Now that you mention it Nick, I want an entire video on mouldings! Crown moulding, base boards, window casings, trim, chair rails… all that good stuff! ❤
When I bought my house there were crown moldings EVERYWHERE!! including the top of the kitchen cabinets .... and chair rail in the hallways, and bedrooms, and dining room (but too high for practical use). With the dark paint on the walls it was overwhelming. The funny thing is I have an antique bed and would've liked crown moulding in the bedroom, but no.
I just need to warn people about the downside of crown molding and paneling. I have a beautiful custom home with crown molding everywhere. Even the baseboards have wide molding. There is also a partial glass wall in the dining room and stairway with individual glass partitions. It's all very lovely. It's the perfect home - for anyone who loves dusting! Every bit of crown molding, wide baseboards, ledges around the living room columns, etc. are dust catchers. So unless you love cleaning or have hired help, I suggest going easy on the crown molding, wall paneling, wide baseboards, etc. It's all a dust magnet!
I *need* to know how to transition the paint color when moving from crown moulding to the moulding at the top of floor-to-ceiling cabinets. I want to paint my pantry cabinets olive green. The crown moulding will be cream. But they'll be the same moulding, just different applications. How in the HECK can I make this work? I've seen so many pictures, but I don't know the rules. The usual copout is to paint the tall cabinets the same color as the crown moulding (99% of the time it's white.)
Absolutely love that you deliver information in such a rapidfire way. Some of these designers spend the first 10 minutes of the video with panoramic shots and voiceovers and generic comments. Just get to the point. Maybe it’s because I’m a New Yorker?? Anyway…You’re the best, Nick.
I love it too! I also quite enjoy how fast he speaks. I'm naturally quite a fast talker too and also get sick of videos that take aaaaggeeeess to get to the point.
@@GrandisSilva Ditto. I’m also a fast talker. Trying to read stories on Facebook drives me nuts. I’m also a fast reader. So no matter what form the info is coming from, whether that’s reading a story or listening to it, I get annoyed.
I'm older with some vision issues but I just get brighter warm light bulbs. I really, really loathe cold blue-white lights - I call it morgue lighting.
There's a ton of studies/evidence out there on the negative effects LEDs have on us, especially the cooler tones. There's a very sinister reason why they've been pushed so hard. It sounds whackadoodle, but I assure you that it is nothing of the sort.
Yes! Nick PLEASE do a whole video on WALL MOLDINGS! Different kinds, styles, what people do right and wrong, etc. I'm trying to research and no one has done an extensive video specifically on moldings! 🙏
I’m always out here looking for that one video that someone with autism did that has ALL of the details 😂🙏 Currently looking for this for fireplaces but it does not exist 😑
Let us be honest: We don’t watch Nick for design help- we watch because we love the entertainment! Always enjoy the show! And yes- I have learned something! Keep up the amazing content! 😅😊
Yea, honestly I think most of the time I just enjoy hearing him be sassy about things that I also hate. But you know, sometimes I might learn something new, or disgree.
LMAO I can't begin to tell you how many times I've had to stop the video from laughing so hard and try to rewatch again. From one Canuck (Canadian) to another, so proud of him. Now...back to getting our "sassy" fix 😂 Hee! Hee!
“I’ll look at peoples houses because I’m creepy like that” 😅Totally with you on the polyester cushions and the mismatched lighting temperatures. I’m a warm white girl through and through.
He would hate walking by my house because we have two mismatched temp porch lights on either side of our front door. We usually go in and out the back door so don’t often turn them on, but every time we do it drives me nuts! Of course I then promptly forget about it by the next day and never remember to actually buy a new bulb to match them 😅
@@jessicapavilonis1324 Quick hint: when you do finally remember, buy TWO of the same bulb to be sure they match, not just temperature, but lumens as well. 🙂
@@jessicapavilonis1324 I get that, someone told me to always change them both (and also all the bulbs in a room) at the same time and I told them sure if you are there to help!! They told me the spares are for the garage and Nick had to cut me like a knife with that. I'm at two strikes now. If people don't want you admiring their unique design choices, shut the curtains when the sun goes down. Why else are they spending all that money if not to make me insanely jealous?
As an interior designer these are inherently something I already know because I went to school for this and doing this for work. So thank you Nick for this video and all your videos really cause it helps me convince my non interior designer/architect family to change the lighting and get rid of the extra furniture we don’t need. Our house has so much crap but since we started watching you I am able to have more liberty on making our space better logically and aesthetically. THANK YOU truly!
@@Nick_Lewis I echo what they said! I know these things but my Midwest boomer mom has the following: 1) WAY too much furniture and 2) 4000-5000k hospital lighting 😭 Just yesterday I told her I closed the blinds in the front room bc the hospital lighting looks so bad from the road that I didn’t want the neighbors to see 😂😭 I wrote out a list with every room in her house and how many Kelvin should be in that space (based on whether it’s visibly adjoining with another space, etc). I pray she gets over her cheapness soon and begins to replace these bulbs 😬 The weird tables in corners for no reason etc is a battle for another day…
As an architect who does home rehabs for a living, I can tell you that the higher Kelvin bulbs actually are quite beneficial for selling homes bc most people view the homes after work, when the sun is already down. It allows people to see the space as they would in daylight, so there is a purpose for them. I'll typically remove them and install 2500-2700k bulbs before they take ownership, but I definitely use the 5000k for showings.
When are you writing your coffee table book? Your help book for people who don’t want to do a whole design course but want to remember how high to hang a piece of art! The book you grab when you need to buy a rug for a room and can’t remember the rules for size? The book for the uninformed like me to follow to get close to getting it right? It would be amazing, add in some snark and some hints and lord knows an occasional cocktail recipe for when your brain is done after installing that gallery wall and measuring everything! I would buy that book so fast! Be perfect housewarming gift! The how to book for your home when you know nothing!
Oh I’d buy it for sure - I can see it now: make it look like an oversized coffee table book, add a lot of extra blank pages to make it extra thick, big white letters “Nick Lewis”, then on on bottom cover, in brackets in small print: “(Design Details, added Snark and Cocktail Recipes)”
Your honesty and sass are fantastic but you mix it with actual education too, which is not an easy skill, and you are excellent at that. The balance is perfect every video.
On affordable luxuries: it really helps to elevate a cheap ass side table if you have an antique brass tray you got for a penny on flea market covering most of the surface. Or it may be just my obsession with old things.
I love antique things because it's an easy way to add some charm. It's all about how it's presented. If one can't find antique brass try antique silver. Some areas are harder to find brass, but silver is a dime a dozen, and vis versa for some areas. Locally silver is easier to find, so I have quite a bit of it and it looks great on display.
As long as it isn’t that supper shiny, magpie attracting, fake-looking brass - like the hideous example he showed with the marble dining room table and chairs!
Actually, you're totally offering us the right direction--a compromise. So you can't afford the insanely expensive marble, but an authentic marble lazy Suzi for cheese & crackers spread can double for whatever your hearts desires on the counter AND it satisfies "enough" for the marble fix. It's not perfect but it's so much better then as Nick mentions, cheap reads cheap. And it's healthier---much of the faux stuff off-gases chemicals FOREVER...and who needs that. LOL.
I had plain white laminate countertops for 30 years and so thankful I didn't go for a pattern or faux effect. I never grew tired of them, they were inoffensive, and always looked bright and clean. Now I have a lovely quartz.
@@mjgriffin49Mine have never chipped. I wanted soapstone but couldn’t justify the expense. I had them in my previous house but got them before anyone really knew what they were and they were less expensive than granite. I live in the Deep South but grew up seeing a lot of soapstone in New England. It never goes out of style. I always loved mine.
Our builder put a temporary white gloss counter top on same as our cabinets, while we waited for a quartz one. It looks really nice! I’m worried the actual quartz one won’t look as good 😬 But I guess it will be more hard wearing and we’ll be able to put hot things on it.
Counterintuitive one here: anything with a logo (Hermes throw, Gucci pillow, etc.). Every time I see one of these, regardless of the actual quality of the material or the reputation of the brand, the entire place feels cheaper. And it's not just me equating "cheap" with "tacky". It feels like you bought one small object from that brand once and show it off to make everyone think that the things you bought from Amazon are more expensive than they are. In reality, I wouldn't even be thinking about the prices of your items until your blanket brought it up.
