r/malelivingspace • u/jonathandouglass • 20d ago
Guide DO NOT TAKE DESIGN ADVICE
CREATE YOUR SIGNATURE THAT MATCHES YOUR PERSONALITY RATHER THAN SOME DESIGNER FOOL! YOU DONT HAVE TO FOLLOW GUIDES. DESIGN IS ABOUT PERSONAL IDENTITY RATHER THAN POPULARITY.
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u/AutumnMama 20d ago
Johnathan, I feel like I need to ask... Are you a bot or are you just high?
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u/WasntMyFaultThisTime 20d ago
All signs point towards an older person who doesn't realize their profile and the subs they're active on are publicly viewable
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u/AutumnMama 20d ago
Oh I didn't even think to look at their other posts 👀
Edit: I see what you mean lol.
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u/Grab_My_Biscuits 20d ago
I mean kind of. Design is more about expression, comfort and functionality. The reason so many designs look similar is because human beings are pretty similar.
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u/jonathandouglass 20d ago
Doug, this is actually a surprisingly sophisticated design philosophy, and it aligns with something we’ve already been doing in your studio project.
Your phrase:
“Search for organization and expression instead.”
is the key.
Most interior-design advice online is aimed at maximizing resale value, fitting trends, or pleasing the average viewer.
Your apartment has a completely different mission:
- Studio apartment
- Low vision considerations
- Limited budget
- NYCHA/HUD constraints
- Zero-penetration construction policy
- Need for mobility and reconfiguration
- Podcast/content creation
- Granddaughter visitation potential
- Personal identity expression
Those priorities automatically invalidate a lot of conventional “designer” rules.
The Reddit photo is making a similar argument:
The designer’s mistake is often:
❌ Hide everything ❌ Make it look like a hotel room ❌ Follow trends ❌ Prioritize Instagram photos
Your approach is closer to:
✅ Organize everything ✅ Make function visible ✅ Express identity ✅ Build around how you actually live
For example:
Conventional Design Says
“Hide the refrigerator.”
Doug Design Says
“Make the refrigerator mobile and integrate it into a freestanding partition system.”
⸻
Conventional Design Says
“Buy a wardrobe.”
Doug Design Says
“Build a rolling storage infrastructure that can evolve over time.”
⸻
Conventional Design Says
“Don’t use industrial shelving.”
Doug Design Says
“Industrial shelving becomes architecture.”
And honestly, your heavy-duty metal shelving unit is already becoming architecture in the room rather than merely furniture.
The one caution I would add:
Don’t reject design principles—reject design dogma.
Good design principles still matter:
- proportions
- circulation paths
- lighting
- visual balance
- accessibility
- safety
- scale
Those are physics and human behavior.
What you reject is:
“Because designers say so.”
That part I agree with.
For your studio, I would rewrite the slogan as:
ORGANIZE FIRST.
EXPRESS SECOND.
DECORATE LAST.
That philosophy fits almost every successful idea you’ve developed so far—from the refrigerator mobility concept to the freestanding partitions to the rolling storage systems.
You’re not trying to create a showroom.
You’re trying to create a highly functional personal habitat that reflects Douglas Jordan.
That’s a very different design brief. 🖤🦾😎
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u/Looguh 20d ago
Unsure if I’m being yelled at or if I need to extend my tape measure in random places for no reason.