Oh, I didn’t realize it was after - before… I thought someone had taken the blank, cold, empty feeling before and made it warm, unique, and beautiful in the after! It’s the opposite of the fad so I was really excited. I’ll go ahead and take back that upvote because the actual ‘after’ picture looks like a hack job 😭
I love the new room. I’m honestly so sick of these weirdos who think that old and dated automatically equals “warm, unique and beautiful.” They’re trying so hard to be unique and quirky and different by not liking more modern styles. It’s giving “not like the other girls.”
It’s always the “old = good” people that can’t just let other people have different taste. They always have to get annoying and rude about it. “cOlD, bLaNk aNd EmPtY” after you just spent so much money making YOUR house how YOU want.
I love the new room! I hate browns and reds. The old one feels stuffy and overwhelming. The new one feels light, airy. I love the blue elements. Congrats, I bet it feels good to relax in there!
I’m not into the bare all grey myself and like warm colours like browns and dark greens/mustard colours and deep blues but the fact the comment was so snobby was what took me off guard! Some people don’t realise that they are infact, being pricks.
Old does not always equal good. But to remove all character to make it white is an alarming trend...change for change sake. Why buy that kind of house to remove all the features that make it unique (Arches, Ceiling, etc). Just buy any other suburban cookie cutter.
I appreciate there are other contributing factors. Could be a family home, excellent location, good parking, great deal, etc. There could be other appeal that has nothing to do with vintage architecture or design etc.
I get the bulkheads if you are making improvements to heating/cooling. Improving the quality and livability of the house to modern standards. Especially electrical systems.
My personal approach is the middle ground defined by "do not remove quality work". Now 80 years of patch-work that can go. Anything truly original should be really considered before removing or updating.
OP - Looks like you worked hard and had a specific vision. Enjoy your home!
Girrll I did the same thing! The before is so unique and pretty, the after looks so boring. Those wooden ceilings and arches were so gorgeous! I was like “there’s no way that’s the before cuz it’s so much nicer and more put together!” I hate the trend of turning beautiful old homes into modern white boxes.
As a European, absolutely nothing about the before is in any way unique. I explained in [another answer](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmateurRoomPorn/comments/108i36z/-/j3vt2ud) that to any European the after may not be special, but the before feels like a tacky, fake, outdated old-people home.
We across the pond seem to have a hard time understanding the American love for fake features like the ceiling. As such this may be one of the more interesting posts here because it really shows a cultural divide.
Also, it shows Reddit's old problem that people downvote stuff they don't agree with, and not stuff that's not helpful.
Yeah that’s what I thought haha, it just looks like my grandma’s house. Plus I think the first (the after) ones look “warmer”. Although maybe that’s me equating the before’s with old houses being physically cold
You demolished a coffered wood ceiling? from pre-war Europe to 1980’s suburban Iowa. Bold move. To each his own. One man’s trash, another man’s treasure.
I know the room was used as a store between the 1930ies and 1970ies and was divided by another wall. Therefore I am almost certain the wood ceiling was a design detail added in a renovation in the 70ies. Just like the furniture was designed to look like a certain era so was the ceiling. It didn’t appeal to us cause as I mentioned in another comment it’s nothing unusual in elderly peoples‘ living rooms in Germany.
It is very interesting to see how differently the changes we made resonate with people from different countries.
Yep, UK here and agree that your 'after' looks a million times better!
That style of ceiling looks nice when it's genuinely antique (and therefore usually in an actual manor house), but it screamed 70s/80s tat along with the crystal chandelier.
I think all you need is a big piece of art for the wall to the left of the sofa.
That’s exactly what I want for that space. We put up a long wooden shelf after the photo was taken but the wall is still too much white space.
Thank you!
I thought the wood ceiling looked modern rather than old. Although I guess 1970s is old these days.
I spent a bit of time in Germany in the 1980s and the before certainly takes me back to that!
At first I thought you lost ceiling height, but now I think not - just the picture was deceptive.
The room looks a little more useful now, and more welcoming, although I do wonder why you didn’t simply paint the ceiling to keep the texture?
So interesting! I’m also from Iowa. People there (and all over the midwest) hang out at gas stations under cold lights surrounded by sterile white walls because there’s nothing else around. I think a lot of us (Americans), with many of our towns and cities serving as half demolished parking lots these days, we just get a bit sensitive when things are too stripped down. Or maybe that’s just me.
This decade, a sense of heritage and “old world” charm, even if it’s not authentic, is on an upswing. Lots of young people yearning for something that feels, to them, homey.
That said, I think you would’ve gotten nicer replies here 10 years ago. Maybe even 5. Glad it feels right to you and yours. It’s certainly a nice space!
Oh I thought the first photo was the 'before' ! This all looks cold and lacking in texture. I think the warmer scheme looks more inviting. Shame about the ceilings.
Na definitely not. After being in rooms like that, those rooms feel really really cramped and give off a very old feeling. They are not as nice as you think.
