constraint. Speaking of toilets, on my plumber’s recommendation I chose Toto toilets that flush in a whirlpool (no mould under the rim), two different flush volumes, and seats that automatically go down. My bathrooms function well, which is key!
I remember when they first arrived in the late 1980s. Multiple magazine layouts, and apartments used them as a selling point. I rented a brand new apartment with one, '88 or '89. Most called them "banjo" counters. I was always lukewarm about it. The bit over the toilet was not functional and there was no way to style them in any attractive way - not ugly but just pointless. I was not sad when they went out of style.
Sometimes budget constraints are the reason for choosing decor. It’s often not possible for folks to just “choose better tile”. Choosing a “boring tile” and adding a strip of more expensive glass tile might have been a way to add a splash of something “better” that also fit within their budget, rather than 100% of the boring tile.
I see those nasty-looking bottled vegetables at the thrift store (they’ve turned brown and the bottles are usually greasy and dusty). And I see people buying them!!!
I was a kitchen designer before I moved into architecture. So I spent an entire decade getting people out of “Tuscany” kitchen-ville and into something more transitional. Most of my clients couldn’t jump to stainless steel range hoods and subway tile backsplashes. But your recommendations are great. And by the way, you’re welcome for removing all of those tile windows and “old world” acanthus leaves.
Early 2000's.. 2006-2010 or so I was obsessed with the Tuscan look. Not because of the movie but because I thought the grapes and vines were beautiful and brought some natural elements into the house. I had wine bottles, vines, and lights above my cabinets and always got compliments. That look would be very dated now.. but at the time it was really lovely. It's mostly gone from my life now but kept some grape artwork on metal plates that I got from a vendor back then which hang on a wall in my kitchen next to my coffee nook (which is probably going to be dated soon too). Ahh, trends.
I absolutely loved it too! ❤️ I recently renovated my kitchen to a more "updated version" no words, vines, or wood. I do have a couple wine racks on the walls but it's very modern.
One of my favorite places to see “Tuscan kitchen” style is at Wegmans, a regional upscale grocery store chain in the northeastern US. Wegmans committed hard to that aesthetic, and now going there is like entering a time portal back to 2007 😊
Hi Nick, before we put our house on the market we had a stagger come in. My once very warm and colourful home turned into gray everything. Yes we got well over asking but it killed me to live in that cold lifeless house. Thank God it sold quickly. We went house hunting I turned down any house that had a drop of gray in it. Thank goodness I had a patient realtor.
If you can’t update the heavy Tuscan tile backsplash, you could try painting it with tile paint. A friend of mine did that in white and it looked so beautiful! A subtle Tuscany vibe. But light and fresh! Without breaking the bank ❤️
Hi Nick , the grey era was the most annoying decor ever. I bought my place in the early 2000s when red and browns, Tuscan were all the rage, so when the grey Era came along I could do nothing to refresh my place. Thankfully now I can work with all these warm whites and greens!
I would argue that's the reason trends go in and out in the order that they do. The goal is to make you feel you have to $tart from $cratch will all new thing$.
@@bluewren65 sure, you can paint any colour you like, but I could not find a pillow (or any other accent) in any store to match the palette I had to save my life.
@@despinakyraleos2234 I'm with you on that. I have brown/cream walls and floors, brown furniture, and colorful accents all over. I'm partial to red, but when I'd shop, EVERYTHING went with gray/white/black, and the only colors were cool tones. I did a LOT of thrifting, and just waited--knowing they'd swing back around to my colors soon enough. I also worked outside the box, and crocheted my own curtain valances, and re-covered found furniture.
Our home is a rustic Tudor. We have updated (somewhat), but the Tuscan, rustic vibe just fits the style so organically. The grape and ivy stuff was never my vibe, but the wine rack has remained- smaller, but it remains! 😁 We can't envision anything better for us.
So gladyou mentioned the tile 'borders'. Always hated them. Think they're odd and distracting. It always looked to me like the people ran out of the tile they meant to use and threw in some random, mismatched mess to fill the space. It tends to be really ugly.
That’s what literally happened to me. Tile guy miscalculated. Calls me in and shows me how he’s screwed up and there is an odd number of inches of drywall showing at the top of my bathroom. $3000 of tile, screwed up. I had a few of the shower tiles leftover and decided to slice them up and lay them end to end as a kind of border running above the medicine cabinets and window. Then a course of the regular tiles, again cut lengthwise to fill the remaining gap. It’s not what I really wanted but wtf choice did I really have?
Bought a house that was all grey this year. Just about done getting it repainted. But I did just get a bathroom finished and got a border on my tile. Ugh....I didn't know it was outdated.
@@hollydays56 I didn't either, and I'm personally not a fan of most of them. I also don't pay attention to whether something is in style or not... the only thing that should matter is whether or not you LIKE it. Nick even agrees that if you like it, keep it!
My partner's house leans towards Gray Mode and he wants that gray wood table centerpiece, but he made the excellent choice of warm walnut cabinets and shelves, black quartz counters in the kitchen and grayish in the bathroom. Gray really elevates the things that aren't gray.
My husband took the old entertainment center apart and made a desk and two other smaller furniture pieces from the wood. He'd never done this before, so it was new and interesting for him. There are still a few odd wood pieces around...maybe we'll find a use for them eventually.
I think that's great that the wood was saved from a landfill. That's one thing Nick didnt mention. In this world, just throwing it out seems to be the adage. Repurposing is great.
Good idea! They also make good storage units for linens/blankets, etc. Using the center/main compartment, pare down some of ornate elements, paint it, and move it to a bedroom or hallway and use it for linen storage if you're short on closet space.
I purposely got a really nice cherry entertainment center that was being tossed due to being dated. I tell ya, those suckers are the best craft storage spaces.
Those humongous entertainment centers actually come in pieces… you can just dismantle the monstrosity, do a little diy with covering up the unfinished sides and break them up. Then they become statement pieces that actually look pretty good on their own, with some breathing room around them. Having said that, Nick, I really enjoy your sense of humor and how gentle you are when voicing your opinion. Always a joy to watch your videos!
I just put IN a ledge extending over the toilet in the guest bath due to extreme size constraints--it gives guests a place to put a brush, make up bag or shaver. Also full wall mirror framed in to reflect more light. It is such an improvement over the previous where there was no where to put anything and no room for shelves.
I had one of those large entertainment units from the late 90's. It was actually quite a gorgeous and simple maple piece but you are right, it' was just overwhelming and could only fit in one spot in my great room. I ended up putting it up for free last year (which wasn't easy because I remembered how much we actually paid for it) and someone took it to make into a china cabinet for their wife. I'm so glad it found a new life because it really was nice looking. I was just done with it after 20+ years and I feel relief when I think about the fact that it's gone...though I rarely even think about it.
I don't live in Tuscany but in the region right above it (Emilia Romagna) and I've never seen a "Tuscan" kitchen. So maybe the reason it's not only that it's dated but that it wasn't authentic to begin with. And nothing goes out of style faster than something fake. That said, if someone loves their kitchen they should stick to it and don't bother with trends. As long as it's functional and it makes us feel good.
About a decade ago I was treated to a tour of a newer, authentically designed Colonial home out in the county- no neighbors within view. . No "driveway"...there was a dirt road with grass growing between the tire tracks. A natural native-plant unmowed yard. The stoop was a huge flattish boulder. (LOVED that!) Unpainted hand-plastered walls and ceilings with only the trim (milk) painted; smoke marks on the ceilings from candle burning fixtures. The only concession apparent was a Martha Stewart style huge traditional kitchen, which was beautifully designed for the gourmet cook owner. THEN we went down to her basement Tuscan wine room/cellar...fake stone floors, faux (Styrofoam-?) beams,a twelve foot ceiling- maybe more. an immense wrought-iron chandelier with, yes, grape and ivy motif. Fancy carved dark woodwork, perhaps fake as well? It was a real WTF moment. I assumed she had gotten "authentic" out of her system.
Yes, just as I don't live in Tuscany, I don't live on a farm either. When your house is ultra suburban tact style, that extreme rustic/farm house/log cabin vibe which is so popular today also is fake. Maybe now that farmhouse rustic has been popular for so long will give way to a style of decor which befits its locale. Transitional is the most authentic.
Yes. I built a Tuscan home in SoCal. When I was researching, i found all of those dark faux Tuscan kitchens and furniture. Just look at homes in Italy. The homes in the country are more farmhouse. Yes, use real wood, but they are plain and not large and heavy. I focused on the building. Putting in hand made beams, rustic walls, no trim and real hand made Terrace Cottage floor tiles.
People with the giant entertainment centers are usually in houses in which they've been in for 40 years and have no intention of moving those monstrous things 😅. With my mom's last husband, his parents had all the quintessential 90's bulky furniture. An overstuffed arm chair that could only be sat in by the step-grandfather, the huge hutch full of china and random odds and ends, and of course, the large entertainment center, and everything was just brown (including the walls as they lived in a trailer and had the brown wood paneling). I had no opinion on the decor as I was a child back then, but damn, you bringing up the entertainment center was a throw-back! Also, in a very morbid story, my mom had one at one point. Before we knew better, she kept two beta fish in small bowls on each side of the center. I cleaned the bowls one day but filled one of them too high, allowing the fish to jump out...onto the hard, tiled floor, about six feet below. I put it back in the bowl, but he didn't look so well and when I came home from school the next day, he was floating at the top. I had named the two fish Fred and George (yes, Harry Potter references). The book in which Fred dies had not come out yet, and I'm only realizing now that I'd lost "my" Fred as well. As though suffering from a broken heart, my George passed away not even two weeks later. Or, you know, keeping it in a tiny bowl in close proximity to a very loud TV probably killed him...😭
Sitting in my all grey bedroom, which I find serene, I just realized my love of gray grew out of my hatred of years and years and years of finding nothing but beige (which I call blah-ge) and sage absolutely everywhere as though no other neutrals ever existed. And now blah-ge is coming back?? Aarrgghh!
Grey is hideous. Its literally the color of prisons, medical facilities and school gymnasiums. Can't understand how anyone finds that anything but depressing.
I think the pork chop was there to give more counter space (and the illusion of more counter) in that builder grade size bathroom. Ditto, the huge mirror was to give the illusion of a larger bathroom. P.S. I think the large mirror actually emphasized how small the space was by reflecting the close opposite wall that you were standing next to.
The "pork chop" countertop isn't to cover the toilet top; it's because most toilet tops are slightly convex, not flat, and it's hard to put anything on top of them. The countertop extension give you a little more space to put a box of Kleenex, a spare roll of TP, etc.
Yes, and for this reason, I actually have to disagree with Nick for once! (especially if done in a modern bathroom with a gorgeous stone/engineered stone countertop)
That's true. Ive got one in my bathroom that was installed in 1978. That stinker is going once we get to that bathroom for remodeling. However, the new problem is where do i put the kleenex. That bathroom is very small, and I imagine that's why they installed it in the first place. I dont mind any suggestions for an alternative.