I love what you said about your goal to find things that are not really expensive but reveal quality and taste. I made it my goal long before YT and online shopping to discover those things. In case of a fire, I know exactly what I'd take out even before my cell phone - a few super good items from thrift stores or gifts or even an item found at a not-so-great store that were perfect for just about anywhere. Keep doing this to help others discover those treasures. I've found that, once you train your eye, you'll develop a sort of radar for these things
I completely agree with you on the pillows especially. I have Pottery Barn pillows and change the covers seasonally. Here’s my hack: I am patient. I wait until the covers are on a deep clearance sale at Pottery Barn or Ralph Lauren. My Christmas pillows were originally over $1000.00. I bought them on sale from Ralph Lauren for around $100.00. They’re a basic red and black Christmas plaid. High quality at a great price.
I get what you’re saying about soft pillows, but being short (5’3”) with lots of short family members (my son is the only one over 5’4”, and my son-in-law is 5’ nothing), firmer pillows are often needed behind our backs so we can reach the floor and still have our backs supported. As for the lighting, I am in agreement with one caveat. I do lots of sewing, needlework, art work, and need natural light in the room where I do that so I can see clearly what I’m working on. At the moment, that’s on the main level until I can get my basement finished, then it’ll be down there. Drives me crazy, but I do need to be able to see!
Nick, I’m absolutely in love with your videos! They’ve been a game-changer for decorating my rental flat, helping me avoid costly mistakes and navigate trends that might not age well. Your content does so much more than just offer design tips - it creates a sense of cohesion that lets my mind rest, and my space truly feels like a warm, calm retreat. Thank you for sharing your insights; they're invaluable! 🥰
Mismatched flooring! A good friend was at my newly purchased home and suggested continuing the living room/dining room flooring into the entryway hallway and attached bathroom. I am still mentally thanking her 22 years later. Nick, your advice is gold!
On the pillow subject: if you buy nice down inserts, buy a size about 2” bigger than the cover. The pillow will easily fit in and nicely fill the cover
Caveat: I'm old and have had a bad back since my 30s car wreck; if I lose any more weight (bad back relief) I might as well hope Twiggy comes back. If "I" (as in me) put a pillow on my sofa or chair (because they are too deep for me), I do not want 'squishy' - that sucker better stand up and support my back leaning against it otherwise it is simply another piece of decor I have to worry about. I use medium foam. Down collapses as do most poly-filled. For people with those florescent lights in their kitchen and laundry/mud rooms - sleeves or covers for the tubes are still available and will change 'daylight' to a warmer color. Great video Nick!
Warm fluorescent lights are available! We just changed out the laundry room to warm LED fluorescent lighting. I didn't know they were available either but my master electrician sweetheart told me they were so they got changed out immediately. We'd already changed out the entire house lighting to warm LED lights, most on dimmers.
Great points! My biggest dislike is what I call “floating rug syndrome” …where the rug just floats alone in a room, unanchored by anything! Always, always, anchor furniture to the rug! Keep those rugs from floating away!
Learning SO much from you! Mom to Five boys here and as I listen to this video I'm cracking up as I see I have cool and warm lighting in my bedroom (moving in three weeks) AND I have a headache today.... for real! Big shocker! Found your channel just in time - remodeling new home and you have already helped me make better choices! People getting offended are just silly - you are such a gift! Thanks for sharing your talents!
OMG when you spoke about the warm vs cool lighting it really struck me. My husband insists on having those white white lights and in high wattages - they actually give me headaches! I don't get what he loves about them so much. I concede he can have them in his den as I spend very little time in there - but as for the rest of our apartment - I had to fight the fight to get softer lighting.This all started when he had cataracts but they were removed 10 years ago.If left to him our home would look like an airport landing strip.
We had a reno done and that is how the whole house looked, and my husband was fine with it! It was blindingly bright. I asked the electrician to put dimmers on several lights and tg he could. It’s such a relief. I don’t cope well with extremely bright light.
I thought I was the only person in the world who used the expression, "For the Love of All That is Holy"! I'd never had the glorious experience of viewing this channel or its (obviously) expert designer; but THAT phrase made me a believer! I look forward to enjoying more of these videos because I know what I like but not how to achieve it. Merci mille fois!
If you put wood floors in a room close to the kitchen, continue it into the kitchen. It is a lovely kitchen flooring and the flow is so much nicer than if you break it up with tile. Wood is warm and natural. If you drop your cast iron on the floor, you're not going to break or crack the flooring. Holds up so much nicer.
Nick, you are the first interior designer I have heard calling out too much furniture. 👏🏼 So true, and I see it all the time with older folks who have the big overstuffed furniture pieces that have accumulated over time. I guess it helps them get around the living room without a cane lol. I can crack jokes because I am old. I recently got a stuffed recliner, thinking I would get something really comfortable, style be damned. Instant regret. It was a hulk. I sent it packing. In its place, I put a small, round upholstered stool. More than anything, I value space, light and air.
We traced my grandad's physical decline back to the day we got him a chair that was too comfortable. He went from strong and active to being stuck in that chair over a very short time. Uncomfortable chairs might be a key to maintaining your mobility as you age!
I look in peoples houses at night too! Some of my best inspiration has come from that. Donts as well as dos.Must be lots of us creepy people running around at night!
Another great episode. Wish you lived in New Orleans pre Katrina and walked past my kitchen windows. I had an outlet about mid way up my wall and had a hand crafted night light in the shape of a cockroach. When on (warm light of course) and people walked acrose the street all thwy saw was the shadow of a giant cockroach. Sick and twisted and very New Orleans. He even had a Mardi Gras necklace 😂
The flooring is such a pet peeve of mine; drives me nuts aswell. So in my newly built I had one hard demand for my SO: same flooring EVERYWHERE. Bedrooms, bathroom and desk area on first floor = kitchen, dining room, living room, entrance, hallway, toilet and yes, even the garage. Hardwood lookalike ceramic tiles.
I love these videos cause it makes me realize I'm not as bad at designing my space as I thought I was XD I am guilty of the mismatch lighting though but only because I like having brighter lighting in my windowless kitchen so I can see while I cook and cause I need to have white light in my craft room. It's harder to see colors in warm lighting.
I can't even afford new laminate countertops lol I've had my marble contact paper countertops for close to 2 years now and still holding up well there is a few knicks in it though. For someone who is not even middle class peel and stick can really make a home feel better I have peel and stick dollar tree tiles as my backsplash
Especially when renting. You may not want or have the budget to replace counter tops, contact paper and peel & stick backsplash is a great way to make a dreary beat up outdated kitchen or bathroom look and feel so much better.
I wish my husband had an interest in design and style. He has about zero interest in it. We recently had a huge reno done and I made about 99% of the decisions alone.
I kept warm lighting in my bedroom and living room. But I need daylight in my kitchen, sewing room and bathroom. I’m old and I can’t see worth a darn. Lol
Thank you! Came into the comments to say this. I hate trying to design with colour under yellow lights. Ugh. Give me all the morgue lighting so I can draft a pattern and sew it up! Oh and while I’m here, natural wool pillow stuffing is FANTASTIC! It stays fluffed and isn’t hot and sweaty like polyester. Love it!
I’m on the “Task Lighting needs to be daylight white” Team, but I recently switched my biggest hall chandelier to warm white. The psychological difference is huge. The warm white is soothing and lulling at night and I’ve notice that it helps me feel sleepy faster so I’m motivated to go to bed earlier. I think we can safely extend the flooring rule to lighting: Rooms where tasks are performed can be daylight or bright white; rooms for relaxing and gathering can be soft or warm white.
Yes, in brighter light is more appropriate for the laundry room as well. I think in these cases it’s just best to have drastically different temps in adjoining rooms in an open floor plan. In those cases, I’d meet in the middle.
Sorry, but the pillow chop reference triggered me...I find the very act of "chopping" a pillow hilarious as well as the look of a "chopped" pillow even more hilarious in its contrived concept.