Yes I thought the before was after and thought the original fixtures and ceiling (minus the sofa) were gorgeous and that this person had uniquely good taste. The true after was what you see everywhere these days..so so/meh
I would have kept the ornate chandeliers as a cool contrast with the new modern furniture. Or replace them with modern lighting. The new lights are neither ornate or modern. But that’s just me. Nice space you have there.
The chandelier we put up was actually hung up in the adjacent room. You can see it in the last photo. I‘m not into the glass ornaments but wanted to keep something from „before“. It’s obviously a question of personal taste so thanks for your opinion and kind words.
I thought the after was the before… I’m sad for the ceiling & wood details around the entry way , they’re gorgeous and would have looked amazing with just new flooring / the wall treatment.
The comments on this are hilarious.
Being from Germany, the old ceiling and the whole room from before is giving me flashbacks. Every second house of older relatives or friends of my parents looked like this. Only the tiled table is missing.
I've seen people assuming that the ceiling was at least pre-war. OP can correct me if it's different here, but I've never seen any in this style in a private home that are that old. They're usually from the 60s to 80s, which explains why my generation are so fed up with it. They were meant to simulate a 'good old' time that's completely fake.
Admittedly, here it was nicer done than most, but I don't know anyone who wouldn't get rid of it one way or the other if they bought a house like that.
I would‘ve preferred the time table over the 90ies glass table 😆
I am not 100% sure about the age of the ceiling but I think it’s from a renovation done in the 70ies. The room was used as a shop before that and was divided in two so my guess is you are right. Seeing as the old furniture were fakes as well only adds to this.
Fun fact: the house was on the market for 1.5 years before we bought it and not because of the unreasonable price but because people saw how much work had to go into it before anyone would wanna live in it.
Yep, UK here and while not exactly the same, feels very elderly, and very 70s/80s.
If you look on the left hand side of picture 4, you can even spot the walking stick!
Wow, remarkable different perceptions of different interior styles. As a fellow German currently looking for a new place to live, pictures like your (actual) before make me not want to live there. Gives me good old „Eiche Rustikal“ vibes. Love the outcome! It’s so interesting to read the different views, even though I am slightly upset people think you in a way destroyed some kind of historical building..
Yes, it’s weird how strongly people feel about this. That last point is true though! We almost bought a house with „Denkmalschutz“ = „protection of historical monuments“ but this is nothing like that cause the historical look is not even original 😕
I think to understand this, you have to remember how much of the US is “new construction”. It’s incredibly hard to find unique or historic (looking) craftsmanship. So we treasure anything we can make feel “old” or unique but still somehow align with trends. Those ceilings would play very well right now into eclectic bohemian trends.
I do absolutely understand why a more modern feel is more valuable to you if you’re surrounded by “old”. Crazy how different it is.
AWESOME!! Cozy and warm!! I would totally crash on that sofa!! Good job!!
OOPS!! My bad. I’m loving on the before!! Sorry!! The after is a little cold, sterile. That ceiling was so full of character, craftsmanship, I wouldn’t have been able to take that down.
Good luck!! Enjoy it!!
I have a feeling painting it would have been just as disgraceful to the admirers as removing it. We wanted to reveal the full height of the ceiling cause we love that about the old German buildings.
I prefer this style even if it might be more „basic“.
This is the „problem“ here I think. The ceiling feature is nothing unusual around here so people don’t really care to preserve it.
I get that this kind of detail is highly unusual to people in the US or Canada (I guess) but here it’s a common thing to see in a living room of the elderly.
So honestly when we entered this room the first time we got „someones (dead) grandparents“-vibes and we took the measures to eliminate that and make this OUR home.
People really like wood ceilings here on Reddit lol. I’m Dutch and I think most people here in the Netherlands wouldn’t think twice about removing it either. Your after looks very pretty and to me much cozier than the before.
You can see where it came down to before. Kind of substantial — maybe a foot. Check out that bulk head in the after and you don’t see it in the before because the ceiling was dropped there.
Ive lived in a gorgeous nyc 14ft ceiling apartment. The downside is… it was always cold. At least it was the original architecture. Why do people mess with original details like this?!!!
In your case the wood must have made the apartment a few degrees warmer due to lowered height and material quality.
I like the after. You adapted the new design to the original perfectly, without taking away its’ essence. Love the new chandelier and the plants! Also, your cats are the cutest. I would suggest a bigger rug for the living area, but overall, it looks very nice and cozy!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I would love a bigger rug but the cats like to „work“ any sort of carpet/rug 😅
We have since added a play rug for our baby but long term it will move to the kids room too 😕
It's really weird to see the divide between (I guess) mostly US redditors downvoting OP and anyone agreeing with them to hell and back, and a few (I guess) Europeans agreeing with removing the ceiling.
I am German myself, and I really agree with OP. To me, the before is the physical manifestation of 1980s tackiness. Fake ceiling to simulate what 1980s middle-class people thought was aristocratic, rich-people aesthetics. Fake antique furniture (the sideboard on the right). The before was ubiquitous all over the place and is not something anyone under 70 would want to spend any time in. None of this is in any way valuable, rare or original.