@@guerralg63 I had this issue for years & finally determined that I don’t need Kleenex at all. My family only uses toilet paper for disposable Kleenex now & it has been a life saver. Toilet paper is always available, & already stored there on the roll holder. I always hated all the boxes sitting around my house, sliding off of the toilet or counters, etc. And when we didn’t need tissue often, they would end up dusty. The Kleenex boxes were such a nuisance! Now we just go to the bathroom & fold up a few sheets of toilet paper as needed. If I need to take some with me or to keep in another room, I just take a roll there, like when it’s cold/flu season, & set it on a coffee table. Or in a ziplock bag in my car. You can even remove the cardboard roll in the middle & make the toilet paper pull up from the center, like a commercial paper towel dispenser! Just leave the first sheet still attached in place on the outside for a neater dispenser. Or if I want it out of sight, I just squish the roll flat & place in a drawer. That makes it less likely to roll away, as well. When we aren’t needing tissue often anymore, it just goes back to the bathroom & gets used up. An added bonus is, if traveling or camping, it easily serves multiple uses. It’s a lot easier to use toilet paper as Kleenex, whereas Kleenex doesn’t work as well as toilet paper. 😂 It’s easier to store, as well. Getting rid of Kleenex boxes has been one of the best decisions ever & has made life so much less stressful once I did it, even though it is a minor change. Plus, it’s cheaper! And one less item to try to remember to buy. My husband & sons also use washable handkerchiefs, as well. 😊
Our old entertainment center was three separate parts. I pulled the doors off, painted them, changed the hardware on the drawers and separated the pieces in different rooms. My kids each have a piece and use them for storing books and toys.
"If you buy my house you get my entertainment center" Yes, that is exactly what we were told while house hunting. We passed, but mostly because the kitchen had one of those black glass stovetops that was badly chipped. Also,the ceilings were popcorn. We bought, a new house with a gas cooktop.
First time you showed up on my feed and I wouldn't have chosen to watch. That's why I'm grateful for my automix. Turns out you're fun and your ideas make a lot of sense. So Thanks.
As someone who lives in a very grey apartment and building (it’s contemporary brutalist) here’s how I added life to my space: -Lots of wood tones and accents. Sofa is dark brown and beige, light brown wood coffee and console, etc. -add color. I have two super cozy turquoise velvet chairs (very art deco style), oriental rug, etc -warm lighting. Go for yellower bulbs to make a room cozier. Open to suggestions if y’all got any tips because it’s definitely a work in progress
I'm new to this channel, but what I love most are the very clear examples of what you/Nick means by what not to do / what to do instead. I'm guilty of putting grey toned engineered hardwood when we reno'ed our last house a year ago, and now picking finishes for our new build we're strongly in the warmer brown toned floor camp, so this was reassuring that we're on the right track for something that is going to be more enduring style-wise.
Yes I have super yellow oak flooring and my next home is having sandy gray vinyl plank flooring. I can’t not wait!!! Feels fresh and new to me, so I’m happy.
@@sophievanderbilt1325 - Why would you replace real wood floors with vinyl? Can't you just have your floors sanded and stained a more neutral brown color?
I wish that you had talked to the person who did the design work for the 150+ apartment complex where I live. Grey walls, floors, and kitchen cabinets. I’ve done my best to cover the walls with original art and a stylish set of tall bookshelves. And warm furnishings throughout, including a lot of wood furniture.
That's the way to decorate. Furniture, cushions, draperies, artwork, area rugs. That's where the color goes. Neutral grey belongs on the walls. Yes I'm an interior decorator.
@@karlabritfeld7104 neutral gray belongs in prisons, school gymnasiums and medical facilities, not peoples homes. It was a horrible trend that needs to die already.
I thought Tuscan kitchens looked corny even back when they were popular. Also, so hard to keep those kitchens clean because of all the nooks & crannies in the doors & embellishments everywhere.
I love fancy looking stuff but omg the dust drives me bonkers!! Especially since some of the really tight spaces literally cannot be dusted with anything bigger than a Q-tip!
I have a simple Tuscany kitchen and I love it. it's high quality wood that is insanely expensive now. When I sell, I'll paint it whatever color the millennials like for the year. First it was grey, then white, then slate blue, then green,. I hear some are going pink. Its changing constantly to the point of almost being obsessive and very anti environment. Consumerism at its highest. Thanks for the video.
I have such vivid memories of episodes of Trading Spaces wherein each of these outdated styles were the subject of the episode... one homeowner wanting their kitchen become a villa in Tuscany, someone wanting an all grey modern living room or, Ty Pennington building one of the ugly giant entertainment centre and we all just ATE IT UP.
Exactly! I have never seen this style of countertop before, but my first thought when Nick popped up a picture was "How are you supposed to fix the toilet if something breaks in there?" I know basically nothing about plumbing but I know that the tank lid comes off for a reason 😂
My son was working on a building job where there were boxes & boxes of leftover plain white subway tiles. They were going to junk them so he bought them home and re-did all the splashbacks in my kitchen & butlers pantry, but we did include a tile border just to break up all that white, as I have white cupboards and black counter tops.
I had the porkchop/full-length mirror combo in the early 80s. I do remember that when we finally replaced it, I actually missed the extra counter space it had given me for little things like my brush and makeup. With only a small counter around the sink, I didn't have much room to get ready in the morning anymore. It LOOKED better, but the functionality had dropped significantly.
Agree. In my last place, the top of the tank was actually not flat, so I couldn't put anything on top of the toilet (and the most hideous thing to me is that contraption that goes from floor to ceiling, around the toilet. Ugh. I ended up putting a cork coaster on the tank and resting a little basket on that. It kept my basket from falling off. When you live in a small place, you need to put things wherever you can. To me it has nothing to do with "hiding the toilet."
I don’t like having much stuff on my countertops in the bathroom because of the ecoli, and icky bacteria, that fly around every time the toilet is flushed. So pork chop or not, my stuff goes in a cabinet. Yes, I have an extremely small bathroom, but I deal with it.
Interesting comment about "porkchop" counter tops. I'd never heard this term before but I recently installed one in my bathroom remodel not so much for style reasons but for practical considerations. It's a *very* small bathroom and storage is quite limited so this additional shelf over the toilet added a little storage. I think I'm pulling it off though. It looks more modern with a glass shower wall for the step-in shower adjacent and the floating vanity top and shelf being made from solid 8/4 walnut with matching floating shelves. The tile is oxidized black on the floor and a really nice distressed blue tile on the walls. I also broke the rules and used a black basalt vessel sink with black metals throughout. I used a wood shower panel instead of just a traditional head and handle. I dunno... it breaks a lot of current trend advice but I get lots of compliments on it. 🙂
Driftwood is gray. Old barns are gray. Japanese burnt wood treatment isn't brown or beige. Grey can be a natural color for wood, but if you want a gray floor, polished concrete is my pick.
@@esfirkoles most woods turn gray over time and sun but there is woods that trees are gray and very common like gray oak , Blue Mahoe,Sapwood,Heartwood etc etc many more
I have dove grey bedroom walls & bathroom, just did it.the rest of bedroom white,black,cream.headboard is upholstered off wlhite I use black leather throw pillows & grey,black cream faux fur throw.also have a personal seating area with a off white with black stripes & use silver stools under my black parson table.. I.. love the look and feels so elegant & restful.i like clean lines,do not like colors. Pop the bathroom up with 2 large black framed abstract picture one hung over the other,...placed over the toiletit takes the eye off of the toilet and right to the picture.s.flooring is grey,black, cream,small octagon shaped tile ,dove grey vanity cabinet doors,black handles, used a large tall glass vase filed with sunflowers.thats it.. absolutely love both rooms.out of date??? High end looks are never out of style,& don't have to spend alot to achieve the look...you..are happy with... I say again,nothing is outdated...if you like it. Changes are for companies to make money.i help other fluff their houses just st by using things from each room and using them in other places.change bedding,throw pillows...a area rug here & there.walla..you have a new look,without braking the bank.
@@bosslady2002As long as you love it, you do you. I like your nice vase of sunflower touch against the gray background. It's sophisticated and relaxing. (Human beings are varied. I'm more of a red-blue-black-and-white-loving person.)
*sitting in my all grey and white apartment* This is clearly the video for me! 🤣 But it totally works for my space. Very narrow studio apartment and the light cool colours keep it feeling spacey. *ignores black walls*
My bedroom is grey and white. I love it because I can add any accent color I want. I can put any color sheets with a matching quilt with my grey linen duvet and white headboard and trunk, or change my frames, lampshades, whatever… blue, pink, green, whatever I want. 🤷🏻♀️🙌
My pre ww2 mother still has her 1967 kitchen. We survived and did not die because of it being old. My kitchen here in Belgium is from around 1978 and as soon as i can, i will buy a modern classic kitchen that fits my full natural stone 1870 house ( old cow farm) more. It is in the Battle of the Bulge area. The 1970 or do bathroom will be demolished with pleasure as soon as i built a new one upstairs. But i made a coffee table from an old 1900 farmer kitchen table.
I about died with your large entertainment center comment 😂😂 “I’m not taking/moving it” I felt that soooo deep. 😂😂 Nothing screams “free” more than a heavy piece of furniture ya simply don’t want to move, no matter what you paid for it! 😂😂❤️❤️❤️
When I bought my home last year, it had a pork chop countertop and full width mirror. The counter top was a beautiful color, quality material and in pristine condition, it didn’t feel right to remove it. So I replaced the mirror with a gorgeous round brass, sleek, metal frame and I did a bit of classy decor on the part of the countertop covering the toilet. I’m actually glad I have that part, as I like putting an interesting vase with natural dried flowers on it then on the toilet top. When I refurbished my home, I tried to keep as much out of the land fill that I could and still achieve the look I was going for. I’m pleased with the outcome.
For me the LARGE entertainment center started in the '60s; held the turntable, amplifier, speakers, LP's, my father's 78's and 45's. Even had room for our set of encyclopedia!
When I wanted to get rid of my entertainment center, I put it for free on craigslist and mentioned that it was made from real wood and could be taken apart to make a new project. Wood is so expensive now that it was swooped up.
Omg! The GIGANTIC entertainment center brings back memories. We had one, moved it once, and then took it apart and sold it so we would never have to move it again 😂! We mounted our flat-screen to the wall and used an artist app so it looked like framed artwork. Built in closed shelving that blended into the wall was our next step. Love that much more than the entertainment monstrosity!
I've never been a fan of the all-grey rooms. However, the one grey I adore is the griege-colored flooring. A wonderful combo of grey and brown that instantly warms a room. This allows decorating to move away from all grey.
