Fruits just want have fun
May 2, 2017 8:24 AM Subscribe
For me, growing up in the 60's and 70's, a bowl of fruit was a sure sign of luxury and class. I'm not totally certain wether that is because fruits were relatively more expensive then, or that my family was a total failure at living. Both could be true. But I sure as hell had that bowl of fruit in my stylish homes during the 80's as a sign of my arrival.
posted by mumimor at 8:40 AM on May 2, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 8:40 AM on May 2, 2017 [9 favorites]
Better a bowl of fruit, which at least is there for a reason, than a bowl of dried-twig wicker balls or whatever the hot default decorating accessory of the moment is.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:43 AM on May 2, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:43 AM on May 2, 2017 [11 favorites]
Okay, now do 2010s and big clocks.
If you play the HGTV Fixer Upper drinking game, the wall clock is an all-drink.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:45 AM on May 2, 2017 [10 favorites]
If you play the HGTV Fixer Upper drinking game, the wall clock is an all-drink.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:45 AM on May 2, 2017 [10 favorites]
Just like the way "sexy" was defined by society when you're going through puberty can leave a very lasting impression on you, so apparently does what's considered "classy" when you're a child. Like I know a lot of these rooms are ridiculous, but I still of them as "oooooh fancy" first.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:47 AM on May 2, 2017 [22 favorites]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:47 AM on May 2, 2017 [22 favorites]
It took me a while as an adult to realize that while some fruits can be kept in the fruit bowl and will not go bad, others are happier in the fridge. When I was a child, we had apples, sometimes oranges, and other fruit was a treat so it didn't stick around long, even if we'd left, eg, a whole lot of grapes or peaches on the table.
posted by Frowner at 9:02 AM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Frowner at 9:02 AM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
HGTV still does the bowl-of-green-apples thing, at least on the shows mrsozzy sometimes watches. I always wonder, who the hell keeps a bowl of green apples sitting out?
Also why does this room have a tombstone and creepy dead tree branches? Welcome to a pretty crappy afterlife, here's a giant bowl with five apples in it. Guess your family didn't spring for a tomb full of servants and gold, sorry.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:21 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Also why does this room have a tombstone and creepy dead tree branches? Welcome to a pretty crappy afterlife, here's a giant bowl with five apples in it. Guess your family didn't spring for a tomb full of servants and gold, sorry.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:21 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
My gramma kept a bowl of fake fruit on the dining room table. The grapes had this perfect gummy rubbery texture - I loved popping them off the realistically detailed stem and chewing on them and then reattaching them.
posted by congen at 9:26 AM on May 2, 2017 [53 favorites]
posted by congen at 9:26 AM on May 2, 2017 [53 favorites]
I was working at my family's furniture store in the 80's and remember the Black Lacquer Period with horror. That shit was impossible to receive, sell, or deliver without it scratching up like an old record.
It always looked better with a bowl of (fake) fruit on it, though.
posted by yhbc at 9:31 AM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
It always looked better with a bowl of (fake) fruit on it, though.
posted by yhbc at 9:31 AM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'M AT THE CAT FURBALL AND SCATTERED PAPER PLATE PHASE OF RETRO STYLE
posted by boo_radley at 9:32 AM on May 2, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by boo_radley at 9:32 AM on May 2, 2017 [12 favorites]
As with scrunchies and pantyhose, I have once again found out that something is dated by reading a humorous reference to how dated it is.
The draping grapes are silly, too Hedonism Bot. Fruit ought to be a timeless accent, though, like a healthy complexion and bright teeth, welcome anywhere. What's depressing is plastic fruit, especially when it gets dusty.
posted by Countess Elena at 9:32 AM on May 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
The draping grapes are silly, too Hedonism Bot. Fruit ought to be a timeless accent, though, like a healthy complexion and bright teeth, welcome anywhere. What's depressing is plastic fruit, especially when it gets dusty.
posted by Countess Elena at 9:32 AM on May 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
We had plastic fruit and glass grapes on our coffee table in the 1970s. The grapes were sort of like this.
posted by interplanetjanet at 9:38 AM on May 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by interplanetjanet at 9:38 AM on May 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
"My gramma kept a bowl of fake fruit on the dining room table. The grapes had this perfect gummy rubbery texture - I loved popping them off the realistically detailed stem and chewing on them and then reattaching them."
The entire world's supply of those grapes was cornered by the world's grammas, it seems. They are usually in a milk glass bowl, on one of those two-tiered end tables, the kind with Hall's cough drops in the drawer and today's crossword (finished) atop the TV Guide.
Also fun: attaching those grapes via suction to one's forearm, face, etc.
posted by Caxton1476 at 9:41 AM on May 2, 2017 [12 favorites]
The entire world's supply of those grapes was cornered by the world's grammas, it seems. They are usually in a milk glass bowl, on one of those two-tiered end tables, the kind with Hall's cough drops in the drawer and today's crossword (finished) atop the TV Guide.
Also fun: attaching those grapes via suction to one's forearm, face, etc.
posted by Caxton1476 at 9:41 AM on May 2, 2017 [12 favorites]
I freely admit that I like glass grapes. I also like the kind of fake fruit that is beaded.
Basically, my house is full of tiny things that must be dusted.
posted by Frowner at 9:43 AM on May 2, 2017 [12 favorites]
Basically, my house is full of tiny things that must be dusted.
posted by Frowner at 9:43 AM on May 2, 2017 [12 favorites]
My father was a sales rep for various furniture and accessories lines throughout the 70s and 80s. My father is also a hoarder. When he dies, you are all welcome to choose a lucite fixture, velvet lampshade, fake fruit or lamp finial of your choice. I promise, there is enough for everyone.
posted by Sophie1 at 9:43 AM on May 2, 2017 [35 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 9:43 AM on May 2, 2017 [35 favorites]
The entire world's supply of those grapes was cornered by the world's grammas, it seems. They are usually in a milk glass bowl, on one of those two-tiered end tables, the kind with Hall's cough drops in the drawer and today's crossword (finished) atop the TV Guide.
