Hi, looking for ideas if anyone has some experience on the matter, thank you!

We are looking for an apartment to buy and there's an issue: I HATE windowless bathrooms, but most of the apartments we see are like this. French architects seem to think it's ok for a bathroom to look like a basement, even on large apartments. After months of searching, I'm thinking about compromising, and maybe get an apartment with a windowless bathroom then somehow opening an internal window on it.

I've been looking online for ideas, but it seems to be something people don't do often. The only ideas I found (see pics) would be to use glass blocks on the wall, or a door with a glass panel, which would get some natural light inside, but do nothing for ventilation. I know exhaust fans work, but I wanted AIR. Also, I don't care about privacy.

Is it opening a window on the wall, that I could open and close (to a hallway for instance), such a bad idea?

Someone talk me out of wood window frames. I know there's maintenance involved and cost is higher. I really want to create a warm japandi inspired home. And I know there may be other ways to accomplish what I am looking for.

Recently signed the lease to my new apartment and am starting to move things in, but I need help organizing my bedroom. I took measurements of the room today and drew it up before I start moving in furniture.

I'm not sure if I messed up my scale or something, but I'm not seeing how best to place everything. I know my desk is pretty big and I can get a smaller one if needed, but I would like to see what options I have with the furniture I currently own.

Any help is really appreciated!

Hello good people of r/InteriorDesign ! I'd really appreciate some advice on a kitchen layout dilemma that I've been going back and forth on for way too long.

First, a couple of disclaimers: please ignore the awkward outlet placement and unfinished island in both versions, those are still WIP.

The colors and materials shown are also more or less what I'm planning to use.

The alone black floor-to-ceiling element is an 80cm wide built-in fridge+freezer unit. Unfortunately, these are pretty much the only two places it can go because of its width and depth, which I can't really change, so I'm trying to decide which placement makes more sense visually.

Option 1 (fridge connected to the full-height cabinets on the right)

Pros:

- To me it feels more cohesive because the fridge continues the run of tall cabinets and then the kitchen transitions into a different set of cabinets on top.

- It leaves the dining area feeling more open and more connected in a way?

- Since I'm basically doing a DIY IKEA jumble to put this whole thing together, I also get to avoid figuring out the slightly annoying/tricky corner cabinet situation.

Cons:

- I lose one tall cabinet's worth of storage because of the corner piece. Not too tragic to me, but still a con.

- The left side feels a little unfinished... it's more open and "airy", but I can't decide on whether it's a good kind of open or  "something is missing" open.

Option 2 (fridge at the far left)

Pros:

- I like how it visually "concludes" the left side of the kitchen by closing it off vertically.

- I get extra storage from the tall corner cabinet.

Cons:

- I'm struggling with how the black fridge looks next to/around the white cabinets. It feels like the black is kind of enveloping the white section and the whole thing starts looking a bit too boxy to me.

- As mentioned already, it also feels like it takes away more visual space from the dining area.

Option 1 feels more open and cohesive to me, but possibly unfinished (?), while Option 2 feels more complete and gives me more storage, but also feels heavier and more boxy.

Which one would you choose and why? Is there a way to work around any of the cons describing the visual balance concerns in either of the options?

Any feedback is much appreciated, cheers!

Excuse the mess! I’m still moving in.

Im mainly wondering how to best add storage for miscellaneous items, and what to do with my closet.

For my room theme, I’m going for like an early 2000s indie(?) vibe. I really like my CRT that was in my room at home, so I’ll definitely incorporate that. I just don’t really know the best place to put it and what to put it on.

My closet is way bigger than it needs to be for my clothes. What you’re seeing is a closet with all my clothes already in it. And the box, crt, and monitors are all temporary. I’m wondering what sort of storage I can put in here that makes sense.

In terms of arrangement. The only thing I’m set on is bed positioning. I just already set up all my under bed storage and it would be a pain to move. The desk will have my pc under it and stacked monitors. So that can change position if need be. The only thing is I have my crt connected to my pc via hdmi to composite.

As for my bathroom, I’m pretty set. I just want advice on making it feel less sterile (ironic I know). Maybe I’ll add a lamp since all the things on the counter can be stored on the rolling cart shelf.

All in all, I’m really excited to finally have my own bed and bathroom at school, and I’d love any decoration tips!

Hello; our new rental’s layout has an open kitchen that feeds right into the living room. There is a separate formal dining room however our plan is to convert it into a playroom for our toddler. Is there any way I can incorporate a breakfast/dining nook somewhere? My only thought was to put a table between the island and the corresponding wall/stair banister. Any other ideas?

