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TikTokers Fight Over Interior Designs—TayBeepBoop And Kaarinjoy Drama Explained

The drama between two TikTokers – TayBeepBoop and Kaarinjoy – has completely taken over the platform, and the spectacle has been dubbed "DIYGATE." Here's everything you need to know.

By Nicole Dominique4 min read
Screenshot Capture - 2023-08-08 - 11-14-3972
TikTok/@TayBeepBoop

TikTok has had multiple viral disputes this year, including #cakegate, #tattoogate, and the "mean girls" at a baseball game. Now we've got two do-it-yourself TikTokers beefing over interior designs – otherwise known as "DIYgate." I love how the platform never fails to deliver the drama.

The trending discourse began when @TayBeepBoop (a DIY content creator) made a video insinuating that @Kaarinjoy (another DIY creator) copied her designs. They have about two million followers each, so it makes sense why their argument went so viral. I will address TayBeepBoop as Tay and Kaarinjoy as Kaarin for the rest of this article.

In a now-deleted video, Tay insinuates that Kaarin copied her moss mirror. Kaarin indeed made a mirror covered in moss and flowers, but the shape of the mirror and the pattern she chose were different. It's also important to note that Tay wasn't the first person in the world to make a moss mirror, and this DIY project is easily found on Pinterest.

Screenshot/TikTok/@intereiordesigndra
Screenshot/TikTok/@intereiordesigndra

Tay then acknowledges how Kaarin also paints "green squiggle art" on her walls, similar to the one that Tay has at her gallery.

Screenshot/TikTok/@interiordesigndra
Screenshot/TikTok/@interiordesigndra

According to Tay, Kaarin is even "ripping off" her boyfriend's art. Her boyfriend makes monster heads which she displays at her Monster Head art gallery, and she proceeds to show Kaarin's "ripped off" version in question...and it's a framed dinosaur head.

Screenshot/TikTok/@interiordesigndra
Screenshot/TikTok/@interiordesigndra


It doesn't stop there. Tay further implies that Kaarin copied the colors she chose for her room. "Then I painted my room green and blue," Tay says. "They're very abnormal color choices, and I got a lot of hate for it, but I really love it. And I spent months choosing the colors."

"Look what colors she's [Kaarin] doing for her kitchen," she adds. Kaarin, of course, chooses green and blue for her kitchen.

Screenshot/TikTok/@interiordesigndra
Screenshot/TikTok/@interiordesigndra

In the next slides, Tay shows Kaarin's Instagram post of a living room in which she's using her cake wallpaper. "And she hung up this cake wallpaper," Tay continues, "that just happens to be my actual wallpaper line that I have." If Kaarin bought her products, shouldn't that be a compliment?

TikTok/@screenshot/interiordesigndra
TikTok/@screenshot/interiordesigndra

Tay explains that she confronted Kaarin about this; she's seen apologizing in the screenshotted messages. "I really respect you as a designer and I don't WANT to copy or replicate any of your designs or DIY's going forward," Kaarin says in one of the DMs.

KaarinJoy Responds 

Kaarin made a response video after she received backlash on TikTok – but at first, she had no idea why she was getting hate comments since Tay had blocked her. "I don't really know what's being said about me, but I know I'm getting, like, a lot of really mean and hateful comments and messages now," Karin shares. "And I'm, like, not gonna come on here and cry and be, like, 'feel sorry for me.'"

Kaarin is hurt because she thought things were going well between her and Tay. She also admired her work, which was an inspiration for her. She continues, "I guess I'm just really disappointed because I really genuinely like this creator, and she was one of the first people I followed on here that I was really, like, 'Wow, this decor style is so colorful and so fun,' and [she] just really encouraged me to actually express myself."

Kaarin says she and Tay talked several months ago and how she was asked not to do any of her DIYs, which she agreed to. "It was just, like, a really pleasant interaction," she adds. "She was so nice. I didn't know we had issues or that she was feeling like this. But I will say we have similar styles."

"I love her," she continues. "I'm so inspired by her, and I think it's so crazy to say that no one else can decorate in color or have similar colors to you." She credits Tay for the squiggle art.

"If you're branding yourself as a DIY channel – do this yourself, here's how I did it, here's the links for the supplies – and then to say no one can be inspired off of you is just wrong," Kaarin says. "And then to, like, publicly shame someone for being inspired by you without them even knowing you have any issues is just so wrong."

TikTokers Defend KaarinJoy

For the most part, a lot of people didn't agree with Tay's accusations, and some TikTokers have even made videos on the platform to defend Kaarin. @descent_into_madness (Maddie) garnered over a million views when she provided receipts to prove that Kaarin didn't copy Tay. "I went through the receipts, and I agree that I think that maybe there is some copying going on," Maddie reveals. "I'm just not sure she's the one copying you."

Maddie also talks about her findings on the notorious moss mirror – Tay actually uploaded the video of her mirror on April 17, while Kaarin shared hers on TikTok about two weeks before this, on April 4.

As for the green and blue gradient wallpaper Tay picked out for her room, that was uploaded on June 18, but Kaarin began showcasing herself painting her kitchen in the same colors on June 17. "To be fair, I don't think you [Tay] copied her [Kaarin]; you had to order the wallpaper," Maddie states. "But I think it's a big reach to say she copied you. How could she do that?" 

Additionally, Kaarin's blue color in the kitchen wasn't even supposed to be blue in the first place. It was supposed to be purple, but the "internet bullied her" about it, so she changed it to yellow, but the yellow paired with green was too "John Deere," prompting her to change that to blue for the last time.

Maddie moves on to the cake wallpaper and notes how Kaarin tagged Tay in the picture she shared on Instagram. "She gave this girl free publicity," she remarks. "I didn't even know who TayBeepBoop was before this wallpaper got posted. And you're mad at her because she bought your wallpaper with her own money and then gave it free advertisement, and that's copying you? Why did you sell wallpaper then?"

The Aftermath 

Kaarin received a wave of support after initially being attacked by Tay’s fans. She took to Instagram to thank her supporters this week. 

As for Tay, well, it’s not looking good. She lost her wallpaper line with Otto Studio, and the brand shared an official statement about the drama three days ago. "As a small business, we strive to support and uplift artists, creators, and DIYers," they wrote. "We are disappointed in and do not stand behind the video that was posted by Tay BeepBoop regarding Kaarin Joy earlier this week. It goes against our values and the ethos of the DIY community."

"As such, effective immediately, the Tay BeepBoop collections will no longer be available for purchase. We will be reaching out to those who have pending orders from these collections with next steps." 

TayBeepBoop’s Official Apology 

Tay made an apology video the same day Otto posted their official statement on Instagram. "My behavior has been wild and inappropriate, and I apologize," she starts. "It's taking me so long to realize that, I didn't think I had done anything wrong. Genuinely, I admit that for days. And I didn't want to be fake and give an apology that I didn't actually believe." 

"I'm grateful for some of the hate and the criticism that I've gotten because it's helped to give me the perspective and understanding that I clearly needed ‘cause I did not understand. Everyone draws inspiration from somewhere, and the fact that I went after someone who has been nothing but nice to me and has done nothing to deserve what I did just proves how much I got this wrong."

She acknowledges how Kaarin has been kind and gracious toward her and how this situation has been a "massive learning moment" for her. "I'm so sorry to Karen and also everyone that this has affected," she concludes, "because I did not think about my actions and how this would hurt others."   

I think we all could learn from this situation. Before you accuse someone of something serious or want to talk about someone, ask yourself if you should do it publicly. The internet is forever, and it's not very forgiving.

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