Color block curtains, blergh! They remind me of hospital curtains, the ones they pull around the beds for privacy. I don’t need a reminder of that in my home, thank you.
Monetizing something you love doing doesn't count as lazy in my book. I'll bet you spend over 60 hours weekly on doing this and I'm so glad you do. I get excited over every thumbnail 😂
I really enjoy the channel - for a variety of reasons! I have always believed that money doesn't equal style or taste - but money with taste? Ooooooo... and I wouldn't even see half this stuff without ya (I am also not here for colour blocked curtains haha)
One positive of cork (and the reason my parents had it in our home growing up) is that it's softer than traditional hardwoods. While that makes makes it less durable, it also makes it less noisy, less hard on your feet, and slightly safer for little kids who are more likely to fall and hit the floor hard during play. It's also more insulating, so the floor never gets as cold. Totally get why someone wouldn't want it, but I also get the appeal.
I’ve been to a place where they had cork subflooring (is that a word? No idea. I mean they had cork under the actual floor) it was amazing! Soft to walk on, less noisy, warm… just awesome
I love the look of cork, and the way it feels, especially on bare feet. We ended up using a high quality laminate that looks like cork - got the look but more durable, and a lot lower cost. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the same feel, but it’s worked for us.
We had a cork floor when I was a kid and it was great to run around on. However, when there was an earthquake and a glass jar of cheez whiz shattered on the floor, it was a nightmare. Flooring that shouldn't get wet and that glass shards could get stuck in. What a mess.
I have stone and tile in my bathroom - for aesthetics AND the ability to SEE where the counter is, where the shower stall is, where the tub is, etc. If I had a one stone bathroom, I'd be FEELING THE WALLS to figure out where the hell I was! How do they do it Nick? No one ever talks about THAT!
Cork tile in the kitchen is something that I always wanted. A friend of mine had them in his family's home from the 1940s his grand father installed them they were black and cream checkered and they always looked great. His aunt loved them for the durability, quiet and she always said that they had a "cushiony" feel on her feet. The house is sold but the new owners love them too.
I bet that would be more forgiving if you were to drop a glass or, god forbid, your knife on the floor! My place has tile floors in the kitchen, and I rent so I can't change the flooring, but boy does it suck when things fall!
We laid cork flooring planks in our kitchen when we first moved into out home 20 years ago. We replaced them with bamboo flooring to match what was running through the rest or the house. Big mistake. The bamboo shows every scratch, ding, and footprint. The cork was warm underfoot, and was somewhat sound dampening between the kitchen and basement. Just keep in mind when moving heavy appliances the floors can marr, if you have dogs, their nails may mark it, and if it gets water on it they can swell. Kitchens and baths generally aren't ideal places for cork flooring. That said, I bet your friend's cork flooring from the 40s was amazing. Quality and craftsmanship have largely been lost over the decades, nothing made today is designed to last.
I paused this video in the middle because my son asked about my aunt's house from the 50s. I was telling him about the cork floors and showing him photos from the last time I was there when it sold two years ago.
An architect friend has real cork floors, like where you can see the subtle light and dark loopy bark pattern in the slices, not the ground up re-formed bulletin-board looking stuff, and they are to die for. Cool in summer, warm in winter, no loud clacking footsteps but hard and resilient, has had them for 30 years and still great as ever. Would totally have those floors but impossibly expensive, and I say this as someone who could easily drive to Portugal in 10 hours.
One trend I’ve never been able to get around is Boucle fabric - why people would choose to purchase a couch/chair/bedhead that looks balled and pilly is beyond me.
Nick, I adore that you made air quotes around the phrase "pop of color". Should you happen to decide to use your platform to stamp out this phrase from the design vernacular in 2024, I'm absolutely here for it! 🤣
It's always the ones who have no sense of style, thinking they're an amateur interior designer by matching a yellow wall with their crusty black leather recliner sofa set 💀
I despise the word basically…because… basically , it’s a filler word… basically……ugh. Stop and think of what you want to say. Hmmm merry Christmas or happy Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate… fin.d joy and kindness as best you can. Peace.
I don't follow trends, but I do follow you on YT, Nick. Also, I don't think of you as lazy because you always show us amazing examples of what you are describing. Happy Holidays!
I tune in for your personality! I love your honesty, your humor, and your fast-paced chatter! You always make my day, lighter, and brighter! My husband and I have fun tuning in to your posts during morning coffee!
Cork flooring kinda gives me the squick because like what if I was walking across one wearing high heels and then I started sinking into it like I’m a giant thumbtack
Agree with the color blocked curtains. It's like the shorter curtains didn't sell so they added a block of fabric to make them longer. The wall paper border examples at 1:56 😱.
I agree with the cork assessment. I get that it's a natural, more renewable material but (to me) it just reminds me of those peg boards from school that I pinned my drawings to. Two natural flooring materials that I LOVE and wish got more attention are bamboo and eucalyptus. They're renewable (bamboo and eucalyptus grow like weeds, unlike hardwood trees), lower cost than wood as a result, AND harder/more scratch resistant than wood. They're beautiful flooring options I wish I heard mentioned more often.
The “real” cork flooring is as elevated above “cork board” cork as a beautiful Chicken Parmigiana is above chicken nuggets. The large slices of cork have beautiful patterns.
I so agree with your comments on the all-over-the-bathroom-surfaces marble (or other stone-like material). To me, it says “I’m so rich I can afford this everywhere.” Just imagine in a year or so, when they tire of the whole look and the hard, unforgiving surfaces, how expensive it’s going to be to tear it all out and dispose of it.
Same, but I know he'll still hate it, but it's OK, they flank my mirrored console table. Bwahaha we know how much Nick loves those. But like he says, you like it, do it. 😊
As an interior designer, I always tell my clients that chrome and brushed stainless steel are forever, the other metals will become dated at some point. To my point Nick actually showed a side table that was designed in the 1930s in chrome and glass. It is still being sold today. I do, however, agree that the one material bathroom is lazy and looks terrible. It just creates a weird space. I have been in these bathrooms, and they are the most uncomfortable spaces. Just a few materials will still be simple, but adds dimension.
I was just about to replace my Knoll chrome and glass coffee table after Nick's thoughts on chrome. I'm so glad I read your post. The table will be staying.
