Too many throw pillows, as well illustrated above. Where do I sit ? Can I throw some on the floor ?

I never even knew this existed, but now that you point it out, it does look annoying.

Ha! I read the title of your post, saw the picture and thought, "why do people think their pillows look good that way?"
You've got at least one person on your side. Love everything else in that room, though.

What bugs me about this photo is there is no room for your butt on this petite sofa with all those damn pillows! The karate chop is silly.

Love your write up. "The Karate Chop Pillow". LOL!
I have 2 of them:
The 'don't touch me room" and aside from the The Karate Chop Pillow, the over abandance of bed or sofa pillows. A few is oaky, but once you start piling on every pillow in the house, it's no longer a comfy sofa, or inviting bed; it's a 'don't touch me' piece of furniture.
The other are those 'twine balls' sitting in a dish or bowl.
Oh, I'm sure they will be back lash from these comment but you asked and I gave.

frames with nothing in them!!!

Too many pillows on bed. i don't know why there are 8 pillows on a bed.
I also can't stand photos of rich people holding their white poodles sitting on their sofa with lots of tassels.

I am tired of seeing faux animal heads, it seems they are in every other post. initially an inventive twist, now way overdone!

Matching furniture sets is probably my biggest dislike. Going to a store to buy a matching couch, loveseat and chair, even including a bonus set of matching coffee and side tables, and today only, they'll throw in a matching set of lamps. Ick.
Those pillows look ridiculous, like they all have pointy ears.

Placing stacks of books (usually large, coffee-table type ones) on every surface. Those photos of living rooms with piles of books all around drive me bonkers!

Ombre in any form, stenciled numbers on furniture, and I really think casters are becoming hack. Done well they are okay. But I've seen some projects that just scream POSEUR HACK!!!!!

Useless items is my design pet peeve. Sure, art is important, but the twine balls lyonstill mentioned are just one example. I don't understand bringing tons of things into a home that serve zero purpose. The best things in my house are useful AND beautiful.

Does anyone else remember this: In the film "The War of the Roses", the Kathleen Turner character spends a lot of time and money making the house perfect, and the signal that it is all finally done is her karate chop on a pillow.

It's stuck with me because even at the time I thought it was a weird thing to do to a pillow. I don't feel strongly about it, but it looks dumb.

Haha, I never even noticed the karate chop pillow phenomenon before! Now I'm going to be seeing it everywhere...

I agree about the empty frames and the stenciled numbers on furniture. Also getting sick of seeing mirrored furniture in profusion.

Design things I cannot stand: Sinks or stovetops in kitchen islands. The island is usually intended to be the cook's workspace, so it should be kept clear. This drives me bonkers and I see it EVERYWHERE.

Oh where do I start ...

1. Too many pillows on the bed, on the sofa, or anywhere.
2. Lighting that is too dim
3. The catalog look (when it looks like everything came off page 4 of the Pottery Barn catalog)
4. Mismatched drapery as a "look"
5. Stickers or decals anywhere that isn't a child's bedroom
6. Most word signs ("EAT" is especially terrible).

Ohhh, thank you! I hate those karate chop pillows too! And I know this one is not fair, but I am not a fan of family photos of everyone on the beach, all dressed in white, and the photo is in black and white. (If you do that NOW. If you did it in the 90's and still have the photos, those are okay) And let's see, what else.... Candles that will never be lit. Bowls of useless balls. Tuscany style designed rooms where nothing is actually from Tuscany, and the owner cannot find it on a map.

I actually like stacks of books all over a room, if it's genuine, not just for a design effect. I HATE using words as decoration, like putting "DREAM" above the bed, or "EAT" in the kitchen. Seems very kitchy in a bad way and too directive.

I watch way too much HGTV and I am constantly annoyed with all the granite lovers. It seems to be only thing these house shoppers care about. It's like someone told them that granite is what all the "cool kids" have, and so they must have it to keep up!!!

Plus, I don't get all the love... it's boring and common.

The "Live, Laugh, Love" sign! Make it stop!!!

Forgot about the typography art. That is one of the trends I can NEVER get down with in any situation. Word art can always ruin an otherwise great room for me. Seems just too literal and trite.

Thanks for the laughs... I agree with most comments, but I don't mind "too many books"!
My major pet-peeve: chevrons. Used to love them, but now they are everywhere! Walls, furniture, carpets, shirts, bags, dog accessories! Charlie Brown much?

+1 on the words in decor. They always sound like commands and would make me very uncomfortable if I had to live with them."Dream! Eat! Enjoy Life! Godammit, can you not follow simple rules? Here, I will put it on the wall in huge letters."

virgin candles.... a wick should always be used. If i bring a candle home I immediately burn it just a little so it does not look brand new.

I hate rooms with no color. If I see one more post with a house done in entirely white, gray, beige, etc I'm gonna scream.

I very much agree in disliking the karate chopped pillows empty picture frames, and useless items. One of my additional pet peeves is when the entire living room is focused entirely on the TV, like there's no other reason to be there and you get the feeling that it expresses the full extent of the inhabitants' social capabilities. If you have a home theater and a separate living room, great. Otherwise, let it be a true living room for entertaining, conversation, having drinks, reading, games...AND a place where you can pull out the TV at times and enjoy a good movie.

Chevron has jumped the shark in my opinion. At first, I loved it, now it seems that everyone has something chevron.

Okay, at first I laughed. But the truth is what sets my nerves on edge is precisely the kind of rant you've posted here. You have ascribed "intent" to a practice that simply makes an otherwise lumpish pile of pillows look tidy and uniform. And you preceded that put-down with the assertion that you are a tolerant person, open to ideas, believing that people should do what makes them happy. Uh huh.

Good lure to get hits, though.

I'm not a very tolerant person when it comes to humans. Loads of things big me. Dead cows on floors, chevrons, Russion dolls displayed, brag walls (photos of self with Bold Names), mountains of accent pillows on beds ( they serve no purpose), anything displayed for no other reason than to show off, over-styled homes furnished with the usual suspects (you know what they are) and nothing personal, imperfect...nothing with a story behind it. People who give their children pretentious names.

And that settee, which has way too many pillows on it.

I actually USE all of the 8 pillows on my bed throughout the night (I'm a very fussy sleeper and a hot pillow is a no-go!), but I can understand why other's dislike it. I don't get non-functional props, such as balls of twine in a bowl or stacks of books prettily displayed on a shelf but never read or enjoyed. Sure, to each her/his own, but I shudder thinking about having to DUST all that! I hate dusting

I seriously hate books organized by color. Nothing says "Not only do I not intend to read these books, but I'd prefer that you not read them either" than organizing them by aesthetics rather than by subject.

Matching art to your decor. Art is art and it doesn't need to match your curtains!

Also, pallets. I hate pallets. Pallet shelves! Pallet tables! Pallet couches! Ugh, just stop.

Yes, yes to the words as decoration!! Also - books arranged by color. It makes me think the person who lives there doesn't really read the books or is really uptight. OK, it looks nice - but it's wierd to me.

I hate the karate chopped pillows! We have a wonderful woman who cleans our house every week. She always karate chops our pillows, and we've never understood why, but have never bother mentioning it because she does such a great job that we don't feel the need to criticize; we just fluff them up after she leaves, but we do hate it! I didn't realize this was a design trend. I guess my memory of War of the Roses is foggy on that detail. What is the origin of this? It just looks weird.

@kellieinCA - I love the look of certain kinds of granite, but I dislike the perception that it somehow determines your "worth" as a person. I'll be replacing my sad, dated countertops with granite, but not because I'm trying to keep up with the joneses; I'm doing it because it's more affordable than quartz and is extremely durable. The perception that granite countertops is the be all and end all to kitchen design needs to go away.

@Pi and @mimivac - I was going to say the same thing! "Live, Laugh, Love" in particular rubs me the wrong way. I also hate matching furniture sets, "over stuffed bigness" (Will &Grace, anyone?), faux painting (ex: homes that look just as tacky as Olive Garden), "show" pillows aka throw pillows that must not be touched, and so much more...

- accent walls (I' m guilty of making one in my parents home a long time ago. Would never do it again.
- signs/words as wall art. How many times do I want to read the same thing in my own home.

Books arranged by color and also stacks of books with things on top of them. That makes me think that the books are never actually read. Oh, and huge bookcases which are filled with bowls, boxes, vases, etc. and only a handful of books!

Yes, dead animal rugs on the floor..can't stand it..

I have little to no interior design skill, but I'll be darned if I have not been thinking the very same thing! Who does that? Is it a new-wave wave to fluff pillows or a giant inside joke in the interior design community?

Additional Peeve-worthy Things:
1. decor that is so rusty you need a tetanus shot to be around it
2. desks so covered with "found objects" that there is no where to work
3. anything featuring unsealed and peeling paint... lead paint, ladies and gentlemen!

Enough with the fake taxidermy and animal heads! Matched suites of furniture are awful and boring. Mass produced accessories are also awful and boring.

I dislike it too! I agree, I think it started off innocently but I really can't stand seeing them everywhere. I don't mind the hair hide rugs. Used appropriately I think it works well.

1. Fake wood furniture. There is no excuse, ever (other than maybe some white ikea cube shelves).

2. Words on things. Like those Family/Love/Happiness wall decals, picture frames and wood cutouts.

3. Personal photographs everywhere. I'm talking EVERYWHERE, and always tiny 5x7 in cheap frames, never in groupings, just randomly hung/placed on every free surface.

4. Clutter as "decoration." If I can't find a place on your table to set a drink you have too much crap out, need an Edit button.

I never knew that karate chop pillows were a thing! Now I am going to notice it everywhere , I'm sure.

My biggest annoyances are mirrored furniture, and all white furniture. Neither seems very practical to me.

I hate giant poster-sized family portraits, and blogger-style black and white photo walls. They seem so self-congratulatory (Look at us, look at us!!) I have a few photos, but most of them are in albums. I prefer to use my wall space for funky local art.

I also hate words as art; life laugh love, Bible verses, pithy romantic expressions of undying devotion, etc. Gag.

Finally, it drives me nuts when people remodel a space and make it look as generic as dressing rooms at Banana Republic. It's safe and stylish, but completely soulless.

I agree with all these pet peeves...too many pillows on a sofa or bed, chopped or not is just unfriendly as is any furniture that looks 'good' but isn't comfortable to sit on.

Any kind of "designed clutter"...like too many collectibles, particularly ones that just fill up space and have no sentimental value to the homeowner.

Bookshelves arranged by color.

And, as someone who already lived through the '70s as a teenager, I cringe at anything "'70s-inspired."

Ahh - delighted that al those who comment are sharing the same peeves.

1. Any pillows/cushions that don't add to your comfort. Decorative pillows/cushions are so pointless and weird. Esp if you have to MOVE THEM to get comfy.
2. Words on things - even 'tea' or 'coffee' on a jar. But worst is 'fork' and 'knife' on the cutlery handles.
3. If someone described their 'space' as 'curated'...

generic apartments with ugly closet doors, cheap mini blinds and carpet that's poor quality-so depressing!

I LOVE rooms done in whites/creams, grays, butter...all the colors that soothe me and envelop me when I enter my loving home after a day filled with city energy and subway strife.
To each his/her very own.

Great post!

Along w/the karate-chopped pillows, I too hate animal pelts/heads (whether real or faux) and, not surprisingly, taxidermy.

Also rooms devoid of color, or trying to be too perfect. Or rooms where the furniture and accessories look like they are all from the same source and fresh off the delivery truck.

Also pictures hung in front of books on bookshelves. And of course the ultimate AT hot button: books arranged by color. And pictures hung too high on the wall. And a TV hung over a fireplace.

Also granite countertops and fixed kitchen islands of any sort (though I like a small moveable work table).

And many other things which I'm sure I'll think of as soon as I hit the "submit comment" button...

I love this! Things that drive me crazy:

1. Clear plastic chairs. They are silly. Even though you can't see them, they still take up toe stubbing space in your apartment. Why buy furniture if you cant see it?
2. Color coordinated books on a shelf or even worse- all of the books turned backwards! How can you find what you're looking for?
3. Fake animal heads. The design version of that "Call Me Maybe" song. I'm tired of it.

Artificial plants - makes me sad everytime i look at them!!

I have stacks of books everywhere but they are the books I read and they're definitely not as pretty as the ones that are "designed".

I agree with most of the stuff here but especially the numbers stencilled on furniture. I can't begin to explain how ticked off those pieces of furniture make me.

AMEN, and thank you for putting such a public voice to something that has bothered me since i first began seeing it months ago!

I hate those over stuff couches. The ones with the seat back that flips down into a "table"with cup holder. I really hate it when its also a recliner.They never look good anywhere. They are to large for just about any space you could put them in. They always have a lumpy potato look. What I cant stand most of all is that most of them are sectionals. When you get something that big its completely worthless. You cant have a comfortable conversation in the room because its the only piece of furniture that can fit. Then you are always turning to see who it talking. There is no flow to them. I just cant stand it.

The picture above actually looks like a store display to sell pillows, who would ever in there right mind do that? No one. I also don't like the word displays people put up, like they can't think. Pottery Barn look a likes. I also don't like gigantic furniture. I love orginal art not mass produced and hung with no feeling in them. I love seeing places that look as though someone lives there, collected over time.. NOT MATCHY MATCHY, haha. less is more and simple works for me. The number one thing I don't like is granite, it looks like vomit, sorry to anyone who likes it.

I don't think I know anyone who actually has a "live, laugh, love" sign, but they do seem to be everywhere. Can someone create a "die, scowl, hate" sign that I can put up instead?

I am sad when something that seems fresh and fun and cool gets overused and exhausted soooo quickly--i.e. "Keep calm and carry on" and those bus blinds, which seem to have spawned all sorts of hideous imitations.

Gosh. This opened a can of worms! I agree with most of the above especially the Live, Laugh, Love and EAT signs. Ugh... Cheesy...

I also can't stand faux distressed finishes on furniture. It's one thing to buy an antique and proudly display it but it is another to take a perfectly good piece of furniture and make it look like it is in worse condition than it is.

Ugh I hate chopped pillows too, and white faux animal heads. I also really hate a furry blanket or furry animal skin thrown over a wire metal chair, like its going to be more comfortable now? its just carelessly put there in that "oh I just dont care" fashion, please. Everyone has done it, its boring and it doesnt make anyone look edgy.

Im also tired of the big railroad wheeled coffee tables with the rustic wood. It was cute 8 years ago, now its just ridiculous.

and walls that are "venetian plastered".

IKAT has run its course! Matchy match anything, Too many pillows, Just predictable accessories...I actually went through a period with my clients where I almost couldn't bare doing accessories..I felt like there was no way to find, yet alone, creatively place yet another vase, pair of candle sticks, bowl filled with orbs of any kind...lol. I told clients that they were in charge of personalizing their space with objects that actually meant something to them or they were drawn to. I'm not a fan of having something just to have it...classic items, like the Eames Lounge and ottoman become mundane when paired with the same orange accent wall, bamboo floor and Nelson Bubble Lamp same as most of the neighbors. Trends will kill you. The MCM trend has been going strong for a bit too long---I will always love certain pieces, but a house full is mind numbing and way too predictable.

It disturbs me to see people using dead animal products as decor such as, taxidermied animal parts, coral, turtle shells, exotic sea shells and especially skin rugs. It's just creepy.

Design elements that grate my nerves are:

1. Plastic covered furniture (what's that about)
2. Matchy-matchy rooms (to quote Lynell "ick")
3. Floors covered in plastic runners (wha...)
4. Doilies everywhere (although, a few tastefully placed are nice)
5. Velvet pictures (you know, the dogs playing poker kind)
6. Sports team memorabilia as design.

oh god, those pillows look kind of evil, like they're up to no good.

i have a friend who has frames everywhere that have the original stock photos in them. those people are not your family.

also, mismatched store-bought iron crosses hung up all over a wall. i guess that's cute if you collect a cross from every place you travelled, but not if you get one from every pier 1 store in your state.

the "keep calm and carry on" posters should go without saying, yet almost every house tour has one

Tv that is too high to watch comfortably

I once criticized a house tour poster for having a "Keep Calm and Carry On" print (an overdone cliche if ever there was one IMO) and was told off by another commenter that if it has meaning for the owner then it should be on the wall. Fine.
As to arranging books by colour, that, too can have meaning for some people, and it doesn't necessarily imply that those people don't love or read books.
Take a look at this video, made for the love of books, and get some colour ideas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVcQnyEIT8

Monochromatic color schemes with one punch of color. Totally impractical.

@Buonpane: "Can someone create a "die, scowl, hate" sign that I can put up
instead?"

You've got my wheels turning my dear...

Ikat has no course to run, it's classic.

Granite counter tops. Thanks a lot HGTV.

Love all the karate chop comments. The realtor who sold my last apartment used to karate chop my pillows before open houses; I would re-fluff them as soon as I got home.

A comprehensive and thoughtful list of peeves so far, well done Apartment Therapy nation.

My global decorating peeve is anything - any room, any piece of furniture, any accessory - that doesn't seem like you. This is particularly true for the Pottery Barn/Ikea room-buying folk referenced above. The point of your home is to express yourself and make yourself happy; I think if you invest even a little effort you can make it a lot more personal then a store "set" and enjoy your place a lot more. But of course this takes effort and people often lack the confidence to express themselves.

PS - I'm sad that chevrons have jumped the shark. As well, I'm worried grey is on the chopping block next, I began using it 6 years ago and hoped it could be my secret but alas, folks caught on.

oh, and theme rooms. recently i went into a bathroom that was decked out in crowns and debutante ball regalia.

@CLAIREZ: "i have a friend who has frames everywhere that have the original stock photos in them. those people are not your family."

What?? What's the reasoning behind this? Is it supposed to be ironic?

I have to agree with @CARRIH on the ikat.

@starofvenus - On the subject of jars with labels...sometimes that's necessary to know what's inside the jars.

Another design pet peeve of mine: Monogrammed things. I don't understand the need to put initials on everything. I would hope that visitors to your home know your name.

It does bother me to see beds with numerous pillows arranged just so, you'd have to unmake the bed before lying down. Do you need a trunk just to store the pillows while you sleep? I find the photo above hilarious, though. It's like a family portrait :) Just one of those would be incredibly inviting.

My own pet peeve is chevron. I dislike it on clothing, even more so on walls.

I find it funny that people mentioned words-on-things. I was nodding along, thinking, "Who would put a sign that says 'DREAM' in their bedroom or 'EAT' in their kitchen?" And then I remembered I have a large woodcutting of the word "BREATHE" above my closet door. But it's something I made in middle school to commemorate a similar sign from a beloved childhood camp I went to, not just "Cool, a word! Lemme put this art somewhere!"

My pet peeves: open shelving in kitchens instead of cabinets, accent walls, and gold fixtures on white cabinets. I know not everyone agrees with me, but these are just design elements that make me cringe.

