Hi Everyone! I hope you enjoyed this new video on design choices that might want to reconsider. There were so many great comments and additions to the list on the last video that I thought a follow up was in order. Let me know your thoughts. Have a beautiful day! ❤Liz
Another issue with pot fillers… Sure, it's a lot lighter to move an empty pot over to the stove and fill it. But eventually, you still have to move it back to the sink while it's full when you're done. Considering it needs plumbing, a bunch of extra labour to install, etc. It's not actually practical.
Most stoves are located on an exterior wall so the plumbing will run between that exterior wall and possibly pose a freeze potential in very cold weather. Our area just had a very cold (minus 8 degrees F) spell, friends with frozen pipes. Don’t want that additional risk.
The primary reason I installed a pot filler was the greater flow rate. Most pot fillers are 4-5 gpm while the sink faucet is 1-2 gpm. Definitely a luxury and not a must have. Less risk of leaks over your stove/range if you don’t install one.
I dislike large doorless showers w/giant tile spaces to clean; freezing cold and just too much. The steam effect of a just right shower size is sooo nice. Also w/well water, I loathe clear glass shower doors, difficult w/limescale so opting for non clear so much better
Your choices made us feel good that we didn't choose any of them in our new house.. and confirmed all the past mischoices we had made.. but won't anymore! Plus, I would add these to your list: buying a large house.. not realizing how much EXTRA upkeep a big house requires, black granite countertops.. fingerprints, water stains, and grease really show up! White lower cabinet doors in kitchen - especially around the sink area (ditto for super dark cabinet doors), traditional hardwood floors (can cost upwards of $10K to refinish after 15 years!). Wall to wall carpeting.. never again! maybe do a video on more of this.. as well as one on the misfortune that can happen from buying in the "right" zip code.. when tradespeople upcharge you for your "desirable" location! Great, well produced, concise video.. thanks!
My pleasure! I;m so happy you liked it. If you haven't seen the first one here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/8xxlvTg9Yuc/v-deo.html. And thanks so much for the additions for the next video on this topic.
An impractical choice I made when building that I didn’t realise at the time was upgrading to double shower size in my ensuite. Realised once built it came at the expense of floor space to put a clothes basket and I don’t even enjoy showering in it and prefer the normal size one in the main bathroom
Always opt for practicality and common sense over trends. Buy for the long run ie whether something does the job it is intended to do and as you say here, without it causing more work. Seriously what something looks like, in all things in life, should always be secondary to what it actually IS.
Wood burning fireplaces and Wood burning stoves are really high maintenance, but I still love mine! Big plants are also a high maintenance choice but worth it for me.
We have 100 acres of woods behind us and so much confusion from people about not having an indoor woodburning fireplace. 1. Insurance is expensive 2. Messy 3. Our house is well insulated and excellent climate control, we never used our wood burning fireplace in our old house because it didn't feel cosy like that 4. We have twin infants and smoke is bad for lungs. We wouldn't have a gas stove for the same reason 5. We're an isolated rural property, if a fire breaks out, the place will burn down before fire department reach us. We built with fire resistant materials due to forest fires and hope for the best Those are our top reasons and I love wood burning fireplaces in cold old house I lived in in England as a kid but it's just not the same in a warm house. It's like I love that for others but confused why people make such a big deal about it at our house. 😅
Wood stoves are also a huge waste of energy compared to masonry heaters - which are also easier to keep clean, because they burn hotter & don't leave a lot of creosote behind, comparatively.
I love a wood burning fireplace but compared to most other options, they’re terrible at heating a room. With any fireplace most of the heat from the fire goes up the chimney. I live somewhere with mild winters so we use it a few times but we have no expectation that it’s providing meaningful heat.
I like them for emergency heat. You just never know. During the Texas freeze one of my cousins was there and idk what would have happened if she and her daughter hadn’t had the warmth of the wood fire with no electricity overnight
@@MiVidaBellisima I am too. We stopped burning ours because it was actually dropping the temperature in the house even though it felt warm by the fire itself. We got more heat from putting our cast iron pots on the stove and simmering water. Unless the fireplace and fire are large they suck more air up the chimney than is made up for by the heat they produce.