Dear Nick your's is the first channel i found of its kind and I love it! Knowing UA-cam i got suggestions for other decorating channels, and some were ok, but yours is the best!! You have the best advice and suggestions and the best take on them. You also have the best personality, and you never come off as snooty. You have great humor always, and todays "living in Olive Garden" made me glad I wasnt eating or drinking anything!😆😆😆🤣🤣🤣
I literally just finished converting my boring, terrible kitchen into a Tuscan kind of theme 😅 I work in wine and drink a lot of it so it works well for me. I actually really enjoy my kitchen now and that’s what matters 😊
I work part time at a vineyard too and the tasting room and big room is Tuscan but done in good taste, not cheesy. The owner is from Europe so she knows how to create the real McCoy. The customers seem to love it along with the great views from the country.
I’m still a teen, but this style reminds me of my early childhood. I just discovered the name for it (Tuscan) today and am getting some nostalgia. I had one of those big heavy wall units for my family’s TV with stacks of CDs/DvDs in the glass display cabinets! It took up so much room and removing it opened up my living room so much!
In our first apartment, we had a hand-me-down massive media console. I don't know how my husband got in in there, but to get it out he first chopped it up with a reciprocating saw and we tossed the pieces out the window 😂
...as I sit here watching you on my iPad quite happily, I don't have a television. And I am quite happily sitting here watching you on my iPad. Yes, you can live without a TV. You just get your good news and your bad news on a smaller screen. You'll get over it it and it's quite delightful ... truly...
I think tile borders are more a cost saving measure than "I love tile borders let's install one." A "non boring" tile more often than not translates into an expensive tile. When covering a large Sq footage (like a large shower/bathroom) it just can be totally cost prohibitive for the average person to use an expensive tile over the whole expanse. The border is a way to use a beautiful tile in a non cost prohibitive way. I do think we need more ideas/options of how to incorporate tile accents in new ways. In looking at slightly older pictures I've come to appreciate how many tile jobs look dated -not just those with borders and/or cheap tile. Tile "styles" really do come and go. Tile is very expensive, dirty, and time consuming to change out when styles change. More discussion about tile styles that are " timeless" would also be appreciated.
I agree and keep it simple with basic white subway tiles and make the accents warm and inviting... I have an old claw foot tub and it looks great with light gold accents and green plants with a stained glass window to protect privacy in the bathroom 😉
@@agravery223 I agree white subway tile is timeless (however over-used in Modern Farmhouse) We have one bathroom in white subway and another with a black/white tile design ....both look as good now as when we put them in 20 yrs ago. Another shower with "on trend" tile makes me say "what was I thinking??" everytime I see it, 😆
I appreciate tile that keeps to the same style period of your house. So if you have a 1950s house, lean into that pastel tile. But mix it up with more modern fixtures. Or if you have a 1920s house, look at art nouveau tile for inspiration.
@@dawnchesbro4189 yes I agree. Nothing looked worst than when my Grandma tried to "improve" on her very classic mid century ranch by ripping out the kitchen cabinets (solid, beautiful maple) and bathroom tile (pink) and making it look like it was puked on by the 80s
@@rebelliousraven ah yes, the everything pastel bathroom is so iconic! I have a friend with a 1950s bungalow who is actively seeking out a pastel pink toilet of the Era do it can match the rest of her pink bathroom!
We each like different things. I have never gone with trends in anything because I never wanted to have to change something and spend more money down the road. Our tastes might change but if you have more neutral colors and keep it simple, you can easily and less expensively change decor and accents around the house if you want to. For myself, I'm not at all fond of grey but I have always liked a combination of white, cream and beige, it goes with just about everything and gives me an airy serene look I like in my home and I see it as a classic look but I figure not every one will like that. We don't have to like what every one else likes, that's the point of making your home a personal space that feels good to you. I enjoy having items that mean something to me and bring back good memories, a combination of new and thrifted things. It's my own style not necessarily a picture from a fancy house magazine but if someone likes that, that's ok for them.
Great video because we instantly recognize these things when we walk into a room. We have a very modern home and over 30 years have had 3 updates. The gray remains but rugs, highlights and furniture change. No more entertainment centers! To relieve the monotony, my "man cave" is (unlike the other 2 floors) cream, copper and mahogany which went well with the stone and metal. Even Ms B, who wanted gray, had to agree.
Untrained Viewer Opinions! Tuscany kitchens: there was also a weird thing where this was the only room in the house given this treatment and just made it all look so choppy. Or the whole house was “Olive Garden” which I almost appreciate more. COMMIT. Pork chop countertops: how do you get to the toilets for repair? Tile borders: there was a 80s/90s version as well with wallpaper. I’m waiting with baited breath to see where it ends up next. Gray: I think whenever you pick a neutral to be just neutral instead of a color you love. I think if you put in an all white kitchen because you love them, it just somehow shows. Versus putting in an all white kitchen because you were terrified of picking the wrong color. Grays just exacerbate that problem. If you are using grays because you love them, then you are working with them. If you’re putting gray everywhere so you don’t have to pick a color…. Stop. Please. HUGE Entertainment Center: the only option is to get into furniture diy and make other things out of them. Which is why Nick would just move and leave it behind. LOL
Thank God somebody is finally telling people to get rid of all that gray! I decorated with some gray back in the '80s and am so over it. When I was house shopping online 6-7 years ago, every new or "updated" house I looked at was gray, gray, gray. Boring! I love color and use it lavishly in my décor.
What I remember from the 1980s is that particular color of Wedgewood blue - it was EVERYWHERE. Also that dreadful country scheme - "ducks on a stick" we used to call it. I don't really remember gray being a thing as much.
@@lisalu910 Gray wasn't a thing in the '80s; I just liked being different. I remember a lot of hunter green, mauve, salmon, and flowery chintz from that era. All the Laura Ashley prints!
I like warm grays and then a pop of color. Or some rooms that look more neutral so that YOU can be the focal point. I wear bright colors like that red blazer you have on your pic. It's a great choice to wear red!
Nick, you teed up a perfect opportunity to talk about Toto toilets - I have two. They are fantastic! They use just over one gallon of water to flush, they don't have a traditional rim so cleaning is really easy, they use a stain-resistant coating on the porcelain, the toilets don't have a worm but instead have sleek panels that go from the seat to the floor (I think they call it an apron but not 100% sure). I like the 2 water releases per flush - efficient and keeps the toilet clean. These are the most expensive toilets I have ever bought but they have been great! My husband used to be "shy" about "going" at home sometimes because of prior flushing problems and he uses our bathroom with confidence now. No one should "go" with that in the back of their mind.
I splurged on the blue Caraway set last year. I regret nothing. They are worth every penny people. ❤ Side note edit: As an Italian, I approve this message. 🤣
Loved this video. My favorite part: "If you have one of these (entertainment centers) you should consider.... not having one!" LOL! You cracked me up! Great advice!
I have all grey walls in my house with white trim and beautiful wood floors. Furniture in living room is deep red couches, black swivel chairs. Large mirrors on the walls and large pieces of abstract art, large modern area rugs. The key to a warm liveable house is in the decorating. When something gets worn out, I get rid of it and replace with something new and modern looking. My house have always looked, warn, modern and inviting. You should really talk to a decorator if you don't have a clue. It will save you a lot of money in the long run.
I laughed when Nick got to the large entertainment centers. I bought a used one for my art studio barn/tack room combo that my very nice husband built for me. I store all my horse supplies in the cabinets and shelves and all my saddles are hanging neatly on saddle racks in the center where the tv’s use to be. I see so many “barn tour” videos on UA-cam and think to myself, “hmm that maybe a good way to repurpose these monstrosities”. Thank you Nick for ALL your wonderful videos!
I turn free solid wood (TV) armoires into tool lockers for my garage and studio storage she shed. Not only is it economical, reduces waste It just is warms up the perimeter walls. Also, it reduces the visual noise and the floor space. 😅
Aw man, you got me Nick! I just redid my bathrooms and put border tiles in both. It's ok bc I love them so I'll still keep them. Im no professional designer so I knew this day would come eventually, lol.
@@Motherhubbard170 I also like most of the border tiles. I agree that if the rest of the tile is cheap, and those are the only nice tile, then it looks odd. But, I have border tile in my kitchen, and I love it. The rest of the tile is still really nice on it's own, and I think the border tile just makes it even better. To each their own. lol.
I live in a house built in the 1920's by my grandparents. The walls are painted light yellow, medium green and bold "lei flower." My parents were antique dealers and enthusiastic collectors. NOTHING matches!!! The whole house is very eclectic. I will never change a thing.
This was SUPER helpful! I have a home with color from the early 2000s. I love my rich gold walls and yes...tuscan red wall (one wall) but never got into the grapes, tile and accessories, vines...olive garden vibe. 😄 i just love the warmth of color. BUT to know how to lighten up the home and give a refresh helps so much! Love your channel and thank you!!
I agree that the Tuscany kitchen can look dated. It looked dated when it was installed. I don’t hate the tile backsplash at all. I don’t think the style is inherently bad though. I think there are lots of styles that are lazy and not good as soon as it’s put in. I think the standard “modern” style put in today is just as bad as the 90s Tuscany kitchen.
We did our last house in all whites and grays and by the time we were done, I was already over it. 😆 Moved to a much more classic, warmer toned home with hardwoods, and I am much happier.
I actually love the all grey everything, I have adhd and having color in my house actually makes me uncomfortable like I can't relax, almost like my brain continues to be estimulated. Since I removed all color from my house I'm much more relaxed and sleeping a lot better.
i love it, too. i have many different shades of grey and I find its a great canvas for any accent color you want to use. right now I'm in a purple accent mode but I might be moving to a deep teal for throws , pillows and carpets. to me grey is classic and there are so many shades of grey that are delicious. charcoal is gorgeous as one accent wall, purplish greys (I dare say mauve) are so pretty, too. even shiny metallics like silver and gold go so well with grey. in the video he's sitting in a GREY chair, which goes beautifully with any kind of wood furniture. to me grey is timeless.
Right. You have what makes you happy! I too have all grey walls with grey vinyl flooring that has brown in it. I have darker brown furniture to pick up in the floor. I have beige stone backsplash with cherry wood cabinets in my kitchen. My home is functional, cozy, bright, airy and comfortable and I’m happy here. That’s all that matters!!
Thanks for the ideas. We moved into a new home five years ago and everything was gray. The entire house is light gray wood-look plank porcelain tile with gray quartz counters and white subway tile in kitchen. My home I moved from was the "Tuscan look" you mentioned. It has been a job to match it all (we moved with furniture). Yes, gray is lifeless and I have never really cared for it much. On entertainment centers, they disappeared for a while just like armoires in living rooms and bedrooms too. BUT they are coming back in stores I believe because people have few places to put things. Also, I believe a lot of this trend to less is because people have less $$$ more than any other reason. People seem to buy big fancy homes and not furnish them- strange to me. I would say buy smaller and furnish well. On theme. I do like theme. The Tuscan vibe is a beautiful earthy natural palette versus the artificial gray industrial theme. It is difficult for me to think of home decor void of any theme. That is why I am in shock now in furniture stores where everything looks alike- cheap looking stick furniture with all straight lines and mostly painted to hide the core element. You have to go high-end to get any style.