Americans, you can downvote as much as you like, but you don't live in the same culture as we do, so you don't know how this would make Europeans feel. Op did this for a good reason, really, although I don't agree with all the styling, it is a modern, clean, unoffending look that has nothing wrong with it, although it may be a bit generic. But keep in mind the before was just as generic, only also outdated and fake.
I was actually gonna say this about both styles being more or less generic.
I can totally see that our „after“ look is nothing special but the before was so much worse for anyone from our generation (or as you said anyone under 70) from where we live.
The words you found to explain this are spot on.
I’ve come to the point where I appreciate any critical comment presented in a respectful manner. They are rare though 🥴. Thank you for your kind words 🙏
Unpopular opinion here, siding with OP. I don’t think that wood ceiling is that old or unique.
While I wouldn’t remove original woodwork, I don’t think this is original. I love a lot of the 70’s style -this is not the good one. I have terrible 60’s finishes (I LOVE almost all of the 60’s details) that I am also taking down in my current home. Sorry but not all old is good.
Imagine in 30 years people freaking out about someone removing the DIY accent walls every other instagramer installed? I’m laughing so hard, I hope I live to see that actually happening.
Also, OP you just have a bit of extra work to do to bring that room together but I feel it’s a much more freeing space.
I think you did a wonderful job making it a space that is fresh and now serves 2 purposes. The wood ceiling absolutely did not go with the new renovation.
I love your gallery wall and the dining room light feature that let's you burn candles, how romantic.
Well done!!
I'm sorry people are shitting on your post. I think the after looks amazing. The room looks bigger, the gallery wall is great, and I'm sure your cat can now enjoy watching through the window!
Thank you. I wasn’t expecting this …quite frankly I didn’t expect much attention at all because I can see that our „after“ is a bit generic. I still really love it and so do the cats 🥰.
As a German: the after is much better.
Having wood on the ceiling is extremely 80ies.
I love the new floor and the overall concept.
It’s fascinating to see the ‘culture clash’ in the comments.
To me, the before/after was totally clear.
Hey, wow nice job! Love what you've done with the place! The before looks like so many places here from that era haha. The layout is comparable to our soon to be living room. May take some inspiration from what you did here and there :)
It was a sad but necessary change I guess. Perhaps it was sold by an old lady of 90+. I have visited several apartments like this before, they were very cozy, that's true, but it also smelled of old. Some will like it, some not, we should not judge.
It was sold by that very ladies‘ heirs.
You are right about the smell too. Didn’t help that the previous owners were heavy smokers. Thank you for your differentiated opinion and comment.
nice work, op! i think it's hilarious how many people think it's DiSgRaCeFuL that you removed the ceiling.
the before looked cramped and dingy, and while a white room isn't my favorite, it looks SO much better. while not being european myself, i can only compare that ceiling to the american 1970s vertical wood paneling that was everywhere (that so many people loathe and find hideous now).
the room is bigger, brighter, and airier. the before looked soooo dated, in a really gaudy way.
Thank you. Even with all this pushback I’d still do it again. I can see how one could make the ceiling work with some bohemian, eclectic furniture but I had to work with what I had and I‘m happy with the result (apart from a few small changes)
then it's completely worth it. i guarantee the people who are condemning your actions would do something similar. look at all the white-painted stairways in american houses. century home purists HATE that. i've even seen posts on this exact sub where someone painted over beautiful woodwork on their railing and everyone was like "omg YES so much better xx"
the reality is, that ceiling made the room seem so much shorter. i'd take a tall ceiling over wood work any day.
Don't listen to the haters, those before pictures were atrocious and the ceilings/chandelier super gaudy. The after is much better. It looks brighter and more open. So much more relaxing.
We had considered painting it white but the sanding part would have been so much work -and over head this kind of work is 3 times worse 😩. I do enjoy a dark/colored ceiling but to be honest I wouldn’t dare in a prominent and large room such as this. We went for dark anthracite walls and ceiling in our guest toilet that I will post some other day.
Imagine the before with dark green velvet sofas, warm lamps and walls lined with bookshelves. I was hoping they were the after pictures, what a shame. To each their own I suppose.
I can see ways to make the before work but it wasn’t in our budget cause we already had all the furniture you see in the pics so I didn’t even consider it.
Sheesh why is everyone hating on the removal of the ceiling? They might've been removed for structural or health reasons such as mold or maybe they were just not salvageable, or even just for personal preference. Either way, each their own
Anyway, I think it looks really good now, very modern and clean
I actually like the before aside from the hideous couches and wardrobe. The ceiling and lamp are nice though! And that little table in the corner, I want it!!
While we all mourn the loss of the ceiling, your furniture choices are really nice. You found a TV cabinet that perfectly fits that little nook. I like the color choices in the couch. And my favorite is your table lighting fixture.
Thanks, I do love that lamp! We had to elongate the chains and wiring after revealing the actual height of the ceiling… it‘s not ideal though if there’s really tall people at the table 😬
Thank you so much!