They key to black faucets etc. is two things really: 1) make sure your water is not hard and 2) pick a shape that allows for gravity to pull any drops of water down/away from the surface of it. I have black faucets and showerheads everywhere in the house and because we have a good water quality and I picked a good shape of them, we have absolutely no hassle cleaning. I clean once a week with vinegar cleaner and do nothing else in between and they don't show any buildup whatsoever. Had them for about 2 years. We had the same ones in the previous place too and even with hard water, I found the weekly clean equally manageable compared to chrome ones tbh.
My peeve is leather furniture. It looks great, of course, but I’m 5’2”…if I want my back to be supported, my feet don’t necessarily touch the ground, so I’ll keep sliding down. I need to have furniture that acts like velcro so I can stay put 🙄😁
I’m 5’0” and LOVE my leather sectional sofa. It is my 2nd Natuzzi leather sofa (I also have a Natuzzi ultra suede set in my family room, contemporary yet super cozy!). You have to go to the showroom and sit in them. They have different styles (ie puffy vs straight line ) and depths of seat for us shorter folks😉. My last one lasted 24 yrs!
Great advice! I totally agree on not using black shower/bath fixtures either, but some clients just love the look, so they get them with a caveat. Also agree on NO dark floors, especially if they have kids and dogs. Vessel sinks can be used in a powder room (that doesn't get heavy use) for dramatic effect. Otherwise forget them. An undermount sink is way better. Gives more counter space, and easier to wipe up splash. Some additional finishes I avoid are the rounded pebble mosaic tiles in shower. Unless you like a painful foot message every time you take a shower, get the flattened version. Same look but so much more comfortable. Either one is hard to clean and has a lot of grout that can stain, or eventually come out. Also I stay away from textured tile in showers and stove backsplashes. Just hard to clean.
I LOVE my leather sofa as well. Shea butter Dove soap, and a soft wet cloth is my go to for cleaning and conditioning my leather sofa. I’ve been using this technique for years-Works great!
Regarding the pot filler, you don't always have to carry the full pot back to the sink. Lots of times you're making things that are scooped directly out of the pot and served. In fact the only time you really have to carry it to the sink is when making pasta or similar foods that need to be drained. I am not putting a pot filler in my new kitchen, just because I don't like how it looks, the sink will be near the stove, and I want to save the money. But, for some people I think they are a great idea.
Vessel sink is entirely impractical for tooth brushing and hand washing. It creates a huge mess no matter how careful I am. It’s a pain having them and am pulling them out. The creator of vessel sink should be prosecuted.
I find my plantation shutters easy to maintain and have an entire house of them. I have a few windows/doors with 1 inch slat blinds and those are hard to maintain. Most of my shutters only need quarterly or semi-annual dusting (and I have 3 cats and hate dust). I do have a beefed up whole house filtration system which probably keeps dust down. I just use a micro-fiber cloth with a little multi-surface pledge and hit each slat. I either do them all in a day or rotate rooms when I do a deeper clean.
LOVE my plantation shutters. Blinds are dust magnets, as well, so I'll take the shutters over them every time!! I agree, the bathroom is beautiful! We also recently did a bathroom is a slate looking matte floor tile. Whoa, what a MISTAKE. Shows every drop of water and needs daily maintenance. I'll give that less than 3 years before we stick tile on top of it.
@@BalanceRhythmin light of what you’ve found, what color wood floor would you prefer for kitchen and high traffic areas and for a bathroom what patterns and colors conceal debris Bette?
@@jewelofwisdom8279 Medium brown wood tones are pretty versatile and for bathrooms I really like a medium warm gray like the one I used in both my bathroom renovations. Check out Emser Tiles's Uptown, Morningside color for reference. You could also go with some pattern on the bathroom floor. I highly recommend porcelain tile. It's super durable and impervious to water.
I have slaved away at a huge, 6 bedroom, 4 bathroom, split level home for 19 years. These are the conclusions I have reached for low maintenance: Flat front cabinets, light colored, matte finish (kitchen, bath)-no detail, perhaps only some texture Matte, light floors (hardwood, laminate) Fabric drums light fixtures, instead of "chandeliers" Wooden interior frames for windows, no mouldings with rosettes like I currently have Flat, wide baseboards; wood-tone is best. Any details harbor dust. Flat interior doors with matte handles Blackout curtains with rods for window treatments-easiest to maintain. I wash mine every 6 mos. Fabric sofas, light colors (gray, beige)-leather, or faux leather, splits or flakes, is cold, uncomfortable, and no decorative pillows stay put Large 12x14-16 lightly colored tiles in showers or baths. The bigger the tiles, the easier they are to clean. Sinks-one piece with the countertop slab. Undermount are notorious for mold gathering under the sink, and bowls are the least practical (not to mention impossible to clean under/around the bowl). I hope this will help someone, as I wish I would have known this when we built our custom home.
