4 great rules! Thanks for sharing.

I agree with others that youtube is missing educated interior design creators that approach design with values, theory, and structure. I also appreciate your thoughtfulness and succinct points without being overly prescriptive. Subscribed and looking forward to more!

"your space is for existing in" - such a simple thing, but people overlook the most important aspect of design, how we interact and want to experience the space.

Here before this channel BLOWS up

As somebody who is developing an interest in interior design and wants to understand it, I'm so glad the youtube algorithm worked for once and recommended your channel!

Preach! I had a major breakthrough when I made the “honest materials” rule for myself and weaned myself from the “design” milieu that’s rooted in cheesy diy’s. I enjoy your perspective!

YOU are the first one I've heard mention "context". Not long ago Joanna Gaines convinced everybody that they were living in a farmhouse. Can you imagine a McMasion or a NYC micro-apartment with barn doors, "live, laugh, love", and chicken wire cabinet fronts? Evidence that too many people don't get it. "Function follows motif", I guess. Done in the right way, this could look good and create interest through tension. Like a double-wide with a few over the top, ornate, elements. You have to be intentional about complete contrast while keeping it to a minimum. Even these elements have to harmonize at least through color and scale. Props for addressing "context", but all very valid points.

I would LOVE it if you would make Pinterest boards with the reference photos you include in each of your videos. So good

LOVE this content! Your reference images are exceptional! They really help me visualise what you’re saying! That last point ‘authentic placemaking’ is such a great way to think about design. All the interiors I’ve ever liked have a sense of that! I would love to know more about the books you’ve read and what you’d recommend to someone interested in design. So happy to see you on KZfaq! Can’t wait for the next video 💗

I’ve been thinking about social context a lot. I’ve been watching a couple classes from designers emphasizing for instance the need to have places to set drinks in seating areas as requisite for comfort. I get that but it’s not feasible in my current life right now with small children and entertaining my friends with small children. Most coffee tables and side tables are either low, sharp edged, or easily knocked over, so with small children it actually feels less comfortable having them. We all would rather set our cups down somewhere and be able to relax without worrying about hovering over our kids to make sure they don’t knock over coffee or wine or trip and hit their head on a hard edge. When we move out of this life stage, our context will change and we can have end tables again!

3 out of 4 I agree with. Honest materiality is a nice idea, but not always practical.

Your videos are exactly what I've been searching for while setting up my new apartment! Practical advise for design noobs and the creatively challenged.

Your approach is so refreshing on this site. I’m so sick of designing for design’s sake content-push nonsense.

Not me over here side-eyeing my fake tree in the corner. 😂. I don’t even know how it got in my house! 😂😂😂. So glad I found your channel. So refreshing!

Yes!!! This is exactly what was missing from KZfaq! I don’t mean to diss a particular creator that I have in mind, but most of the interior related content creators I like to follow don’t have a background/schooling in interior design and it will sometimes show in their content. The content they engage in, albeit entertaining, is very surface level and they don’t engage in a very thorough analysis of how design works or what makes design good! Again, thank you!!!

Enjoying and agreeing with your insights! I wonder if anyone else wanted to see the inspiring reference photos for a beat longer? Such great references! Yes to honest materials, books, plants, art, vintage, collected meaningful things…! Happy I found your channel!

i am an architect from argentina. i am glad that i share all these principles with someone working in a distant place with very different resources and contexts, it reassure my own perception of how my work should be focused

I would have agreed with you about the wood flooring vs composite but having done some work lately and seeing IN PERSON CLOSE UP what has been an incredible offering of refined alternatives to the original plastic-look.

After the series of scrolling videos here in youtube which is all about house decors. I jusr stumbled in your channel accidentally. This is a kind of channel I really like to watch. So much learn I will get because very informative. Thanks tho.

To add to your comment at the end, Noah, don't worry about being a yt personality. We're here for your knowledge, and i look forward to watching more of your content 😊 truly because it's helpful

Hi! Love these golden rules and couldn't agree more! I moved into my first own apartment about a year ago and I have to say I have had the same thoughts. However, the practical application of these rules has me a bit 'stuck' when it comes to designing the place. I prefer not to buy from big box stores but to get stuff second hand, but then I can't find stuff I like and I don't have a car to pick things up either... or I would like to buy quality stuff, but its too expensive. It's hard! However, I am trying to be grateful and taking my time curating :)

Love this so much, I can't wait to binge the rest of your videos!!

