Everyone has their own idea of what pleasing home aesthetics look like. These may involve marble countertops, vessel sinks, or porcelain tile floors, many of which you can find in interior design magazines.
However, these supposed visual enhancements may have significant drawbacks. Fortunately, we have these people on Threads who, based on their personal experience and professional expertise, can give everyone else a heads-up on what not to put in their homes.
Check them out in this list we’ve compiled. Feel free to take notes or save them for future reference.
#1
"Open shelving in kitchens is something we install but always replace later."
Why contractors avoid it:
🔸 Everything requires constant dusting (grease + dust = grime)
🔸 Forces perfect organization or looks cluttered
🔸 Reduces usable storage by ~40% versus cabinets
🔸 Items in regular rotation develop visible "clean spots"
🔸 Most clients call within 2 years to add doors
Compromise: One small section of open shelving for display only.
Image credits: buildwithemil
#2
"I'd never put marble countertops in a kitchen that's actually used for cooking.":
🔸 Etches from lemon juice, vinegar, wine (all cooking staples)
🔸 Stains from olive oil, tomato sauce, and berries
🔸 Requires sealing every 3-6 months (most owners forget)
🔸 Shows wear patterns around sink and prep areas
🔸 Often looks worse after 2 years than quality laminate
Alternative: Quartzite gives the marble look with granite durability.
Image credits: buildwithemil
#3
If anything is a trend, I won't touch it, whether in a house, wardrobe, etc. It's money wasted.
Trends are identified by people who want you to pay them to replace it when the trend changes.
Image credits: greymuzzlegal
Since we’re talking about supposedly luxurious designs that actually pose multiple downsides, walk-in closets are on that list. Chicago-based architect Mark Sexton describes them as an “incredible waste of space.”
“I'm all for storage, but it should be flexible,” Sexton said in an interview with How Stuff Works. “It is more efficient, beautiful, and flexible to use cabinets, where the walking space is used for circulating rather than segregating closet contents."
#4
So glad the builder said " do you really want to clean grout between the tiny glass tiles in your shower?" So we instructed designer to look for bigger tiles. Practicality rules.
Image credits: kath_mccarthy_clay
#5
"Vessel sinks look great in magazines but are the first thing homeowners replace."
The practical issues:
🔸 Cleaning nightmare where the bowl meets the counter
🔸 Awkward height for washing face/brushing teeth
🔸 Water splashes everywhere due to shallow depth
🔸 Difficult for children to use
🔸 Prone to cracking at mounting points
Better option: Undermount sinks with quality fixtures create the same luxury feel with better function.
Image credits: buildwithemil
#6
my parents installed gorgeous glossy white porcelain tile flooring in the 90s, so much prettier than carpet, have lasted beautifully. But...now they're in their 80s and the tiniest bit of water makes the tiles absolutely deadly. SO slippery. And anything dropped on them shatters. They're using a lot of area rugs now, but it's definitely not a downside I imagined when they put them in.
Image credits: llyzabeth
According to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study, lighting accounts for 25 to 40 percent of energy consumption. However, poor lighting is another common issue in homes, whether caused by a lack of natural or electric resources.
Renowned architect Richard Meier believes it’s one of the more common design flaws in an average home. As he tells How Stuff Works, “too few houses take advantage of natural light.”
#7
Ceramic tile flooring in the kitchen. The last house we bought had it. It wrecks you feet knees and legs and if you drop anything it will SHATTER!!
Image credits: ktmckelvey
#8
One renovation that I’ve considered from time to time, if I were to redo the bathroom, is to get a Japanese-style soaker tub. In a modern, easy-to-clean material, not a truly traditional Japanese tub.
I like that they take up less floor space. And I’m not one to recline in a conventional tub. Just let me have a nice deep hot soak. And save space for a larger shower.
Image credits: jimmyzjammyz
#9
Kitchen door knobs that catch on pockets and anything hanging around pants . Big tip just get D Handles.
Image credits: bjcoppo
Everyone wants a durable home that can stand the test of time and guarantee a well-spent investment. One way to achieve that is by using natural products. According to interior designer Joe Waroquier, they provide both structural longevity and a timeless design.
"I consistently depend on stone, brick, and other products that are stable and provide a solid structure while also providing a timeless aesthetic and outliving trends,” Waroquier told MarthaStewart.com.
#10
Plumber told us to never put a sink in the island. This was after we watched them jackhammer my in-laws’ floor to find a small leak.
Image credits: becsticksd
#11
That stupid useless space above the two-story foyer that you can't get to except via a ladder to dust your plants.
Image credits: lil_abi
#12
I did kitchen and bath design many years ago and had a client who insisted on marble tile in her bathroom - floor, shower, tub, counter top all marble. Made her sign a release saying she understood the risk of tiles breaking, especially floor tiles, especially if she walked on them in heels. She signed it no problem and called us every 3-6 months to replace tiles she had cracked walking on them in heels.
