The very point of hiring a professional designer is to get the job done right. Or so we’d like to think. But it seems sometimes the best laid plans can go down the drain, along with your vision of the perfect execution. Fortunately, shaming bad designs has become a favorite pastime of the internet. From the crazy, to the confusing, the downright dangerous or just plain stupid, there’s no shortage of pics on the proverbial "Design Fails Wall of Shame".
If you’re looking for inspiration on what you probably don’t want around you, you should check out the Design Fails Insta account. It has hundreds of posts of epic interior design and architecture fails. Some might make you laugh, others could make you want to cry. Then there are those that just hurt your eyes.
We've put together our personal favorites. Keep scrolling for a feast of fabulous fails, and upvote the ones that leave you stunned. Don't miss the chat Bored Panda had with Eric Dillman, the interior designer behind the account, and the host of the Pro Series with Eric Dillman podcast.
This post may include affiliate links.
The brains behind the Insta page is actually a qualified interior designer. Eric Dillman has a few social media accounts, and a podcast. Dillman got his Bachelor's degree in Interior Design from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. And started his first design account in 2018.
"I was a year into my career and due to being a very inexperienced designer I wasn’t getting the leads I wanted from the firm I was working at. So I decided to market myself and get my own leads," he told Bored Panda during our interview.
The designer said he started by reposting and giving shout-outs to his favorite brands and manufacturers. "After two weeks I hit my first customer from my Instagram account and after that it was full force posting almost everyday. I’ve done everything since, introduced my podcast, and so much more. It has allowed me to level up in my career in a way I didn’t think was possible."
Dillman's podcast “Pro Series with Eric Dillman” sees him interview professionals from the design, construction, and real estate industries, as well as stars from home design television shows.
Everyone kept hitting their heads as they walked down my stairs, so I hung a sign as a warning
Someone said this faucet looks like the squirrel from Ice Age and now I can't unsee it
He set up the the Design Fails Insta page in 2021. "Being in and out of customers homes for years I have seen some very questionable designs and construction. These 'Design Fails' are always a hit topic between design friends and we always share them with each other," said Dillman. "I post these bad designs on the page for other designers to enjoy."
Imagine forgetting that Gramma's on the porch
Seems kinda photo-shoppy. There's no driveway, and the grass doesn't look worn from vehicles driving on it.
A hotel in Germany uses 3D carpets to keep guests from running in the hallway.
Much like many of the rest of us, Dillman wasn’t expecting the events of 2020. On top of the disaster that was Covid, the content creator had to deal with his Instagram account being hacked. It was a turning point in his journey.
Dillman was working from home in June of 2020, when he got an email saying his orginal account was hacked. He had around 15,000 followers at the time. At first, he thought it was a joke but soon realized the gravity of the situation. After an uphill battle to get his account back, he eventually hired someone to help him.
Imagine being drunk walking into this bathroom
But this is another one that is in no way a design 'fail' - you might not like it, I wouldn't have it myself, but it is very well designed and executed.
I’ve been here! It was a super fun place with tones of optical illusions and an awful maze
I wouldn't even walk in there sober o_O But I really admire the artwork!
good thing i don't drink anymore...i'd either end up on the floor in tears or lmao!
it's cleary painted yet my brain refuses to accept it's nothing but a painting.
Same result as in the german hotel hallway with the weird carpet! 🤮
Imagine NOT being drunk, and starting to wonder if your drink was spiked or something.
I'm sure we've all seen the one that was built over an old elevator shaft...
"Hello, do you work here? See, I need to borrow a mop...I'm afraid while attempting to use the facilities I didn't quite make it to the toilet.."
This is intolerable. Anyone post-stroke would be likely to perish from a call of nature.
Lots of this sort of thing appears in VR games. Believe it or not, you soon get used to it and stride around without concern.
Hell I do not even want to be sober and walking into this.
In this bathroom I would not know whether to wash my hands or open the chamber of secrets
Dillman said he knew his brand meant something to him. But he didn’t know just how much until he almost lost it. The whole experience made the content creator realize he needed to "up his game" on social media, and pour even more into his passion.
What a great way to break a neck
Home remodeling is my passion
Oh dear a bowling ball just happened to fall from a great height, I think it fell from the ISS and smashed my worktops so here is my insurance claim.
Up until then, he hadn’t really featured on his own podcast. It was merely professionals answering the questions he put to them. Dillman discussed his turning point during an interview with Bold Journey. “Once 2020 came, I knew I needed to put myself more on my content,” he revealed. He decided to turn his podcast into an IGTV show, and released a new episode every few weeks.
