Who Are You Really Designing Your Home For?
The most controversial thing in interiors right now? Beige worship. The cult of “quiet luxury”, “builder basic”, and soulless neutrals has turned too many homes into beige waiting rooms with throw cushions.
Real estate agents adore it, Instagram rewards it, and somewhere in the middle of all that, actual personality has been evicted from the building.
The Beige Problem
Somewhere along the way, “timeless” became code for “please don’t notice me”. People were sold the lie that a safe, all-neutral home is the only path to good taste and future resale. The result is a plague of white-on-white kitchens, oatmeal sofas, pale timber everything, and not a single shimmering risk in sight.
Your ‘aha’ moment: The exact second you realise your “resale-friendly” home doesn’t look expensive – it just looks like every other listing on realestate.com.au.
Why Vanilla Feels So Wrong
Homes that are too quiet stop feeling like homes and start feeling like staged sets waiting for imaginary buyers. Human brains crave contrast, texture, and little hits of surprise; when every surface whispers the same polite neutral, your space feels flat, not calm.
And here’s the kicker: slapping a single “feature cushion” into a beige box does not make it interesting; it just makes the cushion look like it turned up overdressed to a dull party.
Why Real Estate Agents Strip the Soul Out
Real estate agents love a personality-free home because it photographs quickly, offends no one, and makes their job easier. They’re not in the business of creating soulful spaces; they’re in the business of smoothing out every quirk until your home reads as “safe” in thirty seconds on a phone screen.
Agents are trained to chase “broad appeal”, which usually translates to: hide anything that looks like an actual human lives here. Family photos, bold art, quirky collections, daring paint colours – all get shoved into storage so the mythical “everyone” might be mildly okay with it.
Why This is Totally Wrong
“Appeal to everyone” often means “delight no one”. The very details that could make a buyer fall hard – that emerald dining room, that outrageous light fitting, that killer artwork wall – are removed so the house can be aggressively… fine. Bland gets skimmed past; character makes the scrolling stop.
Your no-vanilla manifesto knows the truth: personality, done well, creates emotional connection. The right colour, texture, and detail makes a buyer say, “I want to live like this,” not just, “This seems… adequate.”
The Trap of Renovating for Resale
Then there’s the bad, bad habit of renovating “for sale” when you’re not planning to sell for years. You end up living in a home designed for a future stranger, not for you. You shower every day in the safe white bathroom you never loved and cook in the safe white kitchen you wouldn’t have chosen – all for a hypothetical buyer who doesn’t even know you exist yet.
Trends shift, buyers change, and what feels “resale-friendly” now may look dated or cheap by the time you actually list. You’ve sacrificed years of daily joy for a future that may never ask for that vanilla choice anyway. That’s not strategy; that’s self-sabotage in subway tile.
My No-Vanilla Point of View
Design should make a statement before you even kick off your shoes – it should say “this is who lives here”, not “this will offend no one at auction”. A home with a pulse has tension: dark against light, rough against smooth, vintage against slick, and colour that actually makes your heart rate flicker.
If your space doesn’t spark a reaction – delight, curiosity, a tiny bit of “can I get away with this?” – then it’s not finished, it’s just furnished. You deserve better than furnished; you deserve thrilled.
Things I Unapologetically Approve Of
Bold colour used with intent – inky walls, saturated upholstery, and artwork that has something to say instead of quietly matching the sofa.
Mixed eras and sources – antique cabinet, contemporary art, a slightly outrageous light fitting, and pieces from both local makers and far-flung finds.
Texture drama – velvets, bouclé in measured doses, ribbed stone, glossy lacquer, moody timber, and metals that actually age and tell stories.
Impossible scenario: You walk into a room designed by me and your only reaction is, “Nice.” Absolutely not – there will be at least one thing you want to pat, photograph, or shamelessly copy.
Your Permission Slip to Rebel
If you love colour, pattern, or slightly decadent details, you are not “doing it wrong” – you are simply refusing to live in a developer brochure. Keep the bones smart and considered, but stop designing for hypothetical strangers and start designing for the woman who actually pays the mortgage and pours the champagne.
Here’s the rule: if a choice feels a tiny bit risky but very “you”, that’s your yes. If it feels safe, beige, and instantly forgettable, that’s your red flag. Step away from the vanilla, tell the imaginary future buyer to wait their turn, and give your home its pulse back right now.
Join the Anti-Blah Rebellion!
Do you want unapologetic design? CONTACT US to start a conversation. Follow me on Substack. Thank you for being here!
Love, Penelope xx