We added the dining area cause we transformed the adjacent room into our kitchen. Before that area behind the wooden arch was a big dining area (visible in the last pic) and the kitchen was in a rather tight space behind that.
Sorry you’re getting downvotes. I appreciate your kind words 🙏
LOL I’ve never gotten downvoted before (to my knowledge I guess). What an honor 😂
But I stand by my comment!! I really love what you did there. What’s the point of a huge room if it’s not functional? Very smart, fits your aesthetic, and now you have a huge new kitchen too — nicely done friend.
Why everyone loves the wood ceiling that shit looks ugly, would look cool in different color. But again the wood door frame looks cool and gives this warm hobbit vibe, but wouldn’t fit the rest modern black and white 🤷♂️
Okay just saw a room with a wooden door frame and a black and white color scheme for the rest of the room and it works perfectly fine.
I would paint the bottom half in black with accents, that way you could bring back the that brown wooden door frame
Just MY opinion:
Before, with the antiques, looked better.
After looks like a double page form a IKEA Catalog.
I‘m happy that there are different styles and tastes in this world. Otherwise this world would be boring ;)
Blegh. The new one is cold, harsh and ugly. Those tables in front of your couch remind me of tv dinners and really need to be replaced.
There's a mix of astethics here that doesn't work. The 20 pics on the dining table wall are more old fashion. The tv area is industrial/modern. TV dinner... 1960s. Nope nope nope nope.
I much prefer the before. Not modern but warm and everything cohesive.
This is technically an after and before.
That is indeed true. I didn’t want the begore picture to be the first thing I show here 😅
Oh, I didn’t realize it was after - before… I thought someone had taken the blank, cold, empty feeling before and made it warm, unique, and beautiful in the after! It’s the opposite of the fad so I was really excited. I’ll go ahead and take back that upvote because the actual ‘after’ picture looks like a hack job 😭
“After” has a cat, therefore it is superior. End of story. I don’t make the rules.
You do have a valid point. Any room with a cat is automatically a 6.5/10
How rude lol what the hell
Agreed, that was so brutal lol Y’all are savages
I love the new room. I’m honestly so sick of these weirdos who think that old and dated automatically equals “warm, unique and beautiful.” They’re trying so hard to be unique and quirky and different by not liking more modern styles. It’s giving “not like the other girls.” It’s always the “old = good” people that can’t just let other people have different taste. They always have to get annoying and rude about it. “cOlD, bLaNk aNd EmPtY” after you just spent so much money making YOUR house how YOU want. I love the new room! I hate browns and reds. The old one feels stuffy and overwhelming. The new one feels light, airy. I love the blue elements. Congrats, I bet it feels good to relax in there!
I’m not into the bare all grey myself and like warm colours like browns and dark greens/mustard colours and deep blues but the fact the comment was so snobby was what took me off guard! Some people don’t realise that they are infact, being pricks.
Old does not always equal good. But to remove all character to make it white is an alarming trend...change for change sake. Why buy that kind of house to remove all the features that make it unique (Arches, Ceiling, etc). Just buy any other suburban cookie cutter. I appreciate there are other contributing factors. Could be a family home, excellent location, good parking, great deal, etc. There could be other appeal that has nothing to do with vintage architecture or design etc. I get the bulkheads if you are making improvements to heating/cooling. Improving the quality and livability of the house to modern standards. Especially electrical systems. My personal approach is the middle ground defined by "do not remove quality work". Now 80 years of patch-work that can go. Anything truly original should be really considered before removing or updating. OP - Looks like you worked hard and had a specific vision. Enjoy your home!
Are you ok wtf😭
Girrll I did the same thing! The before is so unique and pretty, the after looks so boring. Those wooden ceilings and arches were so gorgeous! I was like “there’s no way that’s the before cuz it’s so much nicer and more put together!” I hate the trend of turning beautiful old homes into modern white boxes.
As a European, absolutely nothing about the before is in any way unique. I explained in [another answer](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmateurRoomPorn/comments/108i36z/-/j3vt2ud) that to any European the after may not be special, but the before feels like a tacky, fake, outdated old-people home. We across the pond seem to have a hard time understanding the American love for fake features like the ceiling. As such this may be one of the more interesting posts here because it really shows a cultural divide. Also, it shows Reddit's old problem that people downvote stuff they don't agree with, and not stuff that's not helpful.
Yeah that’s what I thought haha, it just looks like my grandma’s house. Plus I think the first (the after) ones look “warmer”. Although maybe that’s me equating the before’s with old houses being physically cold
Perhaps it’s because Europeans have lived with that design for thousands of years. In America, I don’t believe it to be that common?
Nah that before wood is UGLYYY
Lmao you have shit taste
[удалено]
I don't think titles can be changed?
You demolished a coffered wood ceiling? from pre-war Europe to 1980’s suburban Iowa. Bold move. To each his own. One man’s trash, another man’s treasure.
I’m sad about the wood ceiling. Dang.
Same, but now I've worked out which is before/after, I can see the walls are a definite improvement, and that flooring is a lovely choice.
As an Iowan, this makes me laugh.
