If you love to hate the ugly houses that became ubiquitous before (and after) the bubble burst you've come to the right place. Kate Wagner is the author of the blog McMansionHell, which aims to educate the general public about architecture, design, and urbanism by making examples of America’s most despised architectural style. Kate Wagner's personal research is in how socioeconomic changes in the last 36 years are reflected in architecture and design at the consumer level. Kate is currently a first-year master’s student in Acoustics, a joint venture between Johns Hopkins University and Peabody Conservatory. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Comments

1. Loved this and love her blog.
2. Mcmansion developments are glorified trailer parks.
3. I love your blog and I find your writing very funny and educational. But oh boy, you sounded very nervous here. Hope you can get more practice by doing more talks!
4. I love it! You are adorable! Thank you! You have a beautiful humor and you speak the truth! Great talk! I aspire!
5. 4 McMansions disliked this video.
6. The world has more than enough houses period. How about we stop urban sprawl altogether? Don't have enough space? Stop breeding!
7. What do u mean they r ugly? A lot of them are gorgeous looking you are probably just some one who thinks they are an architectural critic because you have nothing better to do no offence
8. it this the girl who does Mcmansion hell?? on tumblr? ive been a fan of that blog forever.
9. Thank you for explaining to us the important "why".
   I love your blog. Keep up the great work, please.
10. Brava
11. Great job Kate! Judging the reactions from the limited vocabulary posters in the comment section, it would appear that you've struck a nerve with the half-arsed and lazy builders that are responsible for these horribly constructed monstrosities, because why in the world would people be offended by you educating the typical consumer on why not to purchase these homes?
12. Loved it!
13. You are such a gem! I love this, and you! Keep on, you brilliant lady.
14. She wears that dress and has that hair, but she lectures others on aesthetics. I'm laughing my a** off.
15. Stupid, she should worry about that hair and dress more than how other people choose to have a home. I'm truly scared to see what her house looks like lol
16. This was one of my favorite talks that day haha I knew nothing about McMansions but have definitely seen them
17. Great job! I follow the McMansionHell blog on tumblr and it's really brought a lot of laughs to my house hunt. It's unlikely my house will be over 1300 square feet, but still, it's good to be able to spot bad design.
18. Great job!
19. "Kaleidoscope glasses" lol :D
20. Great job on your talk! I really enjoy your blog and you nailed it as to the purpose of McMansion Hell, to help educate people to see exactly why we have a visceral reaction to some of these behemoths, to be able to critique these designs so that we can better appreciate useful and durable designs that work for families to live in. Cheers, Mike @ El Portón Verde, Managua