Image credits: love_light_positivitea
Cleanliness goes beyond the surface level. It’s also about using the proper building materials that won’t harm the environment. According to Margie Lavender from Kligerman Architecture & Design, formaldehyde and benzene can be released into the air in the event of a house fire and may linger in the soil.
"Selecting material with healthy indoor air can help mitigate the toxins left behind,” she noted.
#13
"Never install a steam shower unless you're prepared to maintain it like a part-time job."
🔸 Requires cleaning after EVERY use to prevent mold
🔸 Seals fail within 2-3 years in most homes
🔸 Needs specialized maintenance most homeowners neglect
🔸 Often used 2-3 times then abandoned
🔸 Costs $8-15K but adds minimal resale value
Reality: A quality rainfall shower gives 90% of the luxury feel with 10% of the headaches.
Image credits: buildwithemil
#14
ALWAYS get a drop-in sink. Undermount sinks look nice until you want to replace it, then you find out how much more work it is.
Image credits: housebreakingheathens
#15
my brother does maintenance for a landlord and told us we're not allowed to get a one piece toilet when we replace ours bc if the tank breaks you have to replace the whole thing
Image credits: purpletearat
Ensuring a durable home involves avoiding these common mistakes, and that goes without saying. Avoid using low-quality materials, and if you can, evaluate each one. Research is equally important, according to architectural designer Jason Schmidt.
He advises that the focus should be on assemblies and strategies to create “the most effective defensible space.”
#16
No vessel sink, no garbage disposal, no boiling water tap (you are paying to keep water hot 24/7 plus the cost of filters is ridiculous), no open shelves, no enclosed cisterns or shower pipes (very expensive if you have a plumbing problem and the tiles have to be removed), no natural stone counter tops unless you are prepared to have them regularly resealed, and the big no-no, don’t get vinyl planking because it changes colour in the sunlight and can’t be re-stained.
Image credits: lesley.carey.3
#17
Grooves on doors are dust collectors.
Image credits: bjcoppo
#18
Skylights - they're going to get condensate & fog over
Image credits: sheeelbabe
#19
I work for a handyman company and we get a ton of calls for pocket door repair
Image credits: kimpossiblesmith
#20
Cooktops on an island!
Image credits: lil_abi
#21
No grout. I love my sheet vinyl/linoleum flooring. They make beautiful designs these days. Easy to keep clean.
Image credits: moomflake
#22
Jet tubs. My parents had one that they kind of regretted by the time we had to sell the house - difficult to clean, difficult to remove.
Image credits: neurodivfamily
#23
Painting your house black.
Image credits: rachelincolumbiacity
#24
Clear glass showers are an absolute nightmare. Unless you squeegee every single time you shower and/or spray down with vinegar water or a shower specific after shower spray, the glass WILL get mineral stains. IF you have softened water and IF you have the privilege of a weekly (not bi-monthly) house cleaner these are the only passes.
Image credits: killahjoules
#25
I would avoid open shelves everywhere. Use glass doors.
Image credits: entropy.cook
#26
Add kitchen cabinets that don’t go all the way to the ceiling and kitchen drawers that are so shallow that you can’t even put measuring cups in there.
Image credits: yeager3600
#27
Round windows- tried for years to get a round window front door but my husband protested: "Do you have any idea how hard that would be to trim out?"
Image credits: sheeelbabe
#28
White grout is a poor choice for bathrooms, go for mid or dark grey. Time after time I have told people, do not get white grout. When they do, within a year it looks grimy. You or your house cleaner are not going to want to scrub every single grout line with a toothbrush with bleach or grout whitener.
Mold will etch into the grout over time if not cleaned religiously you’ll get black speckles in white grout.
It’s much worse with high iron hard water which will turn it red.
Image credits: killahjoules
#29
Sinks that are just one big tub so to speak are useless for actually washing dishes since if you leave them to soak, you have to take them all out before rinsing. There will be soapy water all over your counter and probably on your floor too, which might not be very good for the counter, depending on the material, not to mention that it's slippery as *beep*!
Instead, get one with two drains and a dividing wall between them so that you can both leave the dishes to soak, and easily rinse them.
Image credits: thaeri
#30
My husband is a GC and we’ve had talks where I say what I like the look of (like recycled glass countertops, unfortunately they chip like crazy) and he tells me what will look similar and have the same vibe, but will last and be durable. Which is why I have quartz countertops.
Image credits: blc_gardner
#31
Never buy a steam dryer. They drip.
Image credits: azmomma1
#32
Also eww:
* jacuzzi bathtubs
* freestanding bathtubs (especially if you have pets)
Image credits: jenowensg