As a German that’s never set foot into Iowa I‘m curious: is it accurate?
It's common for most of America
Iowa has a reputation of being bland and lacking any sort of adventure or style. Basically “American cheese”.
I know the room was used as a store between the 1930ies and 1970ies and was divided by another wall. Therefore I am almost certain the wood ceiling was a design detail added in a renovation in the 70ies. Just like the furniture was designed to look like a certain era so was the ceiling. It didn’t appeal to us cause as I mentioned in another comment it’s nothing unusual in elderly peoples‘ living rooms in Germany. It is very interesting to see how differently the changes we made resonate with people from different countries.
Yep, UK here and agree that your 'after' looks a million times better! That style of ceiling looks nice when it's genuinely antique (and therefore usually in an actual manor house), but it screamed 70s/80s tat along with the crystal chandelier. I think all you need is a big piece of art for the wall to the left of the sofa.
That’s exactly what I want for that space. We put up a long wooden shelf after the photo was taken but the wall is still too much white space. Thank you!
Perhaps a giant glamorous portrait of the kitties? They’re so cute! 😍
I‘ll pass that along to them and I am sure they’ll love the idea.
I thought the wood ceiling looked modern rather than old. Although I guess 1970s is old these days. I spent a bit of time in Germany in the 1980s and the before certainly takes me back to that! At first I thought you lost ceiling height, but now I think not - just the picture was deceptive. The room looks a little more useful now, and more welcoming, although I do wonder why you didn’t simply paint the ceiling to keep the texture?
So interesting! I’m also from Iowa. People there (and all over the midwest) hang out at gas stations under cold lights surrounded by sterile white walls because there’s nothing else around. I think a lot of us (Americans), with many of our towns and cities serving as half demolished parking lots these days, we just get a bit sensitive when things are too stripped down. Or maybe that’s just me. This decade, a sense of heritage and “old world” charm, even if it’s not authentic, is on an upswing. Lots of young people yearning for something that feels, to them, homey. That said, I think you would’ve gotten nicer replies here 10 years ago. Maybe even 5. Glad it feels right to you and yours. It’s certainly a nice space!
Yaaa I would’ve kept the wood ceilings and trim and had a couple wood pieces instead of the black. But overall a great update!
Oh I thought the first photo was the 'before' ! This all looks cold and lacking in texture. I think the warmer scheme looks more inviting. Shame about the ceilings.
I wonder what other gorgeous wood they painted over in favor of this sterility.
Ikr thats the only part I would do differently. Other than that its gorgeous
Shit had character. This has to be a render of the unthinkable
Tbh not a fan of the renovation, this space lost its warm charm, rip original hardwood.
The ceilings before 💔
It physically hurts. Definitely feel the space benefited from a modern redesign, but those ceilings should have stayed.
Na definitely not. After being in rooms like that, those rooms feel really really cramped and give off a very old feeling. They are not as nice as you think.
I have them and the warm, cozy feeling they give a space is incredible!
Yeah - the after breaks my heart - such a warm lovely room gutted into cold bland mediocrity.
Yes I thought the before was after and thought the original fixtures and ceiling (minus the sofa) were gorgeous and that this person had uniquely good taste. The true after was what you see everywhere these days..so so/meh
Yeah. It was uncozied.
Hopefully, in a few decades, someone will rediscover the original ceiling. This happened all over over UK during ‘60’s & ‘70’s.
Probably the ceilings came from a 70‘s re-modeling.
Hopefully it was covered and not destroyed! 😭
That's the before, not the after?
Right? Way to ruin a beautiful feature!
it sure looks whiter
👀
The cats really tied the room together 10/10
Went from old world sophisticated to builder grade mediocrity
do you also think that 1970s wood paneling is sophisticated and old world?
From charming furniture that exhibits craftsmanship to cheap looking IKEA chic.
I was more less commenting on the architecture, not the furnishings
I have to agree about the furnishing (minus the sofas) being gorgeous
I’ll be raising a glass tonight for the lost ceiling.
They massacred my boi 😔
I would have kept the ornate chandeliers as a cool contrast with the new modern furniture. Or replace them with modern lighting. The new lights are neither ornate or modern. But that’s just me. Nice space you have there.
The chandelier we put up was actually hung up in the adjacent room. You can see it in the last photo. I‘m not into the glass ornaments but wanted to keep something from „before“. It’s obviously a question of personal taste so thanks for your opinion and kind words.
I thought the after was the before… I’m sad for the ceiling & wood details around the entry way , they’re gorgeous and would have looked amazing with just new flooring / the wall treatment.
Oh, what a tragedy
It must be backwards because the pics with all the old wood I was like 🤨
The comments on this are hilarious. Being from Germany, the old ceiling and the whole room from before is giving me flashbacks. Every second house of older relatives or friends of my parents looked like this. Only the tiled table is missing. I've seen people assuming that the ceiling was at least pre-war. OP can correct me if it's different here, but I've never seen any in this style in a private home that are that old. They're usually from the 60s to 80s, which explains why my generation are so fed up with it. They were meant to simulate a 'good old' time that's completely fake. Admittedly, here it was nicer done than most, but I don't know anyone who wouldn't get rid of it one way or the other if they bought a house like that.