Most of mine have already been mentioned, but ... here it goes!

1. Too many pillows!

2. Using words, or overly-staged phrases, as decoration -
e.g. - "Shut Up and Kiss Me" over a bed; "Eat" in the kitchen

3. When the room is overly-staged and impersonal (photo-shoot style), or things are done exclusively for a trend's sake ... It's a room, and you live there. It can be pretty and well-designed, but make sure it's functional and comfortable for you!

4. Pictures that are hung too high - gallery height is NOT 2" below the ceiling!

5. Useless items, like fancy candles that are never lit, or balls of rope that just lie on the coffee table. - It's just more to dust!

6. Books organised by non-subject characteristics (colour, size, etc.) - yes, I understand that it looks kind of cool, and probably works if you have a small library. But I have over 700 books at home, and an addition 50 sitting here in my office. (academic and leisure reader!) I wouldn't have a hope of finding a book if they were organised by colour, or arranged in non-standard ways (e.g., pieced together like a jigsaw).

7. Flat screen TVs about the fireplace.

8. Garages that are front/crentre -- hide the drive-in, and feature your home!

9. Fake wood -- or, worse: ruining BEAUTIFUL wood with blah white paint

10. Too much of one colour ... a family friend just remodelled their house ... painted the exterior two shades of blue. Interior: blue carpets, blue walls, blue furniture, blue curtains, blue countertops, blue blacksplash, and blue framed art (with blue matting!) - it's too much!

@SANDY2012 - YES! Fake plants are my BIGGEST pet peeve! Everyone knows they're fake. You are not fooling anyone!

I'll agree with those who said matchy-matchy furniture sets. Can't stand them.

There are things people listed that I definitely love (like chevrons & typography art) but I can see why others are over the trend. Sigh. If there is anything I've learned from reading all the comments is you can't please everyone. Might as well just try to please yourself! :)

My pet peeve is frames of art stacked (partially) one in front of the other and propped against a wall. I have the look right now but I just moved in and haven't had the time to put them up the wall. Never understood how that could count as decorating.

Most everything mentioned but ESPECIALLY the words. Laugh, Believe, Bon Appetit, If you love someone..., etc. All that stuff needs to go.
We all need to avoid the fads, which is easy enough if you're paying attention. Think about it. New design ideas are often cool, but please, something like chevrons will die out pretty quickly. Good design is good design. There's not much new that's going to stay around forever.

Here are my three most important tips to design by:
1. Functional and artistic: do it. Which leads to...
2. If it's not functional, then make sure it really MEANS something to you and you'll never grow tired of it. Which leads to...
3. Don't overdo it. If your beloved grandmother collected salt shakers and you inherited the collection, pick no more than three favorites for display. Sell the rest. One is enough to remind you of sweet little old granny.

I hate clear plastic/acrylic/lucite chairs. Ever notice that nowhere on the internet is a picture of someone actually sitting in them? That's because even if you don't have back fat, you do when you sit in those! They make me think of hooker shoes, and sweaty hooker feet.

I also really hate stacks of books with items posed on top. Clearly you've never read those, nor are you going to! Leave the books to the rest of us who are actually going to read them!

I love the chop pillows. feeds my ocd soul. also have a faux white moose head in my bedroom. I also have the first cover of MS. Magazine framed, and a huge mexican sombrero on my mantle. I am of a fan of what makes people happy.

I don't have a lot of design hates. I see things overused in design blogs and HGTV shows, but, honestly, those are both hothouse environments. It's much like fashion - the industry thrives on keeping tabs on what is hot, about to be hot, or so over. Visit most peoples' homes, and you are not going to see karate-chopped pillows or Keep Calm posters.

Things that make me depressed in real-life homes:
faux ivy in baskets
sectionals
flat screen TVs mounted above the fireplace
exterior shutters, unless you actually live in a 150-year-old home on Nantucket
"art" purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond

Buonpane- love.
Only now rather than working (or procrastinating on AT, whatevs) I'm doodling up something to turn into a cross stitch...

So once something becomes "cool" you should throw it away? How very hipster.

Okay, once again I'm jumping in to defend books arranged by color (thanks to those above who've done the same). If you don't like how it looks, fine. But if you agree it looks pleasing, then stop assuming that everyone who does it doesn't really read! I'm an English professor and a poet, and I also have a photographic brain that can find any color-arranged book in my house (a couple thousand books total) in 30 seconds. I fully know it doesn't work for everyone, but it works for some of us, and I love how it looks. I love books and consider them beautiful objects in their own rights.

There are lots of trends I dislike, but the one that pops up in my head now is cowhide rugs. I think they're ugly and just sad: the outline of something dead on your floor. Ick.

Matching furniture or anything else; posters masquerading as "art"; anything super-trendy (seems those white animal heads right now); postage-stamp rugs; "accent" walls or any bright/simple color (like red or yellow) on walls; empty frames (who came up with that one??); art hung improperly; furniture pushed up against the wall; too much big furniture. Despite the fact that ikat has a huge resurgence, it doesn't bother me because it's an ancient motif - I enjoy seeing it modernized because it's timeless.

I am now considering a sign above the toilet that reads, "poop."

lol...I also have a keep calm and carry on poster....framed in green, and a sectional...also in green velvet (down filled...mmmmmm) see....one person's trash is another person's treasure. After my divorce, when I moved from a HUGE mc mansion into a tiny brick rambler, I decided that all design decisions would be based upon the heart and the smile upon my face. if it makes me smile and makes my heart glad, it is IN.

Have you ever seen catalogue living? They make fun of all those over stage catalogue photos

http://catalogliving.net/

Now I am going to see karate chop pillows everywhere! argh!!

oh...and ps. I just arranged my books by color. I've read every single one, and love them all. and I love the rainbow they make.

Ohhh...beds without headboards. They just look incomplete.

@laughingirl71: "if it makes me smile and makes my heart glad, it is IN." Honestly, you sound awesome, and I wish we could hang out.

@Elyse HK: I'm going to have an Etsy store full of ideas by tomorrow if this comment section keeps on the way it is.

@laughingirl71: you go, girl!

Oh, dear, is that expression passé?

My cat sits on my pillows and leaves an karate chop indentation-- I swear I'm not trying to be trendy!

I'll give you both the Ikat if you really want...of course there are classic interesting designs...BUT it's EVERYWHERE and that is my main reason that I avoid. Love reading everyones posts. I was once doing a major mountain castle in Colorado and the home owners only requests were: antlers,moose and cowhide...oh and as much Ralph Lauren as possible. Sometimes it takes a Disney cliche to make your clients happy...I dislike all the stenciled, numbered, distressed and items made out of "antique Parisian grain sacks"...lol
I LOVE real.

Chopping the pillows annoyed me from the begining and I have never done it nor will I. Like you said it reaks of: "a designer was here, and I am a snob who is better than you" The other thing that really REALLY annoys me is when a couple of National Magazines that offer "cost cutting ways" or "inexpensive ways" to decorate "for the "ordinary person" and just like HGTV's High-Low project no one in my $60,000 a year income range finds spending $400.00 on a drum lampshade, for example or $65 for a simple 12x12 inch pillow to be money saving or affordable. Why can't they bring their price ideas and references down another notch? My favorite when all else fails "you can always go to "IKEA" as if they are the loliest store out there. I won't name the names; most of you who are "into" design know what pulications I am talking about. I wish just one magazine would show how to "redesign" by using items from Target and (not Sabrina's everyday woman's design line" )or even god forbid BIG BOX stores? Even low income people and those of us who cannot because of health problems "redo" a piece of furniture still like to design our homes. I wish IKEA sold their things via web; as many of us do not live close enough to visit their stores.

Anything that is so ubiquitous that it no longer represents the choice of the resident. I feel that way about granite, but I have had it in three houses now and it seemed so cold and much too shiny. That said my daugher picked out a black ganite and had it honed. I really like it.

I have a friend who is an antique dealer and for a long time she has chopped pillows. Believe it was originally done to show they were high quality down. Difficult to chop an acrylic filled pillow.

I think of pillow chopping as more a shop display thing.

Books used as decoration, particularly:
1) Arranged by color (srsly?)
2) All covered in the same material (srsly?)
3) Turned backwards (SRSLY?)
4) Suggestions to "go to a flea market and buy a bunch of books for your room..." (you're not fooling anyone)

And on a non-book note, rooms that are not meant to be used, like the old-style formal living room. Luckily, this shows up less and less often.

Please.

I very much dislike stenciled quotations on walls. Also not a huge fan of song lyrics stenciled or painted on walls.

while i agree with most of the design trends disliked and noted in the comments above mine, i can admit to doing a couple of them. i like and have a few "word" signs - not as a command to guests or myself; just a friendly reminder about some aspects of how i want to live my life. i also have a "keep calm and carry on" poster. haven't displayed it for more than three years, but i have one. would be a good (and word-y) reminder if put above my i-hate-to-cook-and-don't-do-a-good-job-at-it stove. :)

but i haven't/won't chop a pillow! :)

I think "scowl, hate, die" has better flow, but yeah, that sign needs to be made.

Ikat - hate it!

When I was in college, I interned at a furniture store and they actually teach the "karate chop method" for staging pillows in the showroom. That was one of my jobs, to go around and karate chop all the pillows. I guess more proof that the technique makes your home look like a showroom.

P.S. I have never felt the need to do this at my home.

People who put fake trailing Ivy above their Kitchen cupboards need to be shot...

I feel the love people. and I ADORE the cats making the karate chops. Rusty my weenie dog is constantly RUINING my perfectly chopped down pillows!!! Silly weenie. (how many women have said that?!!!) I am not a designer, but do decorate high end houses at christmas time, and my clients love the fact that I proudly display their children's homemade ornaments along with 1000 dollar bows and baubles. Life is too short not to smile every time you walk in the front door.

OMG my sisters have word signs all over their houses. One has three signs - "simplify", "simplicity", and "Simple Life". With her overstuffed furniture with cup holders. Kill me now. I also cant stand rooms that you cant sit in and relax. I guess I cant talk much about design considering my downstairs is filled with three baby gates. sigh.

Before posting this, I searched this page ("command + "F"), so I think this one is new: I cringe whenever I see an accent prop -- like a robe, a sweater, or even a throw tossed at a perfect 90 degree angle on the bed. Oh, and it's always in the complementary color, too!

Homes that look like a DWR showroom.

TV above the fireplace. Goodness knows it really isn't such a big deal, so I don't know why, but it makes me apoplectic every time I see it.

Karate chop pillows-why is this a good idea? Looks like my dog has just scrambled all over the couch.

'Accent' pillows especially piles of them on a bed.

Fake flowers/plants...so sad. Plus, they don't smell good. Plus plus, they collect dust like it's going out of style

Piles of old books divested of their covers and tied up with twine-who on earth thought of that one?

Bowls of 'stuff'-balls of twine and so on-but especially bowls of pot pourri, it's always old, dusty and has lost its' fragrance.

Any written message that orders me to do something-'eat', 'dream', 'believe', or, my all-time-are-you-serious? signage, 'breathe'. Because clearly I need to be told to take in enough oxygen to STAY ALIVE.

Don't get me started, I could go on & on & on...

Anything overtly feminine. Pink, purple, lavender, frills, lace, chintz... barf barf barf

I'm with you. It takes away from the simple beauty of most throw pillows, putting a hard edge on something soft.

@spectrogram - feel the irony. srsly.

Hardwood floors everywhere! I hate them except for in the kitchen and/or dinning room. Everytime I see a hardwood living room I want to scream no!! Everywhere else they come off as too cold (literally and aesthetically). Plus then you have to buy all these rugs to cover up your floors. What?! My room was hardwood when I was a kid and it sucked. Don't ruin your house with floors you're going to cover with a bunch of rugs. If you like rugs, use them over your carpet.

@spectrogram - feel the irony. srsly. or, just lighten up.

Tufting overload; frames with nothing in them; intentionally hanging curtains vastly outside the dimensions of a window; pillow excess; attack of the ill-conceived wicker; obligatory Eames, Arco, and sunburst mirrors; frame clusters; ceramic stools and other unsittable seats; faux industrial; ripping off your cabinet doors to embrace open storage; cantilever fever; a bunch of Jonathan Adler bought-for-display animals and tchotchkes that clearly have no story behind them; zigzag and Ikat galore; neon accents in real life homes. Did I miss anything?

Oh, and yeah, now I'm annoyed by the karate chop, too—thanks, Jennifer! ;)

- books arranged by color
- karate chopped pillows
- twine balls
- white walls
- re-upholstering vintage furniture with cutesy, child-like prints

this isn't a trend but probably my biggest pet peeve - hanging things on the wall WAY TOO HIGH. aside from artfully curated salon style hanging, i'm of firm belief that the center of a flat object being hung should be no higher than 60" from the ground.

Red walls! Either the whole room or just an accent wall - I can't stand it! It seems really 90's to me (or 2002 when I actually had a red wall - but have since gotten over that phase)

I also cannot stand the word cutouts - "family", "love", "dream" - blech. I'd rather have the word "poo" on my wall than one of those.

I'm also not a fan of granite. It's not the granite that bothers me, but people's obsession over having it!

I admit, I have a huge, Rusted, hospital visit worthy if touched, sign the says RELAX hanging on the wall next to my hot tub...help me!!

I think I pretty much agree with everything already mentioned - except for monochromatic rooms (which are very soothing to me) and I am unapologetically hanging on to my Keep Calm poster.

The whole burlap thing is just weird to me. People making ruffled table runners out of it. Or stamping French phrases on it and making pillows. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Oh yeah, and flotaki pillows and blankets on your couch! Looks like a dead wookie.

@Caterplillar, I am STILL crying over your hilarious comments about the hooker shoe acrylic chair!...especially since I SO love the Ghost chairs...but I digress...

I hate too many pillows on anything and pictures of everyone in the family on the wall. It just does nothing for me much to the disappointment of my husband. I've never had pictures of anyone in my family on the wall, but I will put one on a surface.

I do love the "Stay Calm and Carry On" art and will still be buying a big one in a frame for somewhere in my house. I also do NOT agree that just because something has become super popular that would be the reason not to do it. I'm not decorating my house for anyone else's pleasure...I design it for my own.

I once dated a guy who listened to really random music that I had never heard of. Then it would start playing on the radio a month later and he would stop listening to it because it had become "mainstream". He was a loser...but my point is: a fad is a fad, yes. but when you like something (truly like it), does it matter if its a fad/trend? Unless you travel the world searching for "one-of-a-kind accesories/art/textiles/furniture/etc, aren't you bound to have the same thing as someone else?

I agree, some things are overdone and boring to me, but not everyone is a designer. And if they see a set of matching furniture at Pottery Barn that they think is really great...well then go them.

Also, I disagree with the "art partially stacked in front of each other leaning against the wall." I have so many different pictures/artwork/frames that I change them out regularly. Can you imagine having to patch those holes each time??

Man, I keep thinking of more. Barcelona couches and Acapulco chairs. Just because they're named after rad (or rad-sounding) cities doesn't mean they're attractive or worth a damn to actually sit in. For that matter, any sofa without arms!

Art propped up against the wall... on the floor. No.

And curtains that extend feet above a window.

pity the house tour that follows this post...

My design pet peeve is lots of pillows on a bed. NO ONE ever slept with that many pillows. EVER. You have rid of them every single night before bed. It does not look comfortable at all. It also makes the bed look small in length and design. Four is really the maximum that a couple can have in their bed. Two each: one for your head and the other for cuddling when you don't cuddle your bed mate. In my opinion anyway.

Vessel sinks. Sectionals. Stuff on top of upper kitchen cabinets. Things made into other things -- look, a lamp made out of a trumpet! Furniture crammed against the walls. Fussy window treatments. TVs mounted above fireplaces. Items that are out of scale (mostly sofas that are too big, rugs that are too small, end tables the wrong height, and lamps that are either too tall or too short). Window treatments hung too low. Tchotchkes all over the place.

Thank goodness we have a consensus on getting rid of word art and too many pillows. Are we all deputized to go forth and fix that?

Eames chairs and Parsons desks. I don't care if they're "classic", to me they're just plain ugly. And anything Mid Century Modern. The 50s are over, people.

I'm bracing myself for the impending flame war.

I am starting to hate old buildings remodeled inside with all super cold shiny hard surfaced modern stuff. While I like clean uncluttered looks, too clean and it looks sterile. Also hate the fake animal heads like so many other posters. Also hate the real animal heads and all taxidermy. Any animal print in any room will immediately make me lose interest. I hate too many mirrors especially mirrored closet doors.
Don't mind Ikat, signs with words, although I hate to be told to Smile. Don't mind karate chopped pillows at all. And yes, fake ivy, fake plants are the worst. I go to people's houses and see them covered in dust-yuck!

@AUSTINISTCALIST - YES, vessel sinks are O.V.E.R.

stuff that is hard to clean. wall to wall carpet. anything that has no purpose but to collect dust. pink/turquise bath tile. stainless appliances. overly filled rooms. personally i loathe the overstuffed sofas with built in cup holder, but it that is your thing, and your house, go for it. i used to hate those sea grass rugs, but once i painted the one i had to match the walls it made the room look huge. plus when it gets dirty I can slap more paint on it.

I dislike rustic style, where the table is made from a barn door or something, and decor that's
childish with toy figurines where there's no kids. Animal heads, real or fake, must go!

Also this new 'trend' where the upholstery looks like it was ripped off then not reupholstered. Why? If I wanted a chair that looked like that I'd go to a garage sale and do it myself - not spend $2,000 on it at Anthro.

Oh yeah, now that I've caught up to the comments there are so many more! Balls of twine; vessel sinks; words on walls.

I admit that I'm actually kind of a fan of a certain amount of matchy-matchy, though. I like matching nightstands framing my bed, with matching lamps on 'em. I don't mind a coffee table and end tables that match, or a sofa and loveseat that match. It should never look like it's straight out of a catalog, but with plenty of other items like lamps and textiles it shouldn't be a sin if the basic bones of a room are coordinated, IMO. But then I like cardigan twinsets and earring and necklace sets and matching my shoes, belt and purse, so maybe it's just me.

Oh yeah! Lamps with a clear base so you see the cord. WTF.

If you want to see TOO MANY DARN PILLOWS look at my Home Tour-- Martinez Mountain Turkey Coop...My bedroom has WAY too many pillows, but my wife loves basically to sleep on a pile of pillows!

I am over people coming out of the wood work for MCM design---A few pieces are great--a recreation of a fifties house is pathetic...

OK I admit, I DO have a "keep calm and drink wine" framed blue image above the bar in my house... but I really just couldn't help it. I HATE HATE HATE the word art people buy from the clearance section at Ross/TJ MAxx/Marshall's/LinensNthings....
"Life, Laugh, Love"
"Every day is a gift, thats why its called the Present"
"Family"
"Dance like no one is watching"
ARGHHHH I DIE.