Themes are generally terrible and why Tuscan or grey don’t work. Watch for of Nick’s videos and he teaches more about the science of subtlety with interior design.
Living in an Olive Garden had me lol’ing. The gray on gray trend always made me think of people living in a 1950’s black and white sitcom, but more depressing.. I couldn’t do it
Did you know that some people actually, genuinely think the world used to be black and white? I knew a girl back in high school who truly thought that's how it was. Edit: same btw lol
The purpose of the "pork chop" counter is to add storage space that still allows access to the toilet tank. That slice is more sturdy and stable than the top of the toilet. Basically that's where you store the poopourri - not potpourri!
Nick, 100 percent agree about the "porkchop" countertop. I have one in my bathroom, which is the secondary bathroom. We call it a "banjo" countertop. Whatever it's called, I HATE IT! I want to have it and the gigantic mirror removed, but I think that's going to be very expensive. I imagine removing them will tear up the paint, and I'll have to have all that cleaned up. Oh well, I'll save up and do it, totally worth it! Great video Nick 😀
The very best thing about never having any trendy elements in my house is never having to regret and change them.
I'm the same...I never buy trends, even with clothing...classics never go out of style...
YES! 👍🏾
oh..i also never followed trends ... but i had to regret and remove my own ideas :D
and believe me - that were lots of ideas and styles through the years 🤣
@@channarubin8267 Love your " true confessions " ! 😂
@@DeeDee_Stands_On_Business Bingo! I totally agree. What annoys me are people who take classic furniture, decor, etc. and say, this is in! Get lost! Classic is classic! meaning, its timeless. You want to save money? are you concerned about the environment? Get classic timeless pieces. Sadly, a lot of people are very insecure, and follow like robots what others dictate. And another factor ANTIQUES. Using antiques helps the environment becuase its real wood, and it originally was made to last. Today you have complete junk, and you have to put it together using some crap mini wrench. Also, the stuff today gets junked quickly falling apart. Ok, even if you like very simple lines, the 1930s-1940s furniture are simple lines. Also, the furniture back then was very well made, and made to last with real wood, etc.
I live in a 100 year old farmhouse that my grandparents built. It's always going to be a farmhouse style, I don't care if it's trendy or not.
Me too! I have dark woodwork so have picked colors that the woodwork and I like! ( also dark wood floors, which I love)
If you live in a true farmhouse then it is authentic and not a theme 😉 👍. The problem is some parts of farmhouse can be used in all sorts of styles but many people start to go all the way giving it that un-authentic cheesy theme feeling. Farmhouse tables are great (I have one myself) but all the all white, faking distress/shiplap is when it goes down the wrong path. Nothing wrong with a farmhouse staying true to its self 😀 if fact it is better with people work with the character of the house. My exception to that rule is cookie cutter homes with out a clear style 😅 I have had to add character to my 80's cookie cutter 🤣.
@@natasha8302 agreed. I always work with the style of the house. It will let you know when it hates something.
@Linda A Phillippi I wish there were more designers & architects who were on the same page as you! Embrace what it is even if it isn't your style. Farmhouse isn't my style but if I lived in a true 100 year old farmhouse, then you better believe I would embrace the style (of course with modern solutions & technology.) Since 1980s cookie cutter doesn't have any true personality then I feel free to add personality that my 80s cookie cutter is lacking. Too many time have I watch some home remodeling show and they took a true character home and remodeled it outside it's character. I just get so frustrated over that 😤 there would be people who loved the home's character & history as it is so why do these people push their image of perfection on an existing home that is no where in that ball park.I feel like transitional styles might be a work with the existing structure and person taste. It is horrifying to see your childhood home list online stripped of all of it's original character and given a Fixer Upper make over. I am not a sentimental person and there were some improvements made but I had a problem with stripping it's over all character and design into a cringey HGTV worthy design 😬! Unfortunately, money talks and not everyone appreciates nor understands design or architecture. Of course I am no expert but I would never take a historical Victorian and pull a Fixer Upper on it like HGTV dose. I appreciate style, craftsmanship and history of a building even if it is not my preference.
Good for you! I’d keep it too!
I love how you always say, “If you love these, don’t listen to me.” Style is so subjective and I love that you’re not trying to make people feel badly for liking what they like.
* goes to grout new bathroom floors with Nick’s glitter grout *
Haha
Fuckinf hell
Need an update
Same here. Some people are so unnecessarily snarky about it. Nick's got class.
@@katie7748 so true. Obviously I would never use glitter grout for anything, at least until Nick releases his version. But it’s so refreshing to have a UA-cam style guru let people know upfront it’s okay to like what we like and that we don’t have to agree with him on everything. And he’s not a jerk about it, which is sadly always refreshing in today’s world.
You can't even give those giant entertainment centers away! We had one that we tried to sell, then give away, then donate. No takers, so we cut it into pieces and used it as firewood for our fire pit.
It's as if the all cool grey thing was an extreme reaction against that all warm yellow brown tuscan thing. It also went from cheesily ornate to flat and plain.
That is exactly the explanation
It was an embrace of Scandinavian interiors also.
My gray walls help offset my wood floors. The original owner had painted the interiors a yellowish beige and it really pulled out the orange in the wood floors. The gray I picked toned that down. I think balance is important, and all-anything is going to lack it.
@@vanessabogaert2104 That really works! I did the same kind of thing in a room with built-in orange-ish & dark wooden cabinets. I painted the walls a soft gray & it really toned down the orange. They almost appear cherry now. It's weird lol. (I am not re-doing cabinetry. Not for me.)
The only thing I really can't stand is wood-look floors that are gray. It makes a room look like a black-and-white photo--because Nick is right; it's not natural....and it's the most difficult & expensive thing to try to warm up.
I hate to be unreasonably cynical, but in all fashion trends (clothing, hair, makeup, home goods, interiors, etc.) the wider the swing from one style trend to the next, the more consumers must pay to not be "out of style". If you have to gut your kitchen to go from Tuscan Side-Show to Stark Minimalism, then you're going to spend a lot more on cabinets, counter-tops, appliances, paint, etc. than if you just want to warm up your upper cabinets by going from semi-gloss Shaker fronts in Behr Nano White to semi-gloss Shaker fronts in Behr White Peach.
We bought our house from an older couple who basically had all the trends you listed put in the house. However they used such quality, beautiful materials that we just kept the Tuscan kitchen etc. I will say that almost everyone who walks into our house comments on how much they like it lol. So I think some of these things are timeless if you use quality cabinetry and materials. I mean who is really going to tear out or refurb high end cabinents event if they are out of style? You'd have to have a lot of money to waste to do that.
You can still update and refresh some by painting walls, painting or refinishing cabinets, changing a sink or faucet out, new light fixtures, cabinet knobs/pulls, maybe just get newer counter tops, etc. Save the best parts and augment the overdone/not as nice aspects. It's also pretty cheap to do this too.
I agree. My house was built in 2000 but with high quality everything. I don’t love the countertops but I cannot in good conscience rip it out just to replace with less expensive quartz I love. It’s such beautiful black granite and so thick that I doubt I’ll ever replace them.
@daynaw.7290 so happy to hear you appreciate good quality over trends. Fabulous!!
@@jercasgavugh, no sane person should paint hardwood cabinets. There are other ways to change things up.
The dusty bowl of potpourri on the pork chop ledge 😆 I was immediately transported back to 1998 at my grandparents’ house!
And the lonely bamboo stalk
One month before the lockdowns began, I moved into an "all gray everything" rental home. Gray tile flooring. Gray walls, Gray carpet in the bedrooms. White trim throughout. It felt like a very nice prison. I started wondering if I should buy an orange jumpsuit! At one point, I ordered a bag of fresh limes & a bag of fresh lemons to stack in bowls and bring some COLOR into my space. I had no furniture with me (2,500 mile move just beforehand) and everything affordable on-line (sofas, living-room chairs, rugs) was gray, gray, gray, taupe, and gray. I went from a person who was mildly fond of gray to a person with more than a little bit of a gray-phobia. Furniture manufacturers and retailers are finally catching on to the color trend (mustard! pale teal! rusty orange! butter yellow!) but now I'm anxious about over-reacting and turning my home into a carnival. Sigh.
Why did you buy get furniture when you already had grey walls? The walls are just the neutral background. You could have gotten nice colored furniture, draperies, cushions, artwork and rugs.
My experience too, 'we have every color as long as it's grey"....
Wow- every rental in the town I lived in was painted grey in the eighties and nineties, wall sockets and everything else. We called it Landlord Grey!
I love your comment, lol - you made me lol 😂
I’m a royal colors girl. My husband is a neutrals man. We did COLOR for 10yrs and now we’re doing neutrals but with aubergine and sky blue as accent colors. We literally picked sea shells off the beach one vacation day and that’s how we choose our new palate. We decided if that combo is good enough for nature, it’s good enough for us.
If you don’t want to repaint everything. Pick some warm colors to add as accents. If you can repaint. Do it. Your house should wrap it’s arms around you every time you come home. Life’s too short not to love where you live ☺️
Hi Nick! I’m Italian and I grew up in Tuscany and I agree with you! Those kitchens are an “Americanised” version of what old fashion kitchens look like here😅
Glad you agree!
Real Housewives of New Jersey kitchens - (No snark here - I live in New Jersey and I love New Jersey. It's a great place with lovely towns and great recreational areas.)
@@marian.jablonski54 Yep, I was thinking the same thing, Real Housewives of New Jersey kitchens.🙂
Every country takes a trend and makes it their own, so of course it is "Americanized" in the US. How could it be anything else? Buy a Tuscan house and move it here, the way Hearst used to buy up stately homes and have them shipped to CA? There are undoubtedly homes in Tuscany that are "Italianate" versions of the originals in other countries, too. No reason to be smug and superior about knowing the version in its native environment. We all grew up somewhere with whatever was native there.
Yes genuine Tuscan is much more classier and timeless. I like the American version but in small doses.
Sheesh... I grew up in Europe where people are proud of their houses retaining the patinas of the past. We displayed furniture, objets d'art, even utensils that were still in our possession after 100-150 years, if not more. Being au courant is good for the economy but not necessarily for the soul. Some people may feel good every time after refreshing their surroundings, surely they must feel pride with a pinch of a sense of superiority for their ability to "read the times" and be properly trendy. But after a while... a sense of rootlessness will set in. Guaranteed!
A lot of those big entertainment centers (say from Costco?) were actually three pieces kind of nudged together. My daughter separated the pieces and took off the more gross trim, repainted and then installed them as built in cabinetry in her next house. You’d never dream what they’d started out as.
Yes that’s a great idea! I was thinking if people remove the top part of shelving it becomes almost the same as just a regular media console. Then it’s really up to you what you wanna repurpose the top for. If it real wood you could probably find someone to take it for free.