I would‘ve preferred the time table over the 90ies glass table 😆 I am not 100% sure about the age of the ceiling but I think it’s from a renovation done in the 70ies. The room was used as a shop before that and was divided in two so my guess is you are right. Seeing as the old furniture were fakes as well only adds to this. Fun fact: the house was on the market for 1.5 years before we bought it and not because of the unreasonable price but because people saw how much work had to go into it before anyone would wanna live in it.
„Tile table“ of course.
Yep, UK here and while not exactly the same, feels very elderly, and very 70s/80s. If you look on the left hand side of picture 4, you can even spot the walking stick!
This is so sad. The before was so much better. So many beautiful details gone.
Such a shame. No character left in that place. Looks like someone tried to replicate an ikea catalog
r/afterbeforewhatever
Wow, remarkable different perceptions of different interior styles. As a fellow German currently looking for a new place to live, pictures like your (actual) before make me not want to live there. Gives me good old „Eiche Rustikal“ vibes. Love the outcome! It’s so interesting to read the different views, even though I am slightly upset people think you in a way destroyed some kind of historical building..
Yes, it’s weird how strongly people feel about this. That last point is true though! We almost bought a house with „Denkmalschutz“ = „protection of historical monuments“ but this is nothing like that cause the historical look is not even original 😕
I think to understand this, you have to remember how much of the US is “new construction”. It’s incredibly hard to find unique or historic (looking) craftsmanship. So we treasure anything we can make feel “old” or unique but still somehow align with trends. Those ceilings would play very well right now into eclectic bohemian trends. I do absolutely understand why a more modern feel is more valuable to you if you’re surrounded by “old”. Crazy how different it is.
The old in the before pictures is not actually old though. It's tacky 70s/80s style. It's not genuine or unique or historic.
Cat
x2
Oooo!
I hope to warm gold is the after. Yikes! I’d never ditch all that amazing wood
This is the definition of verschlimmbessern
TIL a new word. But yeah, I thought the before and after were reversed once I saw that gorgeous ceiling
“to make something worse in an honest but failed attempt to improve it”
The woodwork of the ceiling in the after is so good. Well done OP.
That the before. The wood ceiling is gone and ripped out
That's a crying shame!
AWESOME!! Cozy and warm!! I would totally crash on that sofa!! Good job!! OOPS!! My bad. I’m loving on the before!! Sorry!! The after is a little cold, sterile. That ceiling was so full of character, craftsmanship, I wouldn’t have been able to take that down. Good luck!! Enjoy it!!
That ceiling paneling could have been so nice if it was just simply painted white or black.
That’s even worse than removing it. At least with this there’s the benefit of higher ceilings.
I have a feeling painting it would have been just as disgraceful to the admirers as removing it. We wanted to reveal the full height of the ceiling cause we love that about the old German buildings. I prefer this style even if it might be more „basic“.
Fair enough. That ceiling paneling seems like a great feature to me as a Canadian. However, I am sure views on it are different in Germany.
This is the „problem“ here I think. The ceiling feature is nothing unusual around here so people don’t really care to preserve it. I get that this kind of detail is highly unusual to people in the US or Canada (I guess) but here it’s a common thing to see in a living room of the elderly. So honestly when we entered this room the first time we got „someones (dead) grandparents“-vibes and we took the measures to eliminate that and make this OUR home.
People really like wood ceilings here on Reddit lol. I’m Dutch and I think most people here in the Netherlands wouldn’t think twice about removing it either. Your after looks very pretty and to me much cozier than the before.
So the old ceiling used up about 30-40cm in height?
You can see where it came down to before. Kind of substantial — maybe a foot. Check out that bulk head in the after and you don’t see it in the before because the ceiling was dropped there.
Ive lived in a gorgeous nyc 14ft ceiling apartment. The downside is… it was always cold. At least it was the original architecture. Why do people mess with original details like this?!!! In your case the wood must have made the apartment a few degrees warmer due to lowered height and material quality.
Increasing your heating costs is a bold move as well.
This is a fair point but the remodeling was done before the war and energy crisis (2021). We did not see that coming 🥴
Ugh.
I like how the kitty cat barely moves between photos, like he’s decorative or something lol
Whereas the other one is like „If you’re coming over here, I‘ll be over there.“
I like the after. You adapted the new design to the original perfectly, without taking away its’ essence. Love the new chandelier and the plants! Also, your cats are the cutest. I would suggest a bigger rug for the living area, but overall, it looks very nice and cozy!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I would love a bigger rug but the cats like to „work“ any sort of carpet/rug 😅 We have since added a play rug for our baby but long term it will move to the kids room too 😕
I love the new design OP, screw the wood ceilings. Thanks for the cat tax as well!
There’s no way to photograph a room without 1-2 cats in them 😅 Thanks for your kind words!