@minilauren - I think you're the only one on this. Hardwood floors are definitely not cold. And since when has putting down a rug been an issue?

I have a question about this recurring pet peeve:

"Furniture crammed/pushed up against the walls."

Where else are you supposed to put your furniture in a normal sized room?

I also hate the following items:
sectionals
too many pillows
the room being too trendy in general (rather than being yourself)
perfect rooms that never look used
anything too matchy-matchy
chunky furniture

I hate almost everything listed above, especially "objet d'art vignettes"... but I don't mind the karate chop... go figure.

@jess13 - you can float it. A normal sized room can often accommodate furniture that doesn't have to be right against the wall.

Ooh, I love these! Everybody likes to complain about things they hate! :)

My peeves:
'Vase Filler' at any time other than Christmas (in a home. If it's some sort of special event, it's forgiveable).
Sand Art
NO rugs. WTF? It looks so cold!
And I second the twine balls. I hate it when people put something on a table for the sake of putting something on the table. If they were your great grandpa's twine balls from the Old Country, well then good for you! If they're from Home Depot and you're filling space, go buy something you actually love and put THAT on the table.

Where shall I begin? Hmmm lets see:
1. Fake wood. MDF is not your friend!!
2. Shiny faux brass fixtures.
3. Brick front houses. Why not cover the entire house?
4. Obsession with granite counter tops & stainless appliances on 'House Hunters'.

I don't really see the problem with TVs over fireplaces - yes, it is too high, but with a lot of older houses there isn't room anywhere else.

What bugs me is decorative curtain panels that aren't wide enough to cover the window. If you've gone to the expense and trouble of hiring a designer, buying fancy fabric and paying to have custom curtains made, pony up the extra $ to get curtains that actually do something.

@minilauren - I'm the complete opposite, lol! :-) Wood everywhere (real wood - not that fake snap-together laminate stuff!), except for the kitchen (canned food dropping on wood = MASSIVE dents!) ... the floors are warm and deliciously smooth to walk on. ... and so, so easy to clean! The only rugs in my place are a "welcome" mat at the door, and one by the shower!

@janetmc - You have my respect - That's quite a skill!!! - And, just goes to show: design your house the way that works for you! ... I think categorically ... if the books aren't arranged like your basic library/bookshop, I am absolutely hooped!

This is positively cathartic! Here are a few more: extravagant molding put into homes that are modern in style. CHAIR RAILS. Overdone baby and children's rooms-- your baby isn't the Crown Princes of Saudi Arabia. Rooms that look like Etsy exploded in them -- too much kitschy, twee DIY "self expression." Espresso finished cabinetry and furniture. Compact flourescent lights-- not really a design thing, but I hate them. They make everything look ugly.

MINILAUREN: When I purchased my condo, I ripped out the carpet and installed laminated flooring. Carpet holds dirt and dust regardless of how much you clean or vaccuum and it's a killer for us who are asthmatic. My doctor even recommended me removing the carpet.
Not arguing with you, but just giving you 1 reason for not having carpet other than for design reasons. :o)

LACK of books! The first thing I notice about someone's house is whether they have books or not. And as an avid reader who never gets RID of a book, I think it's funny that so many people commented that they hate stacks of books with things on top of them. I think you're nuts. You don't think they will be or have been read? Why? What do you think I should be reading all 200 of my books at the same time?

I currently want to whip my computer across the room every time I see the word CURATE on all the design blogs I'm addicted to. I realize words can evolve, but this one sounds so pretentious...

Design wise, I've never loved granite or ikat or books that are wrapped in paper.

I still love chevrons despite the overwhelming evidence here and elsewhere that chevron has jumped the shark.

Hate granite. Granite countertops will be to the aughts what formica was to the 70's.

So based on this growing list, anything anyone does will have someone that will bitch about it. First world problems. SMH

@Bowtruckle.Liz: well, mostly because if you're using books as a base to prop up other kitchy crap it's a reasonable assumption that you view the books as props. I guess you could also assume that they are props AND reading material, but let's not kid ourselves with the majority here.

Granite countertops, fake ivy, word wall art, clutter, absurd cooking accessories displayed, "cute" front door accessories that just get dirty and look sad.

As an editor and a book lover, I have no problem with books as decoration, whether read or not; no one said they had to be read to still be enjoyed.

And, I stack things on top of books, too, because I have enough books (some read, some to-be read) that I have no other place to put them.

It's a thing I love, but I'm getting sick of seeing blackboard paint everywhere, so I don't foresee loving it for long.

The "thrift store" or "grandma" kitschy retro look is another pet peeve of mine. It's one thing when stuff comes together naturally, but when it's a deliberate "cozy" feeling, it doesn't feel cozy so much as stuffy.

Windows without curtains or blinds (even though I think blinds are ugly). Privacy is a good thing; we don't need to see into your home and your life any more than we have to see everything you eat on Facebook.

And I agree with the person who said too-bright lighting.

Here goes:
1. Karate chop? Yup, I do it on the Taos bed in the study, otherwise the cushions seem to disappear into the expanse of the daybed, but not on the cushions on the living room sofa;
2. Lots of pillow? Yup, sometimes I have many pillows on my bed and sometimes not. Right now there are four;
3. Books sorted by color? Works for me with a small percentage of my books;
4. Books everywhere? Yup, love to read and love to pick up books and put them down at my whim;
5. Chevrons? I hope this is here to stay bc it works with any number of styles;
6. Taxidermy? Not so much;
5. Words, typography, phrases? Don't have but it can work if not overdone.

These comments are hilarious! I'll chime in:

1. Yes, deer heads and antlers in the homes of people who have never hunted anything in their lives, or maybe have even been to an area where there is hunting. Even the fake ones are disinguenous. Why did this become a thing? I think it goes along with the hipsters like to copy old blue-collar men thing.
2. Open shelves in the kitchen. Classic example of form over function.Do I try to keep my shelves organized? Yes, but who doesn't have at least one random assortment of plastic cups or unmatched bowls that need to be hidden?
3. Those weird bottles that have herbs or red peppers in them, in some type of liquid (is it oil??), that people put on display in their kitchen, never to actually be used. Why???
4. Rooms that are designed with the television in a completely impractical space, like behind the couch or way off in some corner. I know designers don't like tvs, but they are a reality in most people's lives. No one wants to have to turn their couch around or rearrange seating every time they want to watch.

Good pet peeves above and I share many of them. I'm puzzled by flat screen televisions hung above fireplaces, or just very high in general. If the space allows, doesn't it make more sense to hang the TV at seated eye-level?

Ever watch Bang for your Buck on HGTV? They're always banging on about granite's supremacy and "over personalized" spaces. Good grief. It's their house--of course it's personalized.

The book decore thing is the worst. My personal least appreciated is the book wallpaper. Super tacky!

Actually I love words on walls but that is partly because I love fonts as much as I love the meaning behind the words themselves. Lines from movies or books that I use over and over or poetry that speaks to me. I love it.

What I dislike...

- furniture sets, all matching and from the same collection
- symmetry, like when you can fold a place in half and the sides are mirror images of each other
- wallpaper, I have never seen the point
- overstuffed, la-z-boy type furniture. Yeah you know the stuff I mean
- useless tchotkes
- pretentious books, like when people have the entire leatherbound collection of classics but it looks like they have never been read

@Btoddster: That's why this is fun and harmless!
I love reading the AT posts and I often catch myself thinking "Hmmm, you know, perhaps if I pick up a few of those books that have been piling up on the floor I can put the short lamp on top of them. Now I have a taller lamp and no clutter on the floor. Hooray!" Other times I think, "If my books were arrange by color, it would be too hard for me to remember that my favorite Salmon Rushdie book was filed in Green section. Am I the only one who might have this problem?" Posts like this are just a fun way to talk about these things!

Hm, this comment thread is bad for my health. I'm probably going to hell for not being able to afford hardwood furniture or for having several framed posters of reproduced art. Pray for me?

I'm thinking the gallery wall is coming to an "Out" list near you. I love some of gallery walls but they're just ubiquitous now. Not everything you hang on your wall needs to be hung in a cluster. I've seen one too many AT tours with a hodge podge of random small thrift store finds slapped together in a blob behind the couch. That said, I have a gallery wall of photos of my travels (the sites, not me). All the frames are black and it looks nice so I'l keep it for now. Let's hang some big pictures every once in a while people!

Reading these comments reminds me not to invite any of you people over to my house. :)

The only two things that I honestly don't like in design are vessel sinks and flokati pillows and rugs. Walking through Target with my toddler, he decided he really loved a flokati pillow until he touched it and then said, "oh no, mama". My thoughts exactly. I think someone earlier likened them to dead Wookies. But hey, if it makes your heart happy, then more power to you. Flokati your house from corner to corner.

@jess13 -- there should be some breathing room between the furniture and the wall, not have them jammed right up against the wall, which not only makes the room look smaller but it also scuffs up your walls. Also, as someone mentioned above, floating furniture in the room is often the best way to work with a space to ensure good flow.

@EyeFonz - Brick front houses? LOL, I have always disliked all brick houses because I thought they looked like they were made of Legos.

Uh, sorry for my incredibly poor grammar there.

the pillow chop is annoying.
there is no way anyone can look at this and think it looks good.and you see designers doing it all the time... really, seriously, wth???

it makes it look like a mentally unstable person lives in the house.

i totally agree with this. Have you checked out this hilarious blog poking fun at interior design trends: http://fuckyournoguchicoffeetable.tumblr.com/

i fluff to maximize the size of my pillows, but NEVER chop!! ugh!
also, people who think vacuum marks on rugs or carpet show well... horrors!!
feng shui taking over STYLE, enough with the soft curves, the 80s will never come back.
doilies?

@dervla Kelly: I went and took a look, and about 30 seconds in had to close the screen because I found myself liking too much of the stuff.

Damn it if that coffee table isn't the shit. I'm mean, it's played for sure, but still the shit.

ok having read through all the replies, hilarious!

AT, everyone is sick of all the things you focus on and insist are cute and oh-so-original, coveted, latest fad, newest 'it' thing.

i think above everything, most ppl are tired af seeing ppl try to emulate what they saw on TV. we have to remember the shows and publications are there for one purpose, to make us buy more crap.

just because some quack designer (yes i think many of them are quacks) thought it would be ultra artsy or rebellious to do something, doesn't mean we all run out and copy it detail for detail.

i love when ppl take a concept and interpret it with some thought, and love and care so that it makes sense in their home.

most of the time so many home tours look like ppl have tried far too hard to impress other ppl. i think that is the biggest pet peeve of all.

Travertine bathrooms. Or any beige stone/faux stone tiled bathroom. They just look dingy, and so generically-Home Depot.

And BB&B/TJ Maxx/Hobby Lobby style art.I don't like word art telling me to breathe or dream or love, and I hate those creepy cartoony chef kitchen prints (the ones with the tiny heads and big pear-shaped bodies). But mostly I hate the color palette of that art. The colors are so muddy and unappealing -- browns, gross beiges, dirty oranges, too dark reds -- the "old world Tuscan" palette I guess. This carries over to a lot of the decorative items (throw pillows, etc) sold in those stores and that most non-design-blog-reading people put in their homes.

More from me:
Things I really, really, really dislike:
1. Colored sheets and towels: don't look clean when faded;
2. Granite counters;
3. Wall-to-wall carpet; I have cats and allergies;
4. Televisions above a fireplace (although it does confirm my belief that fireplaces themselves are Yuppie tv);
5. Artificial flowers and plants: funereal;
6. Unmade beds;
7. Dishes left in the sink;
8. Profusion of candles;
9. Yellow or green walls in a bathroom;
10. Homes with not books or art.

I don't care if your pillows are chopped or not, but for the love of God, please leave enough room for my butt-cheek to sit.

Oh, also how 99% of refrigerators are just kind of stuck inside some misfitted cabinet/refrigerator surround. People spend 20-30+ grand on their new kitchen and the refrigerator looks like an afterthought. I know built-in fridges are pricey and have their own set of issues, but there must be a better solution??

DRAPE IS A VERB! Drapes is a verb. The material we fashion over our windows are draperies, or a drapery, a noun.

My pet design peeve is lack of curating or editing.

Bad window treatments. The worst are frilly valances and tab curtains.
Brass anything--fireplace accents, bathroom fixtures, door hardware, etc.
Extreme mixes of styles/eras. The antique country French dining table surrounded by acrylic/Lucite chairs? No, just no.
Too many plants. It's an apartment, not a terrarium.

Drapes that "pool" on the floor and any artificial plants/flowers

Yep. Live, Laugh ,Love...Dream... Eat...Any inspiring messages at all, really. I hate that. HATE IT. Although I saw an etsy seller selling a gold laser cut out sign that read "Holla" and thought that was pretty funny...

I hate, hate, hate, ... Keep Calm and Carry On!

I hate it when people say something is inherently ugly just because it's out of fashion and looks dated. Brass isn't inherently ugly. Southwestern color schemes aren't ugly. Tiffany lamps aren't ugly. They may not be to your taste, but your tastes are going to change with the times as everyone's do. Since there aren't that many choices for hardware, e.g., it is guaranteed that brass will come around again, and people who think it's awful now will be admiring and wanting it. And they'll be talking about how cold white metals are in comparison, as though there were a real reason for preferring brass rather than just a change in fashion.

After a few more decades of life, you will find it interesting to see how much you love what you once hated and vice versa. What we think of as being our own unique tastes are heavily influenced from without. And so the economy grows as we have to have new stuff.

These threads always bring out the worst in AT.

I'm going out on a limb here, because I think you will all know what I mean:
Too much Garage Sale / Goodwill Store / Vintage Etsy / Found "Art"

Okay, okay. There are deals to be had if you can repurpose a decent frame. Yes.
You may have one or two pieces of let's just call it "quirky" art from your grandma/grade school/art appreciation classes in college. Yes. HOWEVER, it is easy for pieces of this stuff to reach critical mass and suddenly that large mish-mash of curated / personal / unique / tell-the-story-of-everywhere-you-have-been-in-your-life looks like you just hung anything you could find on the wall in an unorganized fashion after buying it all like drunken sailors on shore leave at the estate sale of a lonely 90-year-old suburban widow.
Art for the sake of art is junk. Whew! That felt good to get out! Yeah. Junk on the walls looks like junk! Doesn't matter what decade it comes from... Edit, people. Live a long, happy life, but edit as you go.

I just read all the comments. Editing . . . Editing. I like well edited rooms, where objects are not disparate one to another.

"These threads always bring out the worst in AT." ...Esp the "
Keep Calm and Carry On" lovers...

"Keep calm and carry on" posters. HATE them. Especially in a child's room.

This article (and all the comments) made my day!

I can't bear fake flowers, word art and too much clutter. I'm all for the "lived-in" look but it needs to stop after a while.

I am guilty of buying random objects from Pier 1 to place in my bookshelves in an effort to decorate, but now I'm like...huh...they are so useless - making a mental note to go to a thrift store and donate them this weekend!

Over decorated houses for Christmas etc - my aunt decorates every square inch of her house red and green and it gives me a headache

Uselessly collecting things - like its one thing if these things actually mean something to you, but to keep random statues and what not displayed in a showcase is another. Also a dusting pain in the butt.

Never noticed the karate chopped pillows before but I am sure I will notice them everywhere now!

- Wet rooms with no shower enclosure at all. Seriously, if you want to take a shower with your partner, someone's going to freeze, and you even might on your own.
- Tiny, stubby, Tyrannosaurus-rex-arm curtain rods that don't even begin to cover the windows. Curtains have a function, people: To curtain. Likewise using six or eight tieback knobs instead of a curtain rod. No matter what, it looks sloppy.
- Tearing out upper kitchen cabinets, which I see on here all the time, because it looks modern or something? To make this work, you need twice the kitchen square footage or half the equipment, and if you cook little enough that you can get by with half the equipment, why are you spending $$,$$$ to make your kitchen less functional?
- The inevitable description of something as having "pops" of color.
- Greige.

actually FORMICA is coming back in a big way.

@Cindycindy: when I remodeled my kitchen I didn't want the standard oversized, built-in fridge, so I bought a shallower, smaller-than-standard fridge from Fisher Paykel and placed it in a counter-depth cabinet surround. It looks built in, but is energy efficient and just right for my needs.

Which reminds me of one of my other design pet peeves...the ubiquitous Subzero. Few people really need a fridge that accommodates caterer trays.

@DeniseB: I like brass and I vote.

I have MANY design pet peeves, but I will attempt to keep it brief:

- Any room that looks too "designed" bugs me to no end, much like the Karate Chop Pillow. I am a garden designer, and one of my policies is that when I am done with a pruning job, I want people to say "That looks so good!" and NOT "Oh, you pruned". Same with living spaces. If someone walked into my house and said "Who's your designer?" I would feel like I've failed to make a authentic, comfortable room.

- Granite counter tops with cherry cabinets: Enough already.

- Faux anything: I would rather not have anything at all than faux. (There are exceptions of course: "real" faux bois, for instance. Yes, I am a snob)

- And last but not least: Wall text decals. GAHHH! Cheesy lovey ones, motivational ones, cutesy ones. DOUBLE GAHHH!

I think that most people here are suffering from design blog fatigue and should step away from the computer for a few weeks. Of course you are sick of all the current trends - you spend too much time looking at this stuff. And I should know, because I am guilty of it too.

When I first became addicted to design blogs everything was wonderful and fresh and new. To me anyway. A year later not so much.

Of course everyone hates silk flowers and word art. I can't say that I am tired of all the things listed above (well save silk flowers and word art) but I am tired of them being featured on design blogs as fresh and new. But then again, they are fresh and new to someone...

Too much gray in a house is depressing. I've seen whole houses painted gray on the inside and it looks awful! Mid-century everything is also annoying.

Books in homes people don't actually read.

Beyond that I'm not bothered by anything. If you love your plastic covered sofa, or your fake plants, or your "Eat, Pray, Love" sign then good for you, as long as I don't have to have it in my house.

Another vote against granite counter tops and stainless steel as an absolute must have.

Also, I'm sick of:

* all-mid century modern
* gray rooms with "a splash of color" usually some neon thing. Enough already.
* anything even insinuating taxidermy
* water features
* shabby chic. A misnomer.
* overstuffed couches and chairs
* bowl-shaped sinks

Here's one more thing: hate those brown matchstick/Roman shade type of blinds they always use
on the "sell your house" shows.

This list is hilarious! Just for fun, I'll post a few of my own pet peeves (though many of them aren't so much "design trends" as common, older-than-dirt errors that so many people make:

NUMBER ONE is definitely pictures hung too high. It doesn't make sense, unless the images are part of a huge grouping and the ones up top aren't so detailed or small that they need to be viewed at eye level...which brings me to my second gripe: "Salon Walls" comprised of tons of small prints from Etsy that you picked up for that express purpose, all at once, or DIYed to match your color scheme. I'd LOVE to have my walls covered in art, of course. And someday they will be...but it'll happen over time, as it should. And each piece will be on my wall because I love it, not simply because it's easy and afforable.