I am amazed that your paint color looks so different in each side of the shot. What a difference in lighting. What color is that and are you happy with it?
The color is Crushed Ice by Sherwin Williams, a light gray with just a tiny hint of warmth. I've been very happy with it but will probably be ready for an update soon.
I used to work at a school and one day they inaugurated a new building. It has dark wood stairs which was exceptionally beautiful on day one. But when the kids started to stomp on it (you can only imagine how dirty high schooler shoes are), people realized how bad that idea was. At one point they even stopped cleaning it. I still laugh once in a while when I thought about it
I want plantation shutters for all the reasons you pointed out but they are extremely expensive. I went with venetians on one window instead and they’re annoying to clean due to the strings running between the slats
You don't have to do each crystal. Spray the whole thing with diluted white vinegar (AFTER you have taped over the sockets and spread a drop cloth!) Let it drip dry. Pull up drop cloth, untape sockets--done!
For waterfall faucets, you have to use common sense and adjust the water output (valve) so it doesn’t splash. I love mine. In general, I agree with your list. ❤😊❤
Plants as decorations is a no no for me. They require a LOT of maintenance. Even the ones called 'easy to grow' and especially the ones called 'low light'. Sure, they will grow but stunted, small leaves and really slow growing. I have 49 but some require too much attention that I don't have to commit. When they commit suicide, I don't replace them like I used to.
I love my black faucets & shower. The soap scum would be there regardless of color. I just know earlier when it needs to be cleaned. I used to have dark floors. Never again!
I disagree, I love bath tubs and would never live without one. I can see if you lived in a very warm climate it would be unnecessary but a hot bath before bed on a cold night is wonderful.
We went against the brass & black trends & just put all brushed nickel fixtures in. Pets are also a very high maintenance choice that 80% of people shouldn't have anyway given how many end up in shelters, are running loose or have major behavioral problems (like most of their owners do - let's be real here.)
I watched this video and skipped through a lot of it because the aesthetic did not fit mine, but my main objection is this designer is geared to an audience that is so much more affluent than I am, or far more willing to obsess on things that simply wouldn't even occur to me as bothersome. I would never choose a giant tub because I like showers and would certain never bother with a microfiber mop to make it look perfect at the base. That is obsession. I would not pick black fixtures or indoor shutters because I don't see the point. A pot filler? Who does that? What a waste of plumbing. No I would never have a light fixture that looks like s silly hat...enough said. Dark floors. Yes I'm guilty and have 3 dogs but I vacuum anyway and the cordless stick vacuums make it a breeze. Coffee makers like the one shown require a kitchen and wall space much greater than what I have or want. I got rid of my jetted tub to make an oversize shower. I live in the south so I have a pool if I want a bath that large.
So glad I watched your video. I stayed away from many of the design features mentioned in your video for the very reasons you stated. I was considering black fixtures in my bathroom remodel until now. Thank you for setting me straight.
I once lived in a house with a matte black sink. It was a nightmare to clean! No matter what product I used or how I went about using it, it always had a dingy cast to it.
We bought a house with black fixtures in the en suite bathroom. The black seems to have faded and rubbed off in places. I’ve heard they can be painted but I haven’t looked into that yet.
I bought a beautiful claw foot tub for my craftsman house when I was 40. My elderly mom told me I’d made a big mistake. I’m 74 now and I understand. It would be very dangerous for me now. I’m only 5’3”. Just make sure you have a shower available.
Black faucet is a no no. I had them and after I moved out and am now renovating my new place, I opt for gun metal coloured faucets instead. Black coloured sink is equally difficult to maintain. The grease stains are very difficult to remove even with baking soda, vinegar and lemon..