I agree with pretty much all of what you said. The only thing I would note is that "fake" vintage rugs are ok as long as they are made from natural material. Reproduction is fine as long as its not synthetic/fake in material. A wool rug is quality regardless of when it was made.

Totally agree with your 4 mentioned principles. Thanks for articulating it so precisely.

Your video was in my suggested feed and what a joy it was to watch! Love that you're sharing your knowledge and take on design. Keep it up!

I'd like to see you discuss more what you meant by "avoid themes". I've been thinking about how architecture has, as a whole, suffered since WWII. I visited Maine recently and was pleasantly surprised to see no McMansions. All the houses followed a general New England theme of colonial homes with painted wood siding or cedar shakes, 6-over-6 double hung windows, maybe a stone foundation. They didn't look cookie cutter, but they all looked like they belong together. I could feel the overall context. It felt like a place with actual culture and history. It seems to me that homes built after the war have prioritized mass manufacturing, cheap construction, individualization (to the extent allowed by standardized materials), and an ability to brute-force apply an incorrect style to a different environment (sticking an "Italian villa" in the middle of Tennessee). I think people have been "avoiding themes" to the detriment of design. Sticking to a theme forces you to tell a cohesive story. If you want a Georgian house, you have to use the materials and proportions and molding contours and other elements of actual Georgian homes. I got a lot of these ideas from @BrentHull, who has a KZfaq channel and runs a millwork shop and a historic architecture consulting company in Texas.

Well said, Noah. You’re the first person here who has mentioned context which is incredibly important.

love these, totally agree and you explain really well why some spaces work and some just dont.

Ahhh just found your channel and all of your inspiration photos are just pic for pic my whole ass inspo library. Fun to hear you articulate what it is I love about about all of those spaces

Thank you for this video! It's been so illuminating! I had already followed your channel when I saw your BenjiPlant example and it really let me know I was in the right place

Thank you so much!🩷I'm so happy I found your channel, I was looking exactly for this kind of content🌞looking forward to youre future videos!

I do very much agree! So nice to have found your channel!

wow i appreciate this framing so much. i feel like i've felt and thought these things when experiencing spaces through what felt weird or good about them, but i didn't have the proper vocabulary to describe the dissonance or the ease. thank you for bringing something fresh to the discourse!

AMAZING!!! That was some real-life advice regarding home design and the emphasis is on HOME. Thank you!!

I am glad to discover your videos! Love them!!!

Yes!!!! Keep making videos! this is the content we NEED

I love everything about this. It is exactly the advice I need right now before I try to design my interior for my new apartment in nyc. Thank you!

The principles you outline here align so well with your inspo photos and also with my design interests! I see Nick Lewis commented--his do, as well! Many of the other professional designers on KZfaq have a very high-end and (more) traditional aesthetic, so I don't enjoy them as much as I do some relative amateurs/newcomers. You strike a very good balance, here. I'd also advocate for just a "beat" longer on each photo. :) Great content, and I'm happy to subscribe!

great content appreciate your insights look forward to more!!!

Thank you, this was super informative. You’ve made me realize why I never liked how i decorated my living space! This all makes sense now!

Thanks for the great video. I look forward to more videos that break down approaches to design and design theory.

I am renovating my old flat, and this video is great for someone who does not work in the industry but is choosing a designer that makes sense to me. Thank you so much!

I love love love this, thank you! Very helpful

This video is so smart. And they apply to many things in life!

Can't wait to hear about authentic placemaking! Awesome content!

Great video, nice presentation style. I totally agree with your basic guidelines. They are helpful, and made me feel better about my home, LOL. Especially loved the pictures you referenced, anything with books, modernist houses, and the cozy looks.

I am binge watching your videos now! Keep up the good work :)

this is so helpful! I love your channel!

I was already a subscriber before the end of the video, but your genuine, earnest appeal to "be nice to me" earned a like from me!

We’re obsessed with you and love you!