#4: Chevron...ugh.

#5: Fake ivy over kitchen cabinets. Fake ivy anywhere, really. But over the cabinets is the worst.

#6: Artificially scented candles all over the place. YOUR KITCHEN DOESN'T SMELL LIKE COOKIES, it smells like the candle aisle at Wal-Mart. And please, please don't make me smell that "fresh linen" shit when I step in to use the bathroom. It hurts my sinuses and leaves me gasping for air by the time I've finished powdering my nose.

#7: Wall words and along with them those stupid pottery-barn crown moulding style wall-hung shelves that are 2' long and just barely deep enough to hold your dumb candles and fake berry sprigs next to the cut-out word "believe". If you need to hang a shelf for mass-produced knick-nacks, you should have a garage sale, stat.

#8: Cute bins everywhere with the little metal label pockets (what are those called?) that contain things that you would never actually lose track of if not labeled. Unless you have a severe short-term memory problem, the amount of this type of "organizing" is just not necessary. An exception, of course, would be items that guests might need easy-access to.

#9: Washi tape as decor: Hanging a poster by the four corners with $10 per roll polka-dotted and plaid colorful tape does not look cuta & casual, happenstance or thrifty. It looks contrived. Or maybe I'm just jealous because all I can afford is regular masking tape and poster putty.

#10: TERRARIUMS. Quite especially the ones made from those glass '80s light fixtures. I get it, it was totally a clever idea. And live plants are wonderful to have around! I'm just tired of seeing this particular item EVERYWHERE.

I could go on and on and on, but I think it would be more fun to call myself out for having some "trends" in my own home:

I have an Eames arm shell chair in my living room with...wait for it...a sheepskin draped over it! The fact is, I love the chair (despite the fact that everything else in the room is 18th century English or American) because it is beautiful, sturdy, and comfortable. And the sheepskin makes it even more heavenly in the cold wintertime.

There is a taxidermied Alligator head on my mantelpiece. I keep it because it grosses my mother out and because my (then 6) year-old daughter traded it to me for something of mine that she wanted. Also, sometimes I chase my eldest child around the house with it. It should also be mentioned that this gator sits atop a small stack of books. Yep, books that I don't often read. Because they're ancient and brittle, and I don't need to read my great-grandmother's autograph book or a 19th century field guide to birds very often. But they are pretty enough to keep on display.

I PUT BIRDS ON THINGS. I always have, and I always will. They make me happy, and have since I was a little girl.

I once almost stenciled numbers on the seats of the industrial stools (yeah, that's another overdone trend) that surrounded my dining table. To be fair, I only had the stools because I couldn't afford any chairs at the time, and the numbering thing was appealing because we have so many damn kids and I thought it would be funny to be able to assign them a numbered seat. I ended up not doing it, though, and the stools have long since been relegated to the basement and garage.

Anyway, I'm sure I've committed countless decor sins throughout my years experimenting with my home, and I'm sure I'll continue into my old age. And so will everyone else. The experimentation and constant evolution is what separates us folk from those that buy their living room furnishings en masse from Art-Van and call it a day.

Thanks, AT, for posting something that has created such a fun discussion!

So lately, I'm seeing alot of half-painted walls, so that it looks like the people just never finished painting. What's with that? It just looks messy and kind of artist-poser. If you're going to paint, paint the WHOLE wall.

For the record, ELYSE HK, I have a sign that I store from the local roller derby that says "Sit at your own risk." It's hung where you can see it when you're, you know, sitting.

STOLE! not store

OWLS

@corliss you speak only the truth. Also, you're braver than I to voice that!

@jthoma33 - you are absolutely on the money! I do NOT grasp the appeal of the un-upholstered furniture. I don't care how "great its bones are" - it looks like I stole it out of the repair shop, unfinished! It looks forlorn, naked, neglected, vulnerable. Doesn't reflect well on your room. You could finish the OTHER chairs, but not that one? <Sniffle...>

Also, I seriously dislike:

- stainless steel appliances. Why do you need them?! Are you a chef? Is the look you're going for "cold industrial restaurant storage space"? Urgh. And, they're not magnetic. I love magnets.
- granite countertops. They're cold, hard, and tend to crack glassware that's set down too quickly. Also, if the granite cracks, you have to replace THE WHOLE COUNTER. Can't be fixed in part.
- empty picture frames. While I appreciate a good abstract design statement, these just strike me as depressing...
- books covered in white paper. Obviously you don't read. How do you know which is which? Why do you own these books? Did you buy them in bulk at a flea market "for visual interest'? Why not just paint the wall white, for the same effect, or better yet, put up an interesting patterned screen. You can just look happily at that to study its texture, and get the same effect, without affecting a literary air.

But I will NOW be trawling Etsy for the proposed "die, scowl, and hate" sign. It will be a delightful b-day present! : )

I love the chop cushion and do it all the time for clients and they love it! I despair at the comments on this thread. Such a mean critical group! I reckon most folk here don't live in the uber cool pads they would have us think! Step away from the design blogs people and relax a bit.

I won't keep beating up the worst ones (word art. there. I said it.) but I will say I agree with 95% of the above.

Arco lamps. Eames chairs. Noguchi Coffee Tables. Nelson benches. Barcelona chairs, egg chairs, bubble chairs.

Basically, all the Named Masterpieces of furniture- yes, I know they're timeless and beautiful! I've known that for years and so has everybody else! If you're going to decorate your house, it doesn't have to be a MOMA annex, it can be your own individual space where you pick your own ideas of what you like! Sure, have an Eames Lounger. They're fantastic! But don't park it under an Arco lamp next to a case study table with a Panton lamp on it!

Another installment of "reasons I'm better than you!" bought to you by Apartment Therapy.

Decorative pillows can add color, but I prefer to be able to see the furniture and to have a comfortable uncluttered place for guests to sit. Just call me old fashioned. As for the "chop"---it looks messy to me.

One more- white lacquered floors. They look so damn boss in photos, but dear lord I wouldn't want to have to clean them up after a hike or something.

starofvenus may be onto something... some of the designery things that annoy me the most are the terms used: piece, space, curated, pop...

I knew the colour coordinated books would get hate, and i still still stand by it. Makes it so much easier to find what im looking for, and according to my mum, Ive done it since I was a child. Guess Im a trendsetter :)

The only things that REALLY peeve me are matchy matchy design (all furnishings and accessories in 3 colours max), or the opposite - like when people go above and beyond to create a mismatched "authentic" look that just ends up looking contrived and pretentious in a hipster way. That sentence made more sense in my head...

Okay, now could you ask readers about what they love? What they think is timeless? What they've learned from AT that will serve them forever? Just when I was getting the hang of this site, I'm thinking I must be way behind.

Don't get me wrong -- I love the rants, but I'm decorating a new house and would love to hear ideas about inoffensive, classic design elements. The ranting has me all insecure about the Ikat pillows I was eyeing (and that I've now learned to NEVER chop). And yes, I get the part about using stuff you love, but it turns out I'm really malleable...

Until then, I'm off to live, laugh and love, because it's 5 O'clock somewhere, and I plan to sing like no one's listening. Preferably with a light coat of whitewash and distressed zinc.

It drives me nuts when I see others act with visceral disgust for anything "feminine" in design, coupled with the surprise that some "feminine" element can actually look good once in a while. Pink and purple are just colours, not owned by one gender, and women own homes and decorate - no big deal.

I'm fine with all the trends people here are "over" even if I wouldn't use most of them. I'll make an exception to say I hate the lazy platitude style of word art ("Family" or things relating to how special or precious moments are especially rub me the wrong way - Dream, Eat, whatever are fine with me as long as it isn't about precious families). I don't like to assume that someone doesn't authentically love the design of their home just from a photo.

I haven't seen any comments about my one, true design pet peeve! I hate cheap, plastic chairs. The clear lucite chairs got a mention, but not opaque, plastic chairs. They -can- work to me in ultra modern, minimalist spaces. However, if you're saddling up red plastic chairs to a wooden table in a pre-war dining room with built-ins, maybe rethink.

Vessel sinks. Can't we as a people agree that it looks dumb?
Cow-hide rugs. I just can't believe they're a thing. Like on an existential level, their ubiquity makes me question whether I'm actually seeing the same thing other people are seeing, because how could they possibly be a thing that anyone likes?

I also hate "curate." It's not just a word choice thing; it speaks to a whole attitude about what your house is and your relationship to it -- the idea of curating has an element of public display and presentation to an audience built into it, so if you're curating your house, it sounds like you're staging it with props rather than having living in it be your primary concern.

I just wanted to thank all you fine people for not only making my day less boring (these comments were hilarious) but for giving me such a great idea for my Etsy shop.

I don't know why I never thought of making a beautiful wood "Poop" sign before, but that is happening for real, among others suggested here.

http://fuckyournoguchicoffeetable.tumblr.com/

Diagonal furniture layout

I totally feel your pain! I cannot STAND karate chop pillows!!!

Other pet peeves:
1. Walls with words that say "Imagine/Dream/Inspire" (gag!)

2. Living spaces that are described as "Carefully Curated" (yuck!) If you actually live in a museum maybe. Otherwise, knock it off!

3. Window treatments that could double as prom dresses from the eighties.

Agree with all that say this is due to design blogging fatigue. We have Pinterest to blame as well. While I still absolutely love AT and the real homes they showcase, it's true that the internet age is speeding up the process of creating and so quickly dating design fads. My husband recently pointed at a cute pillow with an owl on it saying "Oh that's so fun!" and I quipped in cynical fashion "Ugh, owls are overdone" without even taking the time to realize how absurd my own attitude was. I think having personal design pet peeves is totally fine, and this discussion has been fun reading the wide spread variety of peeves.

My only major design pet peeve is calling various forms of beige "neutral" and painting them on all walls in various shades. But this, I realize, comes from a very personal somewhat unreasonable deep hatred of beige.

I hate it when people put pictures of naked people on their walls and call it art. If you can't remember what the human body looks like nude when you see it every time you shower then your memory has gone to pot.

>>>>>>>>> TAXIDERMY <<<<<<<<

Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh.

The trend with baby boy and toddler boy's rooms looking so feminine. YOUR SON IS NOT A GIRL....I know you wanted one, but please don't give him a girly room. (i.e., pastel stripes, silks and satins, faux fir rugs, butterflies, pom poms, birds on a tree) I hate to break it to you, but he'll break his toys, throw sand at you, spit in your face, run away, reck your car....etc you get the drift. I love my son more than anyone. And you know what I love more? He's not a girl.

My pet peeve is more architectural design than interior design. It bugs me that apartments no longer have hallways. Now the bedroom opens onto the living room and the bathroom is usually facing the kitchen. Blech! Living and sleeping areas should be separated as should the kitchen and bathroom. Houses are awkwardly designed as well with oddly-shaped and oddly-placed rooms.

HeRe in Alaska everyone has that moose, camo, mountain, fish outdoorsy log cabin look going on in their homes and it drives me nuts! Do we really need yet another reminder that we live in Alaska? It is so boring and overdone.....even as an artist I have been told that I would sell more if I painted scenery that goes with this look. No thank you . Why not try something tropical or modern just to mix it up a bit?
Along with the karate chopped pillows goes the diagonal pillows......we should just stop over thinking the pillows people! Toss them on in all their glorious randomness and let it be.

I am a correctly hung picture natzi with respect to the height of the picture.

Word signs, empty frames, spindles and balls of yarn in baskets, peonies in a bowl of water, and beige. Anything Beige.

Books displayed with the spine facing in.

Granite. It makes me think of petrified dinosaur barf. Yeah, I can't stand empty frames either. And too many pillows are big, when most of the time all you need is a soft little pillow in the small of your back.

A few new ones, I think...those half circle couches that take up the whole living room...tacky. Ok, Room and Board has a gorgeous one that would look great if I had a huge house with gigantic living room, but most of these look cheap and lumpy. Carpeting...I like old hardwoods, and rugs, which can be shaken out, or sent out to be cleaned, unlike carpet. Even love wood floors in the kitchen. Lack of color...who started this idea that couches have to be beige, with just a little color in fabric accent pillows? Mid-century modern as must-have design trend...it is fine in itself, but why is it ubiquitous now? Other styles exist, people! Every kitchen having an island, or the counter with uncomfortable stoools, even when the kitchen isn't really big enough to fit that stuff...more annoying than granite, actuallly. I'll stop.

1) Too many pillows says "1980s" to me and is not comfortable
2) Too many mirrors (bad feng shui--if I'm traveling I throw up a sheet on mirrored doors)
3) Boats on ceilings; empty picture frames
4) Insufficient lighting

Chalkboard paint! Chevron stripes!

Lynnindc...totally agree on architecture and halls. It is, I think, due to developers being cheap about building square footage. Many new living rooms in apartments and condos feel like barely a hallway. And there's no place for a decent sized dining table, either. I much prefer old buildings.

Picture displays that look like a thrift store threw up on your wall. A bunch of totally random pictures - clown faces in gilt frames, charcoal sketch of puppies, oil painting of galloping horses - all hung together as if they're some kind of collection.

I keep seeing this on AT, and everyone goes 'Oohh, now *this* looks like a real *home*!!' No, it doesn't, it just looks like you clumped together a bunch of ugly stuff so that you could look self-consciously 'eclectic'.

1) non-functional furniture for "look"
2) hotel style mass-produced art prints
3) plastic tableware (plates, bowls, any of that plastic crap target seems to sell like hotcakes 'cause it has a cool design... if you want something durable, at least get Corningware. it feels more substantial)
4) fiber-board furniture... so, most of the ikea catalog, really. (they have some solid wood, but you have to really look). It practically screams "disposable", and it's way more earth friendly and economical to get second hand stuff off Craigslist of better quality. (or, if you're crafty, make it!)

Oh, and Eames rockers, ghost chairs, chevron, chalkboard menus in the kitchen, bunting, 17 pillows on one bed, Kartell side tables, moose heads, massive sectional sofas, stainless steel everything, fridge/freezer combos big enough to feed an army barracks, vessel sinks, digital photo frames, word art, snobbish IKEA hate, wall-to-wall MCM.

But you know, each to their own. ;)

I fancy myself an avid reader with a fairly large collection of books, and believe it or not, I found that organizing them by color actually made sense to me. When I need to find a book I picture the color and I find it. I even have all my cookbooks organized that way and they are in a kitchen cabinet...where nobody ever sees them!

Fake things! Fake wood, fake collections, fake animal heads, anything that is made from fake materials or is not an actual representation of the person who lives there, but is just stuff.

Things that are almost always dirty! For me that's carpet, which is disgusting and never really gets clean, stainless steel appliances, which are covered in fingerprints in most houses most of the time, glass dining tables (ditto on the fingerprints). Why get something that is the most inconvenient and difficult and requires harsh cleaners? Why not get something more user-friendly?

@esan...errr, your comment wasn't actually up there when I wrote mine - I swear!

But yeah, I stand by my dislike of the snobbish IKEA hate. Most IKEA stuff is no worse quality than what you'd find in any other non-high-end, non-antique furniture store. People just hate on it because it's mass-produced and ubiquitous, but you know what? When I returned from overseas, I *tried* to furnish my home on Craigslist finds and thrift store stuff (couldn't afford antiques, wasn't going to live without a dining table for 5 years til I could). If you don't have endless time, patience, a truck, free labour, and MONEY (seriously, people wanted more for clapped out junk, most of which was no better quality than IKEA in the first place, than what I could get new at IKEA), it's a nightmare.

So yeah, IKEA has it's place.

I agree that a "well-designed space is one that feels personal, like someone could actually live there..."

Why, then, are the rooms by hoity-toity designers the exact opposite?

Open to any page in Architectural Digest and all you see are antiseptic spaces filled with very expensive furnishings, and not a cord, dog-eared book or lopsided picture in sight. If you can't tell whether the homeowner is male or female, that is one personality-robbed room.

As for design pet peeves...where do I start? These were all fine until self-proclaimed "designers" (i.e., certain bloggers) brought TRITE to a whole new level:

Candy-colored, leather Moroccan poufs
Chevron anything
Shabby "chic"/DIY overload
MCM in lieu of developing one's own style
Nautical/beach-y theme (this is just ugly)
And last and definitely worst--typographic "art," as many have mentioned

Mind your own damn pillows!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the ubiquitous glazed terra cotta garden stool used as a small side table. Once you realize it, you will see it everywhere. I liked them before that, sadly.

Oh, and a entire walls devoted to family/kids' photos. Being black-and-white doesn't make them art. At least mix in some posters or something if you don't have any design sense.

OK, done ranting now.

As noted by others, kitsch art/objects. You know what I mean. Some people may like it, but often it just seems like forced irony. Kitsch is general I don't like; when did bad taste become good? I acknowledge tastes change, but I also acknowledge that I'm a stick in the mud.

Also, the monopoly MCM has on today's interior design. I'm personally waiting for Victorian design to make a huge comeback (which of course some people consider kitsch.)

Monograms.

Honestly, I have never laughed so hard at an AT article. I think this was cathartic and should appear every six months so we can add to it. I was surprised to see every one of my pet peeves represented multiple times.

My love to people who spread the hate for empty picture frames, taxidermy, owls on everything, and the word "curate." To those who want to replace Live, Love, Laugh with Die, Scowl, Hate, might like a framed motto given to me as a gift when I was writing a newspaper opinion column. It says, "My job is to observe, judge you, and comment."

Only a few things criticized here that I would vociferously defend: hardwood floors - the person who disliked said they were OK in a kitchen, the last place I would put them (and you would think that, too, if your dishwasher ever over-flowed on a hardwood floor); Lucite furniture - OK, the ghost chairs ARE designy, but if you've ever lived in a <700 sq. ft. apartment, you'd see the point of some Lucite; and MCM furniture - I agree that it's not good to have a house that looks like a Design Within Reach showroom, just as it's not good to have a house that looks like Versailles, but many MCM pieces are exquisite design and to condemn them all is just wrong.

I don't remember who hated Alaskan theme homes in Alaska, but I live in Tucson, AZ, and I feel your pain. The only thing we have more of than fake Tuscan decor is Kokopelli objects. It's especially horrible when the Southwest and Tuscan stuff is made-in-China fake ... and tons of it is.

Best comment here IMO by @Tmoore: "If you need to hang a shelf for mass-produced knick-nacks, you should have a garage sale, stat." Genius.

Many of these things mentioned looked interesting the first time we saw them, but you can't stop everyone from falling for the same thing, copying it ad infinitum. The, all of a sudden....they jump the shark. Trends can't be avoided. It's what you mix them with, how you use them, that saves some of them.
And then there are the things that were always tacky and will ever be so.
Excuse me while I go throw out my Anthropologie papier mache giraffe head. Even though I love him. He's just an interesting visual, something for fun. Lord have mercy on my soul.