I'm currently sitting at my 1890's dining room table, drinking my breakfast coffee, watching your video and the table is crying because its table legs are finally trendy again, but you don't like it. Anyway, I love him, but I also love your videos. Many greetings from Germany!
I do agree with the blobs. They feel very “of the time” and once they go out of style people are going to be stuck with blobby rugs, mirrors, and walls that make their house look dated. I think a good alternative is buying a painting from a local artist, or painting something yourself and framing it. That way you have the style that you like, and it has some meaning to you. Custom art does not go out of style.
I'm in the middle of a complete remodel of a 150-year-old home here in New Orleans. Agree with you on most things, but I think your imagination missed something valuable about cork--which is why I am (actually started yesterday) putting up cork-based paneling in a 9x9 windowless room that will be a home office (can't add windows because of historic district regulations). The cork paneling looks like wood paneling but has the advantage of being acoustic sound-absorbing panels. Cork can really clean up your sonic environment--and can look good.
I don’t like the look of cork enough to use it in my house, and I don’t think it’s durable enough for flooring, but I have to admit that it’s great in rooms used for meetings, music rehearsal, and gaming. It minimizes reverb, reduces the amount of sound that travels through walls, and looks a whole lot nicer than most acoustic foams.
It would also be fantastic as a wall in an art and design studio space. Having the ability to put up and take down any inspo pictures, references, sketches etc. I would love that!
I like the scallops in that wooden piece of furniture and the lamp shade. It reads very feminine to me too (my tastes are very feminine lol), but those two felt more timeless, very 1800s, than the countertop or mirrors, which i hated.
I have a cork floor at my parents house and I really love it. It’s warm but not as fussy as wood is. I can understand if someone doesn’t like the look. It just doesn’t provide the same elegance as wood does. But if you maybe don’t care about or want a sophisticated space but are going for a more cozy (?) vibe then cork might be right for you ☺️
Love your expression "the marble coffin," I've never heard that used before and think it's terrific. I agree with everything you said in this video -as I always do.
I've lived with cork floors for the past 20 years. I have cork floors in my room. My mother had some sort of eco-obsession with it when our house was getting renovated 20 years ago and she put it in all the upstairs rooms, bathrooms included. In the bedrooms, it was properly varnished but in the bathrooms, it was never done 'cause we had a crazy house full of small children which made it complicated to not use the bathrooms while the varnish dries, it got put off forever. If it's finished properly, it does look really beautiful. It has a pattern but it doesn't look cardboard-y. It's easy to mop and quite warm under foot but you do need to re-do the varnish after 10 years (which we didn't do so my floor now looks a bit worn down.) The downside is that it's a soft material and it can dent. There are cracks and dips that will never go away where I put furniture with metal legs. Fortunately, it's not very obvious 'cause the pattern disguises it. If you don't finish it properly, it's a complete disaster. Our bathroom floors get moldy, and are very worn down, the color has faded to a light sand with grey-brown dots and lines, it squeaks, and feels rough. I do _not_ recommend it for any wet areas, even if you varnish it because it does not do well in wet areas. I wouldn't put it in my own place, mostly 'cause I've looked at it for so long that I just want something new, but also because the process of finishing it tests my patience and mucus membranes, I don't want to worry about denting it, and it doesn't hold up to scratchy pet paws. But if you like the look of it, you're prepared to put pads under all your furniture, you don't have pets or kids with lego's, and you are willing to wait a few days for the finish to dry, then you can absolutely make cork floors work beautifully.
@@muellmanni1678100% I wish I had a secret power to see inside everyone’s house/apartment as I walk by because it’s so interesting how people put things together! (Especially in an apartment building with the same layouts)
My early childhood was spent in Sardinia and our floors and furniture were cork. It's so interesting how some can think of cork as cheap where I think of it as classic old world.
Nick would hate my house... I acquired vintage fabric years ago and none of it was long enough so every room has color block and/or borders of vintage fabric with solids for curtains. I also have... get ready to scream... valances!! Lol I'm with him 100% on the blobs though. 😅
I agree with you on pretty much everything aside from the small vintage furniture pieces that showcase a scalloped frame. Its the perfect amount and you can appreciate that it is a vintage work of art. I think its quite feminine.
I love chrome! I have vintage pieces of furniture from a company called Royalchrome that’s from the 1930s to the 1950s that I’ve had for 20+ years and it’s sort of a collection obsession for me. It’s so weird to see these trends come back around because I’ve had these obscure couches and settees for decades, and now they’re going to be hard to collect again because everybody’s going to want them!
I came here to say the same thing! Love chrome and have several chrome-accented pieces in my 40’s - 50’s vintage kitchen. It’s beautiful in the right setting. However, I also have a scalloped wooden valance-thingy ( also vintage)over my kitchen window that I’ve seriously been considering knocking out. 😂
When I was a kid and we moved into our new house mid-'90s, I had a cork wall in my bedroom. It maybe was another similar material because it wasn't like the small cell cork like a bulletin board, but it was like larger chunks between "holes" and a darker, reddish brown color. I used it for posters and drawings until enough pieces of the wall actually fell off the wall and my parents eventually scraped it off.
Before I moved I spray painted all of my metal lamps….all four….copper. They were from the eighties and were shiny brass. Have them to this day. 45 year old J.C Penney lamps….now considered vintage. They were the only lamps I bought new. Damn, I’m old.
Resin tables are giving Cordelia Deetz sculpture from Beetlejuice. Also chrome feels too 80’s for me to bring it all back in to my home. I’m over here ready for the woven baskets (think IKEA) cabinet storage to fad away. Color block curtains also feel very 80’s to me and are the high water pants and 3/4 sleeve no one is asking for.
I disagree about the cork. My uncle owned a house in the Hollywood hills from early 1950’s til @2000. His living room was a mid-century modern museum. It was fabulous, even tho I’m not a fan of MCM look. He had cork floors in the entry thru the living room. It was the fine grain cork laid in sheets. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was durable, easy to care for and a different look than hardwood. So, don’t rule out cork!
Ooh, I bet his house was so gorgeous. I love midcentury modern style. I’ve dreamed of finding a house like that, with an owner who took good care of it and updated nothing.
