DIY Home Sparks Viral Debate Over Bold Style

Imagine building something from the ground up; a lasting home for your family that you carved from a bare foundation into your dream home. Who wouldn’t want to share the fruits of their labor online? Joseph Wilder, aka u/itsjoejoeyjoseph on Reddit, did just that, hoping it might inspire other homebuilders. He could not have anticipated the internet’s response.

His custom home went absolutely viral. Photos of the kitchen and bathroom interiors garnered over 8 million views in the first 48 hours and over 11,000 comments. Unfortunately, the comments weren’t exactly singing the home’s praise:

Here’s the kitchen design that set the r/homebuilding community on fire:

From the granite countertops to the cabinetry, the color palette, and even the sink, people had a LOT to say about this kitchen. Someone even commented, “The longer you look, the worse it gets.” Others had equally despairing comments about the kitchen’s style:

In the original post, homebuilder Joseph was adamant that the kitchen was his favorite part of the home, and the result perfectly fit his wife’s and his tastes. Joseph told BuzzFeed, “The design choices came from our own interests and preferences. We wanted to create something that, when we look at it, feels both modern and rustic at the same time.”

He said he wanted the kitchen to be “calm and inviting but also vibrant and different. White doors with black hardware, cool white paint with gray undertones, and grey marble-look flooring were chosen for their simplicity and elegant feel.”

In the original post’s description, Joseph mentioned that his father was a cabinet shop owner and that they had completed the home together. While his father’s work may have eased in securing and installing cabinets, redditors were quick to pick apart their selection and design:

I spotted at least 18 cabinets. Most city dwellers would kill for this amount of cabinet and storage space in their kitchens, but Joseph shared that the cabinets were “largely a visual choice rather than trying to maximize storage.”

Even with a hefty collection of tableware, tools, and kitchen gadgets — including a fondue pot, a wok, and a sous vide circulator — the design left room for a squatter: Joseph’s son. “My 2-year-old son has claimed a few of the base cabinets, where he likes to keep some toys and play,” he said.

Other interior design choices also perplexed many, especially the stark contrast of the black-and-white countertop with cherry cabinetry.

People were divided on whether or not they liked the countertops. Many appreciated his unique choice of granite and the custom backsplash to match. Here are some of their more positive reactions:

Many users also pointed out the seemingly random placement of more than a dozen recessed lights, with one commenting, “It looks like he installed them using a shotgun.”

Another feature of the kitchen people took issue with was the sink. Multiple faucets for a single basin made little sense to many commenters; one of whom said he was a plumber and remarked that he had never installed a sink like it.

When I asked about the controversial dual faucet feature, Joseph had a heartwarming justification: cooking with his wife. “Whether it be cooking or doing dishes together, the dual faucets make it easier and more fun,” he told me, “Multiple faucets allow us to be playful in the kitchen and spend more time together, even for something as mundane as prepping dinner or washing sippy cups.”

Joseph also included images of the bathroom in the original post, which users were quick to comment on. Their bathroom design is equally as one-of-a-kind as the kitchen:

Overall, comments were kinder to this design:

Some still had issues with it, though. One user pointed out the lack of “precious counter space” taken up by “yet MORE cabinets.”

Despite the most disparaging comments from the cabinet-haters, Joseph shared: “It was a neat feeling to watch pictures of my work get millions of views, and I was happy that I could share something that I created with my dad with so many people. I got a lot of messages from people telling me that they would have given anything to do something like this with their dad, so it really reinforced the sentiment I have behind this kitchen.”

As far as the haters go, they haven’t swayed Joseph out of loving his newly-built home. He told BuzzFeed, “The opinions of others do not easily sway me. When I like something, other people’s opinions or preferences don’t influence me. I’ve always had unconventional style preferences, whether it be the shoes on my feet, the paint job on my cars, or, in this case, the design of my house.”

Joseph was only 28 when he began building his home: “[My wife and I] were a few years into our engineering careers, with a lot of student loan debt. As unfortunate as COVID was, it resulted in a pause on student loan payments, allowing us to set aside the payment that eventually went toward the house build.” By moving in with Joseph’s dad while they built it, they were also able to put their saved rent money toward the home itself. “As crazy as it sounds,” Joseph said, “just three years of set-aside student loan payments and 18 months of saved rent covered more than 50% of the home build.”

“It was absolutely worth it,” he added. “Overall, we built a highly personalized home at a very low cost, especially compared to the cost of buying something similar. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into building this home for my family, which I will always be proud of.”

Wilder shared his advice for homebuilders and those taking on DIY home improvement projects: “Don’t be afraid to be different. Do what makes you and your family happy. If the next person doesn’t like it, hopefully, they, too, will one day have the opportunity to make a home that’s their own.”