Bilal Rehman is a luxury interior designer who has been in the industry for five years. He is currently the CEO and main designer of Bilal Rehman Studio.
And Bilal recently got over 12.6 million people questioning their own interior design skills when he created this TikTok in which he shares three things he vehemently believes make your home look cheap be able:
In his TikTok, Bilal shares “what to avoid so your house doesn’t look like a piece of shit”: MASS PRODUCTION GRAY FLOORS, FURNITURE SETS AND WALL DECOR.
According to Bilal, gray hardwood floors are super generic, suck the life out of any room you have and devalue your space.
The second no-no to home decor, says Bilal in his TikTok, is matching furniture sets. “It doesn’t feel collective, it doesn’t feel designer, it doesn’t feel premium.”
Finally, mass-produced artwork from places like HomeGoods can make your home look tacky. He suggests going to Etsy or a local artist for one-of-a-kind pieces.
As you can imagine people were screaming lol.
Many of them currently live in one of these not so luxuriously designed places.
BuzzFeed spoke to Bilal, who immediately told us that GRAY FLOORS ARE NEVER IN STYLE!
“Builders, apartments and home fixers have tried so hard to convince us all that gray floors are the new ‘it’ thing and make your space look more modern. I call that bullshit! For the same money there is a wide range of other flooring colors I would choose based on your personal style,” he said.
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So if you are wondering what types of floors are In keeping with the style, Bilal has a few suggestions:
“If I were building or renovating a home from the ground up, I would personally choose Bad Bitch Black* hardwood floors! Black flooring adds instant sex appeal to any room and makes a great base for anything you choose to layer over it. If black floors aren’t your thing, I would first analyze your personal style and what emotion you would like to evoke in your home, whether it’s whitewashed wood or one bleached oak. If wood isn’t your thing, a lighter travertine, limestone or white tile make equally good alternatives. For those of you who prefer a more traditional style, wood or tile floors in a taupe, brown or honey colored family would be one good choice,” he explained.
*Bad Bitch Black is not a hardwood floor brand (although I really wish it was), Bilal just has a passion for black floors!
When it comes to furniture sets, the most comfortable can often also be the least attractive in design. However, Bilal assured us that with the innovation and advancement in the home furnishing industry, it is now easier to find pieces that are both stylish and comfortable.
“I would also never buy furniture that is too well priced to be true as it will never live up to your expectations or the photos. Instead, try visiting local vintage shops or retailers in your area and pay attention to the details on the furniture — like the stitching, frame material, and fabric composition, as these are immediate indicators of the piece’s level of quality,” he added .
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Buying big, trendy pieces — like a plush padded frame bed — isn’t a good idea either. “Trends in this industry come and go like fashion. Before you know it, that big investment you made will be last season’s news, and you’ll have a hard-to-clean, nondescript piece.”
Bilal likens matching furniture to putting together the perfect outfit. “You want something that is comfortable, functional, stylish and fits you 1,000%. Start with your properties—like a bed, rug, or couch—and work your way up from there. Try combining the plots with other contrasting pieces. For example, if you have a wooden bed frame, don’t use wooden bedside tables. Try mixing materials and finishes to find metal or glass nightstands that contrast with the wood of your bed frame. This will instantly upgrade your space and give you that curated designer look,” he said. See how he styled his own bathroom with mismatched furniture sets here.
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Something that Bilal’s original video doesn’t mention is rugs – which he believes are important in your space. However, Bilal cautioned that a rug that is too small will not only make your space appear smaller, it can also cheapen the overall look. “When choosing a rug, the bigger the better. You want a rug that frames your room and gives you a wide enough base for at least two legs of each piece of furniture to sit on.”
According to Bilal, anything with rhinestones is also a bad vibe. “Your bed, dining room chairs, sofa and dresser shouldn’t all look like you’ve attacked them with a 2000’s rhinestone gun! My final tip is to NEVER use any lighting above 3500 on the Kelvin scale. Unless you are a practicing doctor performing illegal surgeries in your home, there is no excuse for your light to be so intense.
Finally, if hiring an interior designer is unrealistic for you, Bilal recommends looking to Pinterest for inspiration. “Some final tips to remember are: vintage shops are your friends, hang your curtains from floor to ceiling (anything shorter will only make your ceiling seem lower), use a big one Carpet, NEVER use overhead lighting and stores like HomeGoods are never the place to find art when there are so many talented local artists who put so much passion into their creations.”
If you are looking for a unique place to shop for Home Furnishings, Bilal Rehman Studio is officially opening its new headquarters and immersive shopping experience (Bilal Rehman Gallery) in Houston very soon, and is welcoming new clients for 2023. You can follow @bilalrehman on Instagram and @bilalrehmanstudio on TikTok for more updates.