People on the internet love to shame others for their choices. Whether it’s tragic hairdos, crafts, or proposals, people love pointing out how tasteless others can be. It gives us a sense of superiority, of course, but there’s another element too. We might just be having some harmless fun and being silly.
Architecture is no different when it comes to being shamed. Online, there are groups and pages dedicated to bad decisions that some architects and interior designers have made throughout the years. The “I’m Architecture Shaming” page is all about that kind of content, so, scroll down and see some of its best posts below!
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#1 Those Teefs, I Mean… Windows
#2 Not Exactly Architecture But This Is A Crime Against Interior Design
#3 Why? Just Why?
There’s hardly any objective critique when it comes to shaming architecture. What looks tasteless and offensive to some might appear classy and attractive to others. Yet there are some types of buildings that get shamed online more often than others.
Brutalist architecture, McMansions, and overly gimmicky contemporary buildings, or attempts at imitating established architects and their timeless style, for example. So, let’s explore some of the biggest (according to the internet) architectural sins that people love to dunk on.
#4 It’s Like An 80’s Cartoon Villain Lair
#5 Help Wanted: Gatekeeper
#6 There Are No Words For This Chandelier
McMansions are one type of houses many people love to hate. What exactly are McMansions? It’s almost like a mansion, but not quite. According to Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers and Consultants, they’re large like mansions, but culturally as ubiquitous as McDonald’s fast food restaurants.
From an aesthetic point of view, McMansions don’t appeal to people because they lack symmetry. They often have bombastic entrances; they feature stretched columns and oversized pediments. They seldom adhere to any one architectural style, period, or geographical location. They’re sort of an architectural salad.
#7 Adding On An Exexexexextension
#8 As Seen Somewhere In Ohio. It Looked Normal And Fairly Nice From The Front And Then I Saw The Sides Of The Building
#9 Shameful. But I Like Cats And So This Would Be Ok With Me!
It wouldn’t be fair to say that everybody hates McMansions. On the contrary, some people are demolishing historic modernist buildings to make way for their large homes. Just last year, actor Chris Pratt got a lot of flack from netizens for demolishing Craig Ellwood’s Zimmerman House.
The actor chose to get rid of the historic mid-century building to make way for his new 5,000-square-foot farmhouse and people trolled him relentlessly for basically “buying a Rothko for the frame.”
#10 Love Me Some Brutalism, But Not Sure How I Feel About This One
#11 I Can Finally Contribute. Two Houses Got Married
#12 What I Thought Was A Prison Is Actually The Holiday Inn At Heathrow Airport
Yet Pratt and his family aren’t the only ones demolishing historical mid-century Californian houses. There’s a trend where people buy such estates and tear down the existing houses to build new McMansions in their place. Adrian Fine, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Conservancy, told WaPo that people see these as “valuable plots of dirt.”
#13 Oyster Shell Fireplace. I Hate It
#14 Feel Like This Belongs Here
#15 Throw A Blanket Over That And You’ve Got A Pretty Sweet Fort
Environmental psychologist Sally Augustin describes McMansions as unamenable for human comfort. Due to their high ceilings, the foyers and ‘great rooms’ are quite formal and lack coziness. Because most of the rooms are not rectangular, they can be stressful for some people. Especially when you’re trying to think of where to put the furniture.
#16 I Kinda Like It, But Could See Why Some People Would Hate It. I Would Absolutely Be Stubbing My Toe On That Bottom Step
#17 No Words
#18 Windows?! More Like Liabilities!
McMansions are not from the world of high architecture. But they don’t have to be: they’re for the well-off suburbia. As Kriston Capps summarizes the sudden rise of McMansions for WaPo, tearing down historical houses by famous architects is a way to “[pit] elite aesthetics against conspicuous consumption.”
#19 Sorry But This Genuinely Took Two Years Out Of My Life LOL
#20 Perfect House For This Page
#21 Just Moved To A New Neighborhood. I Hate This House
Brutalist buildings have a very distinct style, but not many people would like to live in one. When we think Brutalism, it’s often government buildings and post-Soviet countries that come to mind. After the 1970s, people began to see them as overpowering and cold, and associated them with the ills of society instead of thinking of them as uplifting icons.
