I have endlessly related the saga of our kitchen remodel, so let me just continue the epic arc by saying we spent the entire weekend working our collective arse off, trying to get the kitchen ready before the stork drops his B bomb. I promise to do a big reveal sometime this week, but in the meantime I've been wondering if we made a huge mistake. After reading this article in the NY Times, I realized that we could have saved ourselves a bundle by simply living with the pukey trifecta of 80's builder grade oak cabinets, almond formica countertops, and screenprinted ceramic tile, and waiting for it to come back in style. So what if it didn't match our 60's ranch house at all? Wouldn't it have been fun to just hang out in a "design time capsule," as the NY Times puts it? Check out the homes of folks who decided to do exactly that.
Jason Reitzin is the doppelganger for photographer Larry Sultan's dad, and I think he lives in his house, too. Apparently, he has lovingly maintained the original 70's decor, right down to the salon style hangings of needlepoint sunflowers.
All is not lost, though. Those lucite base tusks are everywhere, and the glass and chrome furnishings would be at home in many designer spaces. Personally, I'll be ganking the pair of ottomans.
Maybe my grandmother was having an affair with Mr. Reitzin? Because I could swear she had those comforter sets... oh, but she would have insisted on pink carpet. Nevermind. Can we talk about that lamp and nightstand, though? Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler would mud wrestle for that set.
Moving on the 80s, I can get into some minimalist decor, but this does not do it for me. Maybe it's all the hair, maybe it's the black leather, maybe if only that poster said, "What Would Michael Do?"
A very 80s dining area, complete with the light fixture that came with Karly's house (Karly, perhaps you should rethink renovating your kitchen before it's too late???). The uber straightbacked chairs would obviously maximize your posture, forcing you to put your best shoulder pads forward. All this room is missing is a Longo print of a stockbroker hanging himself.
My favorite part is the kitchen, though. If this doesn't make you rethink putting black granite countertops in, I don't know what will. On the other hand, I would not kick those black lacquer cabinets out of bed. I think Miles Redd must have visited this pad before he designed his own kitchen:
I would not kick Miles Redd or his kitchen out of bed.
It's probably because I live in a 60's house, but I feel altogether more comfortable in this home designed by the Atkins family in conjunction with an architect. Knock all that crap off the awesome two tiered, white coffee table and I am ready to move in, as is. I might even give up my firstborn child for that wall of brass, but before I sign the papers with Satan, let me get back to you after the stork drop. Although I hear that brass doesn't cry or poop...
I think Ikea is busy at work knocking off those chairs, and I will take the light fixture, please. Really, the only problem I see with this space is over-Tchotchkeification, and let's face it -- old people hate to throw away stuff.
And you wouldn't begrudge these cute old people their precious stuff, would you?
I'm starting to think old people have really good taste... Our last house on the tour was built by architect Donald Olsen in 1954. He and his wife have lived in the home ever since, keeping many of the original furnishings intact.
Cantilevered lamps, Breuer chairs, books and mod paintings -- this room encapsulates what almost every designer in America is currently tryng to recreate. It's pretty amazing to consider the kind of taste that still looks current over 50 years later.
Hello gorgeous van der Rohe chairs! And are window walls ever a bad thing?
So, what do you think -- in 40-50 years, would my 80's kitchen be the height of fashion? Or does it take true foresight to design for generations to come?
How well do you think your current decor would age if you had to leave it all -- as is -- for a few decades?