At one point, a “Live, Laugh, Love” sign mounted on the wall above a sofa (or even better, the toilet) was the hallmark of cringe for DIY trends, but now it’s a little more covert. Once reserved for Gen Z’s disdain for anything they deemed embarrassing, the term cringe has firmly planted its presence in design. And we hate to break it to you, but no one is immune from being cringe—not even us.
So how do we avoid empty design when a new aesthetically driven trend appears almost daily? Whether it’s cottagecore, coquettecore, or even goblincore; it can be hard to keep up with what’s in. But at the heart of every fad is something more substantial—style. You can’t teach style; it’s what sets tastemakers apart from the rest. It’s why they’re touted as influencers. And it’s why millions of people wait with bated breath to see how they’ll incorporate trends like, say, Peach Fuzz, Pantone’s latest color of the year.
Their innately stylish and signature taste is not a result of trend-hopping but a culmination of trial and error and an instinctual understanding of design. So who better to tackle the mother of all design categories than TikTok’s favorite DIY’ers? Unfiltered and brutally honest, these eight content creators share what they love, loathe, and find totally cringe as far as DIY trends go.
Arts & Crafting a TV Frame
There was a collective sigh of relief when Samsung released The Frame, a super thin TV that mimics framed art, in 2017. When mounted on a wall, it sits flush against the wall and can display high-definition photos even when turned off. Additionally, owners can purchase frames, or bezels, to place around the TV, hence the name. Finally, an alternative to the bulky plastic hanging from our limewashed walls.
Intended to blend seamlessly with your decor, The Frame is beloved by countless interior designers, and your most design-savvy friends, for its graceful discretion. Anthony Immediato, a Philadelphia-based interior stylist known for his impeccable taste and honest takes on design trends, notes that while he understands it’s a pricey piece of technology, he doesn’t think frames work on just any TV screen. The entire purpose is to disguise your television, but DIY’ing custom frames may be doing the opposite. “This resulted in what was essentially a black box with a picture frame around it,” he explains. “To me, this makes your TV stand out more, contradicting the whole point of the DIY.”
Imani Keal, a DC-based interior decorator, also has a hot take on TVs, a subject that she’s very vocal about. “I cannot stand seeing people hide TVs in small spaces,” she confesses. “If you’re not a big TV watcher, maybe, but insinuating that a viable TV is some kind of crime is deeply annoying.” If you must disguise it, Keal recommends The Frame, but really she just wants people to stop the shaming and keep their spaces real. “Most of us watch TV and build our living rooms around that activity,” Keal adds. “There’s nothing wrong with that. It makes me cringe to watch people build a home to convey an aesthetic that isn’t real.”
The $7 Mirror Hack is Tack
Listen, we get it: Mirrors are expensive. But they’re also one of those critical pieces that can truly transform your space. However, instead of investing in a quality crafted mirror, many people are now opting for the “$7 mirror hack.” This trend involves buying multiple $7 mirrors, typically from Walmart or Target, and mounting them together to make a mirror wall.