Oh they come apart!? I was going to suggest a chainsaw.
My mother did something similar with her giant entertainment centre. Hers was simpler and did not have ornamentation so I helped her remove the centre piece which housed the TV. She kept the two outer bookcase/storage units and kept them together in a corner with an armchair as her reading nook.
Lots of older furniture can be used as storage in a basement or garage.
My media console was marketed with matching vertical shelving and a top to make all the pieces look like one unit. However, I chose to purchase the console only. BTW, my local thrift store currently has several large entertainment centers available.
Decor is very personal, I deliberately have lots of dated things in my home and I like it. My kitchen has painted cupboards and chrome leg table and chairs, my basement has brown paneling, and it has a very retro 70's look with lava lamps and the whole bit and it's my favorite space. If you put the most modern touches to you home it will eventually become dated. Enoy your own style.
The pork chop counter top was developed to make a home for the crochet TP doll cozy.
😂
That’s hilarious!
Brilliant! 🤣
But how much bacteria did that hold! lol we never thought of that back then..
@@madusonkeeper that's probably what made us hardier stock back then 🤣
I am so over all gray. I don’t have it but many of my friends do. It’s starting to feel like I am visiting them all in prison. I’ll be so glad when they update their interiors!
It's so dreary and institutional looking. I could never understand how anyone wants to feel like they were living in a black and white photo. The fake grey wood flooring is especially hideous.
It always made me feel color blind!
I don't have it either. Reminded me of a battleship.
grey smacks of builder refurb and flipped houses.
My parents neighbour painted their brick fireplace grey. It looks like Bowsers castle 😅
😂 "made everybody apparently want to go live in an Olive Garden" - I do love that movie. But you were spot on. Thank you Nick for making me laugh out loud today. ❤️
Ma'am, you like in Calgary
I have never had a "porkchop" counter, but I think it is a genius idea. I can tell by your hair that you seldom have to find a place for the hot roller machine. Some of us "really, really" need counter space. Beauty is important in any room, but function is paramount!
I wouldn’t use objects sitting so close to the toilet. It attracts fecal matter. I get paranoid with my toothbrush on the counter. Just put your irons in a drawer.
@@Ash-gj2lf and where do you install the shelves in order to hold a hot roller machine? You need it counter level, which rules shelves out.
My concern with those is access to the toilet tank when the toilet has issues.
Nick Lewis, going straight for the jugular with the Tuscan kitchen 🤣! All of your comments are so on point. It seems as if something is more apt to become dated when it's inauthentic. That's a good reminder for future projects. Thanks for all the work you put into these videos!
oh I'll hear about this one!
@@Nick_Lewis I have some Provençal decorating elements in my home but they are authentic in that they are mostly things I actually bought in Provence within the last 5-10 years or at least something that coordinates with those items.
Every one of your changes Nike,will eventually be outdated as well..
We're installing a "Tuscan" kitchen right now, but a simple one, simple, not busy tiles, stainless appliances, narrow stainless vent hood over the range instead of a huge one, a geometric mosaic over the range literally right out of a Roman ruin, with a pot filling faucet sticking out of the middle of it, light wood cabinets, dark wood floor. Blind shelves next to the window over the sink. Airy and earthy. Function over all. It's going to look amazing and be super functional. Our kid made the mosaic, and is doing another piece of art for a bare wall, the dented cooper embossed design of a tree. We changed out the window over the sink for a 60" wide window, doubling the width and adding to the height. It shouldn't look dated , especially considering the rest of the home is stone and natural materials, it finally will fit into the architecture of the home. So Tuscan outside of Tuscany is fine so long as it's not smothering.
I put my huge entertainment center in the garage and use all the storage space and shelves to organize there where I never had enough shelving. It is not overly ornate, and it works for me. My garage has more personality now, too. lol
Would need strong movers for that. It works.
If your garage is full of old furniture, you're hoarding. Give it away.
@@karlabritfeld7104 She didn't claim her garage was "full of old furniture." She said she repurposed one piece of old furniture to use as garage shelving. That's hardly a hoarding situation.
I have never seen a pork chop countertop, didn’t even know it was a thing!😂
Oh it be a thing. Builders LOVE them.
Both my bathrooms have pork shop countertops. I’m OK with them as they provide space for my toiletries, and the large mirror makes the bathrooms look bigger. But I did replace my builder basic toilets recently, and the height of the countertops was a constraint. Speaking of toilets, on my plumber’s recommendation I chose Toto toilets that flush in a whirlpool (no mould under the rim), two different flush volumes, and seats that automatically go down. My bathrooms function well, which is key!
I’d never seen or heard of them either 😂
I remember when they first arrived in the late 1980s. Multiple magazine layouts, and apartments used them as a selling point. I rented a brand new apartment with one, '88 or '89. Most called them "banjo" counters. I was always lukewarm about it. The bit over the toilet was not functional and there was no way to style them in any attractive way - not ugly but just pointless. I was not sad when they went out of style.
I´ve never seen them in Europe either. Maybe it´s an American thing.
Sometimes budget constraints are the reason for choosing decor. It’s often not possible for folks to just “choose better tile”. Choosing a “boring tile” and adding a strip of more expensive glass tile might have been a way to add a splash of something “better” that also fit within their budget, rather than 100% of the boring tile.
Tuscany reminds me of decorative vegetables marinating in oil in a tall bottle.😂 It was never ok.
Or those dried soup mixes used for decoration!
And they were always DUSTY! ugh
I see those nasty-looking bottled vegetables at the thrift store (they’ve turned brown and the bottles are usually greasy and dusty). And I see people buying them!!!
They still sell those at Winners!
Bottles of botulism
I was a kitchen designer before I moved into architecture. So I spent an entire decade getting people out of “Tuscany” kitchen-ville and into something more transitional. Most of my clients couldn’t jump to stainless steel range hoods and subway tile backsplashes. But your recommendations are great. And by the way, you’re welcome for removing all of those tile windows and “old world” acanthus leaves.
Early 2000's.. 2006-2010 or so I was obsessed with the Tuscan look. Not because of the movie but because I thought the grapes and vines were beautiful and brought some natural elements into the house. I had wine bottles, vines, and lights above my cabinets and always got compliments. That look would be very dated now.. but at the time it was really lovely. It's mostly gone from my life now but kept some grape artwork on metal plates that I got from a vendor back then which hang on a wall in my kitchen next to my coffee nook (which is probably going to be dated soon too). Ahh, trends.
Yes, keep the small things but definitely don't paint all the walls like that.
I absolutely loved it too! ❤️ I recently renovated my kitchen to a more "updated version" no words, vines, or wood. I do have a couple wine racks on the walls but it's very modern.
One of my favorite places to see “Tuscan kitchen” style is at Wegmans, a regional upscale grocery store chain in the northeastern US. Wegmans committed hard to that aesthetic, and now going there is like entering a time portal back to 2007 😊
Love Wegmans !!! They are getting away from that Tuscan look though
Hi Nick, before we put our house on the market we had a stagger come in. My once very warm and colourful home turned into gray everything. Yes we got well over asking but it killed me to live in that cold lifeless house. Thank God it sold quickly. We went house hunting I turned down any house that had a drop of gray in it. Thank goodness I had a patient realtor.
You do know you could've just painted the house once you moved in right?
@@mrsshelton226 What about all the flooring and gray stone counter tops. Painting is no big deal but replacing everything else is not worth the cost.
@@olgaboisvert3964 that's very true.
If you can’t update the heavy Tuscan tile backsplash, you could try painting it with tile paint. A friend of mine did that in white and it looked so beautiful! A subtle Tuscany vibe. But light and fresh! Without breaking the bank ❤️
Hi Nick , the grey era was the most annoying decor ever. I bought my place in the early 2000s when red and browns, Tuscan were all the rage, so when the grey Era came along I could do nothing to refresh my place. Thankfully now I can work with all these warm whites and greens!
I would argue that's the reason trends go in and out in the order that they do. The goal is to make you feel you have to $tart from $cratch will all new thing$.
In fashion too
You do realise that you can paint your house whatever colours you like irrespective of the current "trend"?
@@bluewren65 sure, you can paint any colour you like, but I could not find a pillow (or any other accent) in any store to match the palette I had to save my life.
@@despinakyraleos2234 I'm with you on that. I have brown/cream walls and floors, brown furniture, and colorful accents all over. I'm partial to red, but when I'd shop, EVERYTHING went with gray/white/black, and the only colors were cool tones. I did a LOT of thrifting, and just waited--knowing they'd swing back around to my colors soon enough. I also worked outside the box, and crocheted my own curtain valances, and re-covered found furniture.
Our home is a rustic Tudor. We have updated (somewhat), but the Tuscan, rustic vibe just fits the style so organically. The grape and ivy stuff was never my vibe, but the wine rack has remained- smaller, but it remains! 😁 We can't envision anything better for us.
So gladyou mentioned the tile 'borders'. Always hated them. Think they're odd and distracting. It always looked to me like the people ran out of the tile they meant to use and threw in some random, mismatched mess to fill the space. It tends to be really ugly.
That’s what literally happened to me. Tile guy miscalculated. Calls me in and shows me how he’s screwed up and there is an odd number of inches of drywall showing at the top of my bathroom. $3000 of tile, screwed up.
I had a few of the shower tiles leftover and decided to slice them up and lay them end to end as a kind of border running above the medicine cabinets and window. Then a course of the regular tiles, again cut lengthwise to fill the remaining gap. It’s not what I really wanted but wtf choice did I really have?
I love my tile border! I didn’t even choose it (rental), but after looking at it for 8 years, I’m still a fan.
Yes, I see a lot of that, and could never understand it. Usually the tile borders are pretty fugly and don't even really go with the other tile.
Bought a house that was all grey this year. Just about done getting it repainted. But I did just get a bathroom finished and got a border on my tile. Ugh....I didn't know it was outdated.
@@hollydays56 I didn't either, and I'm personally not a fan of most of them. I also don't pay attention to whether something is in style or not... the only thing that should matter is whether or not you LIKE it. Nick even agrees that if you like it, keep it!
My partner's house leans towards Gray Mode and he wants that gray wood table centerpiece, but he made the excellent choice of warm walnut cabinets and shelves, black quartz counters in the kitchen and grayish in the bathroom. Gray really elevates the things that aren't gray.
My husband took the old entertainment center apart and made a desk and two other smaller furniture pieces from the wood. He'd never done this before, so it was new and interesting for him. There are still a few odd wood pieces around...maybe we'll find a use for them eventually.
I think that's great that the wood was saved from a landfill. That's one thing Nick didnt mention. In this world, just throwing it out seems to be the adage. Repurposing is great.
Came looking for this comment! There are some pretty cool videos here on YT on repurposing them into other stuff.
