The That's It, I'm House Shaming Facebook Group has been around since May 2020 and has accumulated nearly 7k members since then. To gain some insight into how the group began and what it has been like running it, we reached out to the group’s creator Kristin Wilson. “What inspired me to start the group was when I was buying my home, the crazy stuff I saw on Zillow,” Kristin told Bored Panda. She explained that she wanted a place for people with similar interests to share these types of photos and be able to talk about them. 

And when it comes to what is featured on That’s It, I’m House Shaming, Kristin says they don’t discriminate. “We shame all kinds of houses. I mean, some people shame minor things that other people find fascinating. It’s all a matter of perspective,” she says.

We also asked Kristin why she thinks these types of posts are so popular. “I think we as humans love finding flaws in things,” she told Bored Panda. “Whether it be people or houses, we find joy in being able to converse with people with similar interests. A lot of people watch those ‘house flipper' shows and probably have envisioned renovating something as well,” Kristin explained. “So when we see posts we can be like ‘Oh, I’d totally knock that wall down and put this and this in’.”

And the group members certainly love to imagine what they would do differently. Most of the homes are not shamed for 100% of their features, but rather appreciated for some and judged for others. The houses are not usually inherently ugly, but they might need a new coat of paint or less luxurious décor to be appreciated by wider audiences. But hey, one man’s shack is another man’s palace, right? Or something like that… 

Some of these homes are also just quirky. They may be gaudy, have interesting architecture or be decorated in a unique theme, but they are not atrocious. They just need a special type of person to love and appreciate them… Or someone with a great imagination who will take over a house and turn it into something that does not warrant public shaming. I am all for people embracing whatever style they personally love, though. I’ll be honest, some of the homes on this list are adorable. Unique, sure, but I cannot help but be drawn to the cute colors and whimsical designs of a few of these humble abodes.

This Facebook group is a perfect example of how different people’s preferences can be. As Kristin stated, they shame all sorts of houses, so no one is safe. But when no one is safe, no one can feel a sense of superiority either. Everyone is at risk of being shamed and made fun of, so we might as well have a sense of humor about our homes!

I would argue that many of the houses on this list deserve to be praised, rather than shamed, because at least they stand out. There are thousands of homes that look almost identical around the world, particularly in suburbs, so I think it is much more interesting to have a house that pops or brings some excitement to a neighborhood. Some homeowners discourage others from painting their houses bold colors or doing whatever they like with the interior design because it might hurt their retail value or annoy their neighbors, but I say life’s too short to worry about other people. As long as you don’t paint anything offensive on the outside of your home (no, pink paint is not offensive), go wild! Put up that floral wallpaper or paint that mural in your kitchen, and feel free to let those wildflowers take over the front lawn. 

There are a multitude of ways we convey our personalities to the world, including how we dress, how we speak, how we choose to spend our time, and how we decorate our homes. Knowing that our humble abodes can be a reflection of our personalities, it only makes sense that we would want to customize them and turn them into places no one else in the world could have possibly imagined. Of course, there are plenty of safe choices to make when building a home, deciding on paint colors and purchasing furniture. But it takes a free spirit to turn their living room into a modern art gallery or make their home feel like a time capsule from the 1970’s. Even if you personally would not like to live in one of these houses, you have to admit that they would be fascinating to visit. 

Now, there are some valid reasons people tend to decorate their homes the same ways, including color psychology. Color has been known to influence our moods and subconsciously affect how we view others. Blue, for example, is often used to decorate rooms that are meant to be soothing or peaceful and is recommended for defendants to wear in court so they seem more trustworthy and reliable. Red, on the other hand, is used to stimulate the body and mind, increase circulation and is usually associated with evil or sneaky characters in films and TV shows. Red cars also draw more attention than others and, at least in Los Angeles, receive the most traffic violations. But color psychology can be applied to many parts of our life, particularly how we decide to design our homes.   

You can decide what color to paint your bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, or living room based on color psychology, but at the end of the day, choose a color that you resonate with. Yellow, for example, is a very divisive color. Some people find it nauseating and disgusting, while others find it cheery, peaceful and associate it with sunshine. Personally, yellow is my favorite color and it has been for many years, but I can’t tell you how many times people have told me they hate it. Some of the key traits Verywell Mind associates with yellow are being attention-grabbing, difficult to read, energetic, frustrating and warm. And while people are split on whether it is a lovely color or one that invokes feelings of disgust, it is the perfect example of why we should not worry about the feelings of others when styling our homes.  

There are even ways we decorate the inside of our homes that reflect certain things about our personalities. For example, if you display lots of photos of your family, you probably have a very nostalgic personality. There is nothing wrong with showcasing your loved ones; in fact, I find it sweet. So if you have the impulse to display generations of your family on the wall, but have been told not to hang an entire family tree, don’t listen to anyone else. Your home should feel safe and welcoming to you, and if it helps to be greeted by your great great grandmother every morning, more power to you.  

Even a lack of decoration can be indicative of a fear of commitment. Buying an expensive dining room table, deciding on a statement piece to hang above the fireplace, or choosing a large rug to sit in the middle of the living room can be way too much for a commitment-phobe to handle. “It wouldn’t be surprising to me that those people aren’t committing to sofas or artwork or decorative pillows because they haven’t planted roots yet,” says Thom Filicia, celebrity interior designer. “Maybe they never will or maybe they haven’t found the right scenario but I think that tells you a lot about a person.”