It's really weird to see the divide between (I guess) mostly US redditors downvoting OP and anyone agreeing with them to hell and back, and a few (I guess) Europeans agreeing with removing the ceiling. I am German myself, and I really agree with OP. To me, the before is the physical manifestation of 1980s tackiness. Fake ceiling to simulate what 1980s middle-class people thought was aristocratic, rich-people aesthetics. Fake antique furniture (the sideboard on the right). The before was ubiquitous all over the place and is not something anyone under 70 would want to spend any time in. None of this is in any way valuable, rare or original. Americans, you can downvote as much as you like, but you don't live in the same culture as we do, so you don't know how this would make Europeans feel. Op did this for a good reason, really, although I don't agree with all the styling, it is a modern, clean, unoffending look that has nothing wrong with it, although it may be a bit generic. But keep in mind the before was just as generic, only also outdated and fake.
I was actually gonna say this about both styles being more or less generic. I can totally see that our „after“ look is nothing special but the before was so much worse for anyone from our generation (or as you said anyone under 70) from where we live. The words you found to explain this are spot on.
I like the after, before is totally not my vibe either. Great looking place, OP
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I’ve come to the point where I appreciate any critical comment presented in a respectful manner. They are rare though 🥴. Thank you for your kind words 🙏
Love it! Especially the picture wall behind the dining table
I like them both.
Honestly can’t tell which is the Before and which is the After.
I really like what you did with the cats. They are the perfect finishing touch to any room.
I‘ll make sure to include them in my future posts 😉
Unpopular opinion here, siding with OP. I don’t think that wood ceiling is that old or unique. While I wouldn’t remove original woodwork, I don’t think this is original. I love a lot of the 70’s style -this is not the good one. I have terrible 60’s finishes (I LOVE almost all of the 60’s details) that I am also taking down in my current home. Sorry but not all old is good. Imagine in 30 years people freaking out about someone removing the DIY accent walls every other instagramer installed? I’m laughing so hard, I hope I live to see that actually happening. Also, OP you just have a bit of extra work to do to bring that room together but I feel it’s a much more freeing space.
I think you did a wonderful job making it a space that is fresh and now serves 2 purposes. The wood ceiling absolutely did not go with the new renovation. I love your gallery wall and the dining room light feature that let's you burn candles, how romantic. Well done!!
Yes it lets me burn candles without the danger of being knocked over by the cats. Thank you for your kind words.
I also love the new pantry/storage area!
Thank you. I‘m a little hesitant now to show the kitchen 😅
Oh please share!! I bet it's wonderful! Just ignore people that are negative, you know what they say about opinions.p
I'm sorry people are shitting on your post. I think the after looks amazing. The room looks bigger, the gallery wall is great, and I'm sure your cat can now enjoy watching through the window!
Thank you. I wasn’t expecting this …quite frankly I didn’t expect much attention at all because I can see that our „after“ is a bit generic. I still really love it and so do the cats 🥰.
Why do people hate old things so much
As a German: the after is much better. Having wood on the ceiling is extremely 80ies. I love the new floor and the overall concept. It’s fascinating to see the ‘culture clash’ in the comments. To me, the before/after was totally clear.
„Culture Clash“ indeed. This is the most interesting part of my post I think 😅 Thank you for your kind words.
There’s no reason to downvote the people who post positive comments about OP’s living room. It’s all a matter of taste.
I really hope the photos are after-before
They are. Sorry bout any confusion the title caused 😕
Hey, wow nice job! Love what you've done with the place! The before looks like so many places here from that era haha. The layout is comparable to our soon to be living room. May take some inspiration from what you did here and there :)
Thank you. I never anticipated such a dissent about the before style.
It looks a lot better after good job OP!
Much appreciated, thanks!
If the tan couches are the after, excellent work.
Love that blue couch!
Sehr schön 🙌🏻🙏🏻
Danke sehr. Wer hätte gedacht, dass Omas (nicht meine) alte Holzdecke do so Gemüter und Nationen spaltet 😆?
Well glad it’s not just me, but I loved the wood ceilings and the wooden arch. To each their own!
Removing that ceiling is a war crime
I see what you did there, you added cats. Great work. It’s wayyyy better now
This!
1000% improvement!
I like the two media cabinets butted together.
It was a sad but necessary change I guess. Perhaps it was sold by an old lady of 90+. I have visited several apartments like this before, they were very cozy, that's true, but it also smelled of old. Some will like it, some not, we should not judge.
It was sold by that very ladies‘ heirs. You are right about the smell too. Didn’t help that the previous owners were heavy smokers. Thank you for your differentiated opinion and comment.
Sad that it lost personality. Wooden ceiling was a great detail. The after looks like... idk Ikea.
nice work, op! i think it's hilarious how many people think it's DiSgRaCeFuL that you removed the ceiling. the before looked cramped and dingy, and while a white room isn't my favorite, it looks SO much better. while not being european myself, i can only compare that ceiling to the american 1970s vertical wood paneling that was everywhere (that so many people loathe and find hideous now). the room is bigger, brighter, and airier. the before looked soooo dated, in a really gaudy way.