My biggest pet peeves?

- People who never cook and/or can barely boil water that nonetheless have a Viking range in their kitchen.

- Buying a massive abode that is unnecessarily/disproportionately larger than the number of people inhabiting it.

Homes that look like no one lives there and if they do live there, they're uncomfortable.

Pretty much anything done by a "decorator". If you need someone else to tell you what you like, why bother. Just go to Ikea. Make your home YOUR home. Have what you need and like around you.

Curtains hung incorrectly - high and wide, people, high and wide! Not all crunched in so you can't see the full window.

Words on things, especially "love" and "dance".

Mirrored closet doors (I live in a town where the 90's have just hit, apparently).

Frankly, everyone is entitled to their pet peeves, but I don't get why something in someone else's house would ever bother someone to this extent.

Concentrate on your own space, take inspiration from wherever you find it and be true to your own voice and aesthetic. That's my feeling. My pet peeve is people who freak out over karate chop pillows or "overdone" tropes. Get over it and do your own thing.

I agree with a lot of these... I never noticed the "karate chop" pillow before, but it falls into a broader category of Pillow That Won't Get Used. I admit to having a pillow obsession, but I actually use them all as pillows, so purely decorative, uncomfortable (ugh, beaded!) pillows drive me mad. That pretty much goes for any unusable furniture (like formal living rooms that get used maybe twice a year). One thing I really love about AT though is that the interiors they feature, for the most part, feel lived in and used unlike magazine spread rooms.

I'm also sick to death of granite being put on a pedestal. I don't think it's unattractive, but I feel like HGTV has brainwashed people to think it's the ONLY respectable option. I watched one of their "bang for you buck" remodel shows and saw an owner get docked on the resale value of their GORGEOUS poured concrete counters.

Sorting books by color drives me mad. If you only have a few, fine. But multiple shelves??? Too me that screams "I don't read, but having books will make me look smart and trendy." (I did try this once with my 3 large bookcases that were packed full, just to see if it somehow worked... it didn't and was back in logical order in under a week, and it only took that long because I had to find everything again).

Matchy-matchy is pretty awful. I don't find a matching sofa and chair set quite as bed as bedding though. Matching patterns of your comforter/sheets/pillows/throw pillows/bed skirt/curtains/wallpaper border drives me batty (especially if it's a really bold set of prints).

I don't have strong feelings against minor usage of type-based posters (although personally I prefer the cheeky or spoofy ones) but I'm a graphic designer so I have a weird love-affair with type happening. I think they're over done, but I also have a couple I really like. I also think a little kitsch is good, especially if you have a quirky personality. I saw a tour here with someone's robot collection and loved it. It was organized, not cluttered, and not over powering, but let you know the space was personalized, and truly lived in. Pointless kitsch though (the twine balls)... that I do not care for at all.

@Miss Riss

Funniest yet. LOL.

MCM.

Yes Spectogram! Those kitschy "in this house we do forgiveness" etc messages, usually scrawled on chalkboard paint.

Does it mean that I have to do forgiveness if I come in "this house?" Aaaaagh. I can't stand those!

"Libraries" with few or no books.
Large mirrors leaning against a wall.
Dead animals.
Rubber boots/straw hats/umbrella stands in the entranceway of oh-so-casual Hampton mansions.
Glass vases filled with limes or lemons.
Bottles of mineral water lined up on a countertop.

Couldn't agree with you more on the pillows AND the Keep Calm signs. I'd also add perfectly symmetrical styling- as someone who works in production I can say that stylists do this for commercials where they want the room to NOT STAND OUT in any way, so I always find it funny when people style their homes this way. Also can't stand the everything MCM. It's the room equivalent of a costume!

But I do think it's impossible to avoid all trends in your home- I, for one, am guilty of the color-coded book shelves and the gallery wall, but they are meaningful and practical to me in my home. I think that's the most important thing! Here's a couple pics of my space: http://riotfordesign.blogspot.com/2012/06/life-is-grand.html

Chevron. I never seemed to catch the "Keep Calm and Carry On" and "For Like Ever" hatred that runs rampant here on AT, but if I see one more chevron striped wall that commenters gush over, I WILL EXPLODE. It's boring, overdone, exceedingly trendy, and unoriginal. Please, please, please go away, chevron.

I can't stand anything that's not authentic -- reproductions, fake plants, decorating your entire house in "Paris shabby chic" when you've never been out of the country. Just keep it real, people!

Disembodied ceramic/plastic hands/heads. I just find that gross.

Nurseries with crib bumpers! They're not safe, the American Academy of Pediatrics warns against their use, and some states have banned their sale, yet the majority of nursery tours on this and other design sites still feature them.

What makes my blood boil is taking a beautiful, well-preserved vintage or antique home and turning it into a drywalled, mdf'd generic-looking hot mess.

chevron! enough with the chevron stripes everywhere!!!!

I don't like it when people think they know what's best for someone else. You bet your arse I'm going to karate chop the hell out of my couch throws and COVER my bed in pillows. I'll sleep well (on the floor probably) knowing that I've committed so many design faux pas to keep you people up at night.

In many of the AT photos, there is a distressed looking dining room table with a fabulously ornate chandelier hanging above it. Initially, I thought it looked cool, but now, it drives me bonkers! And those "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters -- I don't want to see another one of those for quite some time!

Hate chopped pillows, anything with a rooster on it, his and her towels,stenciled words on walls, empty frames,"Faith, Friends and Family" signs. I really hate these things. lol

FYI colors are not gender specific. So sick of blue for boys and pink for girls. Who made up these silly rules?

I am really enjoying all these comments. Someone needs to put together a coffee table book on this subject.

I find it strange when people use clothing as a decorative item...like a vintage dress laying across a chair in the bedroom...that what a closet is for!!!

Art that is hung too high - they should be at eye level people! Not at ceiling level. Drives me crazy.

What I want to know is, what would anyone have left in their homes if we took out all of these things that people are saying are 'out' and 'over'?

I feel like everyone needs to calm down. Some people can't afford a houseful of "real" art and "real" furniture. I'm 23, and I work hard, but I work for a nonprofit and I don't make a lot of money. I don't have time to scavenge furniture for my new apartment from Craigslist, and I live in LA - thrift stores are not the same here as they are back home down South. So I have concert posters masquerading as art all over my walls, and I am typing from an Ikea couch right now. Sorry.

Anyone looking for advice here (like I was), decorate in a way that makes you happy. Make sure you're aware of trends, and non-trends, and then ultimately choose the thing you'll be happy to see when you come home. Who cares what people on a blog think?

I hope you guys don't all have the same attitude about music that you do about decorating, because you're probably really frustrating to be around if you do.

@BTODDSTER, I second the assertion about first-world problems. When I can afford a plane ticket to get some accessories for my house, I can definitely say I won't be messing around on a blog with you people. :)

A design pet peeve is just different taste from the next person....but I still don't chop my pillows!

This has been the funniest post ever! And @maleperspective, you made my night!
My list includes any form of taxidermy, animal skin rugs, balls of twine, books as "decorative" items or color coordinated. Eames chairs with fur pillows or skins draped on them. Hate: Shabby Chic, distressed anything, especially a beautiful wood piece. Matchy-matchy is SO much better than a house full of "curated" disparate pieces that actually look like a giant thrift shop! Wasted space in small apartments. My 400' apartment has a hallway that is 9'x53" long. An almost total waste of space, except that i have created a "wall" of ....(wait for it) crates (gasp!!) that hold my books, knickknacks,etc. They are almost all black, so it doesn't look "super" tacky, but I can imagine folks on here having nightmares about it! Hehe!

Will someone PUL-LEESE outlaw the use of the terms"pops of color" and "eclectic"!!!

My list of sins include: I would love a Noguchi anything, I have "silk"plants which I love and would lovingly spread across the top of my kitchen cabinets or any armoire that i own!! And I might even chop a pillow or two, but too many on a couch or bed is just annoying.

And totally outside the whole arena, brought to mind by the comment on boys rooms/vs girls rooms: the naming girls with boys names. Boy that makes me CRAZY! I do admit that about 40 yrs ago, I thought I'd name a daughter Franklynne. But all these Madisons, Tylers and Morgans is just ridiculous.

And yes it would be interesting and fair-minded to have an article about what we all think is just the right thing to have in any "well curated home" :P

Well, I guess I am guilty of #firstworldproblems, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the comments, and also, I've done my time on the front lines of human rights work, so I think I've earned my right to snark a little at the Decorating Industrial Complex. ;) Come on, lighten up, peeps!

Apologies to those who like them, but decorative plates hung on walls just remind me of my grandparents' house, which was also full of Old Country Roses china and porcelain Royal Doulton Ladies in curio cabinets. I really don't like piles and piles of pillows, but this is a comfort issue - I feel like I'm being swallowed alive! My mom and BFF both love them, and are used to me tossing them on the floor. I also scratch my head at bookshelves without books and tables so fully-vignetted that there isn't even room for a cup of tea.

I am guilty of owning a text wall decal (gift from pillow/decal-loving BFF) with a Thoreau quote on it. And also wayyyy too many plants (say, 40-ish) that apparently make my apartment look like a terrarium, lol! However, tropical plant propagating and growing is a hobby for me, not a decorating statement. I keep notes and pretend I am a botanist :)

#2 - Underscaled throw rugs. I think any rug under 5x7 that isnt a runner size should be banned.

#1 - Wedding photos as "art". You all know who you are. If I see one more grouping of an 11x20 frameless canvas, 2 - 8x10 framed, 1- 5x7 of your hands cutting the cake... this does not look like art, it is a dated shrine that will either eat up wall space for 10 years, or will be sad when you are divorced in 2. Spend 1k less on the documentarian for your big day, and hit some galleries on your honeymoon. And of course, congrats on your big day!

I dislike anything that seems inauthentic and just added for effect. It's sometimes difficult in a blog dedicated to decor, to separate the authentic from the pretentious.There's a very subtle difference between decor which has meaning for the individual, and decor that is used as a symbol to project a false appearance of self. The former is deep and has a spiritual component, the latter is shallow and aimed to deceive others.

A collection of old typewriters belonging to a writer or typographer who can tell you about each one of them is different than the same collection belonging to someone who bought them only because they looked cool in an AT House Tour. Although, someone might see such a collection in AT and copy it in a way that was authentic.

I'm with William Morris who famously said 'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.' And Louis Sullivan who said 'form ever follows function'.

You should be able to sit comfortably on chairs/sofa's, sleep comfortably in beds, prepare food efficiently in kitchens, work efficiently in work spaces, store clothes neatly and easily in closets, walk easily from room to room, etc.

All decorations/art/ textiles etc. should seem beautiful to you and, therefore, feed your soul in a deep way. That might be any of the things listed above that other people hate - from words on walls, to animal heads. It's about the authenticity of that gesture, rather than the thing itself.

I have an aunt-in-law, whose house breaks every design rule - doilies, framed kitchy phrases, cute animal figurines and plush animals on every surface, lace everywhere, fake fireplace with fake fire, a light-up Thomas Kinkade type 3d plastic picture framed on the wall - but it pleases her and when I visit, I feel embraced by her warmth and glad to be in her home. It will never appear in Apartment Therapy, but I find it well decorated because it reflects who she is and it works very well.

So, so many of mine have been mentioned. Karate chop pillows, too many pillows (on a bed or on a couch - where do you sit/lie?), Keep Calm and Carry On posters, word signs (my Mum agrees wholeheartedly - she got an awful cursive DREAM somewhere and basically went, "...What do I DO with it?"), chevrons EVERYWHERE, animal skins/heads (fake or otherwise - I don't like them if you've never gone hunting, and I don't like them if you HAVE gone hunting because, ugh, killing things for decorations), fake plants that are supposed to look real (I like them if they're obviously stylised), completely impractical bookshelves (I don't mind colour, especially if you're a very visual person and are good at IDing books by shade, but the ones that are turned backwards so you just see the pages? What POSSIBLE purpose could that serve, other than annoying the heck out of anyone wanting to read?), GREIGE.

My mild-mannered mother has been known to swear out loud every time she spots one of those ubiquitous damn Louis ghost chairs in magazines. (They are everywhere in Australian House and Garden. EVERYWHERE.)

I'm also getting thoroughly sick of MCM. *ducks AT readers*

There are things here that I do love, though! Unfortunately, I do have to confess that I do like my matryoshka dolls, but I only have two and they have sentimental value attached to them - one was a gift from my sister on her trip to Russia, the other used to be my grandmother's and I used to play with it all the time when I was little. When she had to go into a home and her belongings were passed down to family, it was the only thing I requested. Starofvenus, I like curated spaces, but that's because I just finished a Museum Studies major ;) Do I get a pass? On a related note - Carrih, coral and shells can be okay so long as it's already dead and... no longer used. I have dead coral that I've found washed up on the beach, although I think I'd become physically violent if someone ripped a bit off a living reef. Please don't kill living creatures just for decorations, people! Minilauren, you can have my hardwood floors when you pry them from my cold, dead hands. I LOVE floorboards. And I've never liked the look of rugs on carpet - what's wrong with rugs on gorgeous floorboards? (There's also the fact that I get bad allergies. Floorboards are a lot more forgiving when it comes to dust mites.)

Dervla Kelly, I love that Tumblr, even if I don't always agree with them. It's the natural historian in me! I like terrariums too much!

Carabrob, I'm cis female, and the room I had until age seven was pink and white and frills. Room decoration does not go by sex. I've had blue, blue-green, yellow-orange-red, and purple-yellow, I've gone with sci fi themes, world travel themes, and natural history themes. But if your son wants pastel stripes, pom poms, and birds in a tree? (And since when are birds and trees feminine-only?) Let him. It's his room. Don't pigeonhole your kid just because you think that's what's 'appropriate'. (I'm kind of hoping, for your kid's sake, that they aren't trans, since I get the feeling you wouldn't be very open to that!)

On a similar note - Jane Jones, "If you can't tell whether the homeowner is male or female, that is one personality-robbed room." Personality is not dependent on sex. I have a purple, red, and silver patterned bed cover, a few gorgeous little coloured glass jars, and flowers in my room. I also have a model steam engine. Objects are not inherently feminine or masculine, neither is decorating, and claiming that they are is shaming towards people who like those objects but aren't the 'correct' sex.

...Okay. Having said that. Guys, please be chill about this. It's about PET PEEVES, which, by its nature, insinuates that it's personal opinion. I may hate something you love. You may hate something I love. What's important is that you're happy in your own space, yeah?

#1 on certain 'home decorating shows' where they 'paint' a piece of 'art' to coordinate with the room decor. Really?! That is a very basic and elementary no-no in two categories, home decorating and art.

#2 People who have a 'degree' in 'interior decorating' from some two-bit operation that formula decorate: i.e. -'we can use 3 basic colors and the basic colors will be picked up in blah blah blah'. Decorating is a vibe and a feel and a sense of what's 'right'. You either have the vibe or you don't.

It’s not a new trend or idea, decorators and interiors designers have been doing it forever, personally I hate it too but it’s a “thing” they do.

Two words: Shabby Chic. One or two pieces are fine- I don't personally like my furniture to look like it has been dragged through the street, but I won't throw a fit. If everything you own is made to look banged up just because you got it second hand and repainted it and hit it with a couple of hammers I will question you. Even worse- when it's not DIY and you buy all of your furniture like that. Ugh.

I hate consensual hate of karate pillows.

I hate intentionally distressed furniture. I wish that trend would die.

I realize that this is an English teacher cliche, but I can't stand seeing misspelled, badly punctuated, or poorly-capitalized text art. How hard can it be to proofread your room?

PS---Obviously, this doesn't apply to lovingly hand-scrawled letters by seven-year-olds framed by doting parents!

Pillows squashed on top in the middle so they look as if they have ears. Silly and not very aesthetically pleasing.

Pillowmaniacs with five times more pillows on the bed than people that sleep there. Animal heads on the wall (and not a hunting magazine in sight). White picture frames; for some reason, they just look cheap. Quilts/quilting do not = any form of good design or taste. Old lady / shabby chic stuff and the overuse of the word 'adorable' to too much that is really crap. Shelves of (mostly) paperbacks and dvds. And, probably everything everyone else has mentioned.
Never heard of the pillow chop, but the center one is looking at me.

Karate-chopping pillows is passé. Did they not get the memo on this at least a decade ago? I concur with no sinks in kitchen islands. I would add to that having kitchen appliances as focal points. I prefer to have them fully integrated. For me, a microwave should never be seen! How about bathrooms that look like they can never be used because there is no place for grooming necessities. Pedestal sinks, vessels and wall mounted mirrors are for powder rooms.

Dining rooms that are set as if you're about to host a fancy dinner party. A vase or other simple centerpiece, maybe a runner, is fine. But those tables with placemats, dishes, flatware, bowls of lemons, etc. are so unrealistic! And speaking of lemons, decorating with fruit/vegetables. Either you buy produce just to keep it in a bowl in the guest room (waste) or they're fake (tacky).

God thank you! I was thinking this the other day.... Who the hell came up with the freaking dent in the top of the pillow and decided that looks good?
It makes my blood boil at this point... especially when it's just a designer taking pics of their own home and they are clearly not professionally done. Some stupid design school teacher somewhere is telling all their students that it makes everything look....? What? what could they possibly think it is doing? Enough already. Please just do a post telling all designers that they need to stop doing this, that it makes their work look dated and corny!

Two more to add:

1. Statement light fixtures in every room. You know, the crazy chandeliers with beads and trinkets and crystals -- in the bedroom, the bathroom, over the dining table -- Not every light fixture needs to start a conversation! I think the statement-light-fixture trend is going to look very dated very soon.

2. Remodeling kitchens with no overhead cabinets. If you love the look of open shelves, go for it! But I promise those shelves will collect dust, your dishes will need to be rinsed before you use them, and you'll get tired of seeing the clutter on your walls in a hurry!

3. And a quick yes! to add to the gallery wall phenomena...so tired of seeing "uncluttered, modern open spaces" that are actually incredibly cluttered with pictures hanging inches apart all over the walls! Again, a trend that's going to look dated fast any minute now.

black refrigerators

feng shui - did I spell that bull shit correctly?

a banner, etc. with a kid's name in the nursery

too many magnets on refrigerators

This is fun. Here are mine:

1. Chevrons

2. Grey rooms with "a pop of color"

3. The term "a pop of color."

4. "Curate" when used to hanging art in your own home.

5. Sunburst mirrors. They're everywhere!

6. "Artfully placed" anything

7. The color blocked bookcase. Yikes.

8. Mass-produced Ikat.

On the other hand...

It is possible to own something that has become an overused decorating accessory and own it in a genuine way. I own a globe. I bought it to use and I use it.

Stacks of books? I That's my house. Library books, stuff I'm reading or am about to read, stuff I find at the used book sales. My coffee table has some big books that I look at occasionally, but often enough to leave out. This is a bookish house. They are everywhere, including on the bookcases, and not color-arranged! And some of them end up with stuff on top of them.