Lighting temperature -- for people with cataracts starting, everything skews yellow, so a bluer light for task lighting, or for lighting a room *in the daytime* is very practical. But, for evening, a warmer light is great for winding down. So having both warm and cool options in the same room is useful. As long as you don't turn them on at the same time, it's great. Or dimmers. I love dimmers everywhere, especially bathrooms for nighttime.
I can tell you with cataracts - nothing looks clear or good no matter what the light! The problem is you don’t realize how bad it is until you get them fixed. I searched for an hour for a green blanket I had purchased, only to realized it was actually blue. Love you Nick and I’m working on those bad colour choices!
@@pattyspencer7795 I can't speak to the rest of the world, but Medicare currently covers 80% of the cost, the total cost (currently) being $3500 and 8000 per eye out of pocket. It's an outpatient procedure. My Grandmother traveled to another state to have her's done, it was only $150 at the time. Things have changed and it's more expensive but its worth it for quality of life, it's better to have it done while one can still see, rather than wait until one is completely blind.
One side note: when cleaning it's nice to have a white, bright light in the ceiling. That is the only time I use it. I have warm light lamps for everything else. It is hard to clean when you can't see for shadows.
Totally agree. If there is *one* place that I want this "hospital" light, it's in the laundry room. And maybe some extra blinding light in the kitchen too.
I have recently discovered the absolute life-changing magic of Tradfri color temperature changing and dimmable bulbs. Now you don't need to choose -- you can use that bright white light on cleaning day, and then a warmer bulb every other day. On some nights I feel it's cozy to have only floor and table lamps on. Other nights, it feels a bit too dark. So I can put the overhead on a warmer temperature that matches the lamps and dim it significantly, to just give that skootch more light that the room needs without glare. Tradfri aren't the only option, but get temperature changing dimmables. Like velvet hangers, they will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
I love watching this channel. So fun. Not that I can do much with my 2 room apt. Clutch ypur pearls, i just put an exercise bike in my living area. Mainly because there's no room in the kitchen area . I'm such a Hobo. The dog bed takes up as much room as a small loveseat. 😂
Sometimes design has to be second to the actual use. I love that you mentioned to just put the front legs on a rug in a small space but put all the furniture on the rug in a large space. We’re told to pull the furniture out from the wall, but what if the room is 10 by 10? Can you do a video on how to design for smaller rooms vs larger rooms?
I don’t get the “front legs of furniture should be on the carpet” rule. Never followed it - it makes the carpets more difficult to clean and they get much more dustier, plus I don’t think it looks better. My carpet in the living room is situated in front of the couches and the coffee table is fully on it, but there’s a little bit of a break between the edge of the carpet and the couches. Works for me. 😊
My Mom used to have a huge, bright light that was in your face at the kitchen dining area. I used to call it the interrogation light. She didn’t appreciate that. Even now, bright light makes me nervous.
Mine had the opposite. The old light (which was ugly) died, so they replaced it with a builder-grade boob light which didn't emit *enough* light. And she refused to consider a lamp on the counter. No under-cupboard lights (it was a 19th century house and she wouldn't install them). I got yelled at for plugging in a desk lamp next to the stove so I could actually "see* what I was cooking. It was never bright enough in there. She said that was normal for old houses, but it's not. They just didn't install enough light.
@@sissi3638 Oh completely agree, my mom had her good qualities, she was so creative and hardworking and she loved us a lot. But she 100% had an anxiety disorder and it caused reactions like that. As an adult I'm like...oh, having things on the counter that she didn't choose to have there freaked her out. Which is not a rational response but that's anxiety for you. And she took my use of a lamp as an affront to her choice of lighting, like saying she did a bad job (which, to be honest, she did, and I was a very blunt person who would tell her the kitchen lighting was poorly done to her face). I know because I inherited her anxiety disorder. The difference is I figured it out and got it treated, so I have systems in place to stop my popping off at absolutely nothing. And I've learned to be more diplomatic. If she were still with us I'd be sharing with her my progress and encouraging her to seek treatment.
My MIL’s dining room has bright white light and it gives me a headache after sitting at the table for a while. All the lighting in my house is warm, that’s how you keep it cozy!
@@LuthienNightwolf Yeah, my overhead in the living room used to do that to me. Now we only use warm-light lamps in the evenings plus the dining nook pendant (which is in a big milk glass globular thing and isn't a strain on the eyes). And I put temperature changing dimmer bulbs in the overhead so if I need that extra bit of light I can have it without blinding myself. It shouldn't have to be a choice between migraines and being too dark! I can't do recessed lighting for a number of reasons (the biggest being that I don't own my place) but just hiding a few warm-light LEDs (with diffusers) strategically behind some items has made such a difference.
Lighting has always stumped me until now. I live in the north where light in winter is at a premium and being able to meet different needs can be challenging. It isn't for everyone but I am a senior who embraces technology and Smart Led Lights is the way to go. It can go from brilliant cold task lighting to warm evening moods and even purple party if the whim hits, every colour in the spectrum and at the brightest or dimmest state one requires. I have pretty much replaced all of my lamps and over head lights except for a couple. People don't have to have a Smart Home or get overwhelmed by devices as there are so many options available from your phone or remotes. Sales, sales, sales. They go on sale all the time. My two bits and I love your channel. Looks like your home is coming along. Congratulations. Edit: spelling urggggg
@@SK-fq1by3977 Dirty electricity? LEDs have dimmers too. Also, do you drive a car? That's far dirtier than incandescent lightbulbs on dimmer switches. If you're concerned with "dirty," get rid of the car and ride a bicycle... and no ebikes, a manually pedaled bicycle.
That's a legal requirement for all habitable rooms in new builds here now. You can turn the lights up high when you're cleaning, but the rest of the time, you don't want them that bright.
Thanks for talking about flooring. A few years ago our one level home we changed all the flooring to wood flooring laminate. All bathrooms and laundry rooms to tile. It makes cleaning easier. Also our friends think the house somehow got bigger.
My husband has SAD, seasonal affective disorder, and our house will forever look like we we’ve been hit by a solar flare. Other than that bit on lighting the rest of the video I will follow like you’re going to show up at my house with a checklist. Great advice!
Nordic countries - no window coverings! Though they often aren't looking into the neighbors' windows, except in those fabulous murder mysteries on Acorn tv. 😂
Your lighting advice saved my home from hospital lighting 🙌🏼. So know at least one home was saved with the repeated advice. I’ve heard it so often in your videos that it’s all I think of whenever I pass lightbulbs for sale in a store.
Love your channel! It's always full of great advice presented in a fun way. Light temp segment-"I look in people's houses because I'm creepy like that." LOL!
I just moved from a 2 bedroom apt to a 6 bedroom rental home and immediately felt overwhelmed with how to set things up until I saw this vid, esp with the living room bc we have a nice fireplace and it makes so much more sense to make it the focal point and plan to have seating around it 👏🏻
Another great episode, Nick! Love your show! When you're critiquing whatever style, colour, interior, l take a quick look 'round to see if I have latched on to some of the offending items, chuckling when -oops! There it is! I find it! Nevertheless, your design sense is spot on as far as I'm concerned. Your self-deprecating, acerbic wit, eye rolls and asides make me and countless others life long fans. Thanks so much for brightening my day!❤😂
I love the video and agree on everything except for pillow inserts, but not for reason of looks - all my pillows have that insert you hate because they are not decor, they are functional - I want that stiff stuffed pillow behind my back because it feels good. So I buy the nice pillow covers and the cheap inserts and sometimes I double up on the inserts (2 into one cover) for the stiff pillows. I agree the choppable ones look great, but they'd feel terrible to me so ... guess my sofa looks a bit cheap. But inviting. To me. Which is what matters. That said, I just replaced the light base for displaying a blown-glass ornament because original was cold blue-white and it's in my fireplace-and-seating area and that light among all the warm glow lights made my teeth itch.
One thing I also see a lot of, especially in open concept homes, is having stools along a kitchen island when the space is tight and they are adjacent to the dining table. Who is actually going to sit at a stool (intruding into the walk-around space) when the dining table and chairs are RIGHT THERE?!?
