You guys, I adore the show Fixer Upper on HGTV. A. Dore. It.
Don't even get me started on how I can spend a Sunday afternoon vegging out in front of the tv watching old episodes on Netflix. Start the day off in my jammies and next thing you know it's dinnertime and I still haven't taken a shower.
Day gone.
OK, I'm 4 sentences into this post and I just lied to you.
I'm about to make blog suicide here.
Here it comes . . .
Shiplap
I just can't do it. Not in my house. Not in my lifetime.
I know, I know. It's all the rage on their Fixer Upper program. Shiplap on walls, shiplap on fireplaces, shiplap on ceilings.
Here a shiplap, there a shiplap, everywhere a shiplap lap.
But seriously, you know what I see when I look at shiplap?
Paneling from the 1970's.
And here's the thing. I lived in the 70's. I saw people go paneling crazy in their houses.
No room was off limits and there were entire homes covered head to toe in the stuff. Head. To. Toe.
Wood tone paneling, faux barnwood paneling, cheap laminated paneling. Even avocado colored paneling.
Avocado colored wood???
And then, sometime in the 80's, everyone got tired of paneling. Really really tired of it.
And then had to figure out how to get rid of it.
Huge undertaking. HUGE.
It wasn't just nailed up there, it was glued with some sort of super human strength glue. And when you took it down it split into pieces and the plaster behind it would chunk off and you'd be left with a huge mess which cost a fortune to then fix.
So whenever I see the gorgeous rooms on Fixer Upper, I ooh and ah over their kitchen renovations, their amazing transformation of the ugly and the outdated and their creative use of space.
But when I see the shiplap walls, all I can picture is the Brady Bunch rec room.
Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.
Or is it Joanna, Joanna, Joanna?
There's just some trends that I am too old to look at in awe and wonder and not have flashbacks to the first time they came around.
Rock on Chip and Joanna, you're still my heroes. I'm not breaking up with you or anything, but I just can't get on board with the shiplap/paneling trend this go-round.
So I'll see you Sunday. I'll be the one sitting on the couch with the unwashed hair.
Are there any design trends that you just can't get on board with?
Jackie
I was so happy to see this post! I totally agree about the ship lap craze. Suddenly everyone wants their house to look like a farmhouse. For me, the biggest trend that bothers me are the white slip covered couches that many bloggers have. No matter what anybody says, there is just no way that a white couch can stay clean for any extended period of time with kids and/or pets. Wrestling with a slipcover to wash and replace every week would be a total nightmare. I am also getting tired of seeing people tear out beautiful kitchens only to replace them with nothing but white ...white cabinets, white counters, white backsplash. White can be very pretty but I love a pretty rich wood and some COLOR!!
Michelle
AMEN to the painting furniture that I don't think I mentioned in my earlier response. . . I have a small antique/collectible store in Southwest Kansas and it is hard to find nice quality furniture to sell at a decent price because so much of it is being painted over. . . and I'm not talking about the pieces that are veneer based and have been repaired or the pieces that have fallen apart or are very dinged up. . . some pieces have NOTHING wrong and are being painted simply BECAUSE THEY CAN!!! I too like nice wood. I am an Oak kind of girl through and through. I love the farmhouse look but with kind of a modern twist. What I also find in so many of the homes on the show(which again I do love watching the transformations especially when I am on the treadmill) they simply look like show homes to me. My favorite episode was the one where the young couple came to them with their OWN HOUSE that had been passed down by the grandfather and they restored it for them.
And while we are on the topic of Chip and Joanna. .. Did anyone see the rates for their new Magnolia House?!?!? I got an email yesterday that they were taking bookings now so I went to check it out because I thought it would be fun for a weekend getaway . . . the first weekend I checked was in November . . . $1295 PER NIGHT!!!!!!! I thought for sure it was a typo . . . nope. . . I did manage to find some nights for weekday stays that were ONLY $695. . . SERIOUSLY??? And one weekend required a 2 NIGHT STAY. INSANE!
Amanda Thompson
Jackie, what wood is your favorite? I am wanting to replace my old white kitchen cabinets and cannot figure out what wood I want! The struggle is real.
Bev
I so agree with you about that ship lap, and there are so many other "Trends" that have been run into the ground! Will someone please put an end to those tacky chalk boards with the goofy things written on them! As a former teacher, seeing dusty chalk boards makes me cringe. I also cringe when I see those sloppy, white slip covers on couches. They are so tacky. What ever happened to having a nice looking couch? Possibly the worst is chalk painting over furniture that had a beautiful wood grain. Sub way tile looks so commercial, and I can't believe that some people think that stark, metal lighting and plumbing rods for fixtures can possibly look warm and inviting. Don't even get me started on pallet boards and burlap! (Smile!) I love your blog, Bev
kristen
Two words: THANK YOU.
The end.
Christine Irvine
Pam,
First...I love your blog. A lot! You are a talented and funny lady. I look forward to reading your posts.