I don't have any IKEA furniture, but I totally support that look. It's affordable and you can mix it with anything.

The ban against furniture against the walls: I don't care what anyone says, there are living rooms where it is impossible to "float" furniture.

'A design pet peeve is just different taste from the next person....but I still don't chop my pillows!'

You took the words right off my keyboard, PELLI78500.

I don't like it when people think they are being creative and original when they simply bought new products after looking at design magazines or sites. "Turquoise is my color!" -- well no, it's not your color. It was a design choice made by wholesalers to get you to buy all new pillows for your sofa, along with some twine balls.

Professional appliances for non-chef homes seems like buying a Ferrari for your commuter car. Who are you trying to impress?

I hate dead animal decor. It looks like a celebration of suffering to me.

Some of you are going to absolutely lose your shiz when you see this:

http://designindulgence.blogspot.com/2012/06/little-book-diy.html

^^^ pretty funny, violet, thanks

Typography "artwork". So much hatred for that trend that it's UNREAL.

Years ago I was with a friend who worked for ZGallerie, and we took a detour through a different furniture store so he could check out the competition. In this store, every table seemed to have a bowl of some kind of orbs: twine balls, porcelain balls, mercury glass balls, seed-studded balls. Eager for an insider's explanation, I asked my friend, "Why do furniture stores put out these bowls of balls?" With a tart look, he instantly replied: "They make your life better."

Spray painted or gloss painted furniture "finds". Please, please stop.

Honestly, I've taken every one of these stupid pet peeves and rolled it into my (godhelpmeforsayingthis) "staged design to sell my home"... right now I hate my house because I've had to make it look like 1,000 other homes on whatever design-show-magazine-cover so I can sell it. You want chocolate brown furniture? Sure, I'll go buy some if you pay full price for my house. You want stainless steel? You got it. A punchy "upcycled" whatever in orange glossy paint? Yes - there it is on the wine rack purchased just for you! French advertising posters? But of course... lining the stairway up to your cozy new bedroom with loft space and flowy curtains for an airy feel!

But I know for a fact that as soon as it goes on the market, it will sell because it "looks so nice and modern in here!". Yep. Just for you.

I love IKEA, I shop at IKEA, but there are certain items that are just way too "IKEA" and I would never want them in my home.

Weirdly, I was just thinking of starting a Tumblr of movie scenes featuring items that are so obviously from IKEA. I find it so jarring.

Also, this Tumblr sums up this thread nicely: http://fuckyournoguchicoffeetable.tumblr.com/

Granite and stainless steel kitchens. Yawn.

@laughingirl71: "if it makes me smile and makes my heart glad, it is IN." You ROCK!

My biggest Pet Peeve:
A Flatscreen TV in very room of the house.
(A friend of mine has a flat screen TV in every room of her house, except the bathroom and I just don't get why. I mean, who watches that much TV?)

art that is hung too high or too low.

I hate- Keep Calm and Carry On.

I hate towels and little soaps in bathrooms meant for guests but not for the people living there!

Beds with pillows numbering in the thousands... ok not quite that many, but if they reach half way down the bed.... where the heck do you put them when ready to get into bed? just scatter them all across the floor? big honking basket somewhere out of sight?

This has been pretty entertaining, but silly. If my home contained every pet peeve listed here, the negative comments wouldn't make me change them, and if those design elements so aggravated the people I invite into my home that they refused invitations, then we'd have to meet in restaurants or at the beach or park. My house if for ME, and if I like chopped pillows, by God, I'll have chopped pillows. But thanks for the chuckles.

I agree with the granite (although my friend has some stunning granite countertops--but I think they are, more often than not, ugly). I'm also over the empty frames, although you'll get a pass if you are just trying to fill up a wall on a budget. (Hey, at least they are trying.)

But I'm sure my home has someone's pet peeve(s) and I'm okay with that!

Yes! I saw the comment about professional appliances for people who barely cook. Ridiculous.

What great comments!

My go:

Fake plants and flowers--I worked at a Michaels one Christmas and was STUNNED by how many people bought the fake flowers and fake flower arrangements. Stunned!

Too many pillows and too much stuff on the coffee table or dining table.

Place settings on the table. Really?

More dust collectors: Kitchen cabinets that end a couple of feet below the ceiling, stuff on top of those cabinets, textury lampshades, stuff piled up underneath tables to "occupy space," chandeliers (though I do like them), collections of glass or pottery that are "displayed."

MCM--I live in Palm Springs and am SO over this.

Alternately, fussing up a mid-century house with moulding, chair rails, etc.

Faux wall painting! Murals (unless historic)!

All that mass-produced Old French stuff. Crowns. Burlap.

Laminate furniture.

Books that are not just arranged by color, but that are covered in plain kraft paper, and then possibly turned spine-in.

It's hard for me to criticize anyone's art preferences. Even if they buy it from Ross, they are at least trying to have something beautiful in their lives. If they are just decorating, that's another story. Much prefer original things that have personal meaning. And art should be hung at eye level. I'm also fond of type, and can get behind one nice piece utilizing a nice type treatment, sign or poster or painting.

Repetition does not improve an idea: if one decorative pitcher is good, a collection is better--not.

Huge closets stuffed with clothes.

Those little stools that are supposed to be extra seating--as if anyone but a small child would sit on those!

Shabby Chic.

Theme rooms. Displayed sports memorabilia (except for the odd signed baseball on a desk or shelf).

Lots and lots of framed personal photos--too much like a memorial.

Blackboard paint on EVERYTHING. Over!

Hard uncomfortable dining chairs. Don't take too long eating that dinner!

Here goes...Fake plants, furniture sets, lighted curio cabinets with dolls and collectibles (scary!), framed posters with generic scenery, and wall paper borders. Also anything too cute or precious that's not found in a nursery or child's room, and too much clutter with found objects. I feel like I should confess that I have a rustic, weathered "Dream" sign above my bed. It was a gift and I wanted to hang it. Hey, it reminds me of a good friend who was there during rough times. I guess that's certainly not a bad reminder in one's personal space.

Oh, and stuffed animals on an adult's bed bug me.

i absolutely ABHOR the karate chop pillow as well! This is my #1 peeve, but for sure I have many other design peeves. Among them: desk/counter clutter.. oh lordy, i'm a big "toss it in the trash" or "stash it in a drawer" fan. i also hate cables/wires, almost everything in my house is wireless or hidden.. i also don't like mixed books on a bookshelf.. that is, the mixed color bound binders.. i keep mine color-coded, regardless of the topic or author or title name.. though i can see how some of those other ways would be more efficient.

Gallery walls.

Sure, they're a cheap way to fill a wall. But mostly they're poorly done and filled with too much junk for one eye to comprehend.

If done well, however, they don't bother me.

Poufs - did anyone say poufs yet? I loved this design trend (very functional too) but enough already!

Two words: WING CHAIRS.

Books arranged by color anywhere but in a child's room. I'm a librarian. Just...no.

Fake trees! My grandmother (bless her heart) left me four (!) of them when she passed, among other things. I considered "planting" them around her grave since she loved them so much, but in the end I donated them to the Salvation Army.

Okay, after reading through all these comments the sins that I am guilty of are:

Accent wall
Word art
Art that is placed too high on the wall
Too many pillows on the bed

But I like all of it the way it is and I am not changing any of it.

@JANETMC On the color coded books: my thoughts exactly! I'd also like to add that I've already read 80% of the books on my color coded bookshelf.

How your book shelf is organized doesn't say anything about whether or not you read. I am more likely to find a book based on it's color with my photographic memory than I would any other way. My shelves are at the end of a 50 ft hallway and from far away they look so awesome. It's not for everyone, but it's for me. I'm wondering why people take such offense to how other's organize and decorate their homes! Shouldn't people do what works for them?? We're not talking about how animals or kids are treated, or giant issues that really impact others, we're talking about the inside of someone else's home -- homes you will never see!

1-All white.
2-All tan
3-Venetian blinds or mini-blinds: condos for dust mites.
Most throw pillows are meant to be thrown, far away. They are always in the way.

@DULCIBELLA has pretty much summarized my pet peeves.

I hate dishonesty in decorating -- a room that is painstakingly designed to impress but not to be lived in. Accessories meant to impress others that the owner is quirky or cultivated, but have been assembled by a decorator.

Too many throw pillows or clear lucite chairs -- their not meant for lingering with friends, but impressing others.

Children's rooms designed to show off a mother's sense of cool, a mother's taste and collections, all the while ignoring the child's real interests.

Following design trends -- of any kind -- means that you don't have ideas and passions of your own. The Keep Calm posters, the showroom-perfect rooms, the quasi-Belgian look, the fake Axel Vervoordt sofas.

I love homes that are honest expressions of interesting people and do not follow design trends. I love seeing the home of someone who has a vision, something interesting to say. You can't buy an interesting home in a showroom, and can't make it stylish by adding new throw pillows.

Hey now Hellcat, I have an accent wall! lol. But it works, I swear. It's needed to break up an otherwise long box of a space.

Anyway, pet peeves:
Scented Potpourri and Candles. Nothing screams Pier One more!
Wenge Wood, and especially Wenge Wood Parsons Style furniture. It already looks dated, is heavy and clunky, the stuff of cheap condos and "I just bought my first real furniture but I didn't have much money so I went to West Elm (who by the way have already ditched most of that look) and it just screams "in the wenge wood era of 2004-2010"
Shabby Cottage Chic. Yes, unfortunately, still very much alive in the US South especially
Anything "Steampunk". Hello Jules Verne meets Ethan Allen inspired - the newest Restoration Catalog is just UGH.
Little burned out on the IKAT trend. When Home Decorators Catalog and Walmart now have IKAT outdoor rugs for $24.95, you know it's jumped the shark
The whole black and white Knoll Saaranen office look from Roger in Mad Men. Really. My GOD.
A marble Saarinen table mixed with antique chairs. OK OK. I saw the same effin Domino magazine you did with that back in 2005. At least get another type of modern table.
Granite counters, Stainless Steel Appliance trend. It's the Avocado and Burnt Gold look of our generation. PLEASE DIE. Sure, I can understand a $6000 Wolf stove in SS, but a cheap Home Depot special Dishwasher, Fridge and standard home stove? Ugh. It looks pretentious, is simply a way for real estate agents to charge more for an otherwise mediocre house (granite counters and Stainless Appliances!) and trust me, those SS are a PAIN to keep clean and fingerprint free

Oh, how I could go on and on...

@TMOORE , awesome comment! I'll call myself out too for having trends in my own home....

1. Stack of cover-less books tied together in twine. I bought them up as souvenirs when I was 13 years old in Germany, I don't remember what possess me to buy old books in a language that I can't read in, but I had them for over 20 years and decided this year (thanks to AT) to do that decor trend.

2. Books arranged by colors (thanks to AT). It's couple of shelves so the room doesn't look like "reading rainbow"

3. Bird on things. I like birds but because you can't litter-train them I won't have them as pets, so I have too many bird paintings (even my cat looks at them) and converted bird cages into lamps.

4. TV over the fireplace, and I hide the TV behind one of my bird paintings.

Oh, and I plan to do a black accent wall in a week or two, and nobody can stop me.

I don't have pet peeves. I have whole kennels of irritation.

- from pinterest

I hate those giant hurricanes or glass cylinder vases with stuff like sand, beads, glass pebbles, and/or pillar candles, balls of twine or fruit in them. Every time I see one I want to smash it or hijack it and fill it with pennies, bottle caps or gum wrappers.

ight as well!

Tuscan themed rooms
Burgundy and hunter green
Roosters, pears, apples esp. in the kitchen
Gold knobs and lighting
Decorative balls
Fake plants

Pi mentioned mismatched drapery as "a look".

I am not quite sure what he meant by this but the people who live across the street from me have dining room drapes with horizontal stripes. The stripes are probably 2' wide (judging from how they appear across the street) with about 10" intervals in between.
What drives me nuts is that the stripes on the left side do not meet the stripes on the right side. I do not understand that a) they can look at this every single day and b) have it on display for the whole street to see.
I would have returned the drapes the moment I found out they don't match.
Well, to be precise, it would not happen to me. I would pull the drapes out from their packaging in the store to make sure they do match (I once spent 2 hours at Walmart (where I found very lovely drapes with moorish tile pattern on them) and I did not leave until I knew the two sides will have the pattern perfectly aligned.
Think of pants with a tennis stripe - the vertical stitch on the butt (connecting the two trousers together) - they have to form perfect chevrons. I used to sew my own clothing and I would not be caught in misaligned pattern and I would not buy it either.

@ Too Much Stuff
- I love your quote!

Wow, this has been a popular post ... a lot of humor, but also a lot of venting! Here and there are some good points and ideas to take away, as well!

So, much of my furniture and accessories comes from family hand me downs. This was great for us economically, since neither of us makes a ton of money (he's a teacher, I work for a yoga company) AND we have 4 kids! I'm constantly trying to add my own style and taste to what we've "inherited" among them 4 GIGANTIC bed pillows from my mother-in-law that were meant to be "karate chopped"! I ended up turning 1 pillow into 2 smaller rectangles & only do the karate chop when she comes over! Haha!

Little by little I'm recovering or replacing items to reflect my style. With some new lighting, paint, drapes, rugs, etc. it all helps. And, some of the pieces have grown on me or I admired before they were mine (i.e. some amazing English and French antiques!)

All my art work has personal meaning to me and I couldn't imagine not having them somewhere in my home. No fad knick knacks, words on the wall, empty frames, artwork that matches the furnishings, etc. All my candles have been used. Books are in the bookcases (arranged by type of book, not color, so I can actually FIND the book I actually want to read!)

I am guilty of having out 1 small stack of favorite coffee table size books of places I've been, because I like people to feel free to look through them when they come over, and I LIKE seeing them, reminding me of where I've been and where I want to go to again!

My pet peeve would be decorating in a way that isn't personal and doesn't reflect the occupants ... decorating in a way that may be popular, but has no personal relevance. But, if TRULY love karate chop pillows ... go for it! It's your space ... you should love where YOU live!

I had a long list before this point, but so many people have chosen the same items that make me nuts.

Add one, though: religious art displayed as kitsch, only there to show how ironic the owner of the space is.

Ironic art, period.

1. Used anything bought home and spray painted white.
2. The "beachy look."
3. Similarly, the "cottage look" aka "shabby chic."

but most of all...

4. Not being able to put anything in my home, it seems, without it being everywhere and overdone in what seems like no time.

Colorblocked books. Way to show just how little you read your giant book collection.

Distressed furniture. Just like distressed jeans, if YOU put the holes there while using it, that's one thing. If you just banged up your new dresser for looks? You make me laugh

Also, now I think about it, 'floating' furniture. What the hell. Why would I stick my furniture in the middle of the room to 'open up' the room? How does that work? Oh yes, look how open this room is with a giant couch in the middle of it. Yeah right.

No-one's going to read all the way down to this (although I just did!), but my peeve is more of a renovation than decorating one: buying a period house and ripping out all the period stuff and putting super-modern stuff inside it.

I have one friend who had a DARLING 1940s house with a cute 40s kitchen and they ripped out every detail and now it's a beige box with all the modern cliches: granite, under-cabinet lighting, stainless steel appliances.

Ditto the friend with the 1930s cottage who took out the original, lovely pedestal sink and replaced with a clunky IKEA white & frosted glass monstrosity for "more storage." (Not that IKEA is all bad.)

Don't buy an old house if you dislike the period of the house!

1. Granite Counter tops.
2. Wall to Wall carpet.
3. Tuscan kitchens.
4. All furniture- the same color.
5. Fake plants outside and in.
6. Clutter and calling it an eclectic look.
7. The beachy look (ThanksTanJala)
8. Anything Burgundy.
9. Fake Fruit
10. ANY type of theme room- UGH!
11. A pretty piece of furniture but clearly not comfortable.

THE WORST:
when the spines of books are turned to face the back of the bookshelf so that what you see is uniform off-whiteness of the edges of the pages (really popular last year). RIDICULOUS.

Karate-chopped pillows (and a lot of the other peeves, like colour-coded books) have little to do with design everything to do with styling. Personally, I'm sick of the 'declutter' mantra - again, nothing to do with true design.

The only things that really bother me are any kind of lettering/words on the walls, chalkboard paint and that cutesy childish 28 going on 9 style that I frequently see here.

I have granite countertops because the previous owners of my house put them in a year before they sold. They wouldn't be my choice, but they are new, perfectly good stone so I am not going to change them because they are too common.

I know many people don't like cow hide rugs, but they are incredibly durable. After trying every type of rug out there with my big dogs over the years there are only 2 that I will buy: seagrass and cowhide.

Plastic chairs. They shift, flex, shift and in general have a feeling of impermanence oh, and did I say they shift when you sit in them :-). I prefer large comfortable furniture that may have required some forethought. Plastic furniture always looks temporary and cheap no matter who the designer is. More landfill, and not fast enough. Also I don't like any seating where the butt sits lower than the knees. Very bad for the back.

The origin of the "karate-chopped" pillow is not so benign. It is a demonstration of conspicuous consumption. It started during the overdone '80's. Giving a karate chop to a pillow demonstrates that it is filled with high end goose down. No other pillow filling/stuffing allows to to simultaneously fluff and crush a pillow at the same time - hence the "karate chop" pillow.

Vessel sinks – especially glass ones.

Too much stuff! I am very anti-clutter and too many accessories, pillows, vases, plants, patterns, you name it...that's my biggest pet peeve and I see it everywhere these days.

Dining tables that are always set for a meal. A table set for a full course meal for all eternity doesn't equal decoration in my book. I don't get it.

Oh my lord, where do I start? Domestic typography. Mass-produced 'art'. Book stacks. Trophy heads, real or fake. Craft posing as art. Interiors designed by architects, ie empty rooms. That'll do.

The worst "word art" I've seen is the word "Bath"! As if you would go into the bathroom and wonder where you were! I have a family member with a multimillion dollar island home, and the dining area features a white distressed "Beach" sign standing on a windowsill. Yup, that's where we are!

I do love typography and would have some form of typography art if I really liked it or if I created it myself (preferable). I do have a ceramic "J" my Mom made me, and a monogrammed Bermuda bag cover (that should start some of you off!) that my Mom embroidered. I repurposed it into a cover for a small herbal pillow.

I actually do like a ***small*** chop in a sofa pillow, but the chop in the ones pictured above is overkill.

I can't figure out the popularity (or even meaning) of "For Like Ever" but it is clearly out of my demographic! I have mixed feelings about accent walls. As a renter it would be an easy way to have a little color, especially a really bright one.

And why can't we say "room" instead of "space"??? Especially if it *is* a room and not a group of related areas like a foyer and hallway.

This post is related.

So much hate for a little pillow dent! I LOVE karate chopped pillows. It's not a new trend, it's classic. Now pillows turned on the corner across a sofa...what's that about?