I've never seen built-in coffee makers before, but it looks crazy to me. Spend thousands of dollars to have the coffee maker above the counter, then who knows how much on maintenance. I would think a simple open cabinet would accomplish the same function, and if the coffee maker failed you could easily (and much less expensively) replace it without tearing apart your kitchen. They used to put open cabinets for microwave ovens in kitchens. Same principle could be used for coffee machines.
Ugh! Have a Miele built in that came with the house. Nothing but a pain. I’m planning on removing it and just putting in an open area for a counter top maker. Never ever again.
Agree on the crystal chandelier. I put one in a stairwell. It is so beautiful, but I can't figure out how to clean it. In addition to all the crystals, it's too high to reach. I tried a Swiffer duster, but it seems like the dust is a bit sticky, so it dosen't come off easily.
I went for walnut colour floors too just because I prefer the colour and yes it is a pain to keep clean but nowhere near as bad as say shiny white ceramic floor tiles would be.
I’m in two minds about carpets. My dogs’ hair tend to collect on them and they are a pain to keep clean. Thinking about going for small rugs on a wooden floor next.
Find all the right things for the house is nice. I know they make water handles that are smart technology it know you are standing in front of it and turns on on some not all you move your hand right the water turns cold move your hand left and the water turn hot same way with these smart lamps you use your hand in motion to turn on or off the lamp and up or down to control the brightness of the light. For me it's having your house all smart technology capable power outlets that have built in USB to smart door locks automatic window shades Wi-Fi system built-in through the whole house to anywhere you are in the home you always have a very strong connection to the Wi-Fi even smart refrigerators and dishwashers all these technology devices throughout the home from google and other technology companies and on that same token maybe looking in to possibly getting your house solar panels so that way you save money on energy bills every month do have to pay the power company every month for electricity and if you drive tesla looking into ways to have a plug built into in the most efficient way I know most people would think the garage is the best place but for others that may not be an option. So basically, keeping the entire house smart and also have room to upgrade or add on as this smart technology continues to grow as time goes on.
Yes! I have to clean and condition the leather on our Stressless recliners every six months, which takes about one hour. Very important maintenance to keep it looking and aging well. Another thing to consider when choosing leather.
Hi Everyone! I hope you enjoyed this new video on design choices that might want to reconsider. There were so many great comments and additions to the list on the last video that I thought a follow up was in order. Let me know your thoughts. Have a beautiful day! ❤Liz
Another issue with pot fillers… Sure, it's a lot lighter to move an empty pot over to the stove and fill it. But eventually, you still have to move it back to the sink while it's full when you're done. Considering it needs plumbing, a bunch of extra labour to install, etc. It's not actually practical.
Great points!
That’s exactly my perspective. It seems impractical.
Most stoves are located on an exterior wall so the plumbing will run between that exterior wall and possibly pose a freeze potential in very cold weather. Our area just had a very cold (minus 8 degrees F) spell, friends with frozen pipes. Don’t want that additional risk.
The primary reason I installed a pot filler was the greater flow rate. Most pot fillers are 4-5 gpm while the sink faucet is 1-2 gpm.
Definitely a luxury and not a must have. Less risk of leaks over your stove/range if you don’t install one.
I dislike large doorless showers w/giant tile spaces to clean; freezing cold and just too much. The steam effect of a just right shower size is sooo nice. Also w/well water, I loathe clear glass shower doors, difficult w/limescale so opting for non clear so much better
I’m 78 and love my stand-alone tub. Easy to hold the sides (without bending far!) to easily step into the tub. Like a giant safety rail.
WOW! I would have assumed the opposite! I learned something. Thanks.
@@elizabethwaldorf9275 it depends on your agility. It is assumed people over 60 are a falls risk.
@lesleymcneill1403 , a lot of us would be fine into our 60s and early 70s if we have a good edge to hold onto.
You are in the minority.
Your choices made us feel good that we didn't choose any of them in our new house.. and confirmed all the past mischoices we had made.. but won't anymore! Plus, I would add these to your list: buying a large house.. not realizing how much EXTRA upkeep a big house requires, black granite countertops.. fingerprints, water stains, and grease really show up! White lower cabinet doors in kitchen - especially around the sink area (ditto for super dark cabinet doors), traditional hardwood floors (can cost upwards of $10K to refinish after 15 years!). Wall to wall carpeting.. never again! maybe do a video on more of this.. as well as one on the misfortune that can happen from buying in the "right" zip code.. when tradespeople upcharge you for your "desirable" location! Great, well produced, concise video.. thanks!