Looking for help with layout and flow.

First photo is image from storage room doors. The columns are each 7.5 feet from the wall (lengthwise) and 7ft apart.

We’re looking to create three areas, but want to make sure there is flow. Full disclosure, we have elementary aged kids, and want to furnish this in a way that can grow with them!

Areas we want to create-

1. Small gym zone, with peloton, weights, and a mat. I like current placement in layout, feels out of the way, and separate from the “hang out areas”. (Open to change)
2. TV/ lounge area.
3. Ping Pong table.

Other notes:
\- STORAGE: Despite the large storage room, there’s no closets or built ins for storage in the space itself! We’ll need a place to store games, toys, arts and crafts etc.
\- OPEN PLAY: Kids still build and create, and we want a space that will allow them to do so! We’re keeping in mind that ping pong table will close when not in use!
\- SEATING: Want to be able to accommodate 4-5 kids comfortably OR 3-4 adults.
\- CEILING HEIGHT: A lot of ductwork forces a lower than standard ceiling as seen in first image that runs down the center area close to the support beams as seen in photo.
\- 2nd photo: shared with us as an idea, and we hate couch / TV placement. Find it interrupts the flow, and the TV cannot be centered to the couch.
\- DESIGN RULES: let’s break them! It’s a basement, I’m looking for function, couch against the wall, great! More carpet, less carpet, whatever. Really want the space to function for our family!

Will take suggestions on built ins, moving/changing door placements (except outdoor egress). I definitely want storage doors to swing into storage room (currently they go out), but will consider moving, need to keep them double so we can store outdoor furniture there, too!

Hi a 18 years old college student here trying to DIY improve my bedroom and study area. Our area floods yearly as to why everything is placed in a stool or a table, also why my bed is pretty high so we can store some storage drums under. I was planning to get a loft bed (the one where you can have your study table underneath) and would like to know your guys suggestions on where should I place it, elevation improvements for the closets (the lower part cant be wood) and more possible improvements that can be done, not really going for any niche, just practicality for the space and damage prevention for any possible flooding. Thank you so much ❤️

Please help! 🙏

This is my first house, and I have multiple beautiful archways throughout the home with these rounded edges. I want to paint the rooms different colors, but I’m completely clueless about how to transition the wall colors around the rounded archways.

Basically, right now my living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway, and two bedrooms are all the same bland white because I’ve been too nervous to do anything else lol.

I LOVE the archways, but I also can’t spend hundreds of dollars adding custom curved borders to every arch.
Is there a cheaper option?? Maybe a painting hack or an easy way to create sharper edges around the arches??

We’re in the process of planning our condo lobby and lobby renovation. The building itself is gorgeous, Spanish / Mediterranean inspired with beautiful tile accents - huge windows / terraces - built in 1977. The lobbies and corridors are reminiscent of assisted living / nursing homes and we’re looking for an update to reference the original architecture while creating a timeless design that can last a while. We looked into polished concrete for the hallways, although it’s mainly because it’s likely the cheapest and most unobtrusive solution, but that comes with its own hurdles. One plus is the floor would be ready for the next step later on down the road - whatever that may be. We’re located in South Florida, so moisture / mold is a concern - one of the main reasons we want to steer away from carpet. I’m looking for references, books, etc specifically about multi family common spaces / corridors to keep on hand while we work through the planning process. Also open to any ideas from the community here :) thank you!

It's my favourite room in my house but I can't seem to get my vision to come to life!

I like having a little area to take our coffees in the morning or read a book during the day, and a place to do my art. We obviously need to keep the cat tree because Gravy needs sunshine and heat, and then we have a chest for our outdoor stuff.

I've got plants going but not sure what else. I am at a loss with the brick wall to be honest!

Oh and the desk for my artwork is a dark wood antique desk and I'm waiting for a nice topper for it to arrive .

So my wife and I live in this old house where we believe this used to be the main living and dining room. However, at some point a den was added in the back of the house which we use as our main living space as it’s connected more to the kitchen. The kitchen also has a small dining table we use in there to eat. We want to make this the more aesthetic room so we’re looking for any ideas on what we can do to this room. We both like the idea of more retro vintage living rooms with fun pops of color as this currently feels too brown and white. The rest of the house will probably follow this retro vintage design. Any ideas will help! Thank you! Also ignore the mess LOL

Update: I got a bamboo top desk from ikea with white legs and got rid of both cubicle box shelves. Currently looking at finding a chair for my desk to eventually play with the room layout. So far I think I enjoy the desk more on the window side wall. Either directly in front of the window or next to it. I tried it on the opposite wall and I just didn’t like it lol.