@@shaz-loves-coffee Me, too! When I was designing my new home, the builder automatically put that island countertop overhand on the side where people walked from the open-concept great room down the hall to the utility end of the house. I deleted that whole idea and lined the side of the island with cupboard doors and interior shelves. Increased the storage greatly! Plus, keeping the same size of the countertop, I have a very large island which is useful for all sorts of kitchen and household activities.👍🏼
I have hospital lighting because it helps with me with Seasonal Affective Disorder. So does my light box. But, if I have a bunch of low warm lights it really brings my energy down like going into hibernation.
I do take exception to the functionality of having tile at the door because in homes in Chicago where it snows so much you must have a place for wet boots. Not everyone has a million dollar house or lots of room.
We actually loved our bathroom barn door; we had a medical scare and the bathroom and hallway were so tiny that the original door was blocking the first responders. We had the barn door installed and no regrets.
If you want some marble or great looking wood, buy it in a smaller object- like a cheese board or decorative item. I just bought some Scandinavian design salt & pepper shakers.
I'd love to agree on the "warm lighting everywhere" idea but I'm currently sat in my parents kitchen with yellow lights and I want hospital lighting in my kitchen! I hate dimly lit eating spaces, it should be a crime. What are you trying to sneak into my food that you don't want me to see? What have you done? Get me a head torch, stat!
I think there’s an exception to the not mixing light temperatures in one room. I have a few spaces that serve multiple purposes but rarely at the same time. One is a library/office/craft room- if I’m either on the computer or making something I need a much cooler daylight bulb so the overhead lighting in there is this way. On the other hand, if I’m curled up reading I want a soft amber glow and have the lamps/accent lighting at this temperature. Since I can’t be doing both those things at once the mismatch isn’t really an issue.
Flooring is huge. The ranch we live in now , my late mother insisted on replacing the old different colors carpet with hardwood . When I moved in with my Dad after she passed , I took the $$ left me to extend the hardwood into the bedrooms I was occupying. My Dad put an addition on the back of the house , same flooring . The wood flooring all looks like it was installed at the same time ( to the casual eye) and created great flow in the house .
Nick Lewis Quote of the Week: “I already have people who freak out when my pillows aren’t appropriately fluffed before I film”. Life on the You Tubes is a pressure-cooker! Love the episode.❤
I ignore most of it because you can't make everybody happy. Although sometimes I look at my videos in the editing process and think "yeah I should have fluffed those..."
Recording light temperature, I had a difficult time with this for a while. I appreciate that you specified “hospital/garage white” and not just cooler temperatures overall. Kendra Gaylord had a video that helped me see when cooler lighting is appropriate, and I suddenly understood. I’d always heard the advice to go for warmer lighting to mean only the warmest temperatures were acceptable and it didn’t feel comfortable at all. Like, if the walls are painted a cooler shade, warm lighting fights against that and looks awful.
I’ve found some great throw pillows at Walmart. They’re pretty durable, fluffable, and the fabrics on some are nice, organic materials. They’re about half the price of say, Target.
That was educational. The last two tips (pillows and lighting) were new for this non-expert. We are about to begin decorating a new space so I will keep those in mind as we make choices. Job well done, Nick.😀
This is so funny! My husband and I have been fighting over daylight vs. soft white lighting for years. He’s on your side with the yellow light. I’m an artist and the reason I like daylight is because my paintings look better with this lighting. You can see all the vibrant colors and shadows, etc. I have a nice print collection as well and they just look better in daylight bulbs. I guess I can give soft white a try for a while and see how I feel. They do say that yellow light is better for winding down at night than the bright daylight bulbs.
If you can afford it, programmable lighting is the way to go. Have bright clear daylight during the day, and get sleepy with warm sunset light in the evenings.
Re:floors. ‘Makes them look funny’. That was VERY gracious of you. I prefer ‘stupid’. I loathe material changes. I bought my condo and within a small 5ft space I had crappy linoleum, old carpet, and new wood entry way then the same wood in the small dining room. Hated every day living with it until I had new floors installed. Also hate when people use the same floor but change the direction it’s laid when going into the next room, even though it’s an open space. Just ‘WHY’?
as far as I know the changing direction with hardwood floors can be necessary if you install a new wood floor next to a preexisting one because of the way the wood can warp when settling.
The weekend doesn't begin until I've been called cheap by a fabulous Vancouverian gentleman - love the video, well done!
Technically we are Vancouverites, but I'm glad you can now enjoy your weekend. ☺
@@Nick_Lewis I didn't know that, thank you!
Lol
@Nick_Lewis omg even funnier
😂😂😂😂
Now that you mention it Nick, I want an entire video on mouldings! Crown moulding, base boards, window casings, trim, chair rails… all that good stuff! ❤
When I bought my house there were crown moldings EVERYWHERE!! including the top of the kitchen cabinets .... and chair rail in the hallways, and bedrooms, and dining room (but too high for practical use). With the dark paint on the walls it was overwhelming. The funny thing is I have an antique bed and would've liked crown moulding in the bedroom, but no.
I just need to warn people about the downside of crown molding and paneling. I have a beautiful custom home with crown molding everywhere. Even the baseboards have wide molding. There is also a partial glass wall in the dining room and stairway with individual glass partitions. It's all very lovely. It's the perfect home - for anyone who loves dusting! Every bit of crown molding, wide baseboards, ledges around the living room columns, etc. are dust catchers. So unless you love cleaning or have hired help, I suggest going easy on the crown molding, wall paneling, wide baseboards, etc. It's all a dust magnet!
I *need* to know how to transition the paint color when moving from crown moulding to the moulding at the top of floor-to-ceiling cabinets. I want to paint my pantry cabinets olive green. The crown moulding will be cream. But they'll be the same moulding, just different applications. How in the HECK can I make this work? I've seen so many pictures, but I don't know the rules. The usual copout is to paint the tall cabinets the same color as the crown moulding (99% of the time it's white.)
Especially how to do them with textured walls! 😭
I would watch that!
Absolutely love that you deliver information in such a rapidfire way. Some of these designers spend the first 10 minutes of the video with panoramic shots and voiceovers and generic comments. Just get to the point. Maybe it’s because I’m a New Yorker?? Anyway…You’re the best, Nick.
I love it too! I also quite enjoy how fast he speaks. I'm naturally quite a fast talker too and also get sick of videos that take aaaaggeeeess to get to the point.
@@GrandisSilva Ditto. I’m also a fast talker. Trying to read stories on Facebook drives me nuts. I’m also a fast reader. So no matter what form the info is coming from, whether that’s reading a story or listening to it, I get annoyed.
I'm older with some vision issues but I just get brighter warm light bulbs. I really, really loathe cold blue-white lights - I call it morgue lighting.
Lol😂 I call them surgery lights
@@j.pappas9083You also can’t read in that kind of light.
I am the opposite 😄....I find the yellow of the "warm" lights changes colours.
I like the blue-ishness.
There's a ton of studies/evidence out there on the negative effects LEDs have on us, especially the cooler tones. There's a very sinister reason why they've been pushed so hard. It sounds whackadoodle, but I assure you that it is nothing of the sort.
Warm white is perfect for a Victorian interior with heavy brown furniture. Candles are always de rigueur after dark.
Yes! Nick PLEASE do a whole video on WALL MOLDINGS! Different kinds, styles, what people do right and wrong, etc. I'm trying to research and no one has done an extensive video specifically on moldings! 🙏
I’m always out here looking for that one video that someone with autism did that has ALL of the details 😂🙏
Currently looking for this for fireplaces but it does not exist 😑
Let us be honest: We don’t watch Nick for design help- we watch because we love the entertainment! Always enjoy the show! And yes- I have learned something! Keep up the amazing content! 😅😊
Yea, honestly I think most of the time I just enjoy hearing him be sassy about things that I also hate. But you know, sometimes I might learn something new, or disgree.
yep. I really needed some informative but low-stakes performative bitchynes today.
LMAO I can't begin to tell you how many times I've had to stop the video from laughing so hard and try to rewatch again. From one Canuck (Canadian) to another, so proud of him. Now...back to getting our "sassy" fix 😂 Hee! Hee!
“I’ll look at peoples houses because I’m creepy like that” 😅Totally with you on the polyester cushions and the mismatched lighting temperatures. I’m a warm white girl through and through.
