50 Times People Tried To Be Creative With Interior Design And Failed Spectacularly (New Pics)
When we were kids, my best friends and I thought being interior designers was just like playing The Sims. Oh, how our dreams were quashed when we found out there was no "motherlode" cheat code in real life.
You'd think the 120,000 interior designers currently working in the U.S. would know how to balance limited resources with good taste. Alas, after scrolling through this list, you might lose your hope.
We've scoured the internet for the best of the worst interior design pics we could find. And so, we present to you this list of absurd design choices renters and guests saw and just couldn't help but share.
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Sink Attached To The Toilet, Forming A Perfect Slide
I just got your cape back from the cleaners Captain Obvious.
Load More Replies...That's why you're supposed to keep the lid shut. I'll never understand why people just leave their toilets open when they're not being used! The lid is there for a reason. ETA: Yes I agree this is a stupid design.
People who flush with the lid open... brrrr.
Load More Replies...The “oops, dropped my toothbrush into the toilet bowl system” with upgraded new luge delivery apparatus.
This isn't so much on the interior decorator, but on the overall design of the system. This is a 'grey water' recycling system, where water that is used for washing in the basin, becomes the water that is used to flush the toilet.
Not my first choice for a design. But, if you keep the lid/seat closed/down, then problem solved.
This genius design would work great for whenever you have food poisoning ; you can remain sitting on the pot while you're puking at the same time with your head hanging over the the sink! 🤢
Thanks, I Hate Designer Stairs
Owner: how can legs be broken within minutes of visiting? Designer: say no more…
Well, at least I will fall directly down instead of bouncing down the stairs
When you renovate your own home, there are no rules about health and safety because it's the inside of your private property, I presume?
Load More Replies...Saw This Apartment For Rent In San Francisco. Looks Like They Didn’t Have An Architect Involved In The Retrofit
We have the same problem where I live, and I'm guessing for the same reason. Updated earthquake regulations.
You would need to be careful waking up to get water at night and also put the fridge over the other side
Building had to be reinforced structurally at some point after it was built.
They didn't have an architect and they sure as hell didn't have any permits. Or common sense, for that matter.
As you scroll through this list, you might notice a trend: tiny apartments with all the rooms of a house cramped into a one-room, 400-square-foot apartment. It's a phenomenon people have been noticing since the late 2010s.
In 2018, apartment search website RENTCafe conducted a study and found that newly built apartments were 5% smaller than they were in 2008. Studio apartments were getting smaller too: their square footage shrunk by 10%. The size of an average new apartment was 941 square feet in 2018. In 2008, it was 993 square feet.
They Put A Bed, On Top Of The Stairs
Sorry boss can't come to work today - got out of bed on the wrong side and now have 2 broken legs.
Yes. I wonder whether the 'bookcase' could stop anyone falling out of bed.
Load More Replies...I would be iff that bed and down them stairs because of the mad positions i sleep in
This makes no sense. Btw, I live up the road from here. My 1 bed is er, safe.
Rental Where The Combine Bathroom, Toilet & Bedroom In The One Room
As long as I'm in there alone I'd be OK. Temporarily of course - I'd never live there!
My aunt and uncle rented a very small house on the Washington coast. After living there 20 years, the owner surprised them with an addition to the house, a new master bedroom and bathroom. The sink in the new master was about 4 feet from the bed, the toilet and bathtub were behind a 4-foot half wall. The only problem with this is when they had guests and they had lots of them during the summer months. The owner gutted the original bathroom to expand the kitchen. It was impossible to use the one toilet at night without waking up my aunt and uncle. They resorted to renting a Porto-potty during the summer for their guests.
Thanks, I Hate Foetus Lamp
When you turn the lamp on, Teardrop by Massive Attack needs to play.
"Disembowled child thrown off a roof" was a bold choice for Nancy's interior decoration design.
Ironically, people were paying more in rent than ever before. During that decade, rent had increased by a whopping 28%. In 2008, people were paying around $950 on average for an apartment that was almost 1,000 square feet. In 2018, an apartment of 941 square feet cost around $1,994. Essentially, people were paying more and getting less.