I just stumbled upon your video and what a breath of fresh air! I am somewhat tired of all the "you must follow these rules, this particular way, always!" crowd in interior design. You saying that we don't want a home looking like an airbnb or a pinterest board is exactly the type of thing I long for. I don't want perfect. I just want to make things better, for me. Love it. Keep the good content coming, pleaaase!

Thank you. Insightful information. You present so nicely :)!

Agree. Interested to see more of your videos.

We're in the middle of a kitchen reno and I just stumbled upon your channel. Wish I had found it sooner -- love your approach.

This was super helpful. I'm definitely going to give more thought to the building materials and context of my living spaces.

i love to listen to you speaking about design, you seem so nice and down to earth!

Thank you for setting up a KZfaq! I definitely resonate with your approaches to interior design ❤ and you are doing amazing ! 👏👏👏

love this! stumbled upon your mid century modern vid and then took a look at this as I'm currently a first year interior design student, doing a screen cultures course on modernism haha. will always love mcm but agree it feels weird when overdone. and agree on all points of this video too. more curated spaces!

This was excellent and i appreciated all the visual examples

Just found your channel and immediately binged all videos!! I'm really enjoying your perspective on interior design, especially since I've just recently started conciously and purposefully styling my home. I'm definitely looking forward to an in depth video about considering the context of your home bc I feel like that's an area i'm still struggling with:) The honest materials are so important to me as well, I'm currently renting an apartment with vinyl flooring made to look like hardwood floors and sandstone slabs and it pains me to live with those lol

Subbed because I like your style, which aligns with my own. You're doing great!

Great video! Welcome to KZfaq. Excited to follow your growth here :)

Hi! love your content :) a lot of the examples you use for a modern/cozy look is what I gravitate towards. I would love to hear more about educational books and people you would recommend to learn about/from.

Excellent guidelines! I liked that it comes from knowledge and you explained the why, very logical. The images you shared also help bring your points across. Your rhythm and tempo are relaxed, which makes listening enjoyable. Well done! I’m subscribing.

yes, here for all of thisss. i don't know your tiktok (yet, but will sub there as well) but stumbled upon your youtube here and love the content and format so far. good luck on your youtube journey babes!

Honest materials are so important. Great video mate.

Hi Noah , it’s very lucky for me to find out about your channel, especially in my graduate - crisis . I’m just really confused about how to apply the things I’ve learn from design school into reality. Which is why I feel your video is easier to understand all the knowledge . In your upcoming vids, can you talk more from your perspective about the basic of interior ? Like proportion, mix n match material, … I think it will mean so much to the people who need to know about the basic before start working in this field , thank you sm !!

I've just watched all of your videos and I must say, you're delightful! No, you're not unnecessary ornamentation. Not in the least. Your down to earth and honest without being pretentious or preachy. A couple of years ago we had the good fortune to buy the house of our dreams. I had the task of making it a home. The things you speak about were all in my mind, unuttered, but driving my choices. I'm passionate about tropical houseplants and designing jewelry with semiprecious stones and metals. I have a shop for my jewelry and incorporate my plant passion into my home - I do not have an IKEA cabinet for plants that cannot survive in the desert Southwest. What I'm saying is that authenticity is essential to me, in all things. I get your vibe and delight in it. I can't wait to share in your hunt for and design of your new home! Thank you for putting yourself out here for all of us - your grounded approach is fresh and unfettered. You're teaching us how to live - not just how to decorate. You're designing lifestyles! Thank you.

Just subscribed! I really loved all your thoughts on this stuff. You’re seriously so good at describing the “why” of it all. I am definitely looking forward to you taking us on a deeper dive with these! And on that note, I did have a question for you or anyone here in the comments who might know. How exactly can one use cheap but authentic materials to achieve a beautiful finish in a budget friendly way? There are SO many videos on how to use peel and stick to create renter friendly, budget friendly hacks.. but almost next to nothing on how to use cheap materials right. And in defense of peel and stick (certain tiles, grass cloth, designed wallpaper etc), they can still be an improvement over builder basic stuff, they don’t require contractors, or expensive tools, or skill or much knowledge, and can be renter friendly- which is the reality for a lot of younger people who still deserve a space they can feel at home in. I am just having a hard time picturing an alternative that can fulfill all that criteria 🫤

This approach you are using, to discuss aesthetics intelligently has pleased me greatly. An added plus ; you are based in the home of the best European design. Good work..