Add the stale smell of cigarette smoke, and some inedible hard candies (butter rums, peppermints, some root-beer barrels if you were lucky) and you just described every house my grandmother ever lived in...
posted by Chrischris at 9:44 AM on May 2, 2017 [9 favorites]
Add the stale smell of cigarette smoke, and some inedible hard candies (butter rums, peppermints, some root-beer barrels if you were lucky) and you just described every house my grandmother ever lived in...
posted by Chrischris at 9:44 AM on May 2, 2017 [9 favorites]
The most '80s kitchen I've ever seen was the 'Future' kitchen from the Carousel of Progress in Disneyworld
posted by leotrotsky at 9:46 AM on May 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 9:46 AM on May 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
I swear that egg coming out of a lemon thing was in the kitchen on Growing Pains.
posted by leotrotsky at 9:47 AM on May 2, 2017
posted by leotrotsky at 9:47 AM on May 2, 2017
That photo of the 80s black-tile kitchen? Thought for sure it was a shower stall. "Why would anyone hang fruit in their shower, ewww?"
posted by seawallrunner at 9:48 AM on May 2, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by seawallrunner at 9:48 AM on May 2, 2017 [11 favorites]
That photo of the 80s black-tile kitchen? Thought for sure it was a shower stall. "Why would anyone hang fruit in their shower, ewww?"
Same initial impression, though I went to "Really expanding on the shower orange concept here."
posted by Four Ds at 9:53 AM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Same initial impression, though I went to "Really expanding on the shower orange concept here."
posted by Four Ds at 9:53 AM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well I guess we all know who here doesn't enjoy a shower apple from time to time.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 9:55 AM on May 2, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 9:55 AM on May 2, 2017 [25 favorites]
We keep a bowl of fruit on the counter, not as an accent piece, but to eat. Amazing how you can get a kid to eat fruit as a snack by making the fruit visible, and hiding the sweets in a cupboard.
posted by caution live frogs at 9:57 AM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by caution live frogs at 9:57 AM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
Well I guess we all know who here doesn't enjoy a shower apple from time to time
babyozzy has dropped a shower apple or two in her time.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:59 AM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
babyozzy has dropped a shower apple or two in her time.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:59 AM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Okay, now do 2010s and big clocks.
If you play the HGTV Fixer Upper drinking game, the wall clock is an all-drink.
Lucite chair with sheepskin throw
Large nonfunctional item made of brass
Fake deer head in neutral color or shiny
Saccharine quote in cursive on large canvas
Unfinished thick wood table
posted by leotrotsky at 10:10 AM on May 2, 2017 [17 favorites]
If you play the HGTV Fixer Upper drinking game, the wall clock is an all-drink.
Lucite chair with sheepskin throw
Large nonfunctional item made of brass
Fake deer head in neutral color or shiny
Saccharine quote in cursive on large canvas
Unfinished thick wood table
posted by leotrotsky at 10:10 AM on May 2, 2017 [17 favorites]
Okay, now do 2010s and big clocks.
And now the ubiquitous oversized hurricane glass candle holders.
posted by Kabanos at 10:20 AM on May 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
And now the ubiquitous oversized hurricane glass candle holders.
posted by Kabanos at 10:20 AM on May 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
RECLAIMED WOOD ON ALL THE THINGS
posted by Karaage at 10:24 AM on May 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Karaage at 10:24 AM on May 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
LIVE LAUGH LOVE, BITCHES
posted by entropicamericana at 10:25 AM on May 2, 2017 [52 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 10:25 AM on May 2, 2017 [52 favorites]
I am also convinced that the "open concept" trend on all the HGTV shows is being pushed because it saves developers time and money on framing walls and hanging doors.
Every single person goes onto those shows asking for the same open concept layout and it's like they're all programmed to say the same goddamn "I want open concept because I want to able to see my kids playing while I'm in the kitchen" line.
GLAD YOU CAN SEE YOUR KIDS IN THE CAVERNOUS ECHOEY SPACE NOW WHERE YOUR LIVING ROOM FURNITURE SMELLS VAGUELY OF LAST NIGHT'S DINNER
posted by Karaage at 10:28 AM on May 2, 2017 [24 favorites]
Every single person goes onto those shows asking for the same open concept layout and it's like they're all programmed to say the same goddamn "I want open concept because I want to able to see my kids playing while I'm in the kitchen" line.
GLAD YOU CAN SEE YOUR KIDS IN THE CAVERNOUS ECHOEY SPACE NOW WHERE YOUR LIVING ROOM FURNITURE SMELLS VAGUELY OF LAST NIGHT'S DINNER
posted by Karaage at 10:28 AM on May 2, 2017 [24 favorites]
Now I'm wondering what things currently in my house that seem perfectly lovely and functional at the moment will be the subject of future stories about weird decorating choices from the 20-teens.
posted by she's not there at 10:32 AM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by she's not there at 10:32 AM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
just as the Victorians' love of houses divided into many small rooms guarded by doors became a metaphor for repressed psyches and familial secrets, the rise of the open floor plan home is a metaphor for empty heads and oversharing
posted by entropicamericana at 10:32 AM on May 2, 2017 [39 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 10:32 AM on May 2, 2017 [39 favorites]
Well I guess we all know who here doesn't enjoy a shower apple from time to time.
I prefer a shower beer.
posted by Splunge at 10:38 AM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I prefer a shower beer.
posted by Splunge at 10:38 AM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
My parents were married in the early 1960s and stuck with a lot of their mid-century modern decor right up until it came back around in fashion again. They had THIS EXACT WOODEN FRUIT DISPLAY on the dining room table for my entire childhood.
posted by drlith at 10:39 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by drlith at 10:39 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
We had one bunch of amethyst grapes with silver leaves and vine-squigglies, I think? (My grandparents lived with us; I am sure they were my grandmother's doing.) I assume my mom has them now??? Suddenly I need to know where the amethyst grapes are. I MUST HAVE THEM
posted by little cow make small moo at 10:39 AM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by little cow make small moo at 10:39 AM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
I know it's technically a derail, but I am TOTALLY HERE for the 2010's version of this going on in this thread.
BTW: I donwanna be judgmental, Frowner, but beaded fruit? You are a monster. HOW DO YOU LIVE?!
posted by LMGM at 10:39 AM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
BTW: I donwanna be judgmental, Frowner, but beaded fruit? You are a monster. HOW DO YOU LIVE?!
posted by LMGM at 10:39 AM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Indeed, my house is designed around the oversharing concept; the bed is in the living room, the shower is in the kitchen and the bidet is on the front porch.
posted by valkane at 10:40 AM on May 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by valkane at 10:40 AM on May 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
Yes, I live on a boat.
posted by valkane at 10:42 AM on May 2, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by valkane at 10:42 AM on May 2, 2017 [8 favorites]
My mom works for a kinda home goods catalog for RVs, and they use so much fake fruit in their photos. When I was a kid I had some hyper-realistic plastic apples and so forth left over from photo shoots as toys.