Sadly, this trend continued during and after the pandemic. In recent years, the average rent increase peaked in 2021 with an 18% year-over-year increase. It slowed down in 2022, although it was still at "above historic levels" with 12.2%, according to experts.
Two Windows Of My Workplace Are Constantly Fighting For The Honor Of Being The One Who Is Going To Be Opened
The Gopher Twins (Looney Tunes), after 'Alphonse and Gaston'. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonse_and_Gaston)
Load More Replies...The Shower In My Dorm Freshman Year (I'm Only 5'7)
Don’t forget the eyes, ears mouth and nose!
Load More Replies...I would make a joke about washing a certain body part... but I'm not going to. XD
Awful design. You'd have to take something to the show with you so you can dump water over your hair to wash it.
Toilet Seat Makes It Looks Like Someone Didn't Quite Make It
Like one should ofcourse. For the people unconvinced: https://youtu.be/qf7lgq7Y9ug?feature=shared
Load More Replies...Oh, let me tell you about the time when my son had this terrible stomach flu...wait, I've got some pictures, too!
Load More Replies...Ok, it was waaay too early in the morning to see this. Not that there's an appropriate time to look at it...
However, there's something to be happy about concerning the latest data. As of August of 2024, the increase of average rent was steady at a low 0.8%. And the average size of apartments doesn't seem to be shrinking anymore, either. In their 2025 report, NETCafe found that studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments got larger, reaching an average of 908 square feet.
This Was The “Sink” In A Restaurant
Nope, this isn’t a minimalist, avant-garde design. The water just spills off the edges onto the floor, which is why the mop is right there. There isn’t even a drain pipe below this counter.
Finished the bathroom, boss. We even did it with a whole sink to spare. XD
How did that even pass Codes, Inspections & Permits?!
So people walk through a wet bathroom floor and then bring whatever back into the dining area on their shoes. Sounds unsanitary.
Leg Breaking Stairs
I slipped on some stairs like this on my birthday and broke 4 bones in my foot/ankle
The view of the feet made me think someone was already laying at the bottom of the stairs at first.
Thanks, I Hate These Stairs
Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to climb these stairs using a pogo stick.
I could do it. Apparently this is what those 6 years at a circus themed summer camp were training me for.
Load More Replies...They aren't made correctly - they should alternate. These are step right, left, left, right, right, left, left, etc.
Now that you mention it... 🤦 To use these correctly you'd have to zigzag your way upstairs - downstairs will only be a problem once, at most, because corpses don't use stairs.
Load More Replies...Still, people are having trouble finding apartments to rent all over the world. In the UK, it seems nearly impossible to find a reasonably priced flat amid the cost of living crisis. In London alone, average monthly rent prices reached a record high £2,200 in November 2024. National monthly rent in the UK was £1,300.
I Was Looking For The Microwave When It Hit Me… Just Like The Scalding Hot Food In My Face
Judging from all the other designs on here, I think that's some new design in kitchen toiletry.
I used to babysit my cousins and they had their microwave on top of the fridge. I was 25 but less than 5ft. It wasn't quite this high but enough for me to need a chair to stand on to use it.
Probably Wouldn't Be Such A Bad Idea If Every Angle Wasn't Slightly Off
I've seen this one before, and suspect the issue is the countertop contractor, and the cabinet contractor didn't communicate with each other. Most likely the countertop angle is the right one, but when the cabinet contractor went to the producer, they found out they couldn't make the tight angle that the plan, and didn't communicate that to the countertop guys so they could adjust to match the new angle.
Who Wouldn’t Want A Ceiling That Looks Like It’s Covered With Hair?
Australians are grappling with the same problem, too. SGS Economics & Planning principal Ellen Witte explained in November 2024 that there are households in the biggest cities such as Melbourne and Sydney that would need to pay 75% of their monthly income to be able to afford rent. Researchers dubbed these areas as "critically unaffordable".