Here's my thing: I love design that shows off cool materials. In another life I used to be a custom machinist, and LOVE stuff that shows off the inherent beauty of exotic metals - but more to do with the capabilities of those metals. I really love seeing titanium and carbon fiber in the home, and in novel ways to use them. I love machined hardware in the home too, it's soooooo cool being in places and seeing old-school engine turned stainless tables, or knurled brass handles, or guilloche/Rose engine engravings (which, btw, you never see EVER and it's the coolest thing). All these trendy things look like they were made by people who have never made things or done high precision manufacturing.
You are my favorite (slightly) snarky designer! Love your videos! Question: Isn't a resin table in essence just a plastic table? Bad for the environment, if not for so many other reasons.
AAhhhh chrome. When I was like 14 in 1974, I really liked chrome and glass. The first thing I bought with my own money was a tiered chrome and glass stand for my little TV and record player. I think I got it from a catalog and had to put it together. I think I still had it in the early 80's when I got my own apartment cuz I didn't have a lot of furniture to take with me from home. Now I do like the chrome shelving......for the storage closet!
The cork looks like exposed particle board to me. And I do like cork for some things -- I literally have a handbag made out of cork that I bought in Portugal! -- but for furniture and walls, it looks like someone forgot a piece on their Ikea furniture.
Agree with every single one of your no-no's: Curtains - reduce the height of the room, and look like patchwork for too-short curtains. Cork - cheap - first office - crime investigation wall. Blobs - uncomfortable - hybrid modern variant of great grandma's couch and new Mars design. Resin Tables - total cheap manufactured - all in one mould from China - down-market. Chrome / Stainless steel - cold and uninviting. Pewter or certain metal vases can be lovely. Scalloped edges - OUCH - Essence of 1970s country look - there was a name for the look, but can't remember it. One-material bathrooms - Dizzy upside down confusion.
Ha, first time i disagree with Nick! The cork floor can look great, it just needs to be different pattern than the examples you've shown - with chunks of different shades and different sizes. The cork floor was one of the reason i rented my current apartment, and as landlord told me it's there for decades - and it still looks great.
I agree about all you said, except - I saw some very, very poorly aged cork! It is a meterial, I feel, that does require a specific quality in the first place upon insstallation and also proper care. Nothing worse than a random chunk of the flooring missing in the more traffic heavy area. 😬
Totally agree! It might be the first time Nick and I have disagreed. Cork floors are beautiful, historic, classic, comfortable, and environmentally friendly!
I had a cork wall in my teen bedroom (circa 1975-1985). We used stick on tile squares. I still remember the smell. It was a nice smell. And cork was handy for hanging up all my Teen BEat posters of Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett.
I loooooove the blobs. It’s the trend I’ve been waiting for ever since I can remember! Idk why, I’m just so tired of right angles everywhere for everything?? It’s not that everything has to be a blob, variety is essential. But I love it enough that I’d happily have a blob shaped house!!
I love how you're always saying it's your opinion and if you love it then just do it 😂 I appreciate you don't want to offend anyone with your style opinions. It's like how you probably hate my 10ft inflatable Santa in my yard but I love it for my daughters 😄🤶
Haha, yeah, in Dec 2021, House & Garden UK wrote an article titled, "The lampshade that launched a thousand scallops: five years of Matilda Goad." Fast forward two years to their Nov 2023 article, "Is your house full of clichés? Should you care?" and they're arguing whether or not scalloped edges should be considered timeless in moderation or if they've tipped into cliché with overuse. Personally, I love Matilda Goad's work and see her pieces as timeless designs that'll hold their worth aesthetically... but I think we're about to get PRETTY FUNKY with a barrage of scalloped EVERYTHING. (Thanks, Nick, for all your videos, btw. You always make my day better and provide such sensible insights into a too-trend-hopping, disposable industry. My family LOVES watching your channel and your sense of humor.)
I am with you 100%. I do not like any of those trends...Nick could you talk about wall art and how to place them, colors, most searched styles and motifs? I would love to hear your opinion!!! Happy Holidays!
AGREE on the blobs! I think what happened is a number of these companies are trying to imitate some of Kelly Wearstler's designs (which often effectively use this retro style), but these designs generally only work in very high-end homes or hotels with great architecture where this provides a nice whimsical contrast. In most homes, it's just going to feel sort of kid-like and cheap.
I think it is safe to say that I, too, dislike all of these trends. Yikes 😬 you are awesome, Nick. I love your videos and especially your sense of humor!
After having already completed my major home remodeling, I’m now focusing on the non-permanent decor of items. Love your channel for inspiration. I go for Asian decor. My floors are bamboo and countertops are black granite/lava/slate.
The Blob was a sci-fi movie I watched circa 1960 It would be on TV as a Saturday afternoon matinee. I recall seeing it a few times. The blob was sci-fi horror. It kept growing and it ate everything in its path. The blob was very scary then and still is now.
I lived in the city where the Blob was filmed for 30 years and they now hold Blobfest every year with re-enactments of people screaming and running out of the movie theater. Great fun! That was quite the scary movie for me as a youngster.
I ended up agreeing except for the bathroom with the view at 13:02 that the one material framed so well. I don't think I would ever get tired of it unless the floor is slippery.
My husband was in and out of several big hospitals this year so I had days of looking at hospital "decor" - all had the color block curtains on tracks! I would never install these in a home!
I agree with all of these, Nick. I don't want my curtains to look like they should be on a shower, don't want to bathe in a mausoleum, Chrome is not my look, resin is just fugly, and scalloped edges feel like something that belongs in the room of a 7-year-old girl.
My university's library used cork floors in the reading rooms. I loved it. Don't know how it would look in a residential application, though. And never on the walls, I've seen that and it looks like you're living in a bulletin board. A cheap one, at that. Polished marble bathroom floors, or, really, any floors look like the kind of thing your insurance company should cancel your coverage for. Deadly. And the marble ceiling may have been designed to be attached in such a way as to eliminate the possibility of it crashing down and crushing you as you brush your teeth, but was the architect or engineer there supervising the installation? Because some people don't care enough to do a good job.