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:44 AM on May 2, 2017
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:44 AM on May 2, 2017
Yes, I live on a boat.
you're the king of the world, on a boat like Leo?
posted by entropicamericana at 10:46 AM on May 2, 2017
you're the king of the world, on a boat like Leo?
posted by entropicamericana at 10:46 AM on May 2, 2017
I stayed at a house once that had the shower in the kitchen. Made for awkward breakfasts with guests.
posted by fimbulvetr at 10:46 AM on May 2, 2017
posted by fimbulvetr at 10:46 AM on May 2, 2017
Oh man, I LOVE fake food and I just realized it was probably because of the fake fruit bowl my favorite childhood babysitter had in her kitchen (not a grandmother, but grandmother-aged) and my association with her.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:46 AM on May 2, 2017
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:46 AM on May 2, 2017
My gramma kept a bowl of fake fruit on the dining room table.
I can top this. My family had a wicker cornucopia (horn of plenty) spilling fake fruit on our dining room table.
posted by srboisvert at 10:47 AM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
I can top this. My family had a wicker cornucopia (horn of plenty) spilling fake fruit on our dining room table.
posted by srboisvert at 10:47 AM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
Followed the link. Was disappointed at the lack of neon. I will have to go back and watch 80s movies with an eye toward plastic fruit.
posted by shagoth at 10:47 AM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by shagoth at 10:47 AM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Are any of these relevant? I can't figure out how to watch HGTV on my computer and it fills me with sadness.
- subway tile
- hairpin legs
- fiddle leaf fig
posted by quaking fajita at 10:52 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
- subway tile
- hairpin legs
- fiddle leaf fig
posted by quaking fajita at 10:52 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Oh hey, I just recently read this interesting article about stone fruit.
posted by aniola at 10:53 AM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by aniola at 10:53 AM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
I am also convinced that the "open concept" trend on all the HGTV shows is being pushed because it saves developers time and money on framing walls and hanging doors.
I thought they were in the pocket of Big Large Beam.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:53 AM on May 2, 2017 [11 favorites]
I thought they were in the pocket of Big Large Beam.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:53 AM on May 2, 2017 [11 favorites]
I see that the Memphis Milano sensibility demands that the lemons be set free from their bowls and lined up.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:58 AM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:58 AM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I don't get open concept. I live in a tiny 1950s bungalow, and it seems like every time one of these get sold in our neighbourhood the new owners decide to rip out all the wall. I love my family, but I don't want to see them all the time. The walls keep us sane. A tiny bungalow that has been made open concept is a room with a couple bedrooms and a bathroom opening up onto it.
posted by fimbulvetr at 10:59 AM on May 2, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by fimbulvetr at 10:59 AM on May 2, 2017 [15 favorites]
Oh hey, I just recently read this interesting article about stone fruit.
Dammit. Now I want some antique Italian stone fruit.
posted by fimbulvetr at 11:06 AM on May 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
Dammit. Now I want some antique Italian stone fruit.
posted by fimbulvetr at 11:06 AM on May 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
" I loved popping them off the realistically detailed stem and chewing on them and then reattaching them."
If you bite them just right you can suction them on to your tongue, cheek, lip, whatever. Then they make a satisfying pop when you pull them off. Great-grandma's place was always about making your own fun.
posted by traveler_ at 11:15 AM on May 2, 2017 [10 favorites]
If you bite them just right you can suction them on to your tongue, cheek, lip, whatever. Then they make a satisfying pop when you pull them off. Great-grandma's place was always about making your own fun.
posted by traveler_ at 11:15 AM on May 2, 2017 [10 favorites]
I had a stone peach once. I have no idea where it is now. How do you lose a stone peach? It was crazy heavy. Speaking of which...
"...and some inedible hard candies (butter rums, peppermints, some root-beer barrels if you were lucky)"
...which no one ever took but the grandkids, so when you tried to pick one up, the entire hardened/congealed clump came up at once.
posted by Mchelly at 11:18 AM on May 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
"...and some inedible hard candies (butter rums, peppermints, some root-beer barrels if you were lucky)"
...which no one ever took but the grandkids, so when you tried to pick one up, the entire hardened/congealed clump came up at once.
posted by Mchelly at 11:18 AM on May 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
LIVE LAUGH LOVE, BITCHES
My friend viewed a house recently with a giant decal of Marilyn Monroe and the entire [fake] "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure etc" quote right over the front room wall - it even wrapped around the TV. The current homeowner seemed to be under the definite impression that it was a massive selling point.
posted by threetwentytwo at 11:19 AM on May 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
My friend viewed a house recently with a giant decal of Marilyn Monroe and the entire [fake] "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure etc" quote right over the front room wall - it even wrapped around the TV. The current homeowner seemed to be under the definite impression that it was a massive selling point.
posted by threetwentytwo at 11:19 AM on May 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
Drama is the name of the game in this New Orleans family room.
posted by infini at 11:20 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by infini at 11:20 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
While grapes are not a part of my particular fruit bowl display, I gotta admit that I love a good fruit bowl. It's a good way to store my nice hand thrown phở bowl when it's not being used for, you know, phở.
Decidedly un-80s aesthetically, however.
posted by sazerac at 11:30 AM on May 2, 2017
Decidedly un-80s aesthetically, however.
posted by sazerac at 11:30 AM on May 2, 2017
"...and some inedible hard candies (butter rums, peppermints, some root-beer barrels if you were lucky)"
...which no one ever took but the grandkids, so when you tried to pick one up, the entire hardened/congealed clump came up at once.
Along with one of these.
posted by darchildre at 11:31 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
We had a bowl of red, red apples whose "skin" was composed of this feathery, easily tearable thread that was wound around and around the outside of the (I think styrofoam) interior. It was dyed red, but the dye was soluble and if you got one even a little bit wet it would soak into the countertop or your skin and never, ever be washed out again. They did not survive my little brother's teething and I suspect he'll get teratomic lurgy of the gums as an old man.
I also never quite understood the concept of dye that would run in water. It seems to run counter to the whole concept of a dye.
posted by Quindar Beep at 11:36 AM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
I also never quite understood the concept of dye that would run in water. It seems to run counter to the whole concept of a dye.
posted by Quindar Beep at 11:36 AM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
We had some of those. They were part of the Christmas decorations (possibly belonging to grandparents?), and I haven't seen them in aaaaaages.
posted by quaking fajita at 11:43 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by quaking fajita at 11:43 AM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Everything was better in the 80s.
posted by cjorgensen at 11:51 AM on May 2, 2017
posted by cjorgensen at 11:51 AM on May 2, 2017
In the early eighties we kept a bowl of sweet potatoes on the kitchen table for the large poodle. Normally chill good dog got all pull-tablecloth-spill-everything apeshit on us during her first thanksgiving and again when we had them in December so we kept a bowl of sweet potatoes on the kitchen table for the dog.