The Most Useless Kitchen Drawer
It's a stupid design, but one might make it work for slim objects like skewers. You'd need something to lift them out (drawer's too slim for my fingers), but a ribbon/piece of string attached to one side and running under the skewers would work.
The cupboard below should have just been made taller for baking sheets.
The top comment on Reddit (where it was originally posted) says it's for hanging freshly made pasta. I still can't figure out whether everyone is upvoting it because it's true, or as a joke. The reason for the bottom of the drawer would be for structural reasons (it would become wobbly over time without it). And you'd hang them over it, on each side, the middle part would be for easily picking it up. I don't know...
Maybe Not Best Design For End Table At Hotel Where You Place Items In The Dark Before Bed
Bottle or cup of water, so you don't knock it off in the dark in the middle of the night.
Load More Replies...10 Year Old Me Lighting Up Any Room In The Sims:
I'm not one to dwell on OCD, but... even I wanna slap whoever did this. XD
Gaaaaarghg! Align them properly OR go rogue and "sprinkle" them around! Either might work out, but make up your d**n mind!
If you're paying more than half of your monthly salary, a bedroom with a shower or a toilet next to the bed would definitely feel like a punch in the face. These types of dwellings are also called micro apartments. And while not all are expensive, the common characteristic they all share is limited space.
This Looks Illegal
Probably an old tenement building (usually on the lower east side). Originally each floor had only one toilet and a tub. As time went on, each apartment added their own toilet and bath, but had to use existing plumbing which often lead to a toilet in the back of the unit and the shower in the kitchen.
$1 Million San Francisco Loft Has Diagonal Support Beam That Cuts Through The Middle Of The Kitchen
I'd buy it after the price has gone down because no one else will
Load More Replies...Old warehouse conversion most likely. The beam is structural (probably steel), so it can't be removed or moved. So they 'worked' in the area they had. Personally, I'd have put a dividing wall there to hide the beam, put the Fridge in a different location, and made the dining/sitting room area larger by about four feet.
Are you neighbors with the other one in this post by any chance? XD
“Having All The Plumbing In One Area Just Makes Sense!” - The Landlord Trying To Rent This Out
In the US, a toilet is not legal in the same room as the kitchen; in the UK, its legal as long as there is a wash basin between the toilet and the kitchen facilities. And yes, unlike most things, it's illegal in all 50 states (except California, where housing for slaves, er I mean migrant workers, is exempt from nearly all housing regulations). You'll note the plumbing shows this is a relatively new kitchen/bathroom (one faucet, like in America). I googled it. Yes, bukowhiskey is in the UK, and yes, this is legal.
Wow. I'm please to live in a place where there has to be a door between a toilet and a kitchen.
Load More Replies...Is this even legal? The toilet next to cooking and food storage facilities is such a health hazard.
Micro apartments are usually recommended for students or professionals who spend very little time at home and can do with basic amenities only. Apartment List writes that micro apartments often have high ceilings and huge windows to make them look bigger than they actually are.
The Mirror In My Hotel Room Let’s Anyone Look In On The Bed, Even With The Curtains Close
Also... anyone who wings that door a little faster will shatter that mirror.
Strangely enough, my first thought was the idea of breaking the mirror with the door rather than dealing with a peeping Tom
Load More Replies...My Hotel Desk Drawer
even better they can raise a ulture of mushrooms and watch an ecosystem durin work
Load More Replies...Manhattan Apartment Kitchen, $1485 Per Month
Hey, no hate! 😜 On second glance it would bother me more that those cabinets don't even open properly and thus are mostly useless. My third glance says that the cupboard *above ste GAS stove* are an accident waiting to happen - and getting impatient, by the look of those knobs.
Load More Replies...Although they're tiny and suited for one or two people only, micro apartments are usually in the best parts of cities. The lack of amenities in the apartment itself is balanced with a trendy, convenient location and amazing views. Some people even prefer micro apartments for how minimalistic they are: there's nowhere to accumulate clutter, there's less space to clean and keep tidy.