#22 New Apartments Just Built Near Me
#23 Mcdonalds In Bergen, Norway
#24 Well, Hello Neighbor
Architecture can be funny, but when it’s overdone, hardly anyone is laughing, at least in a good way. Take, for example, the “Big Basket” building in Ohio or the Dog Bark Park Inn that’s shaped like a beagle. Although they might look fun for some, they don’t really adhere to classic architecture design principles. Whether that’s good or bad, we’ll leave for you to decide.
#25 “It’s Fine, Just Add A Bump Out”
#26 Directly From A Science Fiction Movie
#27 Another Satisfied Customer
We want houses to be pretty, sure, but shouldn’t they also be comfortable, cozy, and, you know, feel like a home? More often than not, contemporary avant-garde houses sacrifice comfort for aesthetics. If you’ve followed our other posts about architecture shaming, you’ve probably seen structures that feature staircases that go nowhere, windows that don’t open, and balconies that can’t be accessed.
#28 Thought The Group Would Like This
#29 One Job!!!! You Had One Job!
#30 Don’t Let The Land Limit Your Ambitions
What do you think have been the biggest crimes against architecture in this list, Pandas? Don’t be shy and let us know in the comments. And if you want to chuckle at some more awful architecture, check out our post about the “That’s It, “I’m Architecture Shaming!” group where folks really don’t hold back their criticism.
#31 Y’all Living In A Cinnamon Toast Crunch
#32 Kitchen By Artist Niki De Saint Phalle. It’s Atrocious, But I Also Really Like It
#33 Client – “I Want A Garage.” Architect – “Sure Bro.”
#34 My Hotel Room In Wellington Nz. Yes That Is A Giant Structural Pillar In The Middle Of The Room
#35 I’m Sure The Neighbors Are Thrilled
#36 This Looks Like A Pod Racer Or Something…one Of The Weirdest Houses I’ve Come Across
#37 I Have Made The Mistake Of Trying To Climb Those Stairs With The Handrail On My Right. (And No, There Is No Warning Sign At The Bottom)
#38 Thought You’d Enjoy This Horrendous Shower With Not Just One Step To Get Into It, But A Second Into A Weird Pit, With Sharp Edges, Truly Horrendous Tiles, And Almost Certainly Loads Of Mildew, So Hard To Clean That!
#39 Choices Were Made
#40 My Design Clients Want A Kitchen Remodel In Their New House Because They Hate Their “Wedding Cake Pantry”!
#41 Idk What The House Looks Like, But This Room Makes Me Hyperventilate
#42 This Stressed Me Out LOL
#43 Surely There’s A Weight Limit For This Room?
#44 Oh Yeah. That’s The Stuff !
#45 Because My Shelby Gt350 Eats Warm Baked Cookies
#46 I Think I Found A Glitch In The Matrix
#47 In Boulder. I’m Sure It Must Be Aligned With Something
#48 Hotel Has A Sitting Area With No Possible Way To Access It
#49 Straight Up Young Man Or You’re Going To The Time-Out Closet!
#50 The Architect Has Made A Huge Mistake
#51 Loving! Don’t Fit In
#52 My Friend Was Looking For Housing And Found This Listing
#53 I Just Can’t…
#54 I Hate This
#55 This Is The Front Of The House
#56 Why?
#57 Look At The Stairs
#58 Yes. This Is One House. It’s On A Turn And Has An Angled Lot So This Was Their Solution
#59 Saw This While Waiting To Get My Nails Done Today. I Wonder Where It Leads
#60 Men’s Room In A Surf Themed Bar. These Must Be A Pain To Clean
#61 Speechless
#62 Why??? This Is A House In Belgium, Why Built A Glass Wall Around It?
#63 No Room For A Full Door In This Area? No Problem!
#64 This House Has Driveway Stairs. I Repeat, Driveway Stairs
#65 Jesus Christ How Horrifying
#66 I Would Die Bringing In Groceries
#67 This House Makes Me Inexplicably Angry Every Time I Drive By It
#68 Serious Question: Why Does This House Have Iuds On It?
#69 Talk About Layin’ Down On The Job