My pleasure! I;m so happy you liked it. If you haven't seen the first one here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/8xxlvTg9Yuc/v-deo.html. And thanks so much for the additions for the next video on this topic.
An impractical choice I made when building that I didn’t realise at the time was upgrading to double shower size in my ensuite. Realised once built it came at the expense of floor space to put a clothes basket and I don’t even enjoy showering in it and prefer the normal size one in the main bathroom
Always opt for practicality and common sense over trends. Buy for the long run ie whether something does the job it is intended to do and as you say here, without it causing more work. Seriously what something looks like, in all things in life, should always be secondary to what it actually IS.
Wood burning fireplaces and Wood burning stoves are really high maintenance, but I still love mine! Big plants are also a high maintenance choice but worth it for me.
We have 100 acres of woods behind us and so much confusion from people about not having an indoor woodburning fireplace.
1. Insurance is expensive
2. Messy
3. Our house is well insulated and excellent climate control, we never used our wood burning fireplace in our old house because it didn't feel cosy like that
4. We have twin infants and smoke is bad for lungs. We wouldn't have a gas stove for the same reason
5. We're an isolated rural property, if a fire breaks out, the place will burn down before fire department reach us. We built with fire resistant materials due to forest fires and hope for the best
Those are our top reasons and I love wood burning fireplaces in cold old house I lived in in England as a kid but it's just not the same in a warm house. It's like I love that for others but confused why people make such a big deal about it at our house. 😅
Wood stoves are also a huge waste of energy compared to masonry heaters - which are also easier to keep clean, because they burn hotter & don't leave a lot of creosote behind, comparatively.
I love a wood burning fireplace but compared to most other options, they’re terrible at heating a room. With any fireplace most of the heat from the fire goes up the chimney. I live somewhere with mild winters so we use it a few times but we have no expectation that it’s providing meaningful heat.
I like them for emergency heat. You just never know. During the Texas freeze one of my cousins was there and idk what would have happened if she and her daughter hadn’t had the warmth of the wood fire with no electricity overnight
@@MiVidaBellisima I am too. We stopped burning ours because it was actually dropping the temperature in the house even though it felt warm by the fire itself. We got more heat from putting our cast iron pots on the stove and simmering water. Unless the fireplace and fire are large they suck more air up the chimney than is made up for by the heat they produce.
They key to black faucets etc. is two things really: 1) make sure your water is not hard and 2) pick a shape that allows for gravity to pull any drops of water down/away from the surface of it. I have black faucets and showerheads everywhere in the house and because we have a good water quality and I picked a good shape of them, we have absolutely no hassle cleaning. I clean once a week with vinegar cleaner and do nothing else in between and they don't show any buildup whatsoever. Had them for about 2 years. We had the same ones in the previous place too and even with hard water, I found the weekly clean equally manageable compared to chrome ones tbh.
My peeve is leather furniture. It looks great, of course, but I’m 5’2”…if I want my back to be supported, my feet don’t necessarily touch the ground, so I’ll keep sliding down. I need to have furniture that acts like velcro so I can stay put 🙄😁
Another great benefit of the full upholstered sofa! 😊
lol love this reason. Try exposing some skin so it directly contacts the leather, guaranteed you’ll stick! Hahahha😅
I live in south Florida, and there’s no way to describe how much I hate having any of my bare skin touching leather furniture!
Same. I have a fabric sofa but the cushions slide off the base. Drives me insane!
I’m 5’0” and LOVE my leather sectional sofa. It is my 2nd Natuzzi leather sofa (I also have a Natuzzi ultra suede set in my family room, contemporary yet super cozy!). You have to go to the showroom and sit in them. They have different styles (ie puffy vs straight line ) and depths of seat for us shorter folks😉. My last one lasted 24 yrs!
I installed smooth baseboards and they are much easier to dust and clean. FYI
Great advice! I totally agree on not using black shower/bath fixtures either, but some clients just love the look, so they get them with a caveat. Also agree on NO dark floors, especially if they have kids and dogs. Vessel sinks can be used in a powder room (that doesn't get heavy use) for dramatic effect. Otherwise forget them. An undermount sink is way better. Gives more counter space, and easier to wipe up splash. Some additional finishes I avoid are the rounded pebble mosaic tiles in shower. Unless you like a painful foot message every time you take a shower, get the flattened version. Same look but so much more comfortable. Either one is hard to clean and has a lot of grout that can stain, or eventually come out. Also I stay away from textured tile in showers and stove backsplashes. Just hard to clean.