Nicely Done
All that water sloshing over the side is a terrible idea with wooden floors
Why Cut The Door When You Can Cut The Carpet Instead (Found In New House Basement)
Those are old, old tiles. Like circa 1954. The white stuff in the seams indicates that they are laid on a cement floor and that moisture over the decades has drawn white efflorescence up from the cement beneath them.
I kinda get it. It's an ugly but cheap and easy solution when you're laying the carpet yourself. Cutting a bit of carpet is easy to do yourself, shortening the door is difficult. So for the basement, I imagine there's plenty of people who'd rather use a cheap and simple solution, because a basement doesn't have to be pretty.
A Room I Booked In Belgium
However, it makes things easier if you've spent too much of your night out drinking tequila and need to worship the Porcelain Goddess.
Nobody is mentioning the lack of seat or cover? That's as bad as its position, if not worse.
I'm too busy noticing that plumbing connection to the sewer drain. Is that a dryer vent?
Load More Replies...Environmental activists also say that micro apartments can be the most planet-friendly choice of dwelling. Tiny apartments use up less materials and there's no construction waste if we don't need to build more new apartments. They also don't need as much heating and energy as bigger ones. For an urban dwelling, micro apartments might just be the perfect, environmentally conscious choice.
We Rented An Apartment
The black rectangle is a TV mount, meant to hide the cables. It was probably intended for a 40" TV, instead of whatever this is.
Load More Replies...Is the tv not a big tv but the background for a floating tablet instead?
Hotel’s Mirror
Possibly the 'aniti-fog' part of the mirror, so if bathroom fogs up you can still see in mirror. Problem is everyone is a different height. I'm not sure why they don't make the whole mirror anti-fog.
Costly, and depending on the system (some use a heating system behind the mirror), more prone to break.
Load More Replies...I Saw The Carpeted Bathroom And Would Like To Share This Lovely Kitchen Carpet
I once had an apartment with red s**g carpet in the open plan kitchen, dining room, living room.
There is carpet in my kitchen (was there when we moved in.) luckily it's dark brown.
Quite common in some older homes from the 80's and 90's. There was something of a fad about putting carpet in places you don't expect.
growing up in the 70's everyone we knew had carpetted kitchens and baths
But what about these questionable interior design decisions on this list, Pandas? Which ones made you laugh the most? And which annoyed you? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to upvote your favorites! In the meantime, check out our previous posts about interior design fails here and here!
The Ad Literally Says, "Modern Kitchen, Great Layout, Bright And Spacious!"
Hope that dishwasher lasts forever. You'd have to take out so much to replace it
Same here. Imagine having to lean over the door from the side to load and unload it.
Load More Replies...I think that might be where a refrigerator used to be. I have a feeling that the boxed-in area on the right may be hiding a water heater. I used to live in a place which for 50 years had a water heater under the counter (in a steel cabinet, like a washing machine). When it failed and couldn't be replaced I just got a bare water heater in the laundry room.
Load More Replies...New York Hates Ovens
If the pipe doesn't carry water or gas then it's angle grinder time again.
Oh, honey? Did I hear you say you were going to start baking specialty cakes as a side gig? Well, umm......
Knee-Height Microwave Is Extremely Annoying To Use
Less annoying than the one above the fridge which I wouldn't be able to reach.
Or one above the stove (which has been posted on BP before).
Load More Replies...Mine is under counter but it opens like a drawer. Took some getting used to (and it’s a bit shallow for some things), but it’s nice.
Load More Replies...I wonder if the previous tenant or owner was in a wheel chair. Because, that's roughly the height it'd need to be to make access much easier.
I never understood this. As a child I would have nuked every single thing…
The Washer And Dryer In My Apartment. Doing Laundry Is Even More Infuriating Than It Looks
That might have been a problem for where the hookups are.
Load More Replies...Hotel I'm Staying In With My Mum Has The Shower Open To The Entire Room
This Is Everyone's Favourite Window At My New Job
I Think My Stairs Fit Here
I Can Feel That Carpet Under My Wet Toes Already
That's usually the covering for the heat. A horizontal heater that's on the ground.