She'd bring you one, you'd pop it in the oven and she'd watch it and come get you when the timer went off. People thought we were weird. Indeed we were but we had a weird dog too.
That was the last few years of high school for me and I spent the next ten with no kitchen and unable to have dog. Mom moved and dog died (Jim, I am without dog!) and I got her new poodle before she thought she was ready and on my next visit she's got a bowl of sweet potatoes on the kitchen table for the dog.
So it's been 35 years since the poodle/sweet potato thing started. People come over and say I must really like sweet potatoes and I tell them I keep the bowl of sweet potatoes on the kitchen table for the dog and they give me this look and I explain and they say no and I ask poodle if she might want a sweet potato and we demonstrate.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 11:54 AM on May 2, 2017 [46 favorites]
She'd bring you one, you'd pop it in the oven and she'd watch it and come get you when the timer went off. People thought we were weird. Indeed we were but we had a weird dog too.
That was the last few years of high school for me and I spent the next ten with no kitchen and unable to have dog. Mom moved and dog died (Jim, I am without dog!) and I got her new poodle before she thought she was ready and on my next visit she's got a bowl of sweet potatoes on the kitchen table for the dog.
So it's been 35 years since the poodle/sweet potato thing started. People come over and say I must really like sweet potatoes and I tell them I keep the bowl of sweet potatoes on the kitchen table for the dog and they give me this look and I explain and they say no and I ask poodle if she might want a sweet potato and we demonstrate.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 11:54 AM on May 2, 2017 [46 favorites]
Wait, am I supposed to be embarrassed for having a bowl of fruit around? Nobody eats it if it isn't in front of them.
Ah well. So many ways to fail, so little time.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 11:54 AM on May 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
Ah well. So many ways to fail, so little time.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 11:54 AM on May 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
Related: "The Set Design of Family Ties" from Architectural Digest. Despite running from 1982-1989, the decor doesn't look at all like what the 21st century thinks of as "80's," and yet the Keaton's interiors look a lot more like the house I grew up in: open kitchen, breakfast nook, lots of kind of folky Americana (my parents were big into shabby chic and the folky Americana look), plenty of Harvest Gold. There were a couple of wooden bowls of fruit.
Partly as a result of that, I think, at the time I coveted the bolder, more Memphis-like '80s decor. 1984 me would've been all over the last picture.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:54 AM on May 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
Partly as a result of that, I think, at the time I coveted the bolder, more Memphis-like '80s decor. 1984 me would've been all over the last picture.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:54 AM on May 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
Everything was better in the 80s.
Except the AIDS and the overhanging threat of massive nuclear war(*). Though the celebrity president was better, true. May and Thatcher are a toss-up so far, I'd say.
(*) I am appalled at needing to qualify that with "massive".
posted by Quindar Beep at 11:57 AM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Except the AIDS and the overhanging threat of massive nuclear war(*). Though the celebrity president was better, true. May and Thatcher are a toss-up so far, I'd say.
(*) I am appalled at needing to qualify that with "massive".
posted by Quindar Beep at 11:57 AM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
> Was disappointed at the lack of neon.
and Nagel prints.
posted by porpoise at 12:01 PM on May 2, 2017 [9 favorites]
and Nagel prints.
posted by porpoise at 12:01 PM on May 2, 2017 [9 favorites]
Despite running from 1982-1989, the decor doesn't look at all like what the 21st century thinks of as "80's," and yet the Keaton's interiors look a lot more like the house I grew up in: open kitchen, breakfast nook, lots of kind of folky Americana (my parents were big into shabby chic and the folky Americana look), plenty of Harvest Gold. There were a couple of wooden bowls of fruit.
That's because the senior Keatons were supposed to be hippies settling into the corporate world. Alex P., voice of a new generation, didn't control the decor.
I have a fruit bowl. Indeed, I have a fruit bowl which often has green apples in it. Where else is it supposed to go, exactly? Most fruit's taste and texture doesn't benefit from refrigeration.
posted by praemunire at 12:15 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
That's because the senior Keatons were supposed to be hippies settling into the corporate world. Alex P., voice of a new generation, didn't control the decor.
I have a fruit bowl. Indeed, I have a fruit bowl which often has green apples in it. Where else is it supposed to go, exactly? Most fruit's taste and texture doesn't benefit from refrigeration.
posted by praemunire at 12:15 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
My grandma only had these teeny tiny wrapped menthol candies that were about a quarter of the size of a tootsie roll. What the fuck were those things?
posted by Sophie1 at 12:32 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Sophie1 at 12:32 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
"I want open concept because I want to able to see my kids playing while I'm in the kitchen
My husband has been pushing for knocking down the wall between our kitchen and our living room for a while. I'm like "hell no, I need to be able to be in a different room from you sometimes". I swear the whole idea of "open concept", at least when you live in a one-story house, is like living in a studio apartment. Nope.
If he ever knocks down that wall I'm gonna hide the remote as revenge.
posted by vignettist at 12:33 PM on May 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
My husband has been pushing for knocking down the wall between our kitchen and our living room for a while. I'm like "hell no, I need to be able to be in a different room from you sometimes". I swear the whole idea of "open concept", at least when you live in a one-story house, is like living in a studio apartment. Nope.
If he ever knocks down that wall I'm gonna hide the remote as revenge.
posted by vignettist at 12:33 PM on May 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
I moved from a traditional bungalow to an open-concept apartment and for a while I liked the open concept. I could have a conversation with my boyfriend or guests while cooking! Or watch TV! The bungalow kitchen was very small and closed off and would get so hot and stuffy, so I appreciated the improved air flow of an open space.
But yeah, after a while the novelty wore off and I'm back to believing walls are good. The new apartment has the kitchen in the back, well separated from the living spaces. I enjoy my quiet alone time cooking back there. Still have an issue with food smells permeating the living space due to a pathetic typical apartment range hood that doesn't even vent outside (and a prevailing kitchen -> rest of apartment directional breeze if the weather suits open windows). Oh and the laundry room is off the kitchen so we have to keep that door closed or my hang-to-dry clothes will absorb a noticeable food smell. Which is so dumb but I think it's actually a converted pantry and I really value my in-unit laundry so I can deal.
posted by misskaz at 12:49 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
But yeah, after a while the novelty wore off and I'm back to believing walls are good. The new apartment has the kitchen in the back, well separated from the living spaces. I enjoy my quiet alone time cooking back there. Still have an issue with food smells permeating the living space due to a pathetic typical apartment range hood that doesn't even vent outside (and a prevailing kitchen -> rest of apartment directional breeze if the weather suits open windows). Oh and the laundry room is off the kitchen so we have to keep that door closed or my hang-to-dry clothes will absorb a noticeable food smell. Which is so dumb but I think it's actually a converted pantry and I really value my in-unit laundry so I can deal.
posted by misskaz at 12:49 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Where else is it supposed to go, exactly? Most fruit's taste and texture doesn't benefit from refrigeration.