We had paneling in our den growing up. One time when I was about 8 I decided to do my Mom a favor and clean the walls for her with probably that dust remover stuff. I could only reach so high and did not think of standing on a chair (or maybe I was not allowed - I don't recall). The walls were now clean and shiny from about 3/4ths of the way down...the top 1/4 was left dirty and dull. My busy Mom left it that way for years!
For a cheap ship lap look, why don't they just take paneling pieces and turn them on their sides, install them, and paint over them? Then you could go from the 70's to the 2010's in a day or so. Then if the trend reverses, just take them down and put them back up the right way. Should I contact the Gaines with this information?!
KAYE
HILARIOUS!
Kathy
I detest dusting and God knows there is plenty of dust in my house, but I have to wonder how grubby the rough texture of the ship lap gets over time. The chalk paint extravaganza has gone down the same path that the old faux painting did years ago. There are people who do it well and then there are those who try it based on Pinterest. Gunky texture in a mat finish that is impossible to clean and then you sand part of it off. Enough!
Paula@SweetPea
I've been thinking the same thing about shiplap!! I also picture 70's paneling and how terrible it is to get rid of. My grandmother put paneling in many rooms of her early 1900's house. What a disaster!
Linda
Sliding barn doors! Awful! We have a sliding barn door. Out on our barn. It creaks, scratches, and serves its purpose. But no way would I want one inside my house. Linda@Wetcreek Blog
Anita
I kind of thought I was the only one, lol! I'm not a fan of it, but maybe because there is too much of it everywhere. I think the worst thing for anything cool is for everyone to jump on the bandwagon. I want Eames chairs, but *everyone* else has Eames chairs so I won't get them. I also grew up in a house with floor to ceiling dark wood paneling, but I have to say I've seen some pretty awesome mid-century modern rooms with dark paneled accent walls, so 30-40 years from now maybe shiplap will come back in again:-)
I agree with Michelle about the reproductions. I have huge heartburn with the foreign-made-to-look-like-American vintage and antique furniture/accessories. They are not hard to spot either, but I think that is because of their deal with Wayfair. I would love to see a show really use almost exclusively American antiques in a new modern way.
Pam
I didn't realize about the Wayfair connection, but now that you mention it, that must be where they are getting some of those non-authentic "antiques".
Maureen Macisco
I'm not a fan of the look either but more than that, as much as I think Joanna is adorable, if I hear her say it one more time I'll lose it!
Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces
I don't have a problem with the shiplap since it is actually wood. We still have some paneling up in our living room from the 80's. It was oak and we painted it and we still like it. One thing I can't get on board with is wallpaper, unless it is removable. At one time every room in our house had it up...and I remember taking it DOWN. Never again.
Pam
Oh, I remember when you got rid of that wallpaper. I LOVED it!!! I keep getting offers from wallpaper companies offering me free wallpaper if I write a post about it. I'm not sure they could pay me enough to write about it and then I'm not sure they would like what I had to say about it (it might include a few bad words) 🙂
Michelle
I do also watch this show and I see all of those transformations but there are so few that really fit my style. Joanna is very creative but she is a very neutral everything white/gray girl and I like color. I do like it when she opens up walls and such. I think right now my biggest issue is seeing all of the "reproductions" that are IMO being passed off as antique/vintage, etc. No that is never necessarily said outloud but they visit all these "antique" store, yet a majority of the staging appears to be repros? am I wrong?
Wendy Johnson
I live in a house with paneling that I have yet to paint so although I like ship lap I have wondered aloud if in later years it would become the paneling of its time. Time will tell.
Sharon@BlueWillowHouse
I'm totally on board with you on the shiplap. It looks cool on TV but I wouldn't want it in my home. I've just gotten rid of all the wallpaper. Of course that will make some gasp and I know it is popular again but not in my home ever again. Lead me to the paint aisle. sb
ps I still love the Fixer Upper too.
Gail
I never liked the Lucite furniture.. I love it for about 1 day and then it is too slippery for me..ha ha
Pam
Yes!!! I imagine sticking to it in the summer also.
Marla
I'm with you. I don't get it.
I also don't get all the chalk painted furniture. A piece here or there, especially if it's one of those huge monster dressers from the 70's then it's an improvement. But painting real wood furniture with lovely grain-um no. And now people are painting upholstered chairs. No, no, no. Just no.
VICKI
Shake your head until the Brady Bunch paneling falls out, Girl!! Ugh! I guess I can cancel the Shiplap T I was going to pick up for you from Magnolia Market when I go in a few weeks. To each his own, but I love the casual and classy look of Shiplap. Best, Vicki
Pam
Take a picture of you standing in front of the shiplap for me 🙂
CW
I wouldn't be caught dead installing ship lap. I have too much dignity and self respect to stoop that low. To me asking that I put up ship lap is the equivalent of asking Rachel Ray to make a bologna sandwich. That also goes for galvanized sheet metal and faux beams. When I build a house it's a house, not a faux barn. I could rant about this for an hour, but its already too draining just thinking about it. Sorry folks, but this has been a pet peeve of mine for a while now. As you can tell.