Best line of the video. The quick wit is next level. We all do it when we take walks around the neighborhood.
He would hate walking by my house because we have two mismatched temp porch lights on either side of our front door. We usually go in and out the back door so don’t often turn them on, but every time we do it drives me nuts! Of course I then promptly forget about it by the next day and never remember to actually buy a new bulb to match them 😅
@@jessicapavilonis1324 Quick hint: when you do finally remember, buy TWO of the same bulb to be sure they match, not just temperature, but lumens as well. 🙂
@jm7804
You would definitely see that at my house right now. I see it when I come back from my walk and still I have not gotten it changed 🤦♀️
@@jessicapavilonis1324 I get that, someone told me to always change them both (and also all the bulbs in a room) at the same time and I told them sure if you are there to help!! They told me the spares are for the garage and Nick had to cut me like a knife with that. I'm at two strikes now.
If people don't want you admiring their unique design choices, shut the curtains when the sun goes down. Why else are they spending all that money if not to make me insanely jealous?
As an interior designer these are inherently something I already know because I went to school for this and doing this for work. So thank you Nick for this video and all your videos really cause it helps me convince my non interior designer/architect family to change the lighting and get rid of the extra furniture we don’t need. Our house has so much crap but since we started watching you I am able to have more liberty on making our space better logically and aesthetically. THANK YOU truly!
I love hearing when people actually use my tips in their homes!
@@Nick_Lewis I echo what they said! I know these things but my Midwest boomer mom has the following:
1) WAY too much furniture and
2) 4000-5000k hospital lighting 😭
Just yesterday I told her I closed the blinds in the front room bc the hospital lighting looks so bad from the road that I didn’t want the neighbors to see 😂😭 I wrote out a list with every room in her house and how many Kelvin should be in that space (based on whether it’s visibly adjoining with another space, etc). I pray she gets over her cheapness soon and begins to replace these bulbs 😬
The weird tables in corners for no reason etc is a battle for another day…
@@karenhanson359 If it really bothers you offer to provide and replace all those bulbs.
As an architect who does home rehabs for a living, I can tell you that the higher Kelvin bulbs actually are quite beneficial for selling homes bc most people view the homes after work, when the sun is already down. It allows people to see the space as they would in daylight, so there is a purpose for them. I'll typically remove them and install 2500-2700k bulbs before they take ownership, but I definitely use the 5000k for showings.
Finally, Nick dropped his Saturday video. Now I can take my afternoon nap right after I watch it. I’ve been waiting all morning. ❤
So excited that Nick's Saturday video is finally here!
"I could do a whole video on moldings" -- YES PLEASE!!!!!!!
When are you writing your coffee table book? Your help book for people who don’t want to do a whole design course but want to remember how high to hang a piece of art! The book you grab when you need to buy a rug for a room and can’t remember the rules for size? The book for the uninformed like me to follow to get close to getting it right? It would be amazing, add in some snark and some hints and lord knows an occasional cocktail recipe for when your brain is done after installing that gallery wall and measuring everything! I would buy that book so fast! Be perfect housewarming gift! The how to book for your home when you know nothing!
And please include metric measurements 😊
I'd buy it!
Interior Design for Dummies by Nick Lewis…I’d buy that!
Oh I’d buy it for sure - I can see it now: make it look like an oversized coffee table book, add a lot of extra blank pages to make it extra thick, big white letters “Nick Lewis”, then on on bottom cover, in brackets in small print: “(Design Details, added Snark and Cocktail Recipes)”
I’ve had people reach out but I’ve resisted! Maybe I should do it. It just would need to be entertaining because design books are usually snoozers. 🥱
Your honesty and sass are fantastic but you mix it with actual education too, which is not an easy skill, and you are excellent at that. The balance is perfect every video.
On affordable luxuries: it really helps to elevate a cheap ass side table if you have an antique brass tray you got for a penny on flea market covering most of the surface. Or it may be just my obsession with old things.
I love antique things because it's an easy way to add some charm. It's all about how it's presented. If one can't find antique brass try antique silver. Some areas are harder to find brass, but silver is a dime a dozen, and vis versa for some areas. Locally silver is easier to find, so I have quite a bit of it and it looks great on display.
As long as it isn’t that supper shiny, magpie attracting, fake-looking brass - like the hideous example he showed with the marble dining room table and chairs!
Actually, you're totally offering us the right direction--a compromise.
So you can't afford the insanely expensive marble, but an authentic marble lazy Suzi for cheese & crackers spread can double for whatever your hearts desires on the counter AND it satisfies "enough" for the marble fix.
It's not perfect but it's so much better then as Nick mentions, cheap reads cheap. And it's healthier---much of the faux stuff off-gases chemicals FOREVER...and who needs that. LOL.
I had plain white laminate countertops for 30 years and so thankful I didn't go for a pattern or faux effect. I never grew tired of them, they were inoffensive, and always looked bright and clean. Now I have a lovely quartz.
@@LeslieHumen-lu2ix Had your new ones ever chipped??
@@mjgriffin49Mine have never chipped. I wanted soapstone but couldn’t justify the expense. I had them in my previous house but got them before anyone really knew what they were and they were less expensive than granite. I live in the Deep South but grew up seeing a lot of soapstone in New England. It never goes out of style. I always loved mine.
@@cathykrueger4899 tks
I've had the quartz for a year and no issues.
Our builder put a temporary white gloss counter top on same as our cabinets, while we waited for a quartz one. It looks really nice! I’m worried the actual quartz one won’t look as good 😬 But I guess it will be more hard wearing and we’ll be able to put hot things on it.
Counterintuitive one here: anything with a logo (Hermes throw, Gucci pillow, etc.). Every time I see one of these, regardless of the actual quality of the material or the reputation of the brand, the entire place feels cheaper. And it's not just me equating "cheap" with "tacky". It feels like you bought one small object from that brand once and show it off to make everyone think that the things you bought from Amazon are more expensive than they are. In reality, I wouldn't even be thinking about the prices of your items until your blanket brought it up.
Petition for Nick to write a design book!! I saw comments suggesting it and I fully agree! Please, Nick. Pleaseeeee we would buy it in a heartbeat
I love what you said about your goal to find things that are not really expensive but reveal quality and taste. I made it my goal long before YT and online shopping to discover those things. In case of a fire, I know exactly what I'd take out even before my cell phone - a few super good items from thrift stores or gifts or even an item found at a not-so-great store that were perfect for just about anywhere. Keep doing this to help others discover those treasures. I've found that, once you train your eye, you'll develop a sort of radar for these things
I completely agree with you on the pillows especially.
I have Pottery Barn pillows and change the covers seasonally.
Here’s my hack: I am patient. I wait until the covers are on a deep clearance sale at Pottery Barn or Ralph Lauren.
My Christmas pillows were originally over $1000.00. I bought them on sale from Ralph Lauren for around $100.00. They’re a basic red and black Christmas plaid. High quality at a great price.
I get what you’re saying about soft pillows, but being short (5’3”) with lots of short family members (my son is the only one over 5’4”, and my son-in-law is 5’ nothing), firmer pillows are often needed behind our backs so we can reach the floor and still have our backs supported. As for the lighting, I am in agreement with one caveat. I do lots of sewing, needlework, art work, and need natural light in the room where I do that so I can see clearly what I’m working on. At the moment, that’s on the main level until I can get my basement finished, then it’ll be down there. Drives me crazy, but I do need to be able to see!
Nick, I’m absolutely in love with your videos! They’ve been a game-changer for decorating my rental flat, helping me avoid costly mistakes and navigate trends that might not age well. Your content does so much more than just offer design tips - it creates a sense of cohesion that lets my mind rest, and my space truly feels like a warm, calm retreat. Thank you for sharing your insights; they're invaluable! 🥰
Mismatched flooring! A good friend was at my newly purchased home and suggested continuing the living room/dining room flooring into the entryway hallway and attached bathroom. I am still mentally thanking her 22 years later. Nick, your advice is gold!
On the pillow subject: if you buy nice down inserts, buy a size about 2” bigger than the cover. The pillow will easily fit in and nicely fill the cover
Yes! They are so hard to find but well worth the cost!