Grapes and plums, IMO; peaches don't benefit exactly but if you have a ripe peach that you can't eat immediately, what else are you going to do? And honestly, I think that a really cold, crisp apple is good on a warm day. Avocados ripen on the counter but what happens, for instance, when you have one that is ready to eat but you are not ready to eat it? Refrigerator! Cherries are better cold, too. And surely you are not so well set-up for berries that you don't refrigerate them? Unless I wish to eat all the berries right away, they need to be kept cold.
Bananas, apricots, oranges - maybe not.
~~~
I do not understand why anyone would knock down the wall between the living room and the kitchen - even if you are such a tidy person that you never have anything out of place in the kitchen and hence don't mind looking at it all the time, surely you get tired of the noise anytime anyone else is washing dishes, cooking or cleaning while you are trying to read or work.
I have a Victorian house - small rooms closed off by doors! Also cool, sound-muffling plaster walls. It is glorious, at least in the "you can close the door and listen to music and not bother everyone else in the house" sense.
posted by Frowner at 12:52 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Grapes and plums, IMO; peaches don't benefit exactly but if you have a ripe peach that you can't eat immediately, what else are you going to do? And honestly, I think that a really cold, crisp apple is good on a warm day. Avocados ripen on the counter but what happens, for instance, when you have one that is ready to eat but you are not ready to eat it? Refrigerator! Cherries are better cold, too. And surely you are not so well set-up for berries that you don't refrigerate them? Unless I wish to eat all the berries right away, they need to be kept cold.
Bananas, apricots, oranges - maybe not.
~~~
I do not understand why anyone would knock down the wall between the living room and the kitchen - even if you are such a tidy person that you never have anything out of place in the kitchen and hence don't mind looking at it all the time, surely you get tired of the noise anytime anyone else is washing dishes, cooking or cleaning while you are trying to read or work.
I have a Victorian house - small rooms closed off by doors! Also cool, sound-muffling plaster walls. It is glorious, at least in the "you can close the door and listen to music and not bother everyone else in the house" sense.
posted by Frowner at 12:52 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Ah, that Family Ties decor is so perfect for 80s former hippie suburban home. It looks like the Hollywood version of my house growing up, though we had more political art on the walls. But the hardwood floors, "oriental" rugs, "country-ish" knick-knacks, ferns, etc. - it's all right.
Which reminds me that the inclusion of a tiered wire hanging basket in the blog post startled me because those were a staple of 1980s former hippie kitchen decor and I have really been wanting one. They are so useful! But no one seems to sell them anymore, and that's surprising because it seems like they would fit well with the current decor trends.
posted by lunasol at 12:53 PM on May 2, 2017
Which reminds me that the inclusion of a tiered wire hanging basket in the blog post startled me because those were a staple of 1980s former hippie kitchen decor and I have really been wanting one. They are so useful! But no one seems to sell them anymore, and that's surprising because it seems like they would fit well with the current decor trends.
posted by lunasol at 12:53 PM on May 2, 2017
Oh, and more on topic to the post: I have a fruit/veggie basket too. Where else would you keep food that doesn't belong in the fridge? But there is a difference between a functional kitchen counter fruit/veggie bowl and a stylized one in the middle of your coffee table, I think.
posted by misskaz at 12:55 PM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by misskaz at 12:55 PM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
And surely you are not so well set-up for berries that you don't refrigerate them? Unless I wish to eat all the berries right away
Rem acu tetigisti, friend.
I have a separate bowl for unrefrigerated aromatics, too. I had no idea this was such a controversial choice in decor.
posted by praemunire at 1:02 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Rem acu tetigisti, friend.
I have a separate bowl for unrefrigerated aromatics, too. I had no idea this was such a controversial choice in decor.
posted by praemunire at 1:02 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also a really good plum or plum-hybrid (especially) is not going to benefit from chilling, which diminishes flavor. Grapes are one thing, but I prefer not to treat those $3.99/lb. pluots as mere convenient carriers of refrigerated water.
posted by praemunire at 1:04 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by praemunire at 1:04 PM on May 2, 2017
I'VE TILED MY HOUSE WITH SPARE CHANGE AND BOTTLECAPS IN RESIN
MY KITCHEN LOOKS LIKE AN APPLEBEE'S DESIGNER GAVE UP HALFWAY
posted by boo_radley at 1:08 PM on May 2, 2017 [10 favorites]
MY KITCHEN LOOKS LIKE AN APPLEBEE'S DESIGNER GAVE UP HALFWAY
posted by boo_radley at 1:08 PM on May 2, 2017 [10 favorites]
Hey, i had a stone peach too. Didn't know it was a thing.
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 1:12 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 1:12 PM on May 2, 2017
I put a baby gate across the kitchen doorway and now I can lock my kids out while I cook. Way better than watching them. Can't do THAT with your "open concept" home, can you?
posted by arcticwoman at 1:19 PM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by arcticwoman at 1:19 PM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
We didn't even have room for the fake fruit bowl in our single-wide trailer. We did, however, have wall space... thus the giant wooden fork and spoon and the painted trivet that read, "Kissin' Don't Last... Cookin' Do".
posted by candyland at 1:22 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by candyland at 1:22 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Aw, I like open concept. It makes your house feel bigger and keeps you from having so many dark/stuffy rooms.
Also, and this is probably just me, I am a champion toe-stubber, and open concept means it's easier for me not to break my toe (again) on furniture or doorframes. I like big open rooms with the furniture/clutter out of the main pathways. Also I like talking to people while I cook, and watching TV and I like lots of light and views to the outside.
I can pass on giant wall-clocks or words on my wall though.
Re the OP, my family's decor just stayed "late 70s" right up until the 80s were over, then it was all early 90s "ducks and blue everywhere." We did have some cool glass grapes, now that I think of it. We never got any black/neon stuff in our house.
posted by emjaybee at 1:35 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Also, and this is probably just me, I am a champion toe-stubber, and open concept means it's easier for me not to break my toe (again) on furniture or doorframes. I like big open rooms with the furniture/clutter out of the main pathways. Also I like talking to people while I cook, and watching TV and I like lots of light and views to the outside.
I can pass on giant wall-clocks or words on my wall though.