I'll never understand why someone would have their dining room table forever set for an elaborate dinner party complete with candles that will never burn. It's even more disturbing when it all begins to collect dust. I guess some people see it as a decorative choice. (baffling) To me, it just looks like "The dinner party that never came to fruition". It kind of reminds me of Miss Havisham's wedding table: bizarre, sad and a bit creepy.

Keltrue, I know how you feel. We're going on the market in two months and are repainting. It's almost all neutrals. I miss colour!

Please no more animal heads, feet, skulls! Or Keep Calm and Carry On signs. Or walls with jumbled patterns of frames, paintings, etc. Or too many collections of little toy dolls and other plastic stuff. Please pair down the pillows so one can actually use the sofa to sit on and relax. Amen.

This has been very amusing.

My #1 pet peeve is the chopped pillow , and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who hates this practice, followed by...
-the overuse of throw pillow
-the clear Ghost chair as a functional piece of furniture
-theme rooms that are extremely literal
-tall accessories on a coffee table that prohibit conversation across the room
-the throw across a sofa, chair, bed
-design compound-word titles that end with "chic" (I.e. urban pioneer chic)
-eclectic spaces that try so hard to look like an Anthropologie store
-Kelly W style geometrics with apple green and black accents
-puddled drapes on floor- how does one keep dust bunnies from multiplying in those folds?

Personally, I cringe just a little every time I see a mason jar lamp, or terrarium. Yes, through the wonders of Pinterest we all know that there are a million mason-centric crafts waiting to be made, but for me the whole rustic simple appeal is kind of lost when you know someone spent an evening googling "wholesale mason jars cheap"...

That being said, I am a repeat offender for quite a few of the previous posters pet peeves, including the color coded books (I know where they all are), books with objects on top (nope, not easy to get to, I hope I don't have an emergency requiring quick access to the Proust) and the ubiquitous Chevron rug, which I actually just replaced with an identical one, suspecting the trend had run its course but refusing to give up the pattern, because I actually still like it.

Bottom line, to each his own; unless you have an "always kiss me goodnight" sign above the bed, in which case we just can't be friends.

Chalk board walls and cupboards. I made a chalkboard wall piece. Dust gets everywhere, even with dustless chalk. Where do you put the eraser so it doesn't dust all over? There is no good place for an eraser? Paper towels as an eraser? Not eco-friendly. Walls? chalk dust all over the floor. Not good, especially if you walk around barefoot or have pets who lick things. OOH fun to draw on? Perhaps, but don't accidentally bump one of these walls or cupboards, or you'll get chalk on your clothes. Not fun to wash out.
I'm so over this one.

Intentionally distressed furniture is probably the worst for me. It's one thing if it's something with actual "history" (as overused as "curate") that arrived at a shabby chic state naturally, but deliberate distressing misses the point entirely. Of course it's a look some must enjoy for the visual aesthetics alone, but try making that argument for fake wood?

I also kind of hate pennytiles. So much grout, so dirty looking always!

Hm... maybe less so for ppl who don't cook, but I can imagine that ppl who buy professional grade appliances may just appreciate the engineering or whatever that goes into them. They may not need it, but a well-designed stove is a well-designed stove, or whatever we're talking about, and you can appreciate that sort of thing on different levels. So long as you didn't bankrupt yourself getting it, I won't judge.

Amen, amen to tables that are always set for company, and get dusty!
Conversation with great, talented, unpretentious, very successful designer. Told him about these posts, especially the karate chop. What he said makes sense.....do it just a little so a down pillow doesn't look stiff like it is standing to attention, just has a little softness, looks welcoming, not like a stiff acrylic, etc. That makes sense to me. His don't look creased. And he doesn't fill any spot with too many pillows.
It's the well known designer that karate chops the seat cushion that tops my list. Ridiculous looking to me. Maybe you haven't seen it but I have. Now that I really dislike! He is in national design magazines....the high brow ones. Oh, my.

a great round up of some annoying decor trends: :http://fuckyournoguchicoffeetable.tumblr.com/

I'll back you up on this one! When I saw the image and headline, I was crossing my fingers that you would call people out on this foolish trend. I worked at a home furnishings store for a bit and would cringe every time they did the karate chop. I think it is distracting and silly.

Another peeve of mine would be when people feel the need to purchase staging items to simply fill space. I think that it displays a lack of connection to the homeowner and the overall space.

It's fine if someone else wants these in their home, but you'll never see them in mine!
-live laugh love (puke)
-distressed or wallpapered furniture (I imagine all the wallpaper corners peeling up eventually)
-fabric floor poofs (I love the idea of them but I can't for the life of me figure out how they are suppose to function, beyond taking up unnecessary space)

And when I watch house/design TV the phrase "open concept" makes me want to stab my ears. This style is fine, but I am so sick of hearing that's all homeowners/seekers/designers want.

Ha, these comments are great!

This is more a design blog pet peeve than a design pet peeve, but lately I keep seeing projects that are particularly impractical or even downright dangerous. Any monkey can set up a WordPress account these days, but that doesn't mean you should follow his directions on how to fling your poop.

And related to the above pet peeve: commenters who defend the bad idea. If a bunch of people respond "Hey, that jacuzzi on your fire escape is a bad idea", then there are always a bunch more who say "This project is creative and interesting! Boo to the negative haters!"

I hate the karate chop pillow for sure! But I also can't stand chevron. Ombre comes to a close third. But Chevron is number one, followed by the karate chop pillow.

"KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON" is EVERYWHERE. Wall art, pillows, throws, mugs, wall decals, vases... do I need to go on. What was a cute phrase is now overly used every where I go. Keep it out of your living rooms please!

"Books are awfully decorative, don't you think."- The "Top Drawer" girlfiend in Mame

French Bulldogs (OK, any pets) valued more as home or fashion accessories than as pets!

"So once something becomes "cool" you should throw it away? How very hipster."

I would like to do this experiment: first, find out if there are any design trends loved by the many people who share the same peeves (typography, taxidermy, chevron, accent walls, etc.), and then, check in in a year to see if the loved trends have become peeves for anyone.

Furniture that is too low. I like the look of MCM furniture but so much of it is too low to the ground for tall people. I don't want to need a cane to lift myself off a low couch or platform bed.

My idea of a "home" is a mixture of comfort, nature, and the past. Following "rules of decor" has never been important.....either in my home or someone else's home. Our space should be a soft place to land, a destination to look forward to after a stressful day whether that means sparse surroundings or a home filled with collections, inspirational signs, and karate-chopped pillows. Just sayin' .....

What's wrong with the flatscreen over a fireplace? I thought it de-emphasized the TV and allowed you to have 2 potential focal points with the same furniture arrangement. Someone explain, please!

Okay, so I learned: it's because the TV ends up too high. It took me an hour of sifting through these comments to find out!

The other thing I learned: AT readers REALLY pay attention to AT posts. This was almost like a reading quiz.

@SHAWNAMUFFIN, some people will complain about any placement of a TV anywhere. TVs are for philistines! TVs are ugly and ruin the whole room! TVs will murder your whole family while you sleep!

But me, I don't like them mounted over fireplaces because it's usually too high. It's a strain on my neck to watch something long like a movie.

Did someone mention peonies in a bowl as a pet peeve? I don't understand that at all.
I don't care what other people put in their own houses. I get bored with my own, add things, then realize my mistakes. I have to have something a little quirky or amusing to entertain me. There's nothing original under the sun, and everyone copies everything so what was interesting or fun to look at is quickly overdone everywhere.
Those perfect sterile looks in some of the high end magazines get to me. While I'd love to have a beautiful home, those are boring. Who lives like that...and with the perfect dog posed on the fine fabric?! Pretentious. I'd love to see some non-perfect item in there to break up the spaces. I guess that's why I like some spaces in Elle Decor......sense of humor often prevails and there are many interesting things to catch your eye. And I'll bet many of those spaces are changed around regularly.
My favorite version of the Keep Calm thing is Keep Calm and Call Your Mother..because it is humorous, and because my children still call me. However, I do not have it posted in a giant size in my house.
My peeves involve things people do to the outside of their houses, or yards, that affect the property value and visual pleasure of the houses around them. I'm living with one of those nightmares right now. Need to sell my house, but lookers want to know what the heck my neighbor across the street is doing?! Now that annoys me and affects me in a big way. There is no accounting for taste, and she's welcome to hers, but please!. This person obviously has no visual sense of any kind. No one likes it. Everyone comments on it!
I will try to stop now but not before saying that it annoys the heck out of me for realtors to say they are selling "homes". They sell houses......and people make them into homes.
Another subject, I know.

Hmm- I cant stand EAT in a kitchen either or any use of literal word art. Keep Calm and Carry On says a lot about the person who hangs it--like they are about to have a melt down any minute and have to keep reminding themselves not to! Oh one other pet peeve- the poster size wedding portrait.

Carefully curated spaces that reflect the homeowners unique design aesthetic through an eclectic mix of artfully arranged iconic pieces and painstakingly sourced vintage finds.
Did I forget anything?
Oh, yeah, and chevron.

Too many throw pillows on a couch is the perfect fix for a client who owns pieces of furniture that they do not want pets on. The pillow can easily be removed for a desired guest. Most of the time, a pet will take one look at a couch filled with pillows and not even attempt to jump on it. If they still do, then covering the piece may be necessary.

My pet peave is going by that old rule that even numbers of the same type of decor looks contrived. I think depending on what the goal is, the rule should be left open for debate.

Pet peave list continued:

1) Lava lamps

2) Pea green long shag carpet

3) John Deere collectables

4) Vibrating round or heart shaped beds

5) A full bar in a single-wide trailer

I think the only way to display a flat screen TV above a fireplace is to make a frame for it and when it is not in use, you can display an art DVD on the screen with all of your favorite pieces of art work on it. Otherwise, a TV in that location can look out of place depending on how modern the design of the home is.

I believe the ugliest thing to decorate your home with is something that you insulted someone else for online.

- houses full of spindly mid-century furnishings...
- items of clothing, that you clearly never wear, displayed as "art" on hangers, on a wall...
- why does everyone need a home "work space" or home office?
- painted furniture; wood is beautiful. in my opinion, paint is rarely an improvement...
- a pair of $500 shoes casually "tossed" on the floor by the bed...
- to do, to buy, menu lists...
- and…chalkboard paint (especially when combined with the above item).

The pillow thing - yes - but also, I HATE HATE HATE matchy-matchy... kits - the couch and chair set, the dining room set, the bedroom set... I find it lacks any sort of imagination and personality. I am not attracted to rooms where the curtains were chosen because that specific green was found in the under-tone of the sofa fabric that mimicked the playful pattern of the fruit bowl that took inspiration from the artwork by the entrance... blah. Pick things YOU love - not stuff a designer loves. Don't be fooled into getting sets. If you love something, it'll work. Of course if love sets, I don't mean to insult you. You are most certainly a wonderful person :)

- Chalkboard Paint
- I'm lol-ing as a read comments about granite-obsessed shoppers on HGTV. Too true.
- I'm annoyed every time I go to a thrift store to find a nice piece of antique furniture, and some hipster has already gotten a hold of it and painted it red. Why would you take beautiful piece of antique Art Deco furniture and abuse it like that!? Step away from your paint brush some time. (This is probably my biggest pet peeve)
- Sterile, MCM spaces
- What's with the wicker baskets everywhere? Why does everything need to be in a basket?
- Generic, boring patterns on pillows. I couldn't describe them to you, but I know them when I see them.

I love the "die, scowl, hate" sign suggestion.

Have a few design pet peeves related to wording used on design blogs:

Without further adieu

A room's color palate or color pallet

This item compliments this item

A pop of color adds flare

Here's a peak inside...

aaaaannnnnddd wallah!

I like MCM furniture and design, but my home is a post-WWII tract home in Southern California, so it is not entirely out of place.

My pet peeve is other post-WWII tract homes with ornate Tuscan kitchens, or French country living rooms, or travertine smothered bathrooms. It just doesn't go with squatty little stuccoed homes near the beach!

"I hate this!" "I hate that!" Today's new, innovative idea is tomorrow's trend, and next week's "hackneyed cliche". If y'all don't constantly turn over your home furnishings, you'll be the proud owners of tomorrow's trite, overdone decor trope. Most people, even in America, (and likely most of you!) can't afford to stay on the "cutting edge" of home furnishing into perpetuity! That's why, when you walk into most peoples' homes, you're just lucky if their stuff even kind of coordinates, let alone is on the hip, avant garde cutting edge of spatial consummation!! I hate Chevrons, I hate Saarinen tables, I hate empty picture frames, I hate granite, I hate Crate and Barrel, I hate Pottery Barn, I hate mirrored furniture, I hate MCM, I hate Barcelona Chairs, I hate Room and Board, I hate Organic Modernism, I hate Tuscan decor, I hate wall decals, I hate travertine, I hate granite counters, I hate fluffed throw pillows.... just sit there on your funky threadbare Craigslist curb alert "find" and lighten up!!

Just looking at this picture...yeah I'm not into karate-chop cushions. But also, if I have to move more than 2 cushions to sit on a sofa, it's way too many cushions. I also do not like all-glass display cabinets. Maybe one is fine if you collect transformers figurines or something, but more than that, I fear I'll break it just being in the same room. I also can't stand fake flowers. My mum is crazy about them and I have to put with it; my living room and kitchen look like a columbarium :(

I find I just don't like most design related posts in general because of how fake it all usually is. If it's showcasing and apartment or home, no one keeps it like that or lives like that usually (A plate with a lemon balanced precariously on its edge next to your bathroom sink or a terrarium on the coffee table but there's clearly a cat walking in the background that wouldn't let that last more than a minute)
I have a friend who got his apartment posted not long ago and I've seen the place normally. Pig sty! Plates and dirty clothes everywhere but a monster clean sweep, a chevron throw blanket, hiding ALL his personal belongings and some polished pictures later and it looks like a museum to showcase how unique and trendy he is. He just knew what was expected of an apartment tour!
Real humans use dish soap and toothpaste and laundry detergent. Staging for pictures is fine, but show me some place a real person actually lives in! They have those posts on here but they're few and far between.

Haha! I didnt know I had so very many pet peeves until I read this list. I dislike:
-multiple pillows - makes me NOT want to sit/lie there
-cheap repros of stuff you can get in flea markets with better quality for much less
-florid chandeliers
-clutter
-unsealed edges
and everything above.

I don't have design/decorating pet peeves so much as design/decorating blog pet peeves. I've about hit my limit for the number of times I can bear to read the phrase "pop of color" on a decor blog.

@dervlakelly: that tumblr is the funniest thing I've ever seen.

Using a dress or any other clothing as art - displaying it on hangers especially in kids rooms? Seriously what is the point??

Wow, minilauren, are you for real? Prefer carpet to floorboards? Nothing warmer than real, glowing wood. And carpet is disgusting - a linty trap for every filthy thing around. If you've ever torn up old carpeting and looked at the underside for stains, you'll see how revoltingly dirty a thing carpeting is.
Plus, unless you are *very* eco-conscious and have researched and sprung for (expensive) green choices, your carpet is synthetic and so is the underlay, which means continuous offgassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - very unhealthy. Not anything I'd want my children or pets breathing.

I am so glad I didn't buy one of the black and white bus stop rolls. Thought they were interesting when I first saw them.

Pet peeve: people who think you're a philistine if you don't hide the tv.

OMG WHERE DO I START?!! TRENDY STUFF -I.E. RED CORAL LIGHTING ,PILLOWS,BEDDING ETC.... BROWN /TURQUOISE OVERKILL AND SOME PEOPLE R JUST CATCHING IT-UGH! FAKE ANIMAL HEADS ON WALLS AND SUZANI ANYTHING-UGH SO EXHAUSTING! THE WORD "RETREAT"...BORE ME LATER....THE "KEEP CALM" PHRASE...HELP ME PLEASE! OH YEAH THE WORD "COUCH" INSTEAD OF "SOFA"....THE PILLOW THING IS BY FAR #1 W THESE ALL BEING #2 !!! THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT I NEEDED THAT ! 8-)

I'm from the midwest. It's a couch.

I came to this one late.

I don't like fake flowers or plants.

I am so sick of beige (and dull-colored) rooms and houses, even all white. And I don't care much for a "pop of color" either, either in a decor blog or in a photo. It seems to say: color scares me so I put this teal (hot pink, etc.) throw out to hide that fact. I had to stay in a hotel near my work a lot a year and a half ago due to winter weather (had a long commute then), and I thought I was going to scream with the lack of color. Then they put me in a room on the first floor, and when I opened the door I felt like Dorothy landing in Oz! A red wall, dark-wood furniture, art that had bright colors! I learned they had redone the first two floors, so every time I made a reservation I said I didn't mind being place on one of those floors. I learned really fast that winter that I need color around me. Having said that, the current bedspreads that have huge, glaring patterns are horrible. It took me forever to find a coverlet I loved. I bought a light pink that's price had been slashed as a stand-in and finally bought a berry one that reverse to rose. It's gorgeous. I do white walls in my house but color on bedding, art work and such, and pillows (two) and a throw on my sofa.

I do have a couple of Word arts, but they are a little different than described above. I had three but got rid of the one about a simple life, realizing I do not want a simple life, I just want simplicity so I can live an adventurous life. The two I kept read: "Do What Makes Your Heart Sing" and "Be Still, and Know that I am God." They are over two entrances, though I think I'd like the latter to be on a meditation table and might set one up late this year when I'm on break from school and work. For now I still like them and am keeping them. If you come to my house and hate this kind of thing, just don't look up as you leave. ;-)

antlered anything
signs telling me what to do/feel (thanks a lot Jenny Holzer!!)
vintage suitcases, especially when they are stacked

Things you see in design magazines that never work in real life, like stacks of books, vases or pillows on the floor--see photo at top of this post. If you don't have somewhere other than the floor to put these items, you don't need them.

My mother's cleaning lady (yes, she was lucky enough to have one) was hired in 1987 and faithfully did the karate chop to all pillows every week for over 20 years - so pardon me but I don't see how that screams "A designer was here" or how it can be a new trend.

All of my peeves have already been mentioned, most especially word art (unless you're a graphic designer and in love with fonts - then it's okay). So I'm not even going to bother contributing on that front, since it's all already been said many many times.

Mostly I'm here to defend clothing on display as art! I collect vintage clothing, and there are some things which are too fragile/not-my-size/fancy to wear on an everyday basis, but so special and beautiful that I'd like to appreciate them every day. So sometimes I'll hang 'em up on on a wall (out of direct sunlight, which can damage the fabric) or on a door, where I can enjoy them more than if they were just sitting in my closet. I know some women who will do the same with extra special designer pieces. For some people, clothing is art. Deal.

I do love my gallery wall, too! It might not be the most well-executed wall ever, but it's full of meaningful art that my husband and I both truly love, and we had fun putting it up.