Caveat: I'm old and have had a bad back since my 30s car wreck; if I lose any more weight (bad back relief) I might as well hope Twiggy comes back.
If "I" (as in me) put a pillow on my sofa or chair (because they are too deep for me), I do not want 'squishy' - that sucker better stand up and support my back leaning against it otherwise it is simply another piece of decor I have to worry about. I use medium foam. Down collapses as do most poly-filled.
For people with those florescent lights in their kitchen and laundry/mud rooms - sleeves or covers for the tubes are still available and will change 'daylight' to a warmer color.
Great video Nick!
Warm fluorescent lights are available! We just changed out the laundry room to warm LED fluorescent lighting. I didn't know they were available either but my master electrician sweetheart told me they were so they got changed out immediately.
We'd already changed out the entire house lighting to warm LED lights, most on dimmers.
Thank u for putting up the clock!!!
Nick, your channel makes me so happy
Great videos and the snarky comments leave me chuckling the rest of the day. I should watch one EVERY morning. I learn something every time.
Great points! My biggest dislike is what I call “floating rug syndrome” …where the rug just floats alone in a room, unanchored by anything! Always, always, anchor furniture to the rug! Keep those rugs from floating away!
Learning SO much from you! Mom to Five boys here and as I listen to this video I'm cracking up as I see I have cool and warm lighting in my bedroom (moving in three weeks) AND I have a headache today.... for real! Big shocker! Found your channel just in time - remodeling new home and you have already helped me make better choices! People getting offended are just silly - you are such a gift! Thanks for sharing your talents!
OMG when you spoke about the warm vs cool lighting it really struck me. My husband insists on having those white white lights and in high wattages - they actually give me headaches! I don't get what he loves about them so much. I concede he can have them in his den as I spend very little time in there - but as for the rest of our apartment - I had to fight the fight to get softer lighting.This all started when he had cataracts but they were removed 10 years ago.If left to him our home would look like an airport landing strip.
Ive got a sphere shaped ikea lamp with a bulb that changes colours. Usually I like the warm light but occasionally I use the cool one
We had a reno done and that is how the whole house looked, and my husband was fine with it! It was blindingly bright. I asked the electrician to put dimmers on several lights and tg he could. It’s such a relief. I don’t cope well with extremely bright light.
I thought I was the only person in the world who used the expression, "For the Love of All That is Holy"! I'd never had the glorious experience of viewing this channel or its (obviously) expert designer; but THAT phrase made me a believer! I look forward to enjoying more of these videos because I know what I like but not how to achieve it. Merci mille fois!
“Creepy like that!” lol I love Nick’s humor!
If you put wood floors in a room close to the kitchen, continue it into the kitchen. It is a lovely kitchen flooring and the flow is so much nicer than if you break it up with tile. Wood is warm and natural. If you drop your cast iron on the floor, you're not going to break or crack the flooring. Holds up so much nicer.
Nick, you are the first interior designer I have heard calling out too much furniture. 👏🏼 So true, and I see it all the time with older folks who have the big overstuffed furniture pieces that have accumulated over time. I guess it helps them get around the living room without a cane lol. I can crack jokes because I am old. I recently got a stuffed recliner, thinking I would get something really comfortable, style be damned. Instant regret. It was a hulk. I sent it packing. In its place, I put a small, round upholstered stool. More than anything, I value space, light and air.
We traced my grandad's physical decline back to the day we got him a chair that was too comfortable. He went from strong and active to being stuck in that chair over a very short time. Uncomfortable chairs might be a key to maintaining your mobility as you age!
@@goatgirl5968 Oh wow, you are right. Very good observation!
I look in peoples houses at night too! Some of my best inspiration has come from that. Donts as well as dos.Must be lots of us creepy people running around at night!
😂 As a pet - house sitter / dog walker , oh, the things I've seen , both day & night !
Apartment owners are blessed 😂
@@muellmanni1678 Well , depends on how many stories up you are and / or if a neighbor has a telescope ! 😂
Hahaha! I thought I was the only one that does that!!
Another great episode. Wish you lived in New Orleans pre Katrina and walked past my kitchen windows. I had an outlet about mid way up my wall and had a hand crafted night light in the shape of a cockroach. When on (warm light of course) and people walked acrose the street all thwy saw was the shadow of a giant cockroach. Sick and twisted and very New Orleans. He even had a Mardi Gras necklace 😂
Please do !!! A long good video on molding! Great idea Nick! I would love it!
The flooring is such a pet peeve of mine; drives me nuts aswell. So in my newly built I had one hard demand for my SO: same flooring EVERYWHERE. Bedrooms, bathroom and desk area on first floor = kitchen, dining room, living room, entrance, hallway, toilet and yes, even the garage. Hardwood lookalike ceramic tiles.
I love these videos cause it makes me realize I'm not as bad at designing my space as I thought I was XD I am guilty of the mismatch lighting though but only because I like having brighter lighting in my windowless kitchen so I can see while I cook and cause I need to have white light in my craft room. It's harder to see colors in warm lighting.
I can't even afford new laminate countertops lol I've had my marble contact paper countertops for close to 2 years now and still holding up well there is a few knicks in it though.
For someone who is not even middle class peel and stick can really make a home feel better I have peel and stick dollar tree tiles as my backsplash
Agree! Go for it
Especially when renting. You may not want or have the budget to replace counter tops, contact paper and peel & stick backsplash is a great way to make a dreary beat up outdated kitchen or bathroom look and feel so much better.
A pillow cover with the same fabric on both sides looks so much more upscale. Yes, on the nice down pillow form.
PLEASE do a video just on molding!
I was just coming into the comments to be like I can't be the only one who wants a whole video on molding! Hard second the request!
Oh Nick…. NEVER stop making these videos! We need them even if we don’t know it! ❤
My husband and I refer to our evening walks as "Roasting Houses."
This is a wonderful motivation to get out and walk.
I wish my husband had an interest in design and style. He has about zero interest in it. We recently had a huge reno done and I made about 99% of the decisions alone.
I kept warm lighting in my bedroom and living room. But I need daylight in my kitchen, sewing room and bathroom. I’m old and I can’t see worth a darn. Lol
Thank you! Came into the comments to say this. I hate trying to design with colour under yellow lights. Ugh. Give me all the morgue lighting so I can draft a pattern and sew it up! Oh and while I’m here, natural wool pillow stuffing is FANTASTIC! It stays fluffed and isn’t hot and sweaty like polyester. Love it!
I’m on the “Task Lighting needs to be daylight white” Team, but I recently switched my biggest hall chandelier to warm white. The psychological difference is huge. The warm white is soothing and lulling at night and I’ve notice that it helps me feel sleepy faster so I’m motivated to go to bed earlier.
I think we can safely extend the flooring rule to lighting: Rooms where tasks are performed can be daylight or bright white; rooms for relaxing and gathering can be soft or warm white.
I'm pretty sure he would agree
Yes, in brighter light is more appropriate for the laundry room as well. I think in these cases it’s just best to have drastically different temps in adjoining rooms in an open floor plan. In those cases, I’d meet in the middle.
With you! The struggle to see with old eyes is real!
Sorry, but the pillow chop reference triggered me...I find the very act of "chopping" a pillow hilarious as well as the look of a "chopped" pillow even more hilarious in its contrived concept.
Omg yes hahahhahaha
In my opinion, chopped pillows are an abomination! They should be banned!
Fair enough - to chop or not to chop. Up to you really.
Chopped pillows are a mad affectation. First time my sister told me about it I roared with laughter.
Chopped pillows are outdated now 😉
Thank you for briefly sharing your history with your sponsor, Shopify. You inspired me to look into this.
Lighting temperature -- for people with cataracts starting, everything skews yellow, so a bluer light for task lighting, or for lighting a room *in the daytime* is very practical. But, for evening, a warmer light is great for winding down. So having both warm and cool options in the same room is useful. As long as you don't turn them on at the same time, it's great. Or dimmers. I love dimmers everywhere, especially bathrooms for nighttime.