I've seen the color blocked curtains at West Elm for a while and I have never got them. I do feel like curtains should be a solid color or evenly distributed pattern. Even if you aren't going for grandeur, it limits the ability to tie the space together, when you have two distinct parts of the curtain.
You know what would make a really great video…Nick giving us his internal dialogue, not editing out his real thoughts instead of “ you enjoy it , have at it.” Give it to us straight Nick.
Agree with most except cork. I can understand the reaction thought as it is often over used or inappropriately used but i as a designer have used it successfully in a number of projects
I agree with EVERTHING except scalloped edges but I've liked it for at least 20 years but not used over done...I even have a vintage tool that is hand cranked that you use to scallop paper lol
Thanks for your comments and advice. We also don’t follow trends in our house - still have lots of old stuff and new stuff mixing. Just finally let go of my grandpa’s teak table. It’s so large for our small house and gave away to a cousin who appreciated it. 😊
that bathroom at 13:06 I want to remodel completely. I want to light the entire room through a hexagonal pattern of blue and green colored marbles used as tiles on the floors, walls and ceiling. White grout in between; possibly a mural of some kind with the colored "pixels" on one wall. I love the slightly nonsensical layout, I like that it looks like part of a maze or labyrinth. I just want to change the vibes. Maybe even some more complex lighting behind the marbles and create water caustics through patterns of motion.
Agree with scalloped edges. It reminds me of the border that teachers would use for their classroom boards. Also it does look juvenile and reminds me of rick rack on a raggedy anne doll.
I agree with you on all these trends. They are nit for me either. I just did my kitchen and they wanted me to do that with the marble counter and backsplash. I didn't do it and love what we picked. Great job Nick.
Thanks for the video. I actually agree with everything you mentioned, specially the material in bathrooms. It does feel like the walls are closing in on you… and you’re in the bathroom!!
I know I don’t work all that hard😂. Love it❤ For someone who says you’re not “in the design field? I’ve learned more from you than any other “designers” who blah blah blah their way through life. You’re awesome!
Most of the time when you do these videos of stuff you don't like, I like at least one or two of the things you're talking about, but in this case, I actually agree with everything you brought up. I hate all of these and I hope they don't last!
A friend of mine bought a house in which the kitchen area was renovated with cork floors. Great surface, but the areas that were in direct sunlight each day changed colour from the rest of the floor. Drastically.
Hi Nick, I think you should take a look at the snowman on your side-table. Is it a Christmas decoration that didn't get put back in the box? Some good comments about those current trends. I couldn't figure out why I didn't like colour-block curtains. Now I understand.
Cork is fantastic when it’s THICK. It’s GREAT as a shelf liner for cushioning plates and glasses or to absorb pleasant added scents in a sweater drawer. It’s great on a cork board (in my shop). It’s great as a coaster backing! As a trend? No, it’s timeless though as a material, used appropriately. I must say the first color blocked curtain you showed in a blah room was beautifully used. ❤ it- used well. I LIKE that it adds a human element to a too grand room (where the ceilings are 12-13‘ tall. Maybe even in my dining room (which is wide and not tall and -this is important-we are seated). I’m so so happy I can add in a scallop to my feminine Vic period house bc it’s trending! Thank you Nick!
Color block curtains, blergh! They remind me of hospital curtains, the ones they pull around the beds for privacy. I don’t need a reminder of that in my home, thank you.
Monetizing something you love doing doesn't count as lazy in my book. I'll bet you spend over 60 hours weekly on doing this and I'm so glad you do. I get excited over every thumbnail 😂
Aww thanks! Sometimes I feel like I’m not “in the trenches” like designers with agencies and clients.
@@Nick_Lewis Most of us can't afford designers and agencies. We depend on savvy, down to earth creatives like you, Nick, so thank you.
@@Nick_LewisNo one wants to be in a trench if they don't have to be! 😂
@@Nick_Lewiswe like that about you! It keeps you free of rich client bias.
I really enjoy the channel - for a variety of reasons! I have always believed that money doesn't equal style or taste - but money with taste? Ooooooo... and I wouldn't even see half this stuff without ya (I am also not here for colour blocked curtains haha)
Agree with you on color block curtains. Reminds me more of a shower curtain look.
To me, block curtains look like they were too cheap to buy floor length curtains so took a set of short curtains and sewed a strip on the bottom!
Yep 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 that was funny oh my God 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 oh I needed that laugh. Thank you.
You nailed it - shower curtains! I didn't like them but couldn't put my finger on what they reminded me of. You are so right!
My curtains are too short! Oh what can I do??
Add some other material to the bottom and pretend it's a style-
that's my take.
Aaah - that’s what it is! I knew they reminded me of something…😂😂
When you said marble coffin, I figured out why I hate it so much. You’re absolutely right. It looks like a mausoleum.
One positive of cork (and the reason my parents had it in our home growing up) is that it's softer than traditional hardwoods. While that makes makes it less durable, it also makes it less noisy, less hard on your feet, and slightly safer for little kids who are more likely to fall and hit the floor hard during play. It's also more insulating, so the floor never gets as cold. Totally get why someone wouldn't want it, but I also get the appeal.
I’ve been to a place where they had cork subflooring (is that a word? No idea. I mean they had cork under the actual floor) it was amazing! Soft to walk on, less noisy, warm… just awesome
also things are less likely to break if you drop them
I love the look of cork, and the way it feels, especially on bare feet. We ended up using a high quality laminate that looks like cork - got the look but more durable, and a lot lower cost. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the same feel, but it’s worked for us.
Blobs!😂😂😂😂
We had a cork floor when I was a kid and it was great to run around on. However, when there was an earthquake and a glass jar of cheez whiz shattered on the floor, it was a nightmare. Flooring that shouldn't get wet and that glass shards could get stuck in. What a mess.
I have stone and tile in my bathroom - for aesthetics AND the ability to SEE where the counter is, where the shower stall is, where the tub is, etc. If I had a one stone bathroom, I'd be FEELING THE WALLS to figure out where the hell I was! How do they do it Nick? No one ever talks about THAT!
I agree!
Especially egregious with travertine bathrooms.
Cork tile in the kitchen is something that I always wanted. A friend of mine had them in his family's home from the 1940s his grand father installed them they were black and cream checkered and they always looked great. His aunt loved them for the durability, quiet and she always said that they had a "cushiony" feel on her feet. The house is sold but the new owners love them too.