Load More Replies...The carpet feel wouldn't be as bad as the smell, because even with a shower curtain I can guarantee that floor has been soaked. Repeatedly.
Ewwww mold and mildew galore just waiting to happen if it hasn't already.
Again With Carpeted Bathrooms
I lived in a flat with a carpeted bathroom for years. It wouldn’t have been my choice but it was actually fine and didn’t smell.
I'd take that as the best of features - it might imply that at least one of the two was changed at some point after the initial installation. I'm good at faking optimism.
Load More Replies...Actually PurpleTribe, the last thing you want to do is vomit on this.
Load More Replies...I'm in the "all carpet is gross" camp, but it should be illegal to carpet bathrooms, kitchens, and dining rooms!
Modern Living Condo For Sale. 2 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 1/4 Kitchen
Looks like you have to stand on the windowsill to use it.
Load More Replies...Found This Gem In My Mate's New Rental
Sofa Built Into The Floor
Bet you could get a contact high and an STD just rolling around on this dinosaur.
It's an old 1970's feature called a "conversation pit." The idea was to build in seating around the fireplace, to create a kind of cozy relaxation area where you could sit by the fire and... well, have a conversation.
My sister's home has one but it lead to the pool out back. Basically an entertainment area. But there was not another 'living room' in the house.
Just Look At This Kitchen
That's a big dang mouse hole there on the left. Must be for one o' them NYC Pizza Rats!
Guess I’m Paying For The Upstairs Neighbors Heating
Ceiling looks like its already cracking under the strain, or at least the beams its (hopefully) attached to are moving. Seriously wouldn't want that weight crashing down on me.
Yeah, this falling on your head would do some pretty major damage.
Load More Replies...Toilet In The Bedroom
I Give You The Tale Of The Crooked Banister
This Hotel Room Has A Window Into The Bathroom
My colleague and I were booked into similar room on a business trip. We were adults about it and just left the room or sat on the bed facing away if the other was using the bathroom. Our boss booked whatever room was left, they always booked late for conferences and expos. That company unsurprisingly faced a lot of lawsuits for the way they treated employees in general.
I stayed in a fancy hotel with the same thing once. The window wasn't that big though. Thankfully I was staying alone.
Lots of international hotel rooms put a glass wall between bathroom and bedroom.
Why? I’m curious because it makes no sense to me - I would love to hear its logic.
Load More Replies...the hotel i stayed at with my parents when we went to sienna also had this-right into the shower.
All the hotels I’ve been to in India and cons have these but bigger !! 😂
Oh Yeaah, Bed Sheets Smelling Like Food
Well... for a single-room flat... I'd probably make the bed foldable or otherwise retractable, but otherwise... not that bad.
You could make that work if you move the furniture a little. Rotate the bed 90 degrees, and place it on the wall where the closet is. Then use the closet as a room divider at the feet of the bed. Finally, use the dresser as a nightstand and it's much better.
Please Step On Your Kitchen Counter To Go Up
That one bit of countertop has nothing at all under it, that wouldn't hold a bigger person at all
It Looks Great... But Why In The Living Room? Will The Furniture Just Float On Top?!
Might be a minority here, but... I actually kinda like it. I like these epoxy resin sea motives.
Unless every single person takes their shoes off, and you have furniture that doesn't have hard 'feet' on it, that's going to get scratched to high heaven. What's more, even if you put a throw rug or two down on it, if you spill a liquid on it, it's going to be slippery as ice where the carpeting isn't, and be a danger to anyone that steps in it while you go get a mop to clean it up.
I'm not sure I like the look, but it's done excellently! I'd be tempted to put on photo wallpaper with beach/sea/island topics, but that might push it over the edge for good.
Tripping In Every Direction
My advice would be to stay drunk. At least you wouldn't fight the falls.
Load More Replies...Today We Moved Into A Rented Apartment. Everything Is Fine, But The Mixer Tap In The Bathroom Is A Bit Strange
It's a hospital style shower. The bottom part is supposed to be used to clean out portable urinals. You see these quite often in bathrooms where someone disabled, or very elderly lived.
