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Good design is all about putting the user first. If the customer can’t make sense of the design and if their every single move is impeded by the bad decisions that the designers and builders made—we’ve got a serious problem. Sometimes these problems all come down to bad craftsmanship, shoddy design, and unaesthetic, hurried, and impractical shortcuts that builders take without a care in the world.

The ‘Typical Rykozhop’ Instagram page documents how some homeowners have to live with utterly ugly, just plain bad, and downright dangerous interior design decisions. Scroll down to see the best of the worst, upvote the pics you wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole, and let us know in the comments if there’s anything similar in your own homes, dear Pandas.

Bored Panda reached out to Tim Antoniuk, an Associate Professor of Design Studies at the University of Alberta, to hear his take about where most of the responsibility falls, whether on the designer in charge of the vision or the builders who turn it into reality. Antoniuk explained that it's up to the designer to ensure that their project (which means their client's project) turns out well. The focus should be on the clarity of the designs so that the intent is communicated without any 'fuzziness.' "Certainly, this is frustrating and it puts extra pressure on the designer, but everything, in my view, rests in the designer's hand. This is why some of the most outstanding designers in the world have such a deep knowledge of materials, manufacturing processes, of the problems that can happen during installation."

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Andrew Gibb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

the smell of mothballs isn't the worst smell coming out of that wardrobe

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Antoniuk said that it's the designer who has to provide clarity and foresee at least some of the possible issues when it comes to the actual building and the interior design: "It's hard, but that's why the best designers get paid so well for their outstanding work. They do great design/aesthetic work, but they also create efficiencies and they foresee and spot (some) problems from happening." 

The Associate Professor highlighted that some things will go wrong, no matter how much we plan for them. What's more, the builders have to be on the designer's side, too, but the latter still shoulders most of the burden. "Many jobs can not just stop because a designer is not onsite or is not able to be reached. That said, builders need to honor the designer's vision, but again, if there is 'fuzziness' in the drawings or plans, decisions will be made by people that we may not want to make them."

On a very practical level, ensuring that builders follow through with the designer's vision comes down to communication, doing "great drawings and visuals," and becoming "exceptionally well educated" in the field of construction. "We exist in a field that is ever-changing with the introduction of new materials, new construction requirements, and restrictions," Antoniuk said.

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nanashi
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm deeply sorry for the person who had to live in a house like this. it must have not been their choice but desperation is painful.

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He also stressed the importance of creating honest relationships based on mutual respect. "It is simple to say, but communication and having an outstanding relationship with the builder is critically important. At 'Architure,' we constantly visit and hang-out with the Trades. We like to talk with the people that have 'boots-on-the-ground.' These are the people that are literally building our products and spaces. If you piss these guys off, treat them poorly, or don't communicate well, they can ruin a project. It may sound flippant, but we see these people as our partners."

In a previous interview with Bored Panda, Antoniuk also spoke about the differences between good and bad design. He said that there are, objectively, such things as good and bad interior and furniture design decisions—it’s not just about our subjective tastes.

However, our tastes are important, too, as they can create gray and blurry areas between what’s considered to be quality and, well, not. Though, I think, hardly anyone would mix up anything shown in this list with something that’s tasteful.

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Jumilicious
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't be fooled people! This is just one of those hyperrealistic cakes looking like a washing machine.

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Jumilicious
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

After taking a relaxing dump you can dive head first into your bubble bath whilst simultaneously cooking dinner for your loved ones. I see no downsides here.

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In Antoniuk’s opinion, we can all intuitively sense what good design is and isn’t. "Quite often, this relates to ergonomics and the usability or functionality of the products and services and systems. Having said that, I think far too many people expect poor design that doesn’t really work well," he said.

It’s not all just doom and gloom, however. Antoniuk highlighted that creating high-quality design that is objectively good is a skill that can be learned; just like people can learn the wrong skills and make bad design decisions. Naturally, this suggests that we have to unlearn bad skills before learning the right ones.

For Antoniuk, good design is “intuitive, [...] deeply sympathetic and empathetic to the user at all levels, and at some level, it is emotional,” just like Dieter Rams laid out in his principles of good design. “It is a catalyst for giving us feelings,” Antoniuk said about design.

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, that defeats the purpose of a drain. Someone did the same thing to my neighbourhood supermarket parking lot. The water runs right by the drain and onto the sidewalk.

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Vic
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You cannot defeat the drain, it has higher ground!! - Obi Drain Kenobi

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Jonathan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's something like this in the courtyard our apartments border. It's frozen over right now so every time I leave for work there's no guarantee I'll ever see my loved ones again.

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Mark Johanen
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good plan. Drains are important. You wouldn't want one to get all wet and get rusty.

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Thomas Ewing
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hard to see, but the drain opening is higher than the drainage area.

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Michael Capriola
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw something similar in a factory where they dyed cloth. The drain in one room was on a raised platform surrounded by a small lake. I'm surprised OSHA didn't say anything about it.

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Dorothy Parker
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If the water gets significantly higher, i.e. rising up several inches along the gutter, it will do its job.

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Memere
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That looks like the parking garage at my last employer! All the drains were like this because the builder didn't slope it properly.

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Porto DaMartinica
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's to be expected, the paved ground around the drain has been sinking far more than the one right beneath, because of the different dirt/rock blends used on each layer of a road while building it, and perhaps sloppy compaction while repaving. That's why you should have some relatively thin concrete rings on top, between the main drain/manhole body and the grid. When all the ground have properly settled (can take from a few months to years of use) you remove as many as needed to make it flush again and stick the grid back

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Sammie 19
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My shower drain is like this, raised up so instead of the water going down it, it gathers in a deep pool against the opposite wall. It's ridiculous

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c Fuller
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The morons in my subdivision went to all the trouble to replace the entire street, then redid the drain like this! Government employees deserved the bad rap!

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Johanne Trudeau
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's a drain built especially for a flood not just ordinary rain...

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Ozzie Ogawa
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The problem with that type of tile most of the time underneath them is just plain and isntead of concrete, usually concrete only used on the edges. As time goes by the sand will flatten (eapecially when it rains a lot), that's why things like this will always happen.

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Raven Sheridan
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I keep having visions of a hand reaching out to grab me when I switch on the light. 😬

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M.A.D.
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Remember when Indiana Jones had to pick the Holy Grail among many fake ones?

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Toea Muresan Iulia
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't unsee this. love the combination between water and electricity

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Julia Atkinson
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ivan: "Boris, clear a pathway to the steps. " *half a bottle of vodka later* Boris: "Finished!"

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Kathryn Baylis
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The second I looked at this, Randy Quaid in the “Shitter’s full!” scene from “Christmas Vacation” popped into my head.

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Note: this post originally had 69 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.

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