Good idea! They also make good storage units for linens/blankets, etc. Using the center/main compartment, pare down some of ornate elements, paint it, and move it to a bedroom or hallway and use it for linen storage if you're short on closet space.
I purposely got a really nice cherry entertainment center that was being tossed due to being dated. I tell ya, those suckers are the best craft storage spaces.
Those humongous entertainment centers actually come in pieces… you can just dismantle the monstrosity, do a little diy with covering up the unfinished sides and break them up. Then they become statement pieces that actually look pretty good on their own, with some breathing room around them. Having said that, Nick, I really enjoy your sense of humor and how gentle you are when voicing your opinion. Always a joy to watch your videos!
Yes. I look for them. I buy the shelf units. Some are easy to move. Others not quite easy at all to move.
I just put IN a ledge extending over the toilet in the guest bath due to extreme size constraints--it gives guests a place to put a brush, make up bag or shaver. Also full wall mirror framed in to reflect more light. It is such an improvement over the previous where there was no where to put anything and no room for shelves.
I had one of those large entertainment units from the late 90's. It was actually quite a gorgeous and simple maple piece but you are right, it' was just overwhelming and could only fit in one spot in my great room. I ended up putting it up for free last year (which wasn't easy because I remembered how much we actually paid for it) and someone took it to make into a china cabinet for their wife. I'm so glad it found a new life because it really was nice looking. I was just done with it after 20+ years and I feel relief when I think about the fact that it's gone...though I rarely even think about it.
I don't live in Tuscany but in the region right above it (Emilia Romagna) and I've never seen a "Tuscan" kitchen. So maybe the reason it's not only that it's dated but that it wasn't authentic to begin with. And nothing goes out of style faster than something fake. That said, if someone loves their kitchen they should stick to it and don't bother with trends. As long as it's functional and it makes us feel good.
This is a great point... things tend to be come dated when they aren't authentic.
About a decade ago I was treated to a tour of a newer, authentically designed Colonial home out in the county- no neighbors within view. . No "driveway"...there was a dirt road with grass growing between the tire tracks. A natural native-plant unmowed yard. The stoop was a huge flattish boulder. (LOVED that!) Unpainted hand-plastered walls and ceilings with only the trim (milk) painted; smoke marks on the ceilings from candle burning fixtures. The only concession apparent was a Martha Stewart style huge traditional kitchen, which was beautifully designed for the gourmet cook owner. THEN we went down to her basement Tuscan wine room/cellar...fake stone floors, faux (Styrofoam-?) beams,a twelve foot ceiling- maybe more. an immense wrought-iron chandelier with, yes, grape and ivy motif. Fancy carved dark woodwork, perhaps fake as well? It was a real WTF moment. I assumed she had gotten "authentic" out of her system.
@@Wguy56 maybe it was too far in the rurals to visit Olive Garden
Yes, just as I don't live in Tuscany, I don't live on a farm either. When your house is ultra suburban tact style, that extreme rustic/farm house/log cabin vibe which is so popular today also is fake. Maybe now that farmhouse rustic has been popular for so long will give way to a style of decor which befits its locale. Transitional is the most authentic.
Yes. I built a Tuscan home in SoCal. When I was researching, i found all of those dark faux Tuscan kitchens and furniture. Just look at homes in Italy. The homes in the country are more farmhouse. Yes, use real wood, but they are plain and not large and heavy. I focused on the building. Putting in hand made beams, rustic walls, no trim and real hand made Terrace Cottage floor tiles.
Want to live in an Olive Garden! I almost spit out my coffee! 😂 You covered every design dislike I have!
Your tips are great.
I made a bedroom into a closet and used the entertainment center to store purses, added shelves after I painted it white. I love it.
Must be a small bedroom.
Yes, the bedroom is small 12x13 but it only has a TV, desk, and the cabinet which holds my purses it's fine. The closet is for my coats.
People with the giant entertainment centers are usually in houses in which they've been in for 40 years and have no intention of moving those monstrous things 😅. With my mom's last husband, his parents had all the quintessential 90's bulky furniture. An overstuffed arm chair that could only be sat in by the step-grandfather, the huge hutch full of china and random odds and ends, and of course, the large entertainment center, and everything was just brown (including the walls as they lived in a trailer and had the brown wood paneling). I had no opinion on the decor as I was a child back then, but damn, you bringing up the entertainment center was a throw-back!
Also, in a very morbid story, my mom had one at one point. Before we knew better, she kept two beta fish in small bowls on each side of the center. I cleaned the bowls one day but filled one of them too high, allowing the fish to jump out...onto the hard, tiled floor, about six feet below. I put it back in the bowl, but he didn't look so well and when I came home from school the next day, he was floating at the top. I had named the two fish Fred and George (yes, Harry Potter references). The book in which Fred dies had not come out yet, and I'm only realizing now that I'd lost "my" Fred as well.
As though suffering from a broken heart, my George passed away not even two weeks later. Or, you know, keeping it in a tiny bowl in close proximity to a very loud TV probably killed him...😭
I like the Provence style….
The best makeover we did was dump the ceiling fans……we never spin them in the uk…they just fill up with dust..
Sitting in my all grey bedroom, which I find serene, I just realized my love of gray grew out of my hatred of years and years and years of finding nothing but beige (which I call blah-ge) and sage absolutely everywhere as though no other neutrals ever existed. And now blah-ge is coming back?? Aarrgghh!
Just add a little blah age to that stark grey and it'll warm it up, totally modernized. Voila!
Grey is hideous. Its literally the color of prisons, medical facilities and school gymnasiums. Can't understand how anyone finds that anything but depressing.
@@timberline1487ive worked at 10 different hospitals. I wish they’d use gray instead of using vomit inducing colors.
Ah, thank you for mentioning the all grey thing! I am so happy that's over!
I think the pork chop was there to give more counter space (and the illusion of more counter) in that builder grade size bathroom. Ditto, the huge mirror was to give the illusion of a larger bathroom. P.S. I think the large mirror actually emphasized how small the space was by reflecting the close opposite wall that you were standing next to.
Nick, you have a delightful talent for being funny while avoiding being condescending.
The "pork chop" countertop isn't to cover the toilet top; it's because most toilet tops are slightly convex, not flat, and it's hard to put anything on top of them. The countertop extension give you a little more space to put a box of Kleenex, a spare roll of TP, etc.
Yes, and for this reason, I actually have to disagree with Nick for once! (especially if done in a modern bathroom with a gorgeous stone/engineered stone countertop)
That's true. Ive got one in my bathroom that was installed in 1978. That stinker is going once we get to that bathroom for remodeling. However, the new problem is where do i put the kleenex. That bathroom is very small, and I imagine that's why they installed it in the first place. I dont mind any suggestions for an alternative.
@@guerralg63 you can buy shelves that go over the toilet :)
@@ragnheiursteingrims1416 that's true. One problem if I buy them they will sit in the garage for half a decade before my husband puts tgem up😆
@@guerralg63 I had this issue for years & finally determined that I don’t need Kleenex at all. My family only uses toilet paper for disposable Kleenex now & it has been a life saver.
Toilet paper is always available, & already stored there on the roll holder. I always hated all the boxes sitting around my house, sliding off of the toilet or counters, etc. And when we didn’t need tissue often, they would end up dusty. The Kleenex boxes were such a nuisance!
Now we just go to the bathroom & fold up a few sheets of toilet paper as needed.
If I need to take some with me or to keep in another room, I just take a roll there, like when it’s cold/flu season, & set it on a coffee table. Or in a ziplock bag in my car.
You can even remove the cardboard roll in the middle & make the toilet paper pull up from the center, like a commercial paper towel dispenser! Just leave the first sheet still attached in place on the outside for a neater dispenser.
Or if I want it out of sight, I just squish the roll flat & place in a drawer. That makes it less likely to roll away, as well.
When we aren’t needing tissue often anymore, it just goes back to the bathroom & gets used up.
An added bonus is, if traveling or camping, it easily serves multiple uses. It’s a lot easier to use toilet paper as Kleenex, whereas Kleenex doesn’t work as well as toilet paper. 😂 It’s easier to store, as well.
Getting rid of Kleenex boxes has been one of the best decisions ever & has made life so much less stressful once I did it, even though it is a minor change.
Plus, it’s cheaper! And one less item to try to remember to buy.
My husband & sons also use washable handkerchiefs, as well. 😊
Our old entertainment center was three separate parts. I pulled the doors off, painted them, changed the hardware on the drawers and separated the pieces in different rooms. My kids each have a piece and use them for storing books and toys.
"If you buy my house you get my entertainment center" Yes, that is exactly what we were told while house hunting. We passed, but mostly because the kitchen had one of those black glass stovetops that was badly chipped. Also,the ceilings were popcorn. We bought, a new house with a gas cooktop.
First time you showed up on my feed and I wouldn't have chosen to watch. That's why I'm grateful for my automix. Turns out you're fun and your ideas make a lot of sense. So Thanks.
As someone who lives in a very grey apartment and building (it’s contemporary brutalist) here’s how I added life to my space:
-Lots of wood tones and accents. Sofa is dark brown and beige, light brown wood coffee and console, etc.
-add color. I have two super cozy turquoise velvet chairs (very art deco style), oriental rug, etc
-warm lighting. Go for yellower bulbs to make a room cozier.
Open to suggestions if y’all got any tips because it’s definitely a work in progress
I'm new to this channel, but what I love most are the very clear examples of what you/Nick means by what not to do / what to do instead. I'm guilty of putting grey toned engineered hardwood when we reno'ed our last house a year ago, and now picking finishes for our new build we're strongly in the warmer brown toned floor camp, so this was reassuring that we're on the right track for something that is going to be more enduring style-wise.
After living with oak flooring hell for years, I love the grey flooring I currently have. Call it dated, but for me it’s a breath of fresh air.
Yes I have super yellow oak flooring and my next home is having sandy gray vinyl plank flooring. I can’t not wait!!! Feels fresh and new to me, so I’m happy.
@@sophievanderbilt1325 - Why would you replace real wood floors with vinyl? Can't you just have your floors sanded and stained a more neutral brown color?
@@wisteria808 my next home is a custom build. They didn’t even give us the choice to have hardwood floors. LVP was the only thing we could get.
Yes same here!!!
I wish that you had talked to the person who did the design work for the 150+ apartment complex where I live. Grey walls, floors, and kitchen cabinets. I’ve done my best to cover the walls with original art and a stylish set of tall bookshelves. And warm furnishings throughout, including a lot of wood furniture.
That's the way to decorate. Furniture, cushions, draperies, artwork, area rugs. That's where the color goes. Neutral grey belongs on the walls. Yes I'm an interior decorator.
@@karlabritfeld7104 neutral gray belongs in prisons, school gymnasiums and medical facilities, not peoples homes. It was a horrible trend that needs to die already.
I thought Tuscan kitchens looked corny even back when they were popular. Also, so hard to keep those kitchens clean because of all the nooks & crannies in the doors & embellishments everywhere.