Just Moved Into My New Apartment And This Is In The Kitchen For “Some Units” Of Course We Got It Despite Specifically Requesting Our Unit Not Have This Waste Of Space
I Give You The “Can’t Pee Standing Up Toilet”
This is the first time I've ever thought "I hope that is mould on the floor".
How Do You Feel About Wall Ceiling Fans?
Do you have a floating green diamond above your head by any chance?
Most ceiling fans have oil-impregnated bronze sleeves (one of the quietest bearings for low-speed use) and they do not care what orientation you operate them in.
Load More Replies...This Two Bed Hotel Room Has A Window Looking Directly Into The Shower
Interior Designers Hate This One Simple Trick
This room is like going to a tailgate party in a quincinera dress. With extra sequins.
That poor interior designer got their sense of taste amputated 😢 The lamp (small, simple, angular) clashes with the chunky, baroque cabinet. Even if I didn't hate the silver (painted?) furniture - which I absolutely do - the "ornamental" design and the patterned carpet are warring over the viewers' attention, and their screaming makes me twitch. The walls on the other hand might at least compliment the loud room by being unadorned and "calm", but instead they make it look like two aged aunties moved together: cheapskate Dame Edna's furniture does not mix well with prim, and stuffy aunty Joy-Leech.
Not my style, but I wouldn't say it's necessairly bad. Kinda like medieval room.
Thanks, I Hate The Ceiling Of My New Dorm Room
I am less than 3 feet away from this in my face because of my lofted bed.
THAT'S the word I was looking for! This would make someone with that disorder freak all the way out.
Load More Replies...I'd make some gold stars to hang - you could put the hooks in the little holes. :)
That's not a bad idea. Make your universe on the ceiling. It would be helpful if you were studying Astronomy.
Load More Replies...Ceiling is a now a target to throw pencils into as I've seen on tv shows when kids are in detention.
The Place I Just Moved Into Has This Infuriating Drawer In The Kitchen
Bathroom Inside The Closet
I had one like this in a BnB I stayed in one Prince Edward Island, but it was even smaller!
The Traditional NYC Apartment Living Room Pole
Scooter/Table
Okay, I give up. what are the missing letters? 😄
Load More Replies...This Hotel Bathroom When You Turn The Bathroom Light On At Night
This Crossbeam In A Bedroom
Helps hold up the building? Space is being utilized that previously wasn't? Conversion of building to residential?
Load More Replies...NYC Apartment Living
I can only use one at a time cause they're directly across from each other :/
This Countertop Redone With Paper Bags To Resemble Leather
I don't hate it, but why cover up what looks to be a perfectly fine countertop?
Tred Or Bruck, Choose Your Warrior
My kid had one that looked like a bulldozer when he was a toddler. ;) Is this the adult version?
Remember Bill Clinton? "I put astroturf in the back of my pickup. Lemme tell you, it wasn't just for planting Flowers." *shudder* (If you don't get how terrible this quote is, albeit from memory, he was being sued for r**e by Jennifer Flowers.)
Load More Replies...Apartment For 8K Per Month (How Is It)
I decided to rent an apartment to live with my girlfriend. And in the end, I rented a one-room apartment near Pushkino without finishing for a short period for 8k. This is the main thing, I don’t like renting apartments for more than 4 months, I have my own apartment and the emotions from the new home pass. I have to look for something new.
So, we are doing minimal repairs).
Toilet for 1300 in Leroy, plumbing fixtures were mostly used. Except for hoses.
Mattress and carpet from home + cables around the perimeter, like curtain rods.
In general it is warm and cozy, new building. But there is no hot water and shower)) We go home.
Assuming it is Pushkino outside Moscow and Leroy is Leroy Merlin (French home improvement chain) that 8k a month might be Rubles. In which case it is a steal at $100 a month
"I just put in a skylight in the living room of my apartment. The people upstairs are furious." - Steven Wright
"I just put in a skylight in the living room of my apartment. The people upstairs are furious." - Steven Wright