I bet that would be more forgiving if you were to drop a glass or, god forbid, your knife on the floor! My place has tile floors in the kitchen, and I rent so I can't change the flooring, but boy does it suck when things fall!
Yes! My girlfriend has a cork kitchen floor, and it is heaven to stand on when you're cooking.
We laid cork flooring planks in our kitchen when we first moved into out home 20 years ago. We replaced them with bamboo flooring to match what was running through the rest or the house. Big mistake. The bamboo shows every scratch, ding, and footprint. The cork was warm underfoot, and was somewhat sound dampening between the kitchen and basement. Just keep in mind when moving heavy appliances the floors can marr, if you have dogs, their nails may mark it, and if it gets water on it they can swell. Kitchens and baths generally aren't ideal places for cork flooring. That said, I bet your friend's cork flooring from the 40s was amazing. Quality and craftsmanship have largely been lost over the decades, nothing made today is designed to last.
I paused this video in the middle because my son asked about my aunt's house from the 50s. I was telling him about the cork floors and showing him photos from the last time I was there when it sold two years ago.
An architect friend has real cork floors, like where you can see the subtle light and dark loopy bark pattern in the slices, not the ground up re-formed bulletin-board looking stuff, and they are to die for. Cool in summer, warm in winter, no loud clacking footsteps but hard and resilient, has had them for 30 years and still great as ever. Would totally have those floors but impossibly expensive, and I say this as someone who could easily drive to Portugal in 10 hours.
One trend I’ve never been able to get around is Boucle fabric - why people would choose to purchase a couch/chair/bedhead that looks balled and pilly is beyond me.
It’s beautiful
Nick, I adore that you made air quotes around the phrase "pop of color". Should you happen to decide to use your platform to stamp out this phrase from the design vernacular in 2024, I'm absolutely here for it! 🤣
Ugh and it’s always pronounced “poppa color” as if it’s some ancient voodoo priest. I hate the phrase so much!
I hate the expression “pop of colour”. Have colour or not. Pops are passé!
It's always the ones who have no sense of style, thinking they're an amateur interior designer by matching a yellow wall with their crusty black leather recliner sofa set 💀
I think 1:30-1:42 would make an awesome short.
I despise the word basically…because… basically , it’s a filler word… basically……ugh. Stop and think of what you want to say. Hmmm merry Christmas or happy Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate… fin.d joy and kindness as best you can. Peace.
I don't follow trends, but I do follow you on YT, Nick. Also, I don't think of you as lazy because you always show us amazing examples of what you are describing. Happy Holidays!
Awww thanks so much!
I tune in for your personality! I love your honesty, your humor, and your fast-paced chatter! You always make my day, lighter, and brighter! My husband and I have fun tuning in to your posts during morning coffee!
Cork flooring kinda gives me the squick because like what if I was walking across one wearing high heels and then I started sinking into it like I’m a giant thumbtack
I wholeheartedly agree on the “one material” bathroom. They give me vertigo.
Exactly!
Especially the one with the asymmetric windows, it looked distorted!
Yeah I’m with you on blobs. I don’t want a Chicago bean in my house.
Agree with the color blocked curtains. It's like the shorter curtains didn't sell so they added a block of fabric to make them longer. The wall paper border examples at 1:56 😱.
I am totally with you on all of these trends, Nick!
Oh, the scallops and blobs ... "Forgive them, they don't know what they're doing" 😂
I agree with the cork assessment. I get that it's a natural, more renewable material but (to me) it just reminds me of those peg boards from school that I pinned my drawings to.
Two natural flooring materials that I LOVE and wish got more attention are bamboo and eucalyptus. They're renewable (bamboo and eucalyptus grow like weeds, unlike hardwood trees), lower cost than wood as a result, AND harder/more scratch resistant than wood. They're beautiful flooring options I wish I heard mentioned more often.
The “real” cork flooring is as elevated above “cork board” cork as a beautiful Chicken Parmigiana is above chicken nuggets. The large slices of cork have beautiful patterns.
I so agree with your comments on the all-over-the-bathroom-surfaces marble (or other stone-like material). To me, it says “I’m so rich I can afford this everywhere.” Just imagine in a year or so, when they tire of the whole look and the hard, unforgiving surfaces, how expensive it’s going to be to tear it all out and dispose of it.
And so disrespectful of the millions of years it took to produce
Scallops definitely read “grandma” to me. My Great Aunt’s house was FULL of it. It’s a bit cutesy, but for me it feels really old
I also hate the one material bathroom, but it looks _even worse_ when people attempt it in small spaces. It gets so overwhelming!
Same. It's SO GAUDY! Article #5,386 that money can't buy good taste.
Gives me vertigo!
I think it looks like a tomb
Oh too much of a good thing!
Honestly those bathrooms made me think of ancient Egyptian tombs.
I have colour blocked curtains but the colour block is the same colour, just a darker shade. It's very subtle and I love it.
Same, but I know he'll still hate it, but it's OK, they flank my mirrored console table. Bwahaha we know how much Nick loves those. But like he says, you like it, do it. 😊
You know what new trend I'm not a fan of? Background music in videos.
YES! THANK YOU! So unnecessary.
not a new trend. it doesn't work for some videos, i personally like the way he does it
😂
Haha I didn’t even notice it before I read your comment. At least it’s not very loud.
As an interior designer, I always tell my clients that chrome and brushed stainless steel are forever, the other metals will become dated at some point. To my point Nick actually showed a side table that was designed in the 1930s in chrome and glass. It is still being sold today.
I do, however, agree that the one material bathroom is lazy and looks terrible. It just creates a weird space. I have been in these bathrooms, and they are the most uncomfortable spaces. Just a few materials will still be simple, but adds dimension.
I was just about to replace my Knoll chrome and glass coffee table after Nick's thoughts on chrome. I'm so glad I read your post. The table will be staying.
@@beauport The knoll coffee tables are modern classics. They will always work with a modern interior.
I'm currently sitting at my 1890's dining room table, drinking my breakfast coffee, watching your video and the table is crying because its table legs are finally trendy again, but you don't like it. Anyway, I love him, but I also love your videos. Many greetings from Germany!
