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A House Beautiful report lists 13 home features its interviewed designers said they would not choose for their own spaces, including zellige tile, waterfall islands and built-in coffee makers. Their concerns include maintenance, installation costs, durability and practical trade-offs; the advice reflects individual professional opinions, not a universal assessment of each feature.
House Beautiful has published a list of 13 home features that designers interviewed for the report said they would not put in their own spaces, citing upkeep, installation difficulties, cost or limits on everyday use. The recommendations offer homeowners considering renovations a set of expert cautions, but they are opinions from the designers quoted, not a finding that the features are unsuitable for every home.
The report covers a mix of finishes, fixtures and furniture. Tile expert Jamie Chappell of Fireclay Tile warns that handmade zellige tile can be difficult to install because pieces vary in size and thickness. Chappell also says the surface can chip, craze and stain, and needs regular sealing. She raises similar maintenance concerns about cement tile, describing it as porous and vulnerable to staining and etching, as well as heavy and labor-intensive to install.
Several designers focus on trade-offs in kitchen and home technology choices. Yvonne Harty of Harty Interiors says waterfall islands can add cost, reduce storage and seating, and leave corners vulnerable to chips. Brieanna Cunningham of C&C Partners adds that storage and outlet placement can be limited. Cunningham also questions costly smart-home packages, saying systems can malfunction when Wi-Fi or software updates fail.
The remaining examples include white linen furniture, which designer Jessica Alpert says can be difficult to keep clean in busy households, and built-in coffee makers, which she says require ongoing cleaning and maintenance. Cara Shahbandi of Stanton Home Design advises against low-quality, disposable furniture, while Harty says freestanding tubs may be hard to clean around in bathrooms without enough open space. The source headline promises 13 features, but the supplied report text describes only eight; the other five are not identified in the available material.
How These Choices Affect Daily Use
The designers’ comments point to a practical question behind renovation decisions: does the visual or convenience appeal justify the cost and care required? A striking tile or sculptural island may suit one household, while its installation demands, cleaning routine or impact on storage may make it a poor fit for another.
That distinction matters because many of these decisions involve more than appearance. Tile installation and sealing can add labor and ongoing maintenance; a waterfall island can affect seating and storage; and built-in appliances or connected systems can bring service and reliability considerations. The report does not quantify costs or compare products, so readers should treat its advice as a prompt to investigate their own plans rather than as a cost-benefit analysis.
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Design Advice Behind the List
House Beautiful frames the article around the expense and long-term nature of home renovation. It notes that design trends change and argues that homeowners should weigh how a feature will function and age, not just how it looks when new. The designers’ comments reflect professional experience, but the report does not present a survey, technical testing or data measuring how often the listed issues occur.
The advice is also conditional in places. Harty’s objection to a freestanding tub depends on the bathroom having enough surrounding space, and the concerns about white linen furniture are especially relevant to homes with children, pets or frequent use. The article suggests alternatives for some choices, including a furniture-style island, a separate coffee station and an alcove or deck-mounted tub.
““Because each piece is handmade, there’s a lot of variation in size and thickness, making installation slow and tricky.””
— Jamie Chappell, Fireclay Tile
Limits of the Available Advice
The supplied source text names only eight of the 13 features in the headline, so the other five cannot be described here without additional reporting. The excerpt also does not provide a publication date, itemized cost estimates, product comparisons or evidence that the problems apply across brands and installations.
It remains a matter of individual circumstances whether any feature is worth choosing. Room dimensions, household routines, material quality, installation skill and maintenance plans can change the trade-offs. The article’s recommendations should not be read as a universal prohibition or as technical guidance for a specific renovation.
Check the Full List Before Planning
Homeowners weighing these choices can use the reported concerns to ask contractors and suppliers about installation labor, cleaning requirements, sealing schedules, repair options, warranties and how a design affects storage or access. For features such as smart-home systems, it may also help to ask what still works if internet service or a device fails.
The next reporting step is to consult the complete House Beautiful article for the five features missing from the supplied excerpt. No follow-up, product testing or additional designer findings are included in the source material.
Key Questions
What is the report about?
House Beautiful presents 13 home features that designers interviewed for the article said they would avoid in their own spaces. The supplied text describes eight of them.
Which features are described in the available source?
The excerpt discusses zellige tile, cement tile, waterfall islands, smart-home packages, white linen furniture, built-in coffee makers, disposable furniture and freestanding tubs.
Why did designers raise concerns about zellige and cement tile?
Jamie Chappell says zellige’s variable handmade pieces can make installation slow and difficult, while its surface can chip, craze or stain and needs regular sealing. She says cement tile is porous, can stain or etch, and is heavy and labor-intensive to install.
Are designers saying homeowners should never choose these features?
No. The article reports individual designers’ views, and some concerns depend on the home and household. For example, Harty says a freestanding tub may work in a large bathroom but be impractical where there is little room to clean around it.
Does the supplied report identify all 13 features?
No. Although the headline says 13, the source text provided here names eight features. The other five are not specified in the available material.
Source: housebeautiful.com