Not a fan of hung plates, but plates that are hung anywhere that food is not consumed (ie Bedroom, living room, etc) drives me NUTS!

The accent wall... especially if every room has one.

@MissHiccup. I, too, like clothing on display. I will often put a fun tote from one of my travels or a beautiful purse I'm not currently carrying on a doorknob in my bedroom or hallway. And I also sometimes drape a colorful pashmina somewhere for a few days. These things tend to rotate frequently so maybe someone else wouldn't call it decor or art, but I do. Clothing indeed can be art.

I confess to plumping and then karate chopping a couple of down pillows around my place. I like the way they look. It doesn't say, "don't sit here." I lean against them all the time. I just plump them up afterwards. Anyway, my minor pet peeve is picture frames with nothing in them. My major peeve is animal trophies of all kinds, real animals or fake - what's with all the dead animal heads and when will it stop?

I agree with the "lack of books" comment. The Man-Friend says "but you and I read more than anyone we know!" but my comment still stands. If you have TONS of obviously-read books, I'm going to be impressed...and possibly ask to borrow them. The people who talk about not knowing how to sound-proof an apartment obviously do not know of the sound-proofing power of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves full of books. They're pretty much the best thing EVER.

Also, i LOVE taxidermy- all the pieces my family has are roadkill. Just ask your local Fish and Game/ Conservation service what they have in their freezer- it's not like you're murdering the poor innocent animals! Instead, you're preventing waste! Plus, the moose head looks amazing.

1. Matching living room sets - A.K.A. The Rooms-to-go Syndrome
2. The phrase Live, Laugh, Love on stencils, wrought iron, plaques etc.
3. The formal living room - I grew up with one, and it was a total waste of space and furniture

Well since you asked.... : )

Birds...too many birds.

Purposely crackled paint.

High gloss paint on a dresser

Old fashion basin and pitchers

Any "theme": Seashells, Apples, Country Crafts, or Bears

Fake Antlers

Cheap scented candles or ridiculously expensive candles

I really like the idea of a wall full of frames, but really...who has the time.

Tooooo much retro..I feel like the spirit of somebody's dead grandmother is going to take over. But to be fair, i feel sterile in a toooo modern room.

Framing accessories.

Oh, and has anyone seen the generic travel art. Map of Italy, Iffle Tower, Tuscan wine field, etc...It's ok if you went there and you took the picture, but not if you got it from Wal-Mart

I don't like those white, porcelain animal mounts. I've seen them a lot on here and HGTV lately and I don't get it. Also, all the fuss about rooms that are "modern" and have "clean lines." Don't get me wrong, in certain pieces I do like the simplicity of this. BUT when the whole is that way, it feels cold, bare, and boring with just straight lines, sharp angles and too much white!

Karate chop pillows...mmm. My nipz are getting hard just thinking about them. That's right. Sue me. Sue me in a court of law.

But seriously, did most of you type your comments in a British accent while eating crumpets and playing croquet? Of course "Keep Calm and Carry On" is brutal, in my opinion. That's because I'm perversely cynical dbag wallowing in my own unshowered misery. "Keep calm and carry on" wall art is for those lucky (read: hellish) people who are blissful and content with their lives, not for my rancid unshowered self. Of course all you similarly jaded pessimists find any instruction to "Dance Like Nobody Is Watching" or to "live, laugh, love" akin to chugging a barrel of liquid cat feces. That's probably because you either despise dancing, or you, like me, are already wont to bust out aggressive dance moves regardless of how hideous you may look.

I know it's tempting to hate on happy people, but you probably don't spend much time with them in real life anyway, so get a grip. Also, interior design, much like all art, fashion, and music, is largely derivative at this point. Nothing is particularly original. When something smells even mildly of originality, blogs and magazines aggressively parade it around and neuter the crap out of it until it cries, makes friends with chevron, lucite chairs, MCM, and whatever else you people have maligned, and slinks off dejectedly into the Pottery Barn Abyss/ comment section of this blog.

Do what you do, peeps. If you're my friend and you have a Keep Calm and Carry On sign, I'll probably make fun of you, but you can come over and rip me a new one for my chevron/jute rug, my wine crate decor, my multiple suzani throws, my MCM chairs, and all the other shiz I unabashedly and unoriginally ripped off from this blog, and will continue to rip off from this blog, and others.

too many pillows on a couch? throw them on the floor, ask for forgiveness later. If someone is too dumb to realize those things are going to have to be moved when a reasonably-sized butt comes over for tea and crumpets, they deserve to have their pillows pooped on by the family poodle. They know they're going to have to move them when company comes over. "Theme rooms done too literally"? I'm not smart enough to even begin to understand what that one means.

My only actual pet peeve is a lovely apartment where everything costs so much that I can't even breathe on it without a chiding look from my friend who treats her knoll womb chair as though it has human feelings and a peanut allergy, or where the chairs are made out of wire and, despite costing a month's rent, when sat on they make me feel like Matilda must have felt when the Trunchbull threw her in the chokey.

Family photos and wedding/honeymoon memorabilia everywhere in public view. It's like their home is a shrine to their family. I love my husband and kids as much as anyone but all that stuff is in private parts of the house (in limited and moderate quantity) and real art is up in public spaces. The exception being a cool photo of my son wearing a vintage astronaut costume taken by a famous rock photographer and our skeleton bride and groom wedding cake topper. Both are excellent conversation pieces and tell a specific story without being about "us."

The posters here are pretty annoying. "Anything not wood!" EXCEPT blah blah blah. Or never typography! Except blah blah blah. Sure a lot of this stuff looks contrived but not everybody sits on Apartment Therapy and over analyzes their home decor. Some people DO NOT CARE if they pick the art to match the couch and why should we? I feel the same way about a lot of these things but it's not like they get my panties in a bunch. I just make my house reflect my own design interests.

Oh, these are so much fun to read! I agree w/ many such as the word art (barf), and HGTV's granite-loving zombies, but I'll add that I also hate jewelry hung on the wall (you don't live in a store).

Great post! OK...here goes - "Bed-in-a-Bag", counter height tables, anything resin, stadium size kitchens (especially in a Tuscan look - ugh), any "wall words", any draped swags, colored sheer curtains, lace curtains, bathroom rug sets, I could go on and on - too much fun!

My new sofa came with oddly oversized, down-filled side pillows that were so large and ungainly that it was difficult to position them on the couch...thanks to this post, I realize that they were DESIGNED to be karate chopped!! I gave it a try and suddenly, they fit. Still looks kinda stupid, though...

Pet peeves? Most word art; houses that lack character or warmth. Bare walls. I have no issue with word art if it has meaning - I have a small custom made piece in my office that I look at every day as a reminder to have balance.

Many of the pet peeves people list I think I am guilty of - I have granite and stainless steel (came with the place), travel art (but my father is an artist and painted most of them) and I am okay with that. I also have a white board in my office for work.

Amygoog, I have dry erase paint on the inside of my lab door and on the wall above the benches. We love it!

I love:
- hardwood floors,
- my extensive, well-read, easy-to-find, color-coded library,
- using the word "curate" where appropriate, and
- my gorgeous 30th birthday dress displayed to remind me to stay fit in the next 6 months before I wear it!

I abhor:
- homes filled with stuff. honestly, half that is totally unnecessary

- decor the owner knows nothing about, especially anything "ethnic" (aka non-Western), Eiffle tower stuff, and Van Gogh posters.

- people who write lists in paragraph form. I'm not reading that rant!

Fascinating back-and-forth between the haters and the defenders here! I agree with some of these pet peeves, but I lean more towards the defenders' side. Do what you like in your own home.

I don't know if anyone is still following this, but there a couple pet peeves I don't understand. These are real questions:
- Why so much hate for Keep Calm and Carry On? Is it just because it's suddenly everywhere? I like it for its connection to history.
- What is wrong with lots of family or personal photos displayed? Isn't your home kind of supposed to be a "shrine to your family"? I really don't get it.

I get why people are anti-color coding your books, but I like it for 2 reasons no has mentioned:
- It makes me much more likely to actually put books back on the shelf in some organized way after reading them. It's much easier to quickly figure out what color it goes with than where it fits in the alphabet, Dewey Decimal system, or whatever. Otherwise I end up with piles of books around the house, which is apparently also a problem!
-It reminds me of getting a new 64 count box of crayons at the beginning of the school year and organizing it by color - their perfect unused tips, the waxy smell, order and promise and newness and anything can happen.

The offenders give the rest of us a chance to feel superior!

I hate this, I abhor that. Good Lord! I visit someone's home because I want to see the people who live there, not if their decor is chic or oh-so-trendy. Nothing better than sitting at a well-worn wooden table drinking coffee or tea from grandma's mis-matched china cups and old linens. To hell with decor choices. People are more important than things. Guess it's time to unsubscribe. : /

I love color, so anything decorated in beiges or neutrals is a sad thing for me. I got the giant phone book that is Restoration Hardware's catalog in the mail (a previous tenant must've shopped there) and I was sad to see that there was no color anywhere! Just crazy-big industrial spot lamps!

My favorite thing to "decorate" with is toys, randomly strewn on the floor (I have a sixteen-month-old). It's very colorful!

Granite countertops!! Everyone's counters looks the same, and they are all going to look dated soon.

Beds with too many decoration pillows i.e. the ones that aren't used to sleep with.
Globes
Using big letters as decorations, like having a big letter C on a wall.
Bed skirts
The whole "dipped' trend
Too many mirrors.

I have many decorating peeves: wall words, shabby chic, anything distressed on purpose, dead animal parts, those goofy frames with a dozen holes for a dozen pictures, the lonely pear print, clutter on every surface .....and the piece de resistance: cat box smell! Ewey.

@Margottenenbaum26 - You seriously need to write for your own blog. Your comments were more entertaining and spot-on than the original post and other comments (what I could read of them before they themselves became collectively sad, overdone, and derivative--and then I just had to skip to the bottom to see how it all turned out) combined!

okay, so i'm not going to use this opportunity to express "why my over-exposed-to-far-too-many-design-blogs taste is better than yours" by mentioning the gag-worthiness of a keep calm and carry on poster, or word decor (which i personally enjoy, i will always love the graphic look of words & fonts & handwriting, and i find it grossly stupid that anyone sees irony in something people hang on their wall), or how i might gasp at the thought of an unread book, "my stars!". . . but rather take this time to tell about my true, strange design pet peeve: when it comes to anything smooth & spherical, i will steer so beepin' clear. i don't know why this is! for example, if i see a canister with, with a lid, with an attached knob that happens to be a sphere in shape rather than cylindrical, i would most definitely go to the lengths to find & reattach a different pull. or a curtain rod with sphere-ish finials...no way, no how! it's almost phobic! does anyone else share my distain for this particular shape when it comes to home decor?

Many of those who posted about what you hate will have a ball hating them in the July/August House Beautiful. Let's see...chevron, book wallpaper, Keep Calm items, taxidermy, EAT posted on a counter,chalkboard paint.....and probably many more. I love the issue though. Any of these items, used by someone skilled at design can be a positive element. Difference comes when people just stick them up and don't have the talent to pull the design together.....IMHO! I like what I see in this magazine. I'm sure the people who have used them will not leave their rooms static.

I tried to read all of these and want to answer honestly but I can't!!!
Because the reality is 10 years ago, I liked granite counter tops and stainless steel fridges. And now I don't.
So if I give my list of dislikes, I am sure I am going to be eating crow in another 10 years.
Though ITA with a lot of the above...and the infamous tumbler blog is phenomenal.

PS - @MARGOTTENENBAUM26 - can we hang out? I love your post!

The things I find most irritating are too many pillows, fake animal heads, and basically anything that looks like it got latex poured over it. I also get a little twitchy around rooms that are too matchy (in either style or color). I feel like it's one thing to have a palette that you base your design on, but the quirks are what make things fun and human.

This was fun, I read everything, and I think that the key is that there is a difference between design for designs sake and home decorating. It's like the difference between runway fashion and what's in my closet. Runway fashion and interior design can easily over do a theme, and quickly- but that doesn't mean that a chevron rug doesn't still tie the room together in Boise, Idaho for Jane Smith even if it's not fresh. If you were a decorator your goal might be 'edgy' or 'innovation' but for my home I just want comfortable, personal, enjoyable, livable, and well organized. I can appreciate design for an art which is always changing much like fashion, but even though I see the value of Lady Gaga wearing a virtual churrascario of meat as a form of art which is innovative I have yet to go get a Costco membership and plug in a fridge in my closet. I will stick to my bermudas even if you could have bought them at the Gap 7 years ago, and I will happily display my ikat chair for the next 5+ years.

Pet peeves are certainly personal as well. I HATE it when people bite their forks, it makes my skin crawl, but I don't chide people for it and I don't snub my nose at my friends who do it. It's more a feeling of "how do you not notice that you are doing that, and if you are aware how have you not stopped by now!"

That all said, I can only really think of one thing that I have seen in design that i do not understand why people even started- it's the upholstery or draperies which have hand written script on them. Just nonsense words, often not in english, written all over something. I guess that people like it in some decor, but really it does nothing for me. Ivy and words on the wall and picture rails are really unappealing to me as well, but that's why they aren't in my house.

@aname Ha! apparently!

@borealis what is the lonely pear print?

I'll probably catch flak for this, but I cannot stand nailhead trim, especially on furniture and headboards.

I like griffonage (illegible scrawl or script). Saw a wonderful high end wallpaper with it. However, like everything else, it needs to be used carefully. For me, that would be with the help of a design professional, or not at all. Anyone can just throw it in the mix but that's not what I'm talking about. Takes talent and a creative, experienced eye to pull anything off well. Of course, you can just mix it in, if that suits you. I can't always afford professional help but the good designers can save you money and give you a better result.

@TEDDYPH1
@snowdogmaine
I'm from the northeast. It's... also a couch. It can be a sofa, but no one's ever said it should be.

@margottenenbaum26
That this is your only comment here is a tragedy. :(

@Mkfah
KCACO has a connection to history, but it's not like anyone here is getting bombed by Nazis, so what is the point?

love karate chop. it implies the pillow is soft and comfy. i wouldn't do ALL the pillows as shown in the bad example pick but rather one pillow in a set of two or three.

I hate when I see chairs in places no one would want to sit. Like against the wall, next to the television. It's like people with a chair fetish (esp MCMists) let their fetish overrun their adherence to one of the first tenets, and the inconsistency bugs me.

As a writer, I love word art (I have all sorts of graphic design that says wacky stuff, most of it in the declarative or prescriptive form, yep) and I totally organize my immense book collection by color. Design with books that bothers me? -people who collect "antique" looking books because they want a shelf of "antique looking books" to match all their other contrived "antique" accessories.

Other design bug: "antique" accessories from Kirkland's or Pier One.

LOL!!! I have lots of pillows on my sofa but they have cat dents. It's from bird watching. Those pillows do not look inviting more like stay far away & do not sit or enjoy yourself.
Pet peeve: I still cannot get past the chicken & pig decor. (some pink pigs are cute..) I had a friend whose apartment was covered in that country decor. I wanted to puke!!!! We usually went to our other friends house!

1 bed-in-a-bag
2 a room from rooms-to-go
3 curtains that are hung low and narrow
4 items that aren’t big enough for the room, when in doubt, oversize
5 Vignettes, especially when they are EVERYWHERE
6wedding photos as art-probably because I’m young and all of my friends are getting married and buying houses, and then they plaster every photo from the wedding all over the house because they haven’t been out on their own long enough to have collected anything else.
7anything gathered in even numbers.
8sunburst mirror
9 when someone completely copies a look, instead of letting it inspire them to put their own spin on it, Or throwing in every single hot trend of that week into one room
10 the word eclectic-just because you have one “modern” piece and one “shabby chic” doesn’t make you a designer
11 home looking too DIY, or like it came straight off of your pinterest craft board or from etsy
12 everything in my home now, thats going to be overused in a month.

I love this thread but it struck me as so ironic that it's on a website where the posters are all members who actively and enthusiastically peruse photos of home tours that are often filled with these very pet-peeves and keep coming back for more. I'm betting that those who are so turned off by a particular design element are committing some design crime themselves simply because it is a "pet peeve" of someone. Personally, I could care less if you karate chops your pillows or hang words on your walls (whole paragraphs if it makes you happy) or if you have 50 photos of your family reunion framed and sitting on table/desk tops - in fact, the frames can all be covered in Chevron fabric if that floats your boat. If you dig it in your home, it's your prerogative. Of course, dead animal heads & skins along with coral aren't going to be popular with everyone, but all the other stuff? It's just an object, paint color and personal expression, even if it's all from the Pottery Barn. It's your home.

She might have been trained to do that - it reminds me of when people are finished cleaning hotel bathrooms they leave the toilet paper folded in a point. It's just a little "note" saying that the cleaner was there and gave attention to that area.

I totally agree with you on the open shelves bit (I still have quite a few odds and ends from college), but if you have a nice matching set that you're proud of I can see that being the most practical solution.

This thread was interesting - I don't spend a lot of time on design sites, so I had to look up a lot of the pet peeves, hahaha. When I do look at these types of sites, I typically spend a good bit of time shaking my head in confusion, not because of pet peeves, but just because a lot of posters are in very different points of their lives than I am, and are no doubt much more neat and graceful as well.

Pretty much all white furniture makes me wonder. Do they never spill? A family friend would only let guests drink white wine on their (gorgeous!) white couch and carpet, and that always seemed really odd and needlessly anxiety-inducing. And a lot of craft spaces are white - do people take pictures of it before it's used, or clean up and retouch meticulously, or just somehow never ever spill or drip the smallest amount of paint?

On a similar note, glass tables. They're a pain to keep clean, and I'm way too close to college to consider something that is so easily broken in one drunken adventure. (A friend in college had a couple glass coffee table frames with no actual glass - I have no idea why, but it was pretty funny to see people try and navigate it after a couple beers.) When my roommate was looking for a coffee table my criteria was that it needs to hold my weight if they expect me to continue being the resident bug killer (the trick is a solid base of attack).

Anyway, I like these websites because they're beautiful and interesting, and when I have a difficult space it can be really helpful to see how other people used it - for instance I might move into an apartment with a lofted platform for the bed, and have found a lot of really useful inspiration here. But I'm clearly not yet at the point in my life where it's all going to be relevant, particularly since many of our furnishings are second or third hand that were originally bought at Ikea. Nothing against secondhand and nothing against Ikea, but that is not a winning combination.

I actually have the "dream" and such and i like it. they arent overbearing (some can be) and they are placed in a nice way to compliment my decor. each to their own i guess. I too hate the karate chop pillows!! I think that everyone has their own taste, and what makes them happy in their home belongs in their home. Its a home. Its theirs. get over it. I think as long as a home makes them happy, no problem!! my mum has tons of stupid doilies everywhere (EVERYWHERE) and i hate them, but they make her happy, so whatever. im glad they make her happy.