Cork works really well as a flooring when you have a concrete slab underneath
I do agree with the blobs. They feel very “of the time” and once they go out of style people are going to be stuck with blobby rugs, mirrors, and walls that make their house look dated. I think a good alternative is buying a painting from a local artist, or painting something yourself and framing it. That way you have the style that you like, and it has some meaning to you. Custom art does not go out of style.
❤ your taste and humor. There's something in every video that amuses the hell of of me! 😂 Today's was "I don't want to die in there!"😂
Fun Fact, Nick; over here in the UK - a euphemism for a lady encountering her time of the month is being "on the blob" - you're welcome 😂🙈
Eeewww
Lol
😅
LOL, good to know, thanks, this way we don't have a "faux pas".
Oh here in the US we call it a “pop of colour”…..please note the “u”.
I'm in the middle of a complete remodel of a 150-year-old home here in New Orleans. Agree with you on most things, but I think your imagination missed something valuable about cork--which is why I am (actually started yesterday) putting up cork-based paneling in a 9x9 windowless room that will be a home office (can't add windows because of historic district regulations). The cork paneling looks like wood paneling but has the advantage of being acoustic sound-absorbing panels. Cork can really clean up your sonic environment--and can look good.
And looks a lot better than foam acoustic panels.
Cork has valuable, practical qualities. It will be a great material for your office!
It's renewable resource, too
Ive got a banner in my kitchen that says "everything sucks, happy birthday" with a googly eyed shark. Pinnacle of style, hire me lol
I don’t like the look of cork enough to use it in my house, and I don’t think it’s durable enough for flooring, but I have to admit that it’s great in rooms used for meetings, music rehearsal, and gaming. It minimizes reverb, reduces the amount of sound that travels through walls, and looks a whole lot nicer than most acoustic foams.
It would also be fantastic as a wall in an art and design studio space. Having the ability to put up and take down any inspo pictures, references, sketches etc. I would love that!
I like the scallops in that wooden piece of furniture and the lamp shade. It reads very feminine to me too (my tastes are very feminine lol), but those two felt more timeless, very 1800s, than the countertop or mirrors, which i hated.
Agree 100%%
I have the same table! I love it, I use it as a vanity
I have a cork floor at my parents house and I really love it. It’s warm but not as fussy as wood is. I can understand if someone doesn’t like the look. It just doesn’t provide the same elegance as wood does. But if you maybe don’t care about or want a sophisticated space but are going for a more cozy (?) vibe then cork might be right for you ☺️
Love your expression "the marble coffin," I've never heard that used before and think it's terrific. I agree with everything
you said in this video -as I always do.
I've lived with cork floors for the past 20 years. I have cork floors in my room. My mother had some sort of eco-obsession with it when our house was getting renovated 20 years ago and she put it in all the upstairs rooms, bathrooms included. In the bedrooms, it was properly varnished but in the bathrooms, it was never done 'cause we had a crazy house full of small children which made it complicated to not use the bathrooms while the varnish dries, it got put off forever.
If it's finished properly, it does look really beautiful. It has a pattern but it doesn't look cardboard-y. It's easy to mop and quite warm under foot but you do need to re-do the varnish after 10 years (which we didn't do so my floor now looks a bit worn down.) The downside is that it's a soft material and it can dent. There are cracks and dips that will never go away where I put furniture with metal legs. Fortunately, it's not very obvious 'cause the pattern disguises it.
If you don't finish it properly, it's a complete disaster. Our bathroom floors get moldy, and are very worn down, the color has faded to a light sand with grey-brown dots and lines, it squeaks, and feels rough. I do _not_ recommend it for any wet areas, even if you varnish it because it does not do well in wet areas.
I wouldn't put it in my own place, mostly 'cause I've looked at it for so long that I just want something new, but also because the process of finishing it tests my patience and mucus membranes, I don't want to worry about denting it, and it doesn't hold up to scratchy pet paws. But if you like the look of it, you're prepared to put pads under all your furniture, you don't have pets or kids with lego's, and you are willing to wait a few days for the finish to dry, then you can absolutely make cork floors work beautifully.
This time I agree with everything except one thing which is chrome. My place is basically various textures of black and I like using chrome.
And thats okay!
@@muellmanni1678100% I wish I had a secret power to see inside everyone’s house/apartment as I walk by because it’s so interesting how people put things together! (Especially in an apartment building with the same layouts)
My early childhood was spent in Sardinia and our floors and furniture were cork. It's so interesting how some can think of cork as cheap where I think of it as classic old world.
Nick would hate my house... I acquired vintage fabric years ago and none of it was long enough so every room has color block and/or borders of vintage fabric with solids for curtains. I also have... get ready to scream... valances!! Lol
I'm with him 100% on the blobs though. 😅
Me screaming 😱 😱😱😱
I agree with you on pretty much everything aside from the small vintage furniture pieces that showcase a scalloped frame. Its the perfect amount and you can appreciate that it is a vintage work of art. I think its quite feminine.
I love chrome! I have vintage pieces of furniture from a company called Royalchrome that’s from the 1930s to the 1950s that I’ve had for 20+ years and it’s sort of a collection obsession for me. It’s so weird to see these trends come back around because I’ve had these obscure couches and settees for decades, and now they’re going to be hard to collect again because everybody’s going to want them!
Yes the vintage chrome is really driving this but seeing it all over new stuff as well.
I came here to say the same thing! Love chrome and have several chrome-accented pieces in my 40’s - 50’s vintage kitchen. It’s beautiful in the right setting.
However, I also have a scalloped wooden valance-thingy ( also vintage)over my kitchen window that I’ve seriously been considering knocking out. 😂
When I was a kid and we moved into our new house mid-'90s, I had a cork wall in my bedroom. It maybe was another similar material because it wasn't like the small cell cork like a bulletin board, but it was like larger chunks between "holes" and a darker, reddish brown color. I used it for posters and drawings until enough pieces of the wall actually fell off the wall and my parents eventually scraped it off.
def agree with the shiny metal, one material bathrooms/rooms, scalloped edges...colorblocked curtains on the fence - depends on how it is done.