Re the OP, my family's decor just stayed "late 70s" right up until the 80s were over, then it was all early 90s "ducks and blue everywhere." We did have some cool glass grapes, now that I think of it. We never got any black/neon stuff in our house.
posted by emjaybee at 1:35 PM on May 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
What's always seemed weird to me is the idea that ordinary people should just massively redecorate - furniture is so expensive. My family's experience was pretty much "you get what you get; preferably it's durable but in any case you use it until it's no good anymore". So we got some kitchen chairs that were eighties because we got them in the eighties, and then we kept them until the early 2000s, when my parents moved and the kitchen was smaller, thus requiring a smaller table. I had that table and those chairs for a few more years, then I gave them away because I moved somewhere that didn't have a real dining room.
I got a bunch of furniture at the thrift store and the not-quite-antique mall between ten and fifteen years ago, and I have various things of my grandparents', and I hope those will see me out. If they're unfashionable, that's the breaks.
Admittedly, I am from protestant peasant respectability on one side and Swedish immigrants on the other, so my family's furniture has always been more on the "classic if by classic you mean various 19th century styles" side than anything that definitely comes into or goes out of fashion, so it's not like my house looked any more contemporary in 2005 than it does today.
posted by Frowner at 1:47 PM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
I got a bunch of furniture at the thrift store and the not-quite-antique mall between ten and fifteen years ago, and I have various things of my grandparents', and I hope those will see me out. If they're unfashionable, that's the breaks.
Admittedly, I am from protestant peasant respectability on one side and Swedish immigrants on the other, so my family's furniture has always been more on the "classic if by classic you mean various 19th century styles" side than anything that definitely comes into or goes out of fashion, so it's not like my house looked any more contemporary in 2005 than it does today.
posted by Frowner at 1:47 PM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
Re: refrigerator fruit and what should or shouldn't go in the chiller - I live in the American Southwest and endure expensive, not-so-effective air conditioning. The ambient temperature of my kitchen in the summer (May through November!) hovers somewhere around 90 degrees. There isn't a fruit on earth that benefits from being stored in a bowl or on the counter at that temperature. If they aren't rotten one day later they're dessicated husks. You'd be amazed how un-juicy a watermelon can get. These fruit bowls shall remain unfulfilled childhood aspirations for me!
posted by DSime at 1:57 PM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by DSime at 1:57 PM on May 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
What's always seemed weird to me is the idea that ordinary people should just massively redecorate
I've never known anyone who actually did this. My parents would've regarded it as a) extravagant b) a little gauche and c) too much effort. Mostly they settled on a style they liked when we were kids and, with minor variations, stayed with it until the end. Occasionally, they'd buy or discard a piece and my dad's carpentry skills were up to shelves and cabinetry (he renovated the kitchen once), but my bathroom was always horrible. They would've boggled at idea of a massive renovation.
the inclusion of a tiered wire hanging basket in the blog post startled me because those were a staple of 1980s former hippie kitchen decor
We had an old grocer's scale and a hanging basket. The scale's one of the few things I kept when my mom sold the house even though my kitchen's not really big enough for it.
posted by octobersurprise at 2:44 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I've never known anyone who actually did this. My parents would've regarded it as a) extravagant b) a little gauche and c) too much effort. Mostly they settled on a style they liked when we were kids and, with minor variations, stayed with it until the end. Occasionally, they'd buy or discard a piece and my dad's carpentry skills were up to shelves and cabinetry (he renovated the kitchen once), but my bathroom was always horrible. They would've boggled at idea of a massive renovation.
the inclusion of a tiered wire hanging basket in the blog post startled me because those were a staple of 1980s former hippie kitchen decor
We had an old grocer's scale and a hanging basket. The scale's one of the few things I kept when my mom sold the house even though my kitchen's not really big enough for it.
posted by octobersurprise at 2:44 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think for most people it's less that they redecorate on a regular basis, and more that when things need to be replaced, they will end up being replaced with things that are stylish at the time, because that's what's in stores. Or the decor (wall hangings, rugs, etc.) will gradually get updated as people find things they like. So most people end up with a mish mash of things from different eras. Like my parents still have the 70s/80s-style political art and the 90s-style Mission chairs with Aztec-ish cushions (that was before white leftists knew cultural appropriation was fucked up), but now they have a sleek retro-modern couch from CB2 in their living room.
I do sort of wonder if redecorating and staying current with decor trends is more popular with non-wealthy people than it used to be - now that we have pinterest and a million design blogs (to give guidance and social pessure) and cheap IKEA furniture/Target furnishings (to make it cheaper).
It was funny, though - in the early 2000s I was a door-to-door canvasser so I saw the living rooms of a LOT of houses. The small houses and apartments in the city were pretty eclectic, but all the new suburban cul de sac McMansions had the same kind of decor with all new furniture and paintings that looked like they were from a hotel. It took me a while to realize they all had interior designers. How else are you supposed to know how to decorate a 9-room house all on your own?
posted by lunasol at 3:26 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I do sort of wonder if redecorating and staying current with decor trends is more popular with non-wealthy people than it used to be - now that we have pinterest and a million design blogs (to give guidance and social pessure) and cheap IKEA furniture/Target furnishings (to make it cheaper).
It was funny, though - in the early 2000s I was a door-to-door canvasser so I saw the living rooms of a LOT of houses. The small houses and apartments in the city were pretty eclectic, but all the new suburban cul de sac McMansions had the same kind of decor with all new furniture and paintings that looked like they were from a hotel. It took me a while to realize they all had interior designers. How else are you supposed to know how to decorate a 9-room house all on your own?
posted by lunasol at 3:26 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
My mum's a compulsive redecorator and probably at least one room a year would get a serious paint and/or wallpaper overhaul and furniture rearrange throughout my childhood. Occasionally furniture would get painted or reupholstered or cut down to fit somewhere else. I don't think there was ever any intention to keep up with trends behind it, though - she just gets bored easily. I'm the same now I own my place. Itching to paint it all.
posted by corvine at 3:55 PM on May 2, 2017
posted by corvine at 3:55 PM on May 2, 2017
Okay, now do 2010s and big clocks.
Lucite chair with sheepskin throw
Large nonfunctional item made of brass
Fake deer head in neutral color or shiny
Saccharine quote in cursive on large canvas
Unfinished thick wood table
I'm always pointing these things out, these are the green shag carpets of our time. Especially ceramic tile that's supposed to look like wood. I'll give that maybe 5 years before everyone rips it out.
Now I'm wondering what things currently in my house that seem perfectly lovely and functional at the moment will be the subject of future stories about weird decorating choices from the 20-teens.