“I was lucky enough to have a lot of HGTV stars, and some very high up people in the design industry on in the very early days of this show. At the end of 2021 I had some requests to make this into a podcast given its already in that format,” he said.
Some personal news: We're replacing our countertops tomorrow and I'm so excited, mainly because we get to remove this abomination of a kitchen sink
Dillman has continued to push himself and branch out. In 2023, he added a second episode of the week called “Off Topic”. As the name suggests, the host talks tackles topics that aren't related to design. In June this year, Dillman hit 100,000 "listens".
He told Bored Panda while he has other interests, he's been obsessed with all things design since he was a child. "It all stems from my parents custom-building the house I grew up in when I was 8. Going to all the showrooms and seeing the house go from ground up just made me fall in love with the industry at a very young age."
If you're feeling stressed, remember to IN EX HAHA LE LE
Great way to have your guest break their leg
The interior designer and content creator describes himself as an introvert. He says social media has helped him come out of his shell. And has given him a much-needed confidence boost. Since his one page showcases design fails, we were curious to know if Dillman has any flops of his own.
"I’m a designer who likes to give my professional advice but there are some clients that want it exactly their way," he revealed. "It’s hard to work for those clients cause you know it isn’t functional design but you do it for the client cause it’s their money and space. Those are usually the ones I just doesn't photograph."
I need an explanation to why this was a thing
Maybe they did that to make room for a dishwasher and I can respect that
So what screams epic design fail to the brains behind this Insta account? "I feel like with home renovation shows being so popular, it has taught people that anyone can do these designs and renovations," said Dillman.
"You can tell when a designer does it, compared to someone who thinks they can do it because they saw someone on tv do it. Most of the time it’s not functional at all, doesn’t go with the rest of the house, or the materials used are completely wrong and aren’t used properly."
But at the end of the day, we should probably still thank those who "think they can do it". If it weren'y for them, we'd never get to enjoy the epic and hilarious design fails featured here.
When Boomers wana talk about how stupid millennials are... Just remember what generation covered real hardwood floors with linoleum
That's a bit harsh... Hardwood floors are really expensive to maintain. Maybe they just wanted to be practical. And I'm saying this as a hardwood floor lover myself.
If you thought you did something dumb today…….. at least you’re not the person who did this
My shower broke so my landlord came over... look wtf he done put tf up
Pretty sure that shouldn’t happen
Her: "babe, I want a castle in the sky"
Me: "say no more"
Why hire a professional when you can do……. Nvm
If at first you don't succeed.....never mind, just hire someone.
Some might think this is the beauty of this type of tile but the unevenness bothers the sh*t out of me
My neighbor recently had some work done to his house. Definitely not gonna use his contractor
Love the craftsmanship
The contractor said he knew what he was doing
That’s a lot of cuts
I would stub my little toe on every one of those corners. Multiple times.
This reads a very frugal person who collects tiles from all the shops in town and installs it to save some money
Better hope the tree doesn’t fall
Nice open kitchen, with a perfect working triangle
Not so bad. If it works, it works. (Honey, I finally used these screws I'd been keeping for decades! Don't you ever suggest throwing parts away that I might still need "sometime"!!)
want to know another design fail? telling somebody they have a reply to their comment but not letting them know where it is on a page with almost a hundred entries when they try to click on it.
Over half of these are in no way 'design fails' - a lot are a matter of taste/fashion/age and some are downright brilliant. I made it to the end, but it was irritating me more and more!
Another useless post full of years old repeats seen 1000s of times. Do better. Lazy lazy lazy
"Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!" go for it!
Load More Replies...A lot of these aren't "cringeworthy fails" and it's like... Such a s****y list that I'm questioning this "writer" Robyn Smith more than any of the garbage listed. I mean seriously, come on. You can't even make an accurate title for the content you stole???
Are you this s****y author's alt account
Load More Replies...want to know another design fail? telling somebody they have a reply to their comment but not letting them know where it is on a page with almost a hundred entries when they try to click on it.
Over half of these are in no way 'design fails' - a lot are a matter of taste/fashion/age and some are downright brilliant. I made it to the end, but it was irritating me more and more!
Another useless post full of years old repeats seen 1000s of times. Do better. Lazy lazy lazy
"Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!" go for it!
Load More Replies...A lot of these aren't "cringeworthy fails" and it's like... Such a s****y list that I'm questioning this "writer" Robyn Smith more than any of the garbage listed. I mean seriously, come on. You can't even make an accurate title for the content you stole???
Are you this s****y author's alt account
Load More Replies...