Super helpful! I enjoy your videos :)

This channel is exactly what I needed.

Me here, looking at my just updated boring tile floor to vinyl wooden floor material, hearing Noah judging about materials. i was so proud of it too. sigh...

Really liked this video! Well done ;) Was wondering if you would make a video on how to brighten up dark spaces at some point 😇

Great visuals, go strong!

Hey Dan! Great tips, thanks.

Thank you so much for this video 😍😍

Love your videos! I’d like to hear your opinions on dupe furniture! Future vid idea 💡

Love this video (maybe because I couldn’t agree with you more…) and all of your content; looking forward to more! Some topic suggestions would be on architects or themes that you find particularly interesting (or not), discussions on famous furniture pieces or buildings, and thoughts on the philosophy of aesthetics/beauty in architecture/design and the effect on people in/using those spaces (one of favorite topics to ponder these days….).

Loved this video! Total Paige Wassel style vibes 🥰 I feel like most interior design videos on KZfaq have a different style then what i prefer and often a lot of the design choices recommended look really cheap! I was kind of sad that your video was over so fast 😅 but definitly gonna subscribe to your channel!

You’re doing great!

sooooooo helpful, at 58 i still have a lot of placeholders ;> but have finally begun editing and curating my favorite and beloved things-I'm noticing all the things I truly love fall into these rules.

Love your content. Could you possibly do a video on best books to read on design? 🙏🙏

so glad i stumbled on your channel

I could not agree more! Great video! As an architect it’s painful to see some clients taste, hope your videos change their mind ;)

Love the video, thanks for the tips Noah. I just bought an apartment and I am struggling with honest materials because it is so expensive. Think about real tiles (for the atm blank fireplace) and super white boring windowsill. I also think that cheap real materials could also work but could use some inspiration. Could you do a video with some inspiration on cheap/on a budget ways to give your home that finish that makes it whole in stead of a white box lol.

Just subscribed and followed! Like other commenters have said, your perspective has definitely been missing online. I would love it if you did a series on bringing higher level design ideas into small spaces and apartments. Like you alluded to, there are so many "renter friendly" hacks that involve using stick on wallpaper and things that just come off as fake in the end.

Please ignore the hate. I for one love your content. I seem to have very similar opinion on things. Please keep posting great content. Also, love your unique style for making videos.

Great content! Please keep making these videos!

Great stuff!!

sending love from korea❤ love ur videos!

Great videos! I’ve subscribed 😊

I am an accidental viewer who is now experiencing an accidental genuine interest awakening in a topic I previously rather snobbishly regarded as negligible and a bit trashy. Mea culpa of course, but also thank you for bringing this slower, contextually situated, and basically HUMAN approach to KZfaq which sorely needs it

Love it!

Enjoying your channel! I would welcome your hot take on blinds - and window coverings for spaces that may not warrant draperies (eg floor heating vents around the perimeter of the space) In design magazines there are no treatments, which is not reality for many people as sun will damage furnishings and antiques. Plus in apartments, privacy is crucial. Thanks!

Thank you, Noah.

Very thought out video! You obviously know what you are talking about. I just bought a home and was looking for inspiration/guidelines. One thing I am disagreeing with though is the faux materials as some here have pointed out, not everybody has the financial means for a hardwood floor, or actual brick walls. Some faux materials have come a long way in looking really close to the natural product. In my case I am away from home more then half of the year so real life plants are not the most viable option. That being said, I still think you make a valid point. Thanks for the video!

Context is something that I have felt strongly about but didn’t know what it was I had noticed or how to articulate it. Like when people add ornate molding to an apartment that is clearly contemporary and it reminds me of the Bronx 😂 but it’s in Manhattan!

Subscribed and hope to hear more.

Finaaaally someone said it: honest materials! (I mean, I agreed with all the rest, but damn i hate fake stuff haha). I will also mention that having wood for the wood look, or stone for the stone look, does the environment a favour too not just the looks and feeling of your home. Vynils and other plastics are terrible in every possible way. I'll keep checking out your videos, nice introduction ;)