The tile countertops looked dirty they day they were built. Ack!
I love fancy looking stuff but omg the dust drives me bonkers!! Especially since some of the really tight spaces literally cannot be dusted with anything bigger than a Q-tip!
I have a simple Tuscany kitchen and I love it. it's high quality wood that is insanely expensive now. When I sell, I'll paint it whatever color the millennials like for the year. First it was grey, then white, then slate blue, then green,. I hear some are going pink. Its changing constantly to the point of almost being obsessive and very anti environment. Consumerism at its highest. Thanks for the video.
I have such vivid memories of episodes of Trading Spaces wherein each of these outdated styles were the subject of the episode... one homeowner wanting their kitchen become a villa in Tuscany, someone wanting an all grey modern living room or, Ty Pennington building one of the ugly giant entertainment centre and we all just ATE IT UP.
No pork chop countertop? 😂 jk
Those big TV shelf/media consoles can sometimes be made/repurposed I to multiple pieces bc they are really nice pieces of furniture.
You have to be able to access the toilet tank, so a ledge over it is problematic.
Yes I had known people to cut that part off or install hinges to access the toilet tank lid, because it was installed too close.
Exactly! I have never seen this style of countertop before, but my first thought when Nick popped up a picture was "How are you supposed to fix the toilet if something breaks in there?" I know basically nothing about plumbing but I know that the tank lid comes off for a reason 😂
My sister-in-law’s was JUST narrow enough in depth to remove the tank lid. I think that’s the way they (were supposed to) be.
@@AnnaReed42 from the pictures you can obviously tell that you can get the lid off. Now working on the inside of the tank is a whole other matter.
My son was working on a building job where there were boxes & boxes of leftover plain white subway tiles. They were going to junk them so he bought them home and re-did all the splashbacks in my kitchen & butlers pantry, but we did include a tile border just to break up all that white, as I have white cupboards and black counter tops.
I had the porkchop/full-length mirror combo in the early 80s. I do remember that when we finally replaced it, I actually missed the extra counter space it had given me for little things like my brush and makeup. With only a small counter around the sink, I didn't have much room to get ready in the morning anymore. It LOOKED better, but the functionality had dropped significantly.
Yes, that was the WHOLE point of that ledge. Not sure why Nick didn't get that.
Agree. In my last place, the top of the tank was actually not flat, so I couldn't put anything on top of the toilet (and the most hideous thing to me is that contraption that goes from floor to ceiling, around the toilet. Ugh. I ended up putting a cork coaster on the tank and resting a little basket on that. It kept my basket from falling off. When you live in a small place, you need to put things wherever you can. To me it has nothing to do with "hiding the toilet."
I don’t like having much stuff on my countertops in the bathroom because of the ecoli, and icky bacteria, that fly around every time the toilet is flushed. So pork chop or not, my stuff goes in a cabinet. Yes, I have an extremely small bathroom, but I deal with it.
I have a modern-style (ie. sleek, minimal) medicine cabinet above the toilet (instead of the porkchop counter) which takes care of storage quite well.
Yes, I think he missed on that one. So long as they are not curved at the corners, they are simple and get the job done.
Interesting comment about "porkchop" counter tops. I'd never heard this term before but I recently installed one in my bathroom remodel not so much for style reasons but for practical considerations. It's a *very* small bathroom and storage is quite limited so this additional shelf over the toilet added a little storage. I think I'm pulling it off though. It looks more modern with a glass shower wall for the step-in shower adjacent and the floating vanity top and shelf being made from solid 8/4 walnut with matching floating shelves. The tile is oxidized black on the floor and a really nice distressed blue tile on the walls. I also broke the rules and used a black basalt vessel sink with black metals throughout. I used a wood shower panel instead of just a traditional head and handle. I dunno... it breaks a lot of current trend advice but I get lots of compliments on it. 🙂
Driftwood is gray. Old barns are gray. Japanese burnt wood treatment isn't brown or beige. Grey can be a natural color for wood, but if you want a gray floor, polished concrete is my pick.
Yes also deck In beach house are gray, all fine woods in yatch boats turn gray.
Gray wood Is an organic color (if you let wood age with time)
He’s talking more about fresh, unweathered and natural woods. In natural state, grey woods are extremely rare
@@esfirkoles most woods turn gray over time and sun but there is woods that trees are gray and very common like gray oak , Blue Mahoe,Sapwood,Heartwood etc etc many more
I agree with you about the grey. I never liked all grey in homesTo me, grey means sadness.
I have dove grey bedroom walls & bathroom, just did it.the rest of bedroom white,black,cream.headboard is upholstered off wlhite I use black leather throw pillows & grey,black cream faux fur throw.also have a personal seating area with a off white with black stripes & use silver stools under my black parson table.. I.. love the look and feels so elegant & restful.i like clean lines,do not like colors. Pop the bathroom up with 2 large black framed abstract picture one hung over the other,...placed over the toiletit takes the eye off of the toilet and right to the picture.s.flooring is grey,black, cream,small octagon shaped tile ,dove grey vanity cabinet doors,black handles, used a large tall glass vase filed with sunflowers.thats it.. absolutely love both rooms.out of date??? High end looks are never out of style,& don't have to spend alot to achieve the look...you..are happy with... I say again,nothing is outdated...if you like it. Changes are for companies to make money.i help other fluff their houses just st by using things from each room and using them in other places.change bedding,throw pillows...a area rug here & there.walla..you have a new look,without braking the bank.
@@bosslady2002 gross. Sounds like a cold depressing prison. No thanks
100% agreed. I'm so glad to see it go away.
@@bosslady2002As long as you love it, you do you. I like your nice vase of sunflower touch against the gray background. It's sophisticated and relaxing. (Human beings are varied. I'm more of a red-blue-black-and-white-loving person.)
*sitting in my all grey and white apartment* This is clearly the video for me!
🤣
But it totally works for my space. Very narrow studio apartment and the light cool colours keep it feeling spacey. *ignores black walls*
My bedroom is grey and white. I love it because I can add any accent color I want. I can put any color sheets with a matching quilt with my grey linen duvet and white headboard and trunk, or change my frames, lampshades, whatever… blue, pink, green, whatever I want. 🤷🏻♀️🙌
My pre ww2 mother still has her 1967 kitchen. We survived and did not die because of it being old. My kitchen here in Belgium is from around 1978 and as soon as i can, i will buy a modern classic kitchen that fits my full natural stone 1870 house ( old cow farm) more. It is in the Battle of the Bulge area. The 1970 or do bathroom will be demolished with pleasure as soon as i built a new one upstairs. But i made a coffee table from an old 1900 farmer kitchen table.
I about died with your large entertainment center comment 😂😂 “I’m not taking/moving it” I felt that soooo deep. 😂😂
Nothing screams “free” more than a heavy piece of furniture ya simply don’t want to move, no matter what you paid for it! 😂😂❤️❤️❤️
We did that with our old, massive, upright piano. We told the buyer it went with the house. I felt kind of guilty about it. 😂
When I bought my home last year, it had a pork chop countertop and full width mirror. The counter top was a beautiful color, quality material and in pristine condition, it didn’t feel right to remove it. So I replaced the mirror with a gorgeous round brass, sleek, metal frame and I did a bit of classy decor on the part of the countertop covering the toilet. I’m actually glad I have that part, as I like putting an interesting vase with natural dried flowers on it then on the toilet top. When I refurbished my home, I tried to keep as much out of the land fill that I could and still achieve the look I was going for. I’m pleased with the outcome.
For me the LARGE entertainment center started in the '60s; held the turntable, amplifier, speakers, LP's, my father's 78's and 45's. Even had room for our set of encyclopedia!
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Remember those days fondly...
I really don't mind a Tuscan kitchen. But I used to work in an olive garden and im sure it would make me feel like I'm still there.
When I wanted to get rid of my entertainment center, I put it for free on craigslist and mentioned that it was made from real wood and could be taken apart to make a new project. Wood is so expensive now that it was swooped up.
Omg! The GIGANTIC entertainment center brings back memories. We had one, moved it once, and then took it apart and sold it so we would never have to move it again 😂! We mounted our flat-screen to the wall and used an artist app so it looked like framed artwork. Built in closed shelving that blended into the wall was our next step. Love that much more than the entertainment monstrosity!
I've never been a fan of the all-grey rooms. However, the one grey I adore is the griege-colored flooring. A wonderful combo of grey and brown that instantly warms a room. This allows decorating to move away from all grey.
Dear Nick your's is the first channel i found of its kind and I love it! Knowing UA-cam i got suggestions for other decorating channels, and some were ok, but yours is the best!! You have the best advice and suggestions and the best take on them. You also have the best personality, and you never come off as snooty. You have great humor always, and todays "living in Olive Garden" made me glad I wasnt eating or drinking anything!😆😆😆🤣🤣🤣
I literally just finished converting my boring, terrible kitchen into a Tuscan kind of theme 😅 I work in wine and drink a lot of it so it works well for me. I actually really enjoy my kitchen now and that’s what matters 😊
I work part time at a vineyard too and the tasting room and big room is Tuscan but done in good taste, not cheesy. The owner is from Europe so she knows how to create the real McCoy. The customers seem to love it along with the great views from the country.
I’m still a teen, but this style reminds me of my early childhood. I just discovered the name for it (Tuscan) today and am getting some nostalgia. I had one of those big heavy wall units for my family’s TV with stacks of CDs/DvDs in the glass display cabinets! It took up so much room and removing it opened up my living room so much!
In our first apartment, we had a hand-me-down massive media console. I don't know how my husband got in in there, but to get it out he first chopped it up with a reciprocating saw and we tossed the pieces out the window 😂
...as I sit here watching you on my iPad quite happily, I don't have a television. And I am quite happily sitting here watching you on my iPad. Yes, you can live without a TV. You just get your good news and your bad news on a smaller screen. You'll get over it it and it's quite delightful ... truly...
I think tile borders are more a cost saving measure than "I love tile borders let's install one."
A "non boring" tile more often than not translates into an expensive tile. When covering a large Sq footage (like a large shower/bathroom) it just can be totally cost prohibitive for the average person to use an expensive tile over the whole expanse. The border is a way to use a beautiful tile in a non cost prohibitive way. I do think we need more ideas/options of how to incorporate tile accents in new ways.
In looking at slightly older pictures I've come to appreciate how many tile jobs look dated -not just those with borders and/or cheap tile. Tile "styles" really do come and go. Tile is very expensive, dirty, and time consuming to change out when styles change. More discussion about tile styles that are " timeless" would also be appreciated.