Great points! Thanks for the additional tips!
Cleaning is not a chore I enjoy so a #1 consideration for all my design/decor is practicality and ease of maintenance.
I have a black waterfall faucet in my bathroom. It is indeed all stained up with water stains, and I think it looks fantastic!
It's how black patinas 😉
a vinegar wipe regularly will eliminate the lime buildup. Very easy!
Waterfall faucets also present challenges for cleaning off water deposits/mineral build up (ask me how I know 🙃)
I love our leather couch
Easy to keep clean and lasts for years
I would recommend though medium to dark color to keep clean looking
Agree. I’ve got mine for ages. Minimal maintenance and still looks great.
Same here, always get leather sofas and they look amazing for ages!
I LOVE my leather sofa as well.
Shea butter Dove soap, and a soft wet cloth is my go to for cleaning and conditioning my leather sofa. I’ve been using this technique for years-Works great!
Regarding the pot filler, you don't always have to carry the full pot back to the sink. Lots of times you're making things that are scooped directly out of the pot and served. In fact the only time you really have to carry it to the sink is when making pasta or similar foods that need to be drained. I am not putting a pot filler in my new kitchen, just because I don't like how it looks, the sink will be near the stove, and I want to save the money. But, for some people I think they are a great idea.
Thank you for the videos. Can you do one on walk in showers? Crown moldings? Doors in the house and the front door ?
My pleasure! I'll look at putting something together on those topics. Great ideas!
Vessel sink is entirely impractical for tooth brushing and hand washing. It creates a huge mess no matter how careful I am. It’s a pain having them and am pulling them out. The creator of vessel sink should be prosecuted.
I’m unsure how they function any differently to a recessed sink when it comes to brushing teeth and washing your hands 🤔
I find my plantation shutters easy to maintain and have an entire house of them. I have a few windows/doors with 1 inch slat blinds and those are hard to maintain. Most of my shutters only need quarterly or semi-annual dusting (and I have 3 cats and hate dust). I do have a beefed up whole house filtration system which probably keeps dust down. I just use a micro-fiber cloth with a little multi-surface pledge and hit each slat. I either do them all in a day or rotate rooms when I do a deeper clean.
I agree! I had wide slats at my last house and smaller ones at my current house. I don’t like curtains and these work great!
LOVE my plantation shutters. Blinds are dust magnets, as well, so I'll take the shutters over them every time!! I agree, the bathroom is beautiful!
We also recently did a bathroom is a slate looking matte floor tile. Whoa, what a MISTAKE. Shows every drop of water and needs daily maintenance. I'll give that less than 3 years before we stick tile on top of it.
Thank you! Looking forward to doing a full reveal soon. Thank you for sharing your experience with the slate tile.
@@BalanceRhythmin light of what you’ve found, what color wood floor would you prefer for kitchen and high traffic areas and for a bathroom what patterns and colors conceal debris Bette?
@@jewelofwisdom8279 Medium brown wood tones are pretty versatile and for bathrooms I really like a medium warm gray like the one I used in both my bathroom renovations. Check out Emser Tiles's Uptown, Morningside color for reference. You could also go with some pattern on the bathroom floor. I highly recommend porcelain tile. It's super durable and impervious to water.
I have slaved away at a huge, 6 bedroom, 4 bathroom, split level home for 19 years. These are the conclusions I have reached for low maintenance:
Flat front cabinets, light colored, matte finish (kitchen, bath)-no detail, perhaps only some texture
Matte, light floors (hardwood, laminate)
Fabric drums light fixtures, instead of "chandeliers"
Wooden interior frames for windows, no mouldings with rosettes like I currently have
Flat, wide baseboards; wood-tone is best. Any details harbor dust.
Flat interior doors with matte handles
Blackout curtains with rods for window treatments-easiest to maintain. I wash mine every 6 mos.
