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Home > Affordable Interior Design presents Big Design, Small Budget > Are These Chairs Trendy? & Netflix's "Secret Mall Apartment" | Uploft Interior Design
Podcast: Affordable Interior Design presents Big Design, Small Budget
Episode:

Are These Chairs Trendy? & Netflix's "Secret Mall Apartment" | Uploft Interior Design
Category: Arts and Design
Duration: 00:22:18
Publish Date: 2026-02-03 06:00:00
Description:

In this episode of the Uploft Interior Design Podcast, I share how unexpectedly energized I’ve been by diving into TikTok for the first time, using it as a creative outlet for design inspiration, trend commentary, and playful content creation, before answering a listener’s question about whether French bistro–style X-back dining chairs are a fad (they’re not—I love them and consider them a timeless, practical choice, especially for families). I then pivot to pop culture and unpack my long-anticipated but ultimately disappointing experience watching Netflix’s Secret Mall Apartment, a documentary about artists secretly building a hidden space inside a Rhode Island mall; while I was fascinated by the premise and the broader ideas around reclaiming unused space, I felt misled by the title, underwhelmed by the focus on artistic philosophy over logistics, and unconvinced by staged reenactments—making it a watch I don’t regret, but definitely won’t revisit.

Timestamps:


00:00 – TikTok is unexpectedly fueling my design creativity

04:30 – Submit your design questions and room dilemmas

07:30 – Are French bistro X-back dining chairs classic or trendy?

14:30 – Comfort, kids, and when bistro chairs do (and don’t) work

17:00 – My take on Netflix’s Secret Mall Apartment

36:30 – Final thoughts, verdict, and what I wish the documentary had done differently


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