Before I moved I spray painted all of my metal lamps….all four….copper. They were from the eighties and were shiny brass. Have them to this day. 45 year old J.C Penney lamps….now considered vintage. They were the only lamps I bought new. Damn, I’m old.
Resin tables are giving Cordelia Deetz sculpture from Beetlejuice. Also chrome feels too 80’s for me to bring it all back in to my home. I’m over here ready for the woven baskets (think IKEA) cabinet storage to fad away. Color block curtains also feel very 80’s to me and are the high water pants and 3/4 sleeve no one is asking for.
😂😂😂😂😂
I disagree about the cork. My uncle owned a house in the Hollywood hills from early 1950’s til @2000. His living room was a mid-century modern museum. It was fabulous, even tho I’m not a fan of MCM look. He had cork floors in the entry thru the living room. It was the fine grain cork laid in sheets. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was durable, easy to care for and a different look than hardwood. So, don’t rule out cork!
Ooh, I bet his house was so gorgeous. I love midcentury modern style. I’ve dreamed of finding a house like that, with an owner who took good care of it and updated nothing.
Here's my thing: I love design that shows off cool materials. In another life I used to be a custom machinist, and LOVE stuff that shows off the inherent beauty of exotic metals - but more to do with the capabilities of those metals. I really love seeing titanium and carbon fiber in the home, and in novel ways to use them. I love machined hardware in the home too, it's soooooo cool being in places and seeing old-school engine turned stainless tables, or knurled brass handles, or guilloche/Rose engine engravings (which, btw, you never see EVER and it's the coolest thing). All these trendy things look like they were made by people who have never made things or done high precision manufacturing.
You are my favorite (slightly) snarky designer! Love your videos! Question: Isn't a resin table in essence just a plastic table? Bad for the environment, if not for so many other reasons.
AAhhhh chrome. When I was like 14 in 1974, I really liked chrome and glass. The first thing I bought with my own money was a tiered chrome and glass stand for my little TV and record player. I think I got it from a catalog and had to put it together. I think I still had it in the early 80's when I got my own apartment cuz I didn't have a lot of furniture to take with me from home. Now I do like the chrome shelving......for the storage closet!
Your thumbnail for this video had me smiling before you even started narrating. Excellent points as always, and have a wonderful holiday!
The cork looks like exposed particle board to me. And I do like cork for some things -- I literally have a handbag made out of cork that I bought in Portugal! -- but for furniture and walls, it looks like someone forgot a piece on their Ikea furniture.
Definitely agree on the one material room. It just looks both bland and gaudy to me, especially that dramatically veined marble.
Agree with every single one of your no-no's:
Curtains - reduce the height of the room, and look like patchwork for too-short curtains.
Cork - cheap - first office - crime investigation wall.
Blobs - uncomfortable - hybrid modern variant of great grandma's couch and new Mars design.
Resin Tables - total cheap manufactured - all in one mould from China - down-market.
Chrome / Stainless steel - cold and uninviting. Pewter or certain metal vases can be lovely.
Scalloped edges - OUCH - Essence of 1970s country look - there was a name for the look, but can't remember it.
One-material bathrooms - Dizzy upside down confusion.
Ha, first time i disagree with Nick! The cork floor can look great, it just needs to be different pattern than the examples you've shown - with chunks of different shades and different sizes. The cork floor was one of the reason i rented my current apartment, and as landlord told me it's there for decades - and it still looks great.
it's incredibly comfortable under foot, great sound dampener and can be used decoratively on wall treatments.
I agree about all you said, except - I saw some very, very poorly aged cork! It is a meterial, I feel, that does require a specific quality in the first place upon insstallation and also proper care. Nothing worse than a random chunk of the flooring missing in the more traffic heavy area. 😬
Totally agree! It might be the first time Nick and I have disagreed. Cork floors are beautiful, historic, classic, comfortable, and environmentally friendly!
@@AB-ol5uz Yes, comfortable and warm - which is even more important in Finland where I live at the moment :)
@@m.gorssa they need to be very well laid.
I had a cork wall in my teen bedroom (circa 1975-1985). We used stick on tile squares. I still remember the smell. It was a nice smell. And cork was handy for hanging up all my Teen BEat posters of Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett.
I loooooove the blobs. It’s the trend I’ve been waiting for ever since I can remember! Idk why, I’m just so tired of right angles everywhere for everything?? It’s not that everything has to be a blob, variety is essential. But I love it enough that I’d happily have a blob shaped house!!
I love how you're always saying it's your opinion and if you love it then just do it 😂 I appreciate you don't want to offend anyone with your style opinions. It's like how you probably hate my 10ft inflatable Santa in my yard but I love it for my daughters 😄🤶
Haha, yeah, in Dec 2021, House & Garden UK wrote an article titled, "The lampshade that launched a thousand scallops: five years of Matilda Goad." Fast forward two years to their Nov 2023 article, "Is your house full of clichés? Should you care?" and they're arguing whether or not scalloped edges should be considered timeless in moderation or if they've tipped into cliché with overuse. Personally, I love Matilda Goad's work and see her pieces as timeless designs that'll hold their worth aesthetically... but I think we're about to get PRETTY FUNKY with a barrage of scalloped EVERYTHING. (Thanks, Nick, for all your videos, btw. You always make my day better and provide such sensible insights into a too-trend-hopping, disposable industry. My family LOVES watching your channel and your sense of humor.)
I am with you 100%. I do not like any of those trends...Nick could you talk about wall art and how to place them, colors, most searched styles and motifs? I would love to hear your opinion!!! Happy Holidays!
AGREE on the blobs! I think what happened is a number of these companies are trying to imitate some of Kelly Wearstler's designs (which often effectively use this retro style), but these designs generally only work in very high-end homes or hotels with great architecture where this provides a nice whimsical contrast.
In most homes, it's just going to feel sort of kid-like and cheap.
I absolutely love cork floors, it’s so nice to walk on. I would not put it on my walls though.
Nick you are so funny. Your humor adds to your persuasiveness.
Well you changed my mind on the resin tables. When youre right, youre right
I literally now like your videos before I even watch😅 So enjoy these videos
I think it is safe to say that I, too, dislike all of these trends. Yikes 😬 you are awesome, Nick. I love your videos and especially your sense of humor!