Fabric sofas, light colors (gray, beige)-leather, or faux leather, splits or flakes, is cold, uncomfortable, and no decorative pillows stay put
Large 12x14-16 lightly colored tiles in showers or baths. The bigger the tiles, the easier they are to clean.
Sinks-one piece with the countertop slab. Undermount are notorious for mold gathering under the sink, and bowls are the least practical (not to mention impossible to clean under/around the bowl).
I hope this will help someone, as I wish I would have known this when we built our custom home.
Thanks for your insights!
Embracing smart, low-maintenance choices simplifies lives. 🥰🥰
Love, love, love your bathroom and the cream herringbone tile. Herringbone and subway tiles are my fave! So beautiful! Can't wait to see the video.
Thanks so much! 😊
Your bathroom is so beautiful!
Thank you! That was a little sneak peek but I'll do a full reveal once it's all decorated and styled.
I love my free standing tub. Easy to clean using the sprayer and cleaning product. Looks great.
We love love love our pot filler! It’s not hard to clean and so worth it.
Hi Liz, I enjoy your videos. Gracias for all the knowledge. I appreciate your the time and and effort you put in to educate us.
God bless you always.
Thank you so much ❤️ I’m so happy you’re enjoying the videos!
I am amazed that your paint color looks so different in each side of the shot. What a difference in lighting. What color is that and are you happy with it?
The color is Crushed Ice by Sherwin Williams, a light gray with just a tiny hint of warmth. I've been very happy with it but will probably be ready for an update soon.
I used to work at a school and one day they inaugurated a new building. It has dark wood stairs which was exceptionally beautiful on day one. But when the kids started to stomp on it (you can only imagine how dirty high schooler shoes are), people realized how bad that idea was. At one point they even stopped cleaning it. I still laugh once in a while when I thought about it
I have a couple of louvre doors - similar issues to plantation shutters. Will replace them with no regret.
I want plantation shutters for all the reasons you pointed out but they are extremely expensive. I went with venetians on one window instead and they’re annoying to clean due to the strings running between the slats
Thank you for this. Ease of care is very important to me.
My pleasure!
You don't have to do each crystal. Spray the whole thing with diluted white vinegar (AFTER you have taped over the sockets and spread a drop cloth!) Let it drip dry. Pull up drop cloth, untape sockets--done!
For waterfall faucets, you have to use common sense and adjust the water output (valve) so it doesn’t splash. I love mine. In general, I agree with your list. ❤😊❤
Great tip! Thanks for sharing it.
Plants as decorations is a no no for me. They require a LOT of maintenance. Even the ones called 'easy to grow' and especially the ones called 'low light'. Sure, they will grow but stunted, small leaves and really slow growing. I have 49 but some require too much attention that I don't have to commit. When they commit suicide, I don't replace them like I used to.
Great points
I love my black faucets & shower. The soap scum would be there regardless of color. I just know earlier when it needs to be cleaned. I used to have dark floors. Never again!
Leather chairs and sofas make awesome cat scratching posts, jk
😂 To cats, everything a scratching post!
Open shelving. Constantly dusting them.
Hi! Could you please link the wall sconces in the bathroom? Thank you
Hi there! I added the link to the wall sconces from Lumens to the description.
Bath tubs is a No for me; they use a lot of space, needs cleaning every time one uses them, and find them a eyesore in general.
Agree on bath tubs. Many of us would have to clean/dust them more often then actually use them.
I disagree, I love bath tubs and would never live without one. I can see if you lived in a very warm climate it would be unnecessary but a hot bath before bed on a cold night is wonderful.
1:18: how is climbing into and out this tub design?
It's not bad. It looks deep but the bottom is raised.
Also, having a rim you can hold onto works as well a having grab bars installed. I wish I had realized when I built our house.
We went against the brass & black trends & just put all brushed nickel fixtures in.
Pets are also a very high maintenance choice that 80% of people shouldn't have anyway given how many end up in shelters, are running loose or have major behavioral problems (like most of their owners do - let's be real here.)
I can live without all of them.