Inevitable.
They had THIS EXACT WOODEN FRUIT DISPLAY on the dining room table for my entire childhood.
Holy crap, now I wonder where that thing went.
When he dies, you are all welcome to choose a lucite fixture, velvet lampshade, fake fruit or lamp finial of your choice.
I am holding you to that.
posted by bongo_x at 4:42 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Lucite chair with sheepskin throw
Large nonfunctional item made of brass
Fake deer head in neutral color or shiny
Saccharine quote in cursive on large canvas
Unfinished thick wood table
I'm always pointing these things out, these are the green shag carpets of our time. Especially ceramic tile that's supposed to look like wood. I'll give that maybe 5 years before everyone rips it out.
Now I'm wondering what things currently in my house that seem perfectly lovely and functional at the moment will be the subject of future stories about weird decorating choices from the 20-teens.
Inevitable.
They had THIS EXACT WOODEN FRUIT DISPLAY on the dining room table for my entire childhood.
Holy crap, now I wonder where that thing went.
When he dies, you are all welcome to choose a lucite fixture, velvet lampshade, fake fruit or lamp finial of your choice.
I am holding you to that.
posted by bongo_x at 4:42 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
My family had a fruit bowl as a centerpiece in the 70s--does that mean we were avant-garde?
(Actually, it means that we weren't stowing bananas in the fridge.)
Open concept doesn't work at all for me, due to the books running wildly out of control. Ironically enough, neither do all of the local Victorian properties, as the rooms are small and oddly-shaped (and frequently have ceilings under 8' high). Given no walls and too many walls, I managed to strike a useful medium by buying a mid-century modern house with an addition (just enough walls!). No fruit bowl, though.
posted by thomas j wise at 6:36 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
(Actually, it means that we weren't stowing bananas in the fridge.)
Open concept doesn't work at all for me, due to the books running wildly out of control. Ironically enough, neither do all of the local Victorian properties, as the rooms are small and oddly-shaped (and frequently have ceilings under 8' high). Given no walls and too many walls, I managed to strike a useful medium by buying a mid-century modern house with an addition (just enough walls!). No fruit bowl, though.
posted by thomas j wise at 6:36 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
"Saccharine quote in cursive on large canvas"
Oh! Oh! DECALS of fancy-font words stuck up high on the wall in each room that explain what the room is for. Living Room: Sit - Relax - Enjoy. Dining Room: Eat - Drink - Be Merry. Tub: Soak. Master Bedroom: Have sex in this bed. And then in each child's room, the kid's name over the bed: Ethan. Tucker. Emily.
Whenever I see this I am pretty sure the owners are undercover aliens who need to be constantly reminded how to use each Earthling room and what their "children's" Earth names are. It is the only possible explanation.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:25 PM on May 2, 2017 [17 favorites]
Oh! Oh! DECALS of fancy-font words stuck up high on the wall in each room that explain what the room is for. Living Room: Sit - Relax - Enjoy. Dining Room: Eat - Drink - Be Merry. Tub: Soak. Master Bedroom: Have sex in this bed. And then in each child's room, the kid's name over the bed: Ethan. Tucker. Emily.
Whenever I see this I am pretty sure the owners are undercover aliens who need to be constantly reminded how to use each Earthling room and what their "children's" Earth names are. It is the only possible explanation.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:25 PM on May 2, 2017 [17 favorites]
"I do not understand why anyone would knock down the wall between the living room and the kitchen - even if you are such a tidy person that you never have anything out of place in the kitchen and hence don't mind looking at it all the time, surely you get tired of the noise anytime anyone else is washing dishes, cooking or cleaning while you are trying to read or work."
Eh, I have three kids, I spend so much dang time on the preparation of food, feeding of people, cleanup of dishes, etc., that it'd be really nice to do that in a room where my kids actually are, instead of being banished to the little closed-off kitchen in the back corner of the house. I'd love a kitchen open to a living room or family room, but even a breakfast nook would be okay, so they could sit and color or do homework and chat with me. Also my dining room is inexplicably catty-corner from my kitchen so we have to carry food all the way across the house to eat it, which gets old fast.
Plus my kitchen is usually cleaner than my living room because I put away the dishes, whereas my kids never put away their toys.
But houses where I live mostly have basements where you can banish the noisy people when you want peace and quiet. I think it'd get a lot older a lot faster in a small ranch house with no basement.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:29 PM on May 2, 2017
Eh, I have three kids, I spend so much dang time on the preparation of food, feeding of people, cleanup of dishes, etc., that it'd be really nice to do that in a room where my kids actually are, instead of being banished to the little closed-off kitchen in the back corner of the house. I'd love a kitchen open to a living room or family room, but even a breakfast nook would be okay, so they could sit and color or do homework and chat with me. Also my dining room is inexplicably catty-corner from my kitchen so we have to carry food all the way across the house to eat it, which gets old fast.
Plus my kitchen is usually cleaner than my living room because I put away the dishes, whereas my kids never put away their toys.
But houses where I live mostly have basements where you can banish the noisy people when you want peace and quiet. I think it'd get a lot older a lot faster in a small ranch house with no basement.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:29 PM on May 2, 2017
yeah, the "Live Laugh Love" is pretty dreadful, because I generally see it mounted in places where people have to be reminded that it is possible to do any of these three things. I'm pretty sure I saw one on a bedroom shown in Intervention.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:30 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Countess Elena at 7:30 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Was disappointed at the lack of neon.
and Nagel prints.
As a time period passes from outdated to "retro" it becomes flattened and blended in the popular mind. Neon and Nagel was a thing in the '80s, but it didn't occupy the same demographic as this style of high-end minimalism. I don't know how to explain the difference clearly.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:43 PM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
and Nagel prints.
As a time period passes from outdated to "retro" it becomes flattened and blended in the popular mind. Neon and Nagel was a thing in the '80s, but it didn't occupy the same demographic as this style of high-end minimalism. I don't know how to explain the difference clearly.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:43 PM on May 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
That photo of the 80s black-tile kitchen? Thought for sure it was a shower stall. "Why would anyone hang fruit in their shower, ewww?"
Also: "Why do they have a stack of soup cans in the bathroom?"
Oh.
"Why do they have a stack of soup cans on the kitchen counter?"
posted by straight at 10:01 PM on May 2, 2017
Also: "Why do they have a stack of soup cans in the bathroom?"
Oh.
"Why do they have a stack of soup cans on the kitchen counter?"
posted by straight at 10:01 PM on May 2, 2017
octobersurprise: "Related: "The Set Design of Family Ties" from Architectural Digest."
