Ariane, an editor working at These Three Rooms, was kind enough to share her thoughts about design, aesthetics, and quality with Bored Panda. Ariane believes that the designs that have the biggest impact stand out in terms of aesthetics, form, and their physical durability.

“When it comes to aesthetics, 'bad design' is a very individual thing that comes down to personal taste,” she said that our personal taste plays an important role in how we judge designs. However, we shouldn’t judge designs based on just how we feel about them. We need to take other things into account as well.

Design expert Ariane gave Bored Panda an example of how our personal tastes, likes, and dislikes can affect our judgment. 

“For example, I don't particularly like busy 'maximalist' designs with too many clashing prints and patterns, and I'm not keen on very dark colors, but those might be heaven for somebody else,” she said.

“It's perhaps more helpful to talk about 'bad design' as design that doesn't function as it should—for instance, a kitchen that doesn't have what's called 'good flow', where you have to walk impractical distances between complementary appliances and where the dimensions of the 'kitchen work triangle' (the distance between fridge, sink, and hob) aren't practical,” Ariane said that poor design is more related to poor functioning rather than just poor aesthetics.

“A kitchen where there isn't enough storage, where potentially dangerous appliances aren't located safely, and where cornflakes and milk are placed at opposite ends of the room is what I'd call 'bad design,'” she told us that bad design is broader and that we should look at the overall space where certain items are located, not just the individual items in isolation.

On the flip side, what we consider to be good—or even great—design is all about putting in the energy, effort, and attention where it matters. Good design takes time, especially when it comes to our homes.

“‘Good design' is where a lot of thought and effort has been put into structuring and renovating a house so it's perfect for the people living in it. It takes account of their aesthetic preferences but also focuses on the concepts I mentioned before, paying close attention to detail,” Ariane told us.

The editor from These Three Rooms shared what good design looks like for her. “For me, good design is where artificial lighting is used strategically, and where the amount of natural light is maximized; where a room feels airy and spacious instead of closed in.”

The design expert continued about what well-crafted spaces entail. These are designs “where the amount of walking and effort is minimized, as everything you need is to hand; where there are enough plug sockets and lights to meet the homeowner's needs; and where tables, seating, countertops, basins, etc are perfect for their height. These are classic principles that I doubt will change over time.”

According to Ariane, if you’re decorating the interior of your home, you might want to use a limited palette. “Aesthetically, I would personally only choose two or three complementary colors and whichever metallic finish you like for a color scheme, because to me that kind of coordination is stylish and beautiful, but it really comes down to individual preferences.”

Meanwhile, Tim Antoniuk, an Associate Professor of Design Studies at the University of Alberta, believes there are objectively good and bad products, but our preferences create a bit of a gray area between the two.

"The gray area comes in when people start to talk about taste and about degrees of aesthetic. I may love the design of Bauhaus furniture, for example, while somebody may feel that it is too cold and void of personality. Not unlike great art, I believe that much of what came from this era is ‘great design,’ in part because it represents an era and a philosophy. When we start to mix in discussions of taste and preference, that is where the gray areas of good and bad design get blurred,” he told Bored Panda during an earlier interview.

Tim from the University of Alberta thinks that people can intuitively tell if a design is good or not. We feel it, we sense it.

"Quite often, this relates to ergonomics and the usability or functionality of the products and services and systems. Having said that, I think far too many people expect poor design that doesn’t really work well," he said, adding that for him, great design is intuitive, empathetic to the user, and emotional.