I watched this video and skipped through a lot of it because the aesthetic did not fit mine, but my main objection is this designer is geared to an audience that is so much more affluent than I am, or far more willing to obsess on things that simply wouldn't
even occur to me as bothersome. I would never choose a giant tub because I like showers and would certain never bother with a microfiber mop to make it look perfect at the base. That is obsession. I would not pick black fixtures or indoor shutters because I don't see the point. A pot filler? Who does that? What a waste of plumbing. No I would never have a light fixture that looks like s silly hat...enough said. Dark floors. Yes I'm guilty and have 3 dogs but I vacuum anyway and the cordless stick vacuums make it a breeze. Coffee makers like the one shown require a kitchen and wall space much greater than what I have or want. I got rid of my jetted tub to make an oversize shower. I live in the south so I have a pool if I want a bath that large.
The point of the video is to think twice about these items.
So glad I watched your video. I stayed away from many of the design features mentioned in your video for the very reasons you stated. I was considering black fixtures in my bathroom remodel until now. Thank you for setting me straight.
My pleasure! I'm glad it helped with some of your decisions. The sink faucet is doing fine by the way, it's just the shower that's the nightmare.
@@BalanceRhythmI suspected that this could be an issue. Glad that you confirmed it.
I once lived in a house with a matte black sink. It was a nightmare to clean! No matter what product I used or how I went about using it, it always had a dingy cast to it.
We bought a house with black fixtures in the en suite bathroom. The black seems to have faded and rubbed off in places. I’ve heard they can be painted but I haven’t looked into that yet.
I bought a beautiful claw foot tub for my craftsman house when I was 40. My elderly mom told me I’d made a big mistake. I’m 74 now and I understand. It would be very dangerous for me now. I’m only 5’3”. Just make sure you have a shower available.
I have 2 bamboo light fixtures. I don't find them to be any more work than metal/glass.
Black faucet is a no no. I had them and after I moved out and am now renovating my new place, I opt for gun metal coloured faucets instead. Black coloured sink is equally difficult to maintain. The grease stains are very difficult to remove even with baking soda, vinegar and lemon..
I've never seen built-in coffee makers before, but it looks crazy to me. Spend thousands of dollars to have the coffee maker above the counter, then who knows how much on maintenance. I would think a simple open cabinet would accomplish the same function, and if the coffee maker failed you could easily (and much less expensively) replace it without tearing apart your kitchen.
They used to put open cabinets for microwave ovens in kitchens. Same principle could be used for coffee machines.
I have one and I love it, it’s Miele self cleaning but you’re right it’s expensive
Ugh! Have a Miele built in that came with the house. Nothing but a pain. I’m planning on removing it and just putting in an open area for a counter top maker. Never ever again.
Agree on the crystal chandelier. I put one in a stairwell. It is so beautiful, but I can't figure out how to clean it. In addition to all the crystals, it's too high to reach. I tried a Swiffer duster, but it seems like the dust is a bit sticky, so it dosen't come off easily.
I went for walnut colour floors too just because I prefer the colour and yes it is a pain to keep clean but nowhere near as bad as say shiny white ceramic floor tiles would be.
Agreed, *especially* about the ceiling fixtures and black faucets!
I’m in two minds about carpets. My dogs’ hair tend to collect on them and they are a pain to keep clean. Thinking about going for small rugs on a wooden floor next.
Find all the right things for the house is nice. I know they make water handles that are smart technology it know you are standing in front of it and turns on on some not all you move your hand right the water turns cold move your hand left and the water turn hot same way with these smart lamps you use your hand in motion to turn on or off the lamp and up or down to control the brightness of the light. For me it's having your house all smart technology capable power outlets that have built in USB to smart door locks automatic window shades Wi-Fi system built-in through the whole house to anywhere you are in the home you always have a very strong connection to the Wi-Fi even smart refrigerators and dishwashers all these technology devices throughout the home from google and other technology companies and on that same token maybe looking in to possibly getting your house solar panels so that way you save money on energy bills every month do have to pay the power company every month for electricity and if you drive tesla looking into ways to have a plug built into in the most efficient way I know most people would think the garage is the best place but for others that may not be an option. So basically, keeping the entire house smart and also have room to upgrade or add on as this smart technology continues to grow as time goes on.
For jetted tub, do you mean the air jet? I do t think those harbor mold
Any tub with jets can harbor mold if not maintained properly.
The leather of the sofa also should be treated with a special product every once in a while 🤷🏼♀️
Yes! I have to clean and condition the leather on our Stressless recliners every six months, which takes about one hour. Very important maintenance to keep it looking and aging well. Another thing to consider when choosing leather.