Brutuses, I like your counter and agree with your reason for choosing it. I still have the Formica "butcher block" counters that my kitchen has had since 1978. They are in very good condition and blend well with my kitchen. They certainly aren't up-to-date, and eventually we will change them out....but not until there is truly a need. And, the photos below show just where my practical (stubbornly so? ;) streak began. This is the house where I grew up, and my father still lives there. These photos were taken just a few Christmases ago. Yes, those are the *original* coppertone appliances, Formica counters, and a faux brick backsplash in their kitchen. In that second photo of their living room, the wool carpet and drapes are also original to the house (1965), and still look nice and timeless. Can you tell that they loved and were influenced by their visits to Williamsburg? :) My parents have always taken good care of their things (that carpet is spotless), and remembered the lessons from the Great Depression. They didn't see a need to replace something until it was required (and neither did most of their friends)...my mother said that those coppertone appliances would outlive her, and sadly they have. They didn't criticize if others liked to keep up with the "latest and greatest", they just didn't feel that need themselves. She and my father enjoyed their "antiquing" trips and found lots of goodies (almost always at a bargain price) on their jaunts, went out a lot with family and friends, and my mother enjoyed hosting events for her various ladies' clubs, so they did have some fun with a little of their money. They just didn't replace things just to replace them. That house may be full of older (working) appliances and some out-of-date finishes, but somehow it still "works". It is a warm home full of laughter and fun, and everyone always feels welcome there. I hope that my kids will remember my home the same way, regardless of the finish. :)

Decolist Vinyl Wallcovering Warning! I cashed in my entire 401K to invest in Decolistic Vinyl to make our house a home. Sure, at first it looked yummy with all those pictures of leafless trees, wacky sunflowers, giraffes wearing sunglasses and antique trains on every wall, but thinking ahead to resale we decided to rip them down on the advice of our Realtor and every single person we spoke to. Easy? Ha! We tried wallpaper stripper, fabric softener, soy based paint stripper, pool cleaner. Nada. We tried sanding with a cheese grater. Steaming with a floor mop. A chisel. Lenten prayer. A flamethrower. Well, the flamethrower finally worked. Now we will have to repaint. Any color suggestions?

Arcy, it was not the 80s when the interest in antiques became huge - it was the 70s. In the early 70s there was a huge interest in Art Nouveau; in the 80s there was a renewed interest in Art Deco. At least that's what I noticed in San Francisco and northern California in those decades. In fashion, there was an interest in clothes from the 40s in the 1970s and in clothes from the 50s and early 60s in the 1980s. I noticed that antiques were much more popular in the 70s than in the 80s, but that varied geographically. Antiques have always been popular in places like New Orleans and Charleston but less so in places like Houston, where new and modern were more appreciated. In the early 1970s Houston received a lot of antiques from Europe because there was a lot of money in Houston at that time from the oil boom, and Europeans thought they could sell their antiques there, but there was little demand, and therefore you could get European antiques for very low prices. If you went to New Orleans at the same time, the prices for antiques were considerably higher because the demand was higher. One thing I especially liked about Houston was the way it embraced new and modern design and styles in art and architecture. Another of my favorite designers from the 80s was Nathalie du Pasquier.

Some cultures wear red and I have seen some gorgeous red dresses on say yes to the dress. I think it is totally up to the bride. It's her big day. My dress, so many years ago, was white from the waist up with sheer long sleeves and a very pale blue from the waist down. No floofy, puffy, anything. It was straight with a light blue satin ribbon at the waist. My niece had her brides maids in beautiful black a line knee length dresses and the flowers were long stem multi color Calla lilies. So pretty.