Home renovations are destroying your soul
Two things that keep me up at night are beauty diminishing from the world and people not being able to think for themselves. And somehow this both are exactly what is happening in the world of architecture and design. To start things off, take a second to examine the following image:
The spaces on which we exist in are taking on a homogenized personality, and it's happening globally. Architecture and interior design were once a sense of pride - a way to distinguish, a way to portray the beauty, visions, and mastery that we once possessed. With our so called advancement in technology, one would suspect that design would flourish - ornate detail, character, and individuality should be able to thrive based on the plethora of resources we have available. Yet as time passes, the soul and charm of all our places seems to be dwindling.
Let's take a quick second to think about what humans first considered to be their homes.
People literally lived in caves. They were surrounded by rocks, protected by a force of nature. Direct contact of the skin to something from this earth. Or up against a tree surrounded by sticks and branches, with direct contact to wood.
As we've progressed and built our towns and cities we've lost our ability to be that close to nature - we are no longer camping to get by. But we still incorporate natural elements into our homes that have kept us connected to nature - take for example, hardwood floors.
Our feet are what keep us planted on earth, so whatever they touch transfers to the rest of us. Maybe you've heard of grounding before, a trend where you run around in the grass barefoot, something that came naturally to us as kids but we've lost as we've grown up and moved to the cities.
I really need to speak to the power of grounding, upon first hearing of it I gave it a try and instantly felt results. There is an electricity that goes up through your body, it's like a recharge, and my feet were always tingling in a good way after.
So think about grounding - the natural elements sending its powers up through your feet, and then think about your house, where you spend most of your time, barefoot, existing. Logically now it would make sense for us to have something as close to nature as we could beneath us to keep our connection to nature, in turn keeping us in-tune with our natural insticts, a place to recharge, right?
The problem that is happening today is that modern day house renovations are striping everywhere of their old hardwood floors and substituting it with plastic for the sake of following modern day home trends.
Refer to this image below to get a visual understanding of the differences (hardwood on left, vinyl on right).
(image from https://www.thespruce.com/lami...)
Take a second now as well to read some more technical differences between the two, screenshoted from this article:
(https://www.diffen.com/difference/Hardwood_Floor_vs_Vinyl_Floor)
Look at the composition of Vinyl flooring. What is Polynvinly Chloride you ask? - "Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC or Vinyl) is a high strength thermoplastic material. It is widely used in applications such as pipes, medical devices, and wire & cable insulation...the list is endless. It is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic plastic."
Since when has plastic been a luxury?
If choosing vinyl floor you are choosing to live in plastic. A barbie house. It's also used in pipes/medical devices??? Like you are living in a pipe? If your feet are taking in petroleum and plastic all day in your newly renovated house, no wonder everyone has gone somewhat crazy recently.
Here we can see that there is even a chance vinyl flooring could release some shit, and also doesn't seem to stand the test of time - it has to be replaced once the protective coating has worn away. We try and stop plastic water bottles from ending up in the ocean but what about plastic floors?
It's not to say cutting down trees is a great alternative, but there are reforestation projects all over. It sounds better to me to plant another tree than to have phthalate related toxins released into the air.
If you are building a home from scratch, vinyl flooring is your choice. If you're saving a house that was on the brink of death, yes the plastic wood is a lot cheaper. But if you are moving into a Victorian house from the 1800's and replacing the floors just to keep up with housing trends? I can't help but find it unacceptable.
I am constantly on realtor websites checking out what the market has and dozens of old, in tact homes that once carried these natural elements have fallen hand to renovation trends. They are all becoming the same on the inside.
It's not a stimulating environment. What was once valued was facades, details, stimulation around us, and that is being wiped away for everything to look the same.
Our beauty is being striped. Its like the numbing of a living space. If we don't live by our personal design preferences, if we don't have the natural elements once included in a house to keep us grounded, we are getting more distanced from our natural instincts, our souls.
Also when you look at these does it not remind you of a hospital room? Or an insane asylum? Have you heard of white torture?
My theory is that with less details around us, less of a connection to the elements, being stuck in a white box draws you more to your screen. The colors of your phone / ipad / computer are a lot more engaging than the nothingness around you. And the next thing you know your day has passed on a useless app.
It's like these new renovation spaces are the perfect setup to draw everyone into their phone. Someone living in a maximalist apartment is less likely to sprint and get this new apple headset or whatever it's called, compared to someone with no stimulation around them. It's like we're being prepared to be harvest in white little asylum rooms to be forever thrown into the digital world.
The feel of a natural wood floor is heavy, you feel centered, I truthfully am struggling to explain it. But see if you can do an experiment, if you know someone with a hard wood floor go stand barefoot in their house for sometime, and then try it out with a plastic wood floor. You will feel a difference !
What I found appalling as well is that people aren't even doing this that consciously. They simply see what the trend is and jump on board. Nobody seems to ask, what is my style? How do I want my home to look? Do I find this trend beautiful?
According to a survey of home owners:
They are doing it to please OTHER PEOPLE? I can't comprehend this. You have a group of friends over once a month for a wine night? You are making your decisions because you are afraid of their judgements?
Your house is your house! The space should be designed exactly how you want it, what will make you feel most comfortable. If your concern is other people, you are not putting yourself first.
Yes this was just 17 people surveyed but I still feel it applicable to most people, especially based on what I have seen in my personal life.
It just makes me wonder, if people can't think for themselves about their own living space, what bigger concerns does this represent? Even though maybe this is something as simple as design, I think it represents the decline of free thinkers.
We are turning our living spaces, working spaces, learning spaces, all spaces into things void of life in the name of modernity.
I'm currently based in Madrid, where I was hopeful that I would be embraced by beautiful interior design - I think as Americans we have a misconception that every European is living in what we'd consider an art museum. While the buildings here still hold their charm on the outside, I have found the interiors to be exactly the same as the white torture described above.
A consequence of globalization, the structures that have stood the test of time are now being wiped in order to make things look the same as they do everywhere else. Promoting all of this as luxury when it is the destruction of character.
Below are two examples of studio apartments in Madrid - revealing no unique characteristics, places like this could just be anywhere, and are becoming an ugly standard.
What can we do if you agree with me on this?
- If you have an older house that has these characteristics, do not change them. A home renovation does not need to sacrifice its vintage character
- If you have a ton of money, invest in hardwood floors if you ever flip a house
- Spread the word that we are becoming disconnected to our souls by doing this to your friends who want to do home renovations
- Try your hardest to not stay in airbnbs with vinyl flooring, or buy a house like this
- If you come across houses like this in your search to buy, email the relator and tell them that you are not interested in the property because you think plastic wood flooring will feel like you are living in a small factory
Lastly, explore maximalism - I'm not saying to pursue it as a design strategy if it feels too cluttered, but to get inspiration on how colorful and beautiful things could look. Do your own search on Instagram or Google, but I'll include some images below:
Thank you for your time - please feel free to message me on Instagram your thoughts!
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