After having already completed my major home remodeling, I’m now focusing on the non-permanent decor of items. Love your channel for inspiration. I go for Asian decor. My floors are bamboo and countertops are black granite/lava/slate.
The Blob was a sci-fi movie I watched circa 1960 It would be on TV as a Saturday afternoon matinee. I recall seeing it a few times. The blob was sci-fi horror. It kept growing and it ate everything in its path. The blob was very scary then and still is now.
I lived in the city where the Blob was filmed for 30 years and they now hold Blobfest every year with re-enactments of people screaming and running out of the movie theater. Great fun! That was quite the scary movie for me as a youngster.
I loved The Blob!
Love your dining wall - the new white + classic moulding is beautiful!
Those marble bathroom made me have motion sickness!
My mother-I’m-law has cork flooring in her (1970s) kitchen. It’s incredibly functional: if you drop a cup, it often survives!
Nick, I enjoy your channel so much. I hope you have the happiest of holidays.
I ended up agreeing except for the bathroom with the view at 13:02 that the one material framed so well. I don't think I would ever get tired of it unless the floor is slippery.
My husband was in and out of several big hospitals this year so I had days of looking at hospital "decor" - all had the color block curtains on tracks! I would never install these in a home!
I agree with all of these, Nick. I don't want my curtains to look like they should be on a shower, don't want to bathe in a mausoleum, Chrome is not my look, resin is just fugly, and scalloped edges feel like something that belongs in the room of a 7-year-old girl.
Hi Nick! I hope all is going well. I agree with you, all these trends will be short lived. You have a great eye for design.
Thank you for your perspectives, sometimes we dont realise as everyday normal people, byt u are helping us decide better! I see ur point everytime!
There are actually many different styles and shades of cork floor boards you should definitely look into!
My university's library used cork floors in the reading rooms. I loved it. Don't know how it would look in a residential application, though. And never on the walls, I've seen that and it looks like you're living in a bulletin board. A cheap one, at that.
Polished marble bathroom floors, or, really, any floors look like the kind of thing your insurance company should cancel your coverage for. Deadly. And the marble ceiling may have been designed to be attached in such a way as to eliminate the possibility of it crashing down and crushing you as you brush your teeth, but was the architect or engineer there supervising the installation? Because some people don't care enough to do a good job.
I love touches of metal, the operative word being touches.
I love chrome! I really dislike all the gold we've had for the past few years it's past time for silver again
I've seen the color blocked curtains at West Elm for a while and I have never got them. I do feel like curtains should be a solid color or evenly distributed pattern. Even if you aren't going for grandeur, it limits the ability to tie the space together, when you have two distinct parts of the curtain.
You know what would make a really great video…Nick giving us his internal dialogue, not editing out his real thoughts instead of “ you enjoy it , have at it.” Give it to us straight Nick.
Nick, I hate those Blobs too! The blob mirrors were all over in the last Home Goods store I was in!!!
Agree with most except cork. I can understand the reaction thought as it is often over used or inappropriately used but i as a designer have used it successfully in a number of projects
I like scalloped in cottage/vintage design. Other than that I totally agree with you.
I agree with EVERTHING except scalloped edges but I've liked it for at least 20 years but not used over done...I even have a vintage tool that is hand cranked that you use to scallop paper lol
Thanks for your comments and advice. We also don’t follow trends in our house - still have lots of old stuff and new stuff mixing. Just finally let go of my grandpa’s teak table. It’s so large for our small house and gave away to a cousin who appreciated it. 😊
Arvin Olano and Alexandra Gater sure love the blob mirror!
I actually agree, all 10 of these trends should spontaneously combust prior to purchasing!
that bathroom at 13:06 I want to remodel completely. I want to light the entire room through a hexagonal pattern of blue and green colored marbles used as tiles on the floors, walls and ceiling. White grout in between; possibly a mural of some kind with the colored "pixels" on one wall. I love the slightly nonsensical layout, I like that it looks like part of a maze or labyrinth. I just want to change the vibes. Maybe even some more complex lighting behind the marbles and create water caustics through patterns of motion.
Love the new sofa. Really opens up the room.
Agree with scalloped edges. It reminds me of the border that teachers would use for their classroom boards. Also it does look juvenile and reminds me of rick rack on a raggedy anne doll.
Agree with everything you’ve said. You are my go to style guru. Thanks Nick. Love you and your channel ❤
I agree with you on all these trends. They are nit for me either. I just did my kitchen and they wanted me to do that with the marble counter and backsplash. I didn't do it and love what we picked. Great job Nick.
Everytime I watch your videos, I'm so obsessed with the way you talk! On point and fast, absolutely love it ❤
Thanks for the video. I actually agree with everything you mentioned, specially the material in bathrooms. It does feel like the walls are closing in on you… and you’re in the bathroom!!
I know I don’t work all that hard😂. Love it❤ For someone who says you’re not “in the design field? I’ve learned more from you than any other “designers” who blah blah blah their way through life. You’re awesome!
Most of the time when you do these videos of stuff you don't like, I like at least one or two of the things you're talking about, but in this case, I actually agree with everything you brought up. I hate all of these and I hope they don't last!
A friend of mine bought a house in which the kitchen area was renovated with cork floors. Great surface, but the areas that were in direct sunlight each day changed colour from the rest of the floor. Drastically.
Hi Nick, I think you should take a look at the snowman on your side-table. Is it a Christmas decoration that didn't get put back in the box? Some good comments about those current trends. I couldn't figure out why I didn't like colour-block curtains. Now I understand.
Cork is fantastic when it’s THICK. It’s GREAT as a shelf liner for cushioning plates and glasses or to absorb pleasant added scents in a sweater drawer. It’s great on a cork board (in my shop). It’s great as a coaster backing!
As a trend? No, it’s timeless though as a material, used appropriately.
I must say the first color blocked curtain you showed in a blah room was beautifully used. ❤ it- used well. I LIKE that it adds a human element to a too grand room (where the ceilings are 12-13‘ tall. Maybe even in my dining room (which is wide and not tall and -this is important-we are seated).
I’m so so happy I can add in a scallop to my feminine Vic period house bc it’s trending! Thank you Nick!