I agree and keep it simple with basic white subway tiles and make the accents warm and inviting... I have an old claw foot tub and it looks great with light gold accents and green plants with a stained glass window to protect privacy in the bathroom 😉
@@agravery223 I agree white subway tile is timeless (however over-used in Modern Farmhouse)
We have one bathroom in white subway and another with a black/white tile design ....both look as good now as when we put them in 20 yrs ago. Another shower with "on trend" tile makes me say "what was I thinking??" everytime I see it, 😆
I appreciate tile that keeps to the same style period of your house. So if you have a 1950s house, lean into that pastel tile. But mix it up with more modern fixtures. Or if you have a 1920s house, look at art nouveau tile for inspiration.
@@dawnchesbro4189 yes I agree. Nothing looked worst than when my Grandma tried to "improve" on her very classic mid century ranch by ripping out the kitchen cabinets (solid, beautiful maple) and bathroom tile (pink) and making it look like it was puked on by the 80s
@@rebelliousraven ah yes, the everything pastel bathroom is so iconic! I have a friend with a 1950s bungalow who is actively seeking out a pastel pink toilet of the Era do it can match the rest of her pink bathroom!
Thanks for validating my thoughts on too gray, gray and gray rooms/decor.
We each like different things. I have never gone with trends in anything because I never wanted to have to change something and spend more money down the road. Our tastes might change but if you have more neutral colors and keep it simple, you can easily and less expensively change decor and accents around the house if you want to. For myself, I'm not at all fond of grey but I have always liked a combination of white, cream and beige, it goes with just about everything and gives me an airy serene look I like in my home and I see it as a classic look but I figure not every one will like that. We don't have to like what every one else likes, that's the point of making your home a personal space that feels good to you. I enjoy having items that mean something to me and bring back good memories, a combination of new and thrifted things. It's my own style not necessarily a picture from a fancy house magazine but if someone likes that, that's ok for them.
Great video because we instantly recognize these things when we walk into a room. We have a very modern home and over 30 years have had 3 updates. The gray remains but rugs, highlights and furniture change. No more entertainment centers! To relieve the monotony, my "man cave" is (unlike the other 2 floors) cream, copper and mahogany which went well with the stone and metal. Even Ms B, who wanted gray, had to agree.
Untrained Viewer Opinions!
Tuscany kitchens: there was also a weird thing where this was the only room in the house given this treatment and just made it all look so choppy. Or the whole house was “Olive Garden” which I almost appreciate more. COMMIT.
Pork chop countertops: how do you get to the toilets for repair?
Tile borders: there was a 80s/90s version as well with wallpaper. I’m waiting with baited breath to see where it ends up next.
Gray: I think whenever you pick a neutral to be just neutral instead of a color you love. I think if you put in an all white kitchen because you love them, it just somehow shows. Versus putting in an all white kitchen because you were terrified of picking the wrong color. Grays just exacerbate that problem. If you are using grays because you love them, then you are working with them. If you’re putting gray everywhere so you don’t have to pick a color…. Stop. Please.
HUGE Entertainment Center: the only option is to get into furniture diy and make other things out of them. Which is why Nick would just move and leave it behind. LOL
Lowkey, those massive ass entertainment centers are a throwback and despite not owning a TV I still desire owning one only for nostalgia vibes.
Thank God somebody is finally telling people to get rid of all that gray! I decorated with some gray back in the '80s and am so over it. When I was house shopping online 6-7 years ago, every new or "updated" house I looked at was gray, gray, gray. Boring! I love color and use it lavishly in my décor.
What I remember from the 1980s is that particular color of Wedgewood blue - it was EVERYWHERE. Also that dreadful country scheme - "ducks on a stick" we used to call it. I don't really remember gray being a thing as much.
I use tons of color in my house. In curtains, pillows, chairs, artwork. But neutral ways. Grey. Everything goes with grey.
@@lisalu910 Gray wasn't a thing in the '80s; I just liked being different. I remember a lot of hunter green, mauve, salmon, and flowery chintz from that era. All the Laura Ashley prints!
I like warm grays and then a pop of color. Or some rooms that look more neutral so that YOU can be the focal point. I wear bright colors like that red blazer you have on your pic. It's a great choice to wear red!
Nick, you teed up a perfect opportunity to talk about Toto toilets - I have two. They are fantastic! They use just over one gallon of water to flush, they don't have a traditional rim so cleaning is really easy, they use a stain-resistant coating on the porcelain, the toilets don't have a worm but instead have sleek panels that go from the seat to the floor (I think they call it an apron but not 100% sure). I like the 2 water releases per flush - efficient and keeps the toilet clean. These are the most expensive toilets I have ever bought but they have been great! My husband used to be "shy" about "going" at home sometimes because of prior flushing problems and he uses our bathroom with confidence now. No one should "go" with that in the back of their mind.
I splurged on the blue Caraway set last year. I regret nothing. They are worth every penny people. ❤
Side note edit: As an Italian, I approve this message. 🤣
Loved this video. My favorite part: "If you have one of these (entertainment centers) you should consider.... not having one!" LOL! You cracked me up! Great advice!
I have all grey walls in my house with white trim and beautiful wood floors. Furniture in living room is deep red couches, black swivel chairs. Large mirrors on the walls and large pieces of abstract art, large modern area rugs. The key to a warm liveable house is in the decorating. When something gets worn out, I get rid of it and replace with something new and modern looking. My house have always looked, warn, modern and inviting. You should really talk to a decorator if you don't have a clue. It will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Yes!
I laughed when Nick got to the large entertainment centers. I bought a used one for my art studio barn/tack room combo that my very nice husband built for me. I store all my horse supplies in the cabinets and shelves and all my saddles are hanging neatly on saddle racks in the center where the tv’s use to be. I see so many “barn tour” videos on UA-cam and think to myself, “hmm that maybe a good way to repurpose these monstrosities”. Thank you Nick for ALL your wonderful videos!
I turn free solid wood (TV) armoires into tool lockers for my garage and studio storage she shed. Not only is it economical, reduces waste It just is warms up the perimeter walls. Also, it reduces the visual noise and the floor space. 😅
Aw man, you got me Nick! I just redid my bathrooms and put border tiles in both. It's ok bc I love them so I'll still keep them. Im no professional designer so I knew this day would come eventually, lol.
awww never mind you're not alone
@@Motherhubbard170 I also like most of the border tiles. I agree that if the rest of the tile is cheap, and those are the only nice tile, then it looks odd. But, I have border tile in my kitchen, and I love it. The rest of the tile is still really nice on it's own, and I think the border tile just makes it even better. To each their own. lol.
I'm guilty as well. Just redid my bathroom and got glass mosiac tile border around my shower. Oh well. I love it though lol
I still love the blue & white hand painted tiles popular in the 80s.
I live in a house built in the 1920's by my grandparents. The walls are painted light yellow, medium green and bold "lei flower." My parents were antique dealers and enthusiastic collectors. NOTHING matches!!! The whole house is very eclectic. I will never change a thing.
The grey phase was like living with cataracts!
This was SUPER helpful! I have a home with color from the early 2000s. I love my rich gold walls and yes...tuscan red wall (one wall) but never got into the grapes, tile and accessories, vines...olive garden vibe. 😄 i just love the warmth of color. BUT to know how to lighten up the home and give a refresh helps so much! Love your channel and thank you!!
I agree that the Tuscany kitchen can look dated. It looked dated when it was installed. I don’t hate the tile backsplash at all. I don’t think the style is inherently bad though. I think there are lots of styles that are lazy and not good as soon as it’s put in. I think the standard “modern” style put in today is just as bad as the 90s Tuscany kitchen.
We did our last house in all whites and grays and by the time we were done, I was already over it. 😆 Moved to a much more classic, warmer toned home with hardwoods, and I am much happier.
I actually love the all grey everything, I have adhd and having color in my house actually makes me uncomfortable like I can't relax, almost like my brain continues to be estimulated. Since I removed all color from my house I'm much more relaxed and sleeping a lot better.
Then it is perfect for you!
Well, Enjoy your home to the fullest! But if your hair turns gray, how will anyone find you? 😁
i love it, too. i have many different shades of grey and I find its a great canvas for any accent color you want to use. right now I'm in a purple accent mode but I might be moving to a deep teal for throws , pillows and carpets. to me grey is classic and there are so many shades of grey that are delicious. charcoal is gorgeous as one accent wall, purplish greys (I dare say mauve) are so pretty, too. even shiny metallics like silver and gold go so well with grey. in the video he's sitting in a GREY chair, which goes beautifully with any kind of wood furniture. to me grey is timeless.
Right. You have what makes you happy! I too have all grey walls with grey vinyl flooring that has brown in it. I have darker brown furniture to pick up in the floor. I have beige stone backsplash with cherry wood cabinets in my kitchen. My home is functional, cozy, bright, airy and comfortable and I’m happy here. That’s all that matters!!
@@psychologicallyspeaking yes grey is definitely timeless and so easy to break up with furniture and pops of color
Thanks for the ideas. We moved into a new home five years ago and everything was gray. The entire house is light gray wood-look plank porcelain tile with gray quartz counters and white subway tile in kitchen. My home I moved from was the "Tuscan look" you mentioned. It has been a job to match it all (we moved with furniture). Yes, gray is lifeless and I have never really cared for it much. On entertainment centers, they disappeared for a while just like armoires in living rooms and bedrooms too. BUT they are coming back in stores I believe because people have few places to put things. Also, I believe a lot of this trend to less is because people have less $$$ more than any other reason. People seem to buy big fancy homes and not furnish them- strange to me. I would say buy smaller and furnish well. On theme. I do like theme. The Tuscan vibe is a beautiful earthy natural palette versus the artificial gray industrial theme. It is difficult for me to think of home decor void of any theme. That is why I am in shock now in furniture stores where everything looks alike- cheap looking stick furniture with all straight lines and mostly painted to hide the core element. You have to go high-end to get any style.
Themes are generally terrible and why Tuscan or grey don’t work.
Watch for of Nick’s videos and he teaches more about the science of subtlety with interior design.
Living in an Olive Garden had me lol’ing. The gray on gray trend always made me think of people living in a 1950’s black and white sitcom, but more depressing.. I couldn’t do it
Did you know that some people actually, genuinely think the world used to be black and white? I knew a girl back in high school who truly thought that's how it was.
Edit: same btw lol
@@katie7748 wowza…I wonder what that girl is doing now?! Lol
@@ClineFamilyof5 and probably a news anchor.
I agree. I LIKE grey and have nothing against it, but it needs something to warm it up. Not just all-grey everything.
Grey is timeless. Easy to use furniture and pops of color to brighten.
The purpose of the "pork chop" counter is to add storage space that still allows access to the toilet tank. That slice is more sturdy and stable than the top of the toilet. Basically that's where you store the poopourri - not potpourri!
Nick, 100 percent agree about the "porkchop" countertop. I have one in my bathroom, which is the secondary bathroom. We call it a "banjo" countertop. Whatever it's called, I HATE IT! I want to have it and the gigantic mirror removed, but I think that's going to be very expensive. I imagine removing them will tear up the paint, and I'll have to have all that cleaned up. Oh well, I'll save up and do it, totally worth it! Great video Nick 😀
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