I approve of them using a shot from Tom Hanks's guest appearance.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:28 PM on May 2, 2017
I approve of them using a shot from Tom Hanks's guest appearance.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:28 PM on May 2, 2017
My local grocery-housewares store sold me the classic three-tiered wire hanging baskets, lunasol; hope is not lost.
And I took them apart into three sets of two so they fit under the kitchen shelves and I can separate the fruit and veg and aromatics (the Spem) and still wipe down the counters in one scald.
posted by clew at 10:56 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
And I took them apart into three sets of two so they fit under the kitchen shelves and I can separate the fruit and veg and aromatics (the Spem) and still wipe down the counters in one scald.
posted by clew at 10:56 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
RECLAIMED WOOD ON ALL THE THINGS
I was in Home Depot the other day and saw fake reclaimed wood to make the headboard wall you see on all the shows.
The other thing about the big clocks is that they're that obviously-fake-supposed-to-invoke-old-but doesn't-really-look-old style. I mean, we laugh about things that fit that trend from every decade, but it never goes away, it just mutates.
posted by bongo_x at 11:19 PM on May 2, 2017
I was in Home Depot the other day and saw fake reclaimed wood to make the headboard wall you see on all the shows.
The other thing about the big clocks is that they're that obviously-fake-supposed-to-invoke-old-but doesn't-really-look-old style. I mean, we laugh about things that fit that trend from every decade, but it never goes away, it just mutates.
posted by bongo_x at 11:19 PM on May 2, 2017
I had totally forgotten about the fake grapes until now. Now that takes me back.
As long as we're mining interior decoration for entertainment, (and I'm sure this has been shown here before) Bauhaus nativity is some sort of perfection, I just wish I could decide a perfection of what.
posted by maxwelton at 2:55 AM on May 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
As long as we're mining interior decoration for entertainment, (and I'm sure this has been shown here before) Bauhaus nativity is some sort of perfection, I just wish I could decide a perfection of what.
posted by maxwelton at 2:55 AM on May 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
Now I'm wondering what things currently in my house that seem perfectly lovely and functional at the moment will be the subject of future stories about weird decorating choices from the 20-teens.
I have solved this issue by having no sense of style and telling my kids that all of the old dusty things on top of the bookshelves are family heirlooms.
Also, I went through a stage of having a fruit bowl on the kitchen table for when the kids were younger right up until we started to wonder what the little holes were that appeared in the apples, only to have an enormous brown cockroach scuttle out and put the kids off fruit for oh, about a decade now.
About the only thing that was quintessentially Australian suburban 80's that I had were a couple of Monet prints behind glass from Copperart.
posted by h00py at 3:52 AM on May 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
I have solved this issue by having no sense of style and telling my kids that all of the old dusty things on top of the bookshelves are family heirlooms.
Also, I went through a stage of having a fruit bowl on the kitchen table for when the kids were younger right up until we started to wonder what the little holes were that appeared in the apples, only to have an enormous brown cockroach scuttle out and put the kids off fruit for oh, about a decade now.
About the only thing that was quintessentially Australian suburban 80's that I had were a couple of Monet prints behind glass from Copperart.
posted by h00py at 3:52 AM on May 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
right up until we started to wonder what the little holes were that appeared in the apples
Ah, yes. We had the same strange little holes, only it turned out to be a rat...
posted by thomas j wise at 5:47 AM on May 3, 2017
Ah, yes. We had the same strange little holes, only it turned out to be a rat...
posted by thomas j wise at 5:47 AM on May 3, 2017
I completely forgot, until I saw those lovely photos, that my mom had a bowl of fake fruit on the "fancy" dining room table (ie, the room that was never used, because it was a formal dining room, and we never threw formal events). As a child, that fruit was lovely perfection, the grapes a revelation of beauty. Now it just looks silly to me, and I have no idea why everyone agreed that it was a high class marker.
The Italian stone fruit, though, was in a different class entirely. They looked so much like real fruit in the photos, my "must touch this" senses are tingling.
posted by honey badger at 6:14 AM on May 3, 2017
The Italian stone fruit, though, was in a different class entirely. They looked so much like real fruit in the photos, my "must touch this" senses are tingling.
posted by honey badger at 6:14 AM on May 3, 2017
DECALS of fancy-font words stuck up high on the wall in each room that explain what the room is for....Whenever I see this I am pretty sure the owners are undercover aliens who need to be constantly reminded how to use each Earthling room
Cannot favorite this comment enough!
posted by honey badger at 6:24 AM on May 3, 2017
Cannot favorite this comment enough!
posted by honey badger at 6:24 AM on May 3, 2017
It's been almost 24 hours and I still haven't spent $50 I don't really have on the wooden fruit display drlilth linked to above and I'm just letting you know because I feel like I need recognition for this incredible act of self-control. Thank you for your time.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:29 AM on May 3, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:29 AM on May 3, 2017 [7 favorites]
My finger definitely hovered over that same buy button for a decidedly non-zero amount of time.
Then again, I'm still trying to find ways to rationalize my Jewish soul with how much I now want the nativity set that maxwelton linked.
posted by Mchelly at 9:23 AM on May 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
Then again, I'm still trying to find ways to rationalize my Jewish soul with how much I now want the nativity set that maxwelton linked.
posted by Mchelly at 9:23 AM on May 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
My partner and I actually collect nativity scenes, so don't think that's also on my list.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:04 AM on May 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:04 AM on May 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think part of the reason we have a bowl of oranges sitting out on the kitchen counter is these lyrics (as sung by Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention, as it happens):
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I knew
There was milk and toast and honey and a bowl of oranges, too
And the sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses
Oh, won't you stay
We'll put on the day
And we'll talk in present tenses
The oranges do get eaten and replenished regularly.
posted by tully_monster at 10:36 AM on May 3, 2017
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I knew
There was milk and toast and honey and a bowl of oranges, too
And the sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses
Oh, won't you stay
We'll put on the day
And we'll talk in present tenses
The oranges do get eaten and replenished regularly.
posted by tully_monster at 10:36 AM on May 3, 2017
This is to say
I've eaten
the fruit
that were on
the coffeetable
and which
you were probably
saving
for display
Forgive me
they were wooden
so bitter
and so old
posted by mightshould at 3:56 PM on May 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
I've eaten
the fruit
that were on
the coffeetable
and which
you were probably
saving
for display
Forgive me
they were wooden
so bitter
and so old
posted by mightshould at 3:56 PM on May 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
Those squishy soft fake grapes solve a problem too, if you're into Broadway costume design.
posted by mightshould at 4:02 PM on May 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by mightshould at 4:02 PM on May 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
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