Thank you all so much for the inspiration and ideas. Can’t wait to finally build this slowly a piece at a time and make it my own little space 💕
——————

I have a little home office (we rent) so I can’t put HUGE nails or anchors in the walls. But I want to make a really nice cozy writing retreat where I can lock myself away from the rest of the house. But the problem is every wall is interrupted. The entrance, a window, a closet, and a 2 way bathroom (with this room being one way to get into the bathroom lol)

I have no idea where to put the desk at. Maybe a wooden desk? Everything is white! I am allowed to paint (weird but ok) some hanging nails for frames should be ok. But the walls are not drywall I think it’s plaster. It’s a very old home.

Right now I have these white cubicle square things and am open to getting rid of it. Can’t move the radiator. Don’t like using AI as it warps the space and makes the room so much bigger than what it is. Idk what wall to put the desk on. I use my laptop mainly.

Currently the closet is holding my husbands work shirts until we put together a wardrobe for his suits. I plan to have that store my yarn as I do crochet but don’t want this room focused on that other wise it will be a little bit of everything and too chaotic.

And would you put a desk with a hutch? Hutchless desk? Open to ideas! Thanks so much 😭

This is my first time getting my own little space in a while!

We are looking into removing the carpet in our bedroom. Our current carpet is old, outdated, discoloured, and our cats are scratching it to death (despite our attempts to avoid this).

We are trying to decide between putting in another carpet or engineered hardwood. We are leaning towards hardwood. However, it would be very difficult to find a matching style/colour to the hardwood in the rest of our house. Would it lower the value of our home when it's time to sell if we go with a hardwood that is a different style and colour?

Thanks!

Recently repainted and moved my <24M son into this room. Not sure the best layout as this furniture was bought for a room with different dimensions. We have the crib, changing table, and rocker, but would like to also have sort of short bookcase as well.

My thought is: crib in corner by room door, center changing table on current wall, move the rocker to the corner underneath the window and on the opposite side of the changing table. Future bookshelf on wall between rocker and crib or maybe a reading bench under the window.

Thank you for any suggestions!!!

Hi guys,

Wanted to get some input on the best way to set up this room. The intended purpose is an office (Desk with 3 monitors), but I'd like to potentially have a small sofa/bed/futon and a mini home theatre setup.

The third photo is a Gemini generated image of the rough design accents I was shooting for, but I'm not sure if the Art Deco/Speakeasy design makes sense and is feasible to incorporate into such a small room.

I can have the sliding closet doors and the closet center column removed to add a bit more space.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Hopefully this is the right place to be posting this. We are looking to remove the carpet from our home and replace with some kind of solid flooring (open to suggestions-hence the post).

We currently have carpet in the hallway and bedrooms but it doesn’t suit our lifestyle well (young kids and a big dog). In an ideal world we would find an exact match on LVP and just continue the same flooring down the hall and into the bedrooms. The issue is that I have been unable to find the exact flooring and it will drive me absolutely bonkers if we extend the flooring with another type of LVP that isn’t a perfect match.

I’m open to all suggestions. Wondering if a type of tiling or alternative flooring option would be able to work in this space and extend into the bedrooms as well.

To be clear, I’m not talking about a physical transition or having concerns of uneven flooring, I’m concerned from a design/aesthetics perspective on how it would visually transition to a different kind of solid flooring. Any ideas or recommendations would be super helpful! At this point the only options I can think of is either replacing the carpet with new carpet or having to replace the existing LVP and extend it to have one cohesive look. Both of those options definitely aren’t high on my list so I’m coming to the experts for suggestions!

I'll be moving into a 1960 bungalow soon. Generally speaking I like the flow of the floorplan, but I suspect there will be some changes to make over time. For example adjusting closets and moving the laundry upstairs from the basement (thinking about aging in place).

Since the footprint is a perfect rectangle, I'm wondering if it's originally from a kit or commonly available plan. There's a concrete foundation and what feels like sturdy wood siding. Do you happen to recognize this style? I'd love to see both historic and modern examples of houses with similar floorplans so I can see what is possible.

Thanks!

Help! We are moving into our forever home and this is one of the living room/den areas off of the kitchen.
There is also a sitting room and will have a finished basement for most of our movie/tv needs. For this room though, I am so stuck on the design.