😢 cataracts are very easy and inexpensive to treat, if your doctors have told you otherwise please get a second opinion
@doubleleterlady only if you have insurance to cover that surgery.....and it also depends on what part of the US/world you live
I can tell you with cataracts - nothing looks clear or good no matter what the light! The problem is you don’t realize how bad it is until you get them fixed. I searched for an hour for a green blanket I had purchased, only to realized it was actually blue. Love you Nick and I’m working on those bad colour choices!
@@pattyspencer7795 I can't speak to the rest of the world, but Medicare currently covers 80% of the cost, the total cost (currently) being $3500 and 8000 per eye out of pocket. It's an outpatient procedure. My Grandmother traveled to another state to have her's done, it was only $150 at the time. Things have changed and it's more expensive but its worth it for quality of life, it's better to have it done while one can still see, rather than wait until one is completely blind.
Color temperature changing bulbs! Dimmable bulbs like Tradfri often come with this option and it will change your life!
One side note: when cleaning it's nice to have a white, bright light in the ceiling. That is the only time I use it. I have warm light lamps for everything else. It is hard to clean when you can't see for shadows.
The warm colors make things look brown and dirty, too.
Totally agree. If there is *one* place that I want this "hospital" light, it's in the laundry room. And maybe some extra blinding light in the kitchen too.
I have recently discovered the absolute life-changing magic of Tradfri color temperature changing and dimmable bulbs. Now you don't need to choose -- you can use that bright white light on cleaning day, and then a warmer bulb every other day. On some nights I feel it's cozy to have only floor and table lamps on. Other nights, it feels a bit too dark. So I can put the overhead on a warmer temperature that matches the lamps and dim it significantly, to just give that skootch more light that the room needs without glare.
Tradfri aren't the only option, but get temperature changing dimmables. Like velvet hangers, they will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
@@channamasala1 I just have dimmable ones, but I bought my kid the temperature changing ones like you have. I don't know what their response is yet.
Thanks for your sassy attitude! I love it. I often watch it for that alone. But no, also for your opinions.
Oh ... hey Nick 👋🏽
Happy Saturday, everyone 🍷
I love watching this channel. So fun. Not that I can do much with my 2 room apt. Clutch ypur pearls, i just put an exercise bike in my living area. Mainly because there's no room in the kitchen area . I'm such a Hobo. The dog bed takes up as much room as a small loveseat. 😂
I have a dog bed as big as the chair! Which is, gasp, a recliner, so im basically in the penalty box for life😊
Sometimes design has to be second to the actual use. I love that you mentioned to just put the front legs on a rug in a small space but put all the furniture on the rug in a large space. We’re told to pull the furniture out from the wall, but what if the room is 10 by 10?
Can you do a video on how to design for smaller rooms vs larger rooms?
I don’t get the “front legs of furniture should be on the carpet” rule. Never followed it - it makes the carpets more difficult to clean and they get much more dustier, plus I don’t think it looks better. My carpet in the living room is situated in front of the couches and the coffee table is fully on it, but there’s a little bit of a break between the edge of the carpet and the couches. Works for me. 😊
I LOVE how you talk fast!
I've said this before, Nick is like a big drink of Canada Dry!
To which I add a smidgen of whiskey!
Huh?
My Mom used to have a huge, bright light that was in your face at the kitchen dining area. I used to call it the interrogation light. She didn’t appreciate that. Even now, bright light makes me nervous.
Mine had the opposite. The old light (which was ugly) died, so they replaced it with a builder-grade boob light which didn't emit *enough* light. And she refused to consider a lamp on the counter. No under-cupboard lights (it was a 19th century house and she wouldn't install them). I got yelled at for plugging in a desk lamp next to the stove so I could actually "see* what I was cooking.
It was never bright enough in there. She said that was normal for old houses, but it's not. They just didn't install enough light.
@@channamasala1 Getting yelled at cause of some lighting that can easily be removed any time is definatly an overreaction. If not more.
@@sissi3638 Oh completely agree, my mom had her good qualities, she was so creative and hardworking and she loved us a lot. But she 100% had an anxiety disorder and it caused reactions like that.
As an adult I'm like...oh, having things on the counter that she didn't choose to have there freaked her out. Which is not a rational response but that's anxiety for you. And she took my use of a lamp as an affront to her choice of lighting, like saying she did a bad job (which, to be honest, she did, and I was a very blunt person who would tell her the kitchen lighting was poorly done to her face).
I know because I inherited her anxiety disorder. The difference is I figured it out and got it treated, so I have systems in place to stop my popping off at absolutely nothing. And I've learned to be more diplomatic.
If she were still with us I'd be sharing with her my progress and encouraging her to seek treatment.
My MIL’s dining room has bright white light and it gives me a headache after sitting at the table for a while. All the lighting in my house is warm, that’s how you keep it cozy!
@@LuthienNightwolf Yeah, my overhead in the living room used to do that to me. Now we only use warm-light lamps in the evenings plus the dining nook pendant (which is in a big milk glass globular thing and isn't a strain on the eyes). And I put temperature changing dimmer bulbs in the overhead so if I need that extra bit of light I can have it without blinding myself. It shouldn't have to be a choice between migraines and being too dark!
I can't do recessed lighting for a number of reasons (the biggest being that I don't own my place) but just hiding a few warm-light LEDs (with diffusers) strategically behind some items has made such a difference.
Lighting has always stumped me until now. I live in the north where light in winter is at a premium and being able to meet different needs can be challenging. It isn't for everyone but I am a senior who embraces technology and Smart Led Lights is the way to go. It can go from brilliant cold task lighting to warm evening moods and even purple party if the whim hits, every colour in the spectrum and at the brightest or dimmest state one requires. I have pretty much replaced all of my lamps and over head lights except for a couple. People don't have to have a Smart Home or get overwhelmed by devices as there are so many options available from your phone or remotes. Sales, sales, sales. They go on sale all the time. My two bits and I love your channel. Looks like your home is coming along. Congratulations.
Edit: spelling urggggg
Nothing wrong with using smart home technology if you're smart about it. If it's not connected to the internet, nobody can hack it!
My #1 interior design tip: Put every light on a dimmer switch.
That would be a ton of dirty electricity running thru a home! :(
@@SK-fq1by3977 Dirty electricity? LEDs have dimmers too. Also, do you drive a car? That's far dirtier than incandescent lightbulbs on dimmer switches. If you're concerned with "dirty," get rid of the car and ride a bicycle... and no ebikes, a manually pedaled bicycle.
That's a legal requirement for all habitable rooms in new builds here now. You can turn the lights up high when you're cleaning, but the rest of the time, you don't want them that bright.
This is the best common sense video on basic home design I've seen. It's worth its weight in gold.
Coffee break with NICK every Saturday ❣️❣️Love it ( him)♥️
Thank you, as always, for the laughter, decorating tips, and fun 🤩
He has such a pleasant personality. Love this channel. Great tips!
I really dislike the chop on pillows 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Tks for saying this. I am pushing 75 so maybe it is my age.
I just don't get it.
We had a woman at the office who would chop all the pillows in meeting spaces & I would go behind her & unchop them 😅😂
I can’t believe people care!
@@mjgriffin49I am 65, I can’t abide it!
@@catherinemori4496it is more an irritation, I guess.
Thanks for talking about flooring. A few years ago our one level home we changed all the flooring to wood flooring laminate. All bathrooms and laundry rooms to tile. It makes cleaning easier. Also our friends think the house somehow got bigger.
My husband has SAD, seasonal affective disorder, and our house will forever look like we we’ve been hit by a solar flare. Other than that bit on lighting the rest of the video I will follow like you’re going to show up at my house with a checklist. Great advice!
I'm creepy too! My daughter lives in Anchorage and hardly anyone covers their windows - it's fun and I'm curious 😊
Nordic countries - no window coverings! Though they often aren't looking into the neighbors' windows, except in those fabulous murder mysteries on Acorn tv. 😂
@@peggyking9543 Acorn tv mysteries ! 💙😂
I lived in Anchorage-if you have a lot of window facing West getting afternoon sun, you will want window coverings because it gets hot in the summer.
Your lighting advice saved my home from hospital lighting 🙌🏼. So know at least one home was saved with the repeated advice. I’ve heard it so often in your videos that it’s all I think of whenever I pass lightbulbs for sale in a store.