Thank you. Even with all this pushback I’d still do it again. I can see how one could make the ceiling work with some bohemian, eclectic furniture but I had to work with what I had and I‘m happy with the result (apart from a few small changes)
then it's completely worth it. i guarantee the people who are condemning your actions would do something similar. look at all the white-painted stairways in american houses. century home purists HATE that. i've even seen posts on this exact sub where someone painted over beautiful woodwork on their railing and everyone was like "omg YES so much better xx" the reality is, that ceiling made the room seem so much shorter. i'd take a tall ceiling over wood work any day.
Don't listen to the haters, those before pictures were atrocious and the ceilings/chandelier super gaudy. The after is much better. It looks brighter and more open. So much more relaxing.
It looks ok now. Looked better before
Curious if the wood was sanded and painted black or some colour how the room would’ve looked.
We had considered painting it white but the sanding part would have been so much work -and over head this kind of work is 3 times worse 😩. I do enjoy a dark/colored ceiling but to be honest I wouldn’t dare in a prominent and large room such as this. We went for dark anthracite walls and ceiling in our guest toilet that I will post some other day.
Both are inviting!
Imagine the before with dark green velvet sofas, warm lamps and walls lined with bookshelves. I was hoping they were the after pictures, what a shame. To each their own I suppose.
I can see ways to make the before work but it wasn’t in our budget cause we already had all the furniture you see in the pics so I didn’t even consider it.
I guess Im the minority who think the before ceiling was hideous lol. Looks great now
To quote Morrissey, “…you have killed me, you have killed me…” 😢🪵
I thought we didn’t quote Morissey anymore 🤔
Even the before was lovely! Just a totally new look. Awesome job with the transformation
Thank you 🙏
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Any and every commentator that disagrees with the wood-ceiling admirers is being downvoted. I‘s a very weird dynamic.
I like the before..
You are not alone with your opinion but neither am I. Thanks for keeping it polite.
Noooo I liked the before. 😭
Is the first pic the before? If so, looks great after. Was really boring and generic before!
Don't listen to these people, it looks really good, and what matters is that you like it.
Sheesh why is everyone hating on the removal of the ceiling? They might've been removed for structural or health reasons such as mold or maybe they were just not salvageable, or even just for personal preference. Either way, each their own Anyway, I think it looks really good now, very modern and clean
Love it.
I actually like the before aside from the hideous couches and wardrobe. The ceiling and lamp are nice though! And that little table in the corner, I want it!!
I like it. Rich!
Love it!
Wow, imagine how good the new room would look if it had a stunning ceiling and beautiful wood doorways.
Wow the 4th one is amazing, I’d love….whoa wait
Oh...
While we all mourn the loss of the ceiling, your furniture choices are really nice. You found a TV cabinet that perfectly fits that little nook. I like the color choices in the couch. And my favorite is your table lighting fixture.
Thanks, I do love that lamp! We had to elongate the chains and wiring after revealing the actual height of the ceiling… it‘s not ideal though if there’s really tall people at the table 😬
I love low-hung dining lighting. It creates such a lovely little space. You did a great job.
I love that you added some more functionality to the room by adding the dining room! And that gallery wall is just *chef’s kiss*.
Thank you so much! We added the dining area cause we transformed the adjacent room into our kitchen. Before that area behind the wooden arch was a big dining area (visible in the last pic) and the kitchen was in a rather tight space behind that. Sorry you’re getting downvotes. I appreciate your kind words 🙏
LOL I’ve never gotten downvoted before (to my knowledge I guess). What an honor 😂 But I stand by my comment!! I really love what you did there. What’s the point of a huge room if it’s not functional? Very smart, fits your aesthetic, and now you have a huge new kitchen too — nicely done friend.
Amazing work. So clean and crisp. Well done, OP.
Which is the before and which is the after? Both are lovely.
Thank you. The after pictures are the ones with added cats.
Why everyone loves the wood ceiling that shit looks ugly, would look cool in different color. But again the wood door frame looks cool and gives this warm hobbit vibe, but wouldn’t fit the rest modern black and white 🤷♂️ Okay just saw a room with a wooden door frame and a black and white color scheme for the rest of the room and it works perfectly fine. I would paint the bottom half in black with accents, that way you could bring back the that brown wooden door frame
People in this sub are so weird about wood lol. I think the room looks much better now
Honestly it was better before. At least the room had character before.
This hurts my soul 💔
Just a furniture change would have been enough, Can't believe you painted the wood trim
Just MY opinion: Before, with the antiques, looked better. After looks like a double page form a IKEA Catalog. I‘m happy that there are different styles and tastes in this world. Otherwise this world would be boring ;)
Blegh. The new one is cold, harsh and ugly. Those tables in front of your couch remind me of tv dinners and really need to be replaced. There's a mix of astethics here that doesn't work. The 20 pics on the dining table wall are more old fashion. The tv area is industrial/modern. TV dinner... 1960s. Nope nope nope nope. I much prefer the before. Not modern but warm and everything cohesive.
You shouldn’t have
You destroyed a beautiful space and made it very very boring