It’s officially spooky season, and we’re here to fuel your renovation themed nightmares with some of the worst design fails we’ve seen. Think of this as a cautionary tale. A “what not to do” guide to design.

Making the Least of Small Spaces

There’s nothing wrong with utilizing small spaces to their best potential. However, when you try to cram more into a space than will fit it becomes a nightmare. This bathroom with a sink above the toilet should really have been used as a linen closet instead. Don’t get us wrong, we love a diminutive powder room – they can be designed well to be a useful and charming addition to your home. However, if your space is limited it’s worthwhile to make some more significant changes that allow for a bathroom upgrade with wow factor.

We’ve also seen some scary cabinet and storage design situations. If you haven’t left yourself room to open the oven all the way your cabinets need a different design. Seems like it should go without saying that drawers and doors need space to open. Doors should open out, away from smaller spaces.

Bring the Outdoors In?

When done correctly, creating a harmonious balance between indoor and outdoor spaces is a fantastic idea. Unless you live in an actual treehouse building your home around a giant tree is just a disaster. Even if you’re building a treehouse you have to take the potential growth of the tree into account. Inside your home it’s just a big no from us. Too many opportunities for harmful pests to take up residence, not to mention the idea of a growing oak tree massacring your plumbing and foundation from the inside out. If houses could bleed it would be a bloodbath. 

Frightening Form Over Function

There’s nothing wrong with making bold design choices and incorporating functional art into your home’s design. Keyword: functional. Scary stairs are some of the worst examples yet they show up a lot. Stairs take up significant space in prominent and visible places in your home. Making them look like an art installation is tempting, but only works if they’re still safe and easy to get up and down. We can’t even figure out how some of the worst examples can be real. Debowsky Design Group is here to help you find ways to add amazing design details to your home without falling victim to any dastardly designs. Tell us your vision.