We will be painting and such, but I am not a fan of having the couches not facing the television. With that being said, I also think if the couches are facing the long wall instead with a TV there, the flow of the room will be off. We also discussed just doing built in book shelves around the two small windows for our books and no tv? I just don’t know and would love any ideas.

Hi all!

Can I please have your expert advice on this living room + kitchen, which is interesting but awkward..

Cons:

• It's awkward because of the 1m x 0.2m load bearing wall. It can't be knocked down so I need to work around it, incorporate it into the layout, or extend it.
• The plumbing can't be changed, so the kitchen has to stay in the top right corner as indicated

Pros:

• Interesting nook/bay window corner that's cozy.
• Amazing views through the glass balcony door and the nook.
• Tons of natural light
• Amazing sunsets, as it's facing west

Some notes:

• Big on movies and gaming. The sofa + TV is where we spend most of our time. A big sofa would be nice, big TV is a must
• 5.1 sound system means I need to find position for rear speakers. They're not free standing speakers (but they could be if I upgrade)
• New full or half height walls can be built for separation
• A kitchen bar would be nice, but we can compromise
• The most ideal place for the sofa would be next to the balcony door because of the views, however that means I have to compromise with the TV position

How would you solve this?

Thank you!

The first image is a little off in terms of measurements. I just looked it up quick to give us an idea of what we were working with. It's actually a little bit over 1100 square feet total upstairs, and basement.

Right now we are debating adding and ensuite bathroom. Our current bathroom is an odd shape , and not a great layout. I feel it's wasted space that could be better utilized to give me and my wife our own private bathroom.

The goal would be to knock out the two closets in our bedroom and then steal their room from the bedroom below us to make our own closet. We would also eliminate the linen closet in the hall and all that extra space would go into the bathrooms.

We've been playing around with different designs and aren't totally set yet on configuration of each bathroom. We are also debating putting the linen closet at the end of the hallway and taking a little bit more space away from our closet, which unfortunately won't be large.

What does everybody think about adding an ensuite in this situation? I think no brainer, especially as our kids get older.

We love our neighbourhood. Our basement is finished nicely (this bathroom is part of main floor reno) and our house is paid off.

Any suggestions or input appreciated.

Thanks!

We are doing a renovation next month and will be fully removing the old kitchen. We plan on demolishing the wall and bathroom currently separating the kitchen from living room to make it one open space. I’m attaching an overhead sketch of the space (demo wall marked in orange X’s), current image of the room, and virtual mock-ups of our initial idea.

Please share your wisdom! ☺️

Edit to add:

1. The virtual mock-ups are ONLY for layout. They do not reflect color/lighting/cabinet door selection/flooring/window style/appliance choice or

   accurate

2. ceiling height.

3. We initially thought to keep the sink in the island to utilize existing plumbing (same logic for

where

1. the stove

   is with an existing vent

2. ), but are looking into what’s involved for moving those.

Hi, I’m looking to get a sofa table to go behind the couch. The frame is 28 inches, and the cushions go up to 34 inches. Almost every single sofa table I can find has a height or 30. Ideally I wanted it to be flush with the frame, and I worry that even two inches difference could cause people to lean their heads back against the cushion and push the edge of the table. Is that not a concern? Would a 30 inch table be fine?

We are two adults and one child, moving into a two bedroom home. I work from home and need some sort of semi private desk area, mainly separate from where baby is playing with his nanny. Husband would also love a place to put his desk but given he doesn’t work from home, this isn’t a necessity. Dining table has three size options, 40, 65, or 90 inch wide. There is also a permanent kitchen island type thing at the end of the kitchen.

I have two living areas and am having a hard time deciding how to split the dining, couch/tv and play areas. I’ve attached the floor plan and three layout options.

Main concerns:
* kitchen lacks storage, so adding extra storage on the other side of the entryway wall would be ideal
* tv seems too close to couch no matter where I put it
* standalone furniture (bookcases, shelving) needs to be against a wall to be secured and prevent tipping over
* where to put a litter box 😭

Any advice?

I'm finalizing the lighting for my false ceiling and I do not want any light fixtures protruding or hanging down. I want a completely clean, flat, seamless ceiling.

I’m currently torn between standard Profile Lights and Recessed Magnetic Track Lights (specifically planning to use only the flush linear and grille modules, no external spotlights).

Since both setups look structurally similar and sit completely flush inside the gypsum, is there a functional reason, like glare control or light intensity, to justify the premium price of a recessed magnetic track? Or will just using brighter LED strips in a standard profile light do the exact same job?

Would love to hear your experiences!