I live your videos. They are so therapeutic. And most of the time, we are in agreement. Thanks for promoting good taste one viewer at a time.
Love your channel! It's always full of great advice presented in a fun way. Light temp segment-"I look in people's houses because I'm creepy like that." LOL!
Yes! Molding video, please!
I just moved from a 2 bedroom apt to a 6 bedroom rental home and immediately felt overwhelmed with how to set things up until I saw this vid, esp with the living room bc we have a nice fireplace and it makes so much more sense to make it the focal point and plan to have seating around it 👏🏻
I like the fall leaves on the TV.
me too
Another great episode, Nick! Love your show! When you're critiquing whatever style, colour, interior, l take a quick look 'round to see if I have latched on to some of the offending items, chuckling when -oops! There it is! I find it! Nevertheless, your design sense is spot on as far as I'm concerned. Your self-deprecating, acerbic wit, eye rolls and asides make me and countless others life long fans. Thanks so much for brightening my day!❤😂
I love the video and agree on everything except for pillow inserts, but not for reason of looks - all my pillows have that insert you hate because they are not decor, they are functional - I want that stiff stuffed pillow behind my back because it feels good. So I buy the nice pillow covers and the cheap inserts and sometimes I double up on the inserts (2 into one cover) for the stiff pillows. I agree the choppable ones look great, but they'd feel terrible to me so ... guess my sofa looks a bit cheap. But inviting. To me. Which is what matters.
That said, I just replaced the light base for displaying a blown-glass ornament because original was cold blue-white and it's in my fireplace-and-seating area and that light among all the warm glow lights made my teeth itch.
Do a video just on moldings! I'm here for that!
One thing I also see a lot of, especially in open concept homes, is having stools along a kitchen island when the space is tight and they are adjacent to the dining table. Who is actually going to sit at a stool (intruding into the walk-around space) when the dining table and chairs are RIGHT THERE?!?
IKR! My kitchen bench has the overhang for chairs & it is right by the dining area. I needed more storage so I put cupboards there instead.
@@shaz-loves-coffee Me, too! When I was designing my new home, the builder automatically put that island countertop overhand on the side where people walked from the open-concept great room down the hall to the utility end of the house. I deleted that whole idea and lined the side of the island with cupboard doors and interior shelves. Increased the storage greatly! Plus, keeping the same size of the countertop, I have a very large island which is useful for all sorts of kitchen and household activities.👍🏼
OMG! It is nuts! If there is room for stools please let them not have backs above the counter height. Ruins the sight line.
I like how you give advice but still respect personal choice. Also you take into consideration that people may have budget constraints.
I have hospital lighting because it helps with me with Seasonal Affective Disorder. So does my light box. But, if I have a bunch of low warm lights it really brings my energy down like going into hibernation.
@tealkerberus748 yes but I'm not sure how to do that with standard screw in light bulb fixtures?
I do take exception to the functionality of having tile at the door because in homes in Chicago where it snows so much you must have a place for wet boots. Not everyone has a million dollar house or lots of room.
Wow exactly one hour ago I was looking at ways to install marble contact paper on my countertops, you saved me from a mistake lmao
Lmao “barn doors, we’ve talked about this” 😂
should add - no hollow core doors on bathrooms. Solid doors and loud fans in bathrooms for obvious reasons.
We actually loved our bathroom barn door; we had a medical scare and the bathroom and hallway were so tiny that the original door was blocking the first responders. We had the barn door installed and no regrets.
I learned about pillows that have sinkability . Mine are all cheap. Never thought about it before. Will have to work on that.
If you want some marble or great looking wood, buy it in a smaller object- like a cheese board or decorative item.
I just bought some Scandinavian design salt & pepper shakers.
I'd love to agree on the "warm lighting everywhere" idea but I'm currently sat in my parents kitchen with yellow lights and I want hospital lighting in my kitchen! I hate dimly lit eating spaces, it should be a crime. What are you trying to sneak into my food that you don't want me to see? What have you done? Get me a head torch, stat!
Lighting that's in the "warm" part of the spectrum can be either bright or dim. Same for "hospital" lighting.
I love your personality the more I watch you ❤ you just say it like it is❤
I think there’s an exception to the not mixing light temperatures in one room. I have a few spaces that serve multiple purposes but rarely at the same time. One is a library/office/craft room- if I’m either on the computer or making something I need a much cooler daylight bulb so the overhead lighting in there is this way. On the other hand, if I’m curled up reading I want a soft amber glow and have the lamps/accent lighting at this temperature. Since I can’t be doing both those things at once the mismatch isn’t really an issue.
i have a lamp with a colour changing bulb. Its great!
Love your snarky videos. There full of good info
Good advice on transitions. I've been stewing about that.
Flooring is huge. The ranch we live in now , my late mother insisted on replacing the old different colors carpet with hardwood . When I moved in with my Dad after she passed , I took the $$ left me to extend the hardwood into the bedrooms I was occupying. My Dad put an addition on the back of the house , same flooring . The wood flooring all looks like it was installed at the same time ( to the casual eye) and created great flow in the house .
Nick Lewis Quote of the Week: “I already have people who freak out when my pillows aren’t appropriately fluffed before I film”.
Life on the You Tubes is a pressure-cooker!
Love the episode.❤
I ignore most of it because you can't make everybody happy. Although sometimes I look at my videos in the editing process and think "yeah I should have fluffed those..."
@@Nick_Lewis You're already the best, don't mind those...
@@Nick_Lewis ❤❤❤
@Nick_Lewis if people are attacking you because you haven't *gasp* fluffed your pillows, then they really need a hobby 🙄😂
Recording light temperature, I had a difficult time with this for a while. I appreciate that you specified “hospital/garage white” and not just cooler temperatures overall.
Kendra Gaylord had a video that helped me see when cooler lighting is appropriate, and I suddenly understood. I’d always heard the advice to go for warmer lighting to mean only the warmest temperatures were acceptable and it didn’t feel comfortable at all. Like, if the walls are painted a cooler shade, warm lighting fights against that and looks awful.
Too much furniture? If I get rid of the extra coffee tables where will I pile my clutter? 😊
Haha ! You need to put your clutter in closed storage . Cupboards, ottomans etc
What do you think if laminate flooring? Is it the cheap not good looking option? It’s much better than old carpets.
I’ve found some great throw pillows at Walmart. They’re pretty durable, fluffable, and the fabrics on some are nice, organic materials. They’re about half the price of say, Target.
That was educational. The last two tips (pillows and lighting) were new for this non-expert. We are about to begin decorating a new space so I will keep those in mind as we make choices. Job well done, Nick.😀
This is so funny! My husband and I have been fighting over daylight vs. soft white lighting for years. He’s on your side with the yellow light. I’m an artist and the reason I like daylight is because my paintings look better with this lighting. You can see all the vibrant colors and shadows, etc. I have a nice print collection as well and they just look better in daylight bulbs. I guess I can give soft white a try for a while and see how I feel. They do say that yellow light is better for winding down at night than the bright daylight bulbs.
I love daylight too. I need to see true colors to be happy. Yellow light is straining to me.
If you can afford it, programmable lighting is the way to go. Have bright clear daylight during the day, and get sleepy with warm sunset light in the evenings.
It’s a great foreshadowing to use a background that matches every point, great idea
HAHAHA the cluttered room with all the baby stuff and the dog wearing a cone of shame!!
Those hexagon tile/parquet transitions look gorgeous.
Re:floors. ‘Makes them look funny’. That was VERY gracious of you. I prefer ‘stupid’. I loathe material changes. I bought my condo and within a small 5ft space I had crappy linoleum, old carpet, and new wood entry way then the same wood in the small dining room. Hated every day living with it until I had new floors installed. Also hate when people use the same floor but change the direction it’s laid when going into the next room, even though it’s an open space. Just ‘WHY’?
as far as I know the changing direction with hardwood floors can be necessary if you install a new wood floor next to a preexisting one because of the way the wood can warp when settling.
@@wolfsmaid6815 I agree, if that’s the case. But I have a friend do it intentionally with new floors. Thought it looked cool. Lol
Forget about people getting their butt hurt … it means your message is clear and trustworthy love the work and your great interior design perspective