My mother's kitchen is mostly original to the 1949 house - maple cabinets with wrought iron hinges and pulls, boomerang aqua formica, and wallpaper that looks like this bowl, only in aqua, tan and black on white:

She replaced the aqua confetti square vinyl flooring with glazed terracotta tiles in the seventies (but they do look good), the white double oven stove with a brown single oven - and that's it.

It looks vintage, not dated, not awful. It's my childhood and I love it.

My grandmother's kitchen was built the same year in an twenties or thirties style, white enamelled iron counter and sink, yellow metal cabinets, stove separate, fridge separate, pantry cabinet separate. Grey marbled linoleum. Vintage not dated, not awful.

Let's face it, the Seventies WERE awful. And I do wonder if the Nineties mcmansion style, having reached an extreme of ostentatious surface and void, will be seen the same way by many.

I'm actually making use of some of that awful seventies stuff. Some of it individually and mixed with things of today looks ok. I don't know if this is fact or not but it seems like the seventies were the end of American mid-priced well-made furniture and household things. In the mid-priced range it's been mostly downhill since. I purposely seek out items of little known North Carolina companies for seventies furniture and house hold goods. No one wants it so it's cheap and made a 100 times better than anything you can buy today in the moderate to mid high price range. There were also some companies in Michigan kicking out some very well made furnishings and goods in the 70's.
I think I sort of subconsciously go for a very dated look so I can be on the cusp of a comeback lol.

Our first home together (1993), was built in 1987. The kitchen had country blue formica, golden oak cabinets, wallpaper that had numbers and country scenes (very daycare-like), white vinyl flooring with blue flowers, and black appliances. I LOVED IT. I couldn't wait to bring in my collection of geese with ribbons around their necks. :-D

A few years later, we redid it all.

My kitchen here is lovely, and I've wondered, too, will it seem dated someday? Silestone counters (man, I love the surface), cherry cabinets (stained, not real cherry, I know, I know), the now-maligned stainless appliances, tumbled marble backsplash, tile floor.

I think I answered my own question. But I'm enjoying it for now.

Fortunately, there are no taste police. Thank goodness! Live as you will.

A few things of note. ANything fake is probably a bad idea (im thinking the brick is fake?)

Also, for those of us who eschew wall paper, and who like white and off whites with natural materials, this photo vindicates us.

We live in a mid-70's ranch, and bit by bit 70's decor is creeping back into the house. NOT like the above kitchen, just an odd accessory here and there, some very taste specific lamps, a chair or three. I dislike MCM and Early American (revival) and most all of the popular trends of that era, so I have no explanation for this.

I know what popular taste is, but what defines GOOD taste?

I always tend to think that when Christmas decorations start being being created to match and cater to a home decor trend and/or color pallet, then it's over.

Well I like wall paper and yellows and gold and oranges but that wall paper in the picture seems to have some mysterious little electrodes that somehow reach several points on each side of my skull and eye sockets with pattering jolts that closely resemble Pain. Really, look at it, don't you feel like you're being zapped? Even with my love of orphaned things I could never live with that wall paper even if it was "in" again.

Well, I had those orange countertops in my last home and I liked them! I would install orange (or turquoise, or lime green) laminate counters in this house tomorrow if I was replacing my counters.

But as for how long? I think anything faux, like that brick, moves to "awful" a lot faster than anything 'real'. That fake paneling that was little more than printed cardboard everyone nailed up in the basement rec rooms of my youth--awful. Real wood paneling, whether it's knotty pine or something else--terrific.

, for those of us who eschew wall paper, and who like white and off whites with natural materials, this photo vindicates us.

{{!gwi}}

How long? I think it depends on the room too. Kitchens become dated before other rooms. Our house was 13 years old when we bought it and I thought the kitchen was awful as well as small so we gave it a complete overhaul. Now 15 years later, I could see that our kitchen was once again dated, but dh couldn't see it at all. He was very resistant to updating again, but I know he wouldn't have blinked an eye if we were buying the house and saw it this way for the first time.

So I'd say around 15 years before it is noticeable and 20 when it could be called truly awful.

oh Annie, that was so like my first few kitchens, I had yellow gingham dishes to match it all. It makes me smile to see kitchens like that.

As for more contemporary kitchens, shaker cabs, granite counters, stainless appliances, I think they will be less offensive even when they get dated, I have no idea when that will happen though, because they're more simple in colours
and lines.

Timeless is tough to achieve today. We so swiftly change out counter tops and floors things that Once Upon a Time were considered "permanent". My neighbor built her kitchen 30 years ago and has changed nothing--down to the wall paper and it looks like it fits and is very "to date". And most important she still LOVES it!! It is all about budget. I would move forward and make your home what you like and let the next person not like it--who cares. Live in what YOU love. Don't let ANYONE tell you what is attractive what is not --unless they are willing to pay for the change, of course!!oops I guess the reason we were looking at her kitchen was she just got new appliances..but that is the only change...

This is a kitchen I call "aged in place". My area is one of the oldest and elite in town. Not all of us are elite, it is the only word I could think of. History here is abundant. A mixture of small cottages and MCMans, every architectural style designed from Victorian to today. I love driving through the area and finding little corners of unique homes.

Aged in place is awful because we do not know the circumstances. I have gone to many garage sales and seen the worst of the worst. But many are their late 80s/90s and were lucky to get their plumbing fixed or house painted. Children grew up in these homes and many help out to maintain the existing. At the time they decorated their homes they were the elite of decor. But as they get older, GW doesn't exist and whether awful or not, it is their home with many memories. I suspect there are still celebrations inside and it doesn't matter what year the decor is.

My neighbor is 94 and has everything original from some era in her life. She keeps her home neat and organized. But you would hate it with brown/orange shag carpet in the dining room, the awful wall texture, paneled walls, etc. And yes the maple furniture. She welcomes you into her home as her castle.

At some point in our life we just can't do it anymore. And this point brings priorities. I don't believe that decor is one of them. It will be interesting what my point is, trying to keep up my garden becomes a bigger task each year. Decor is my love too, so am keeping up with such. Down the road it will be more difficult.

Just some thoughts, not avoiding the awful. Aside from the wallpaper, that kitchen reminds me of Madmen's. I think there are more around us than we know. And I would take one of the craftsman homes in a minute in this area whatever the size and regardless of what it looked like inside.

How fast to awful?

Let me tell you about one house, the house next door to my dad's. It is an 1880s Victorian, at one time identical to my dad's house. Lived in by an elderly couple for over 60 years. The kitchen, pantry and butler's pantry were from somewhere in the 1930s-1940s, at my best guess.

When the house was purchased 1990 by a young couple with several kids, they redid the kitchen, throwing the pantries and kitchen into one big room. Cherry cabinets, granite counters, new windows. They lived there for 7 years.

Then a childless couple bought the house. Tore out the entire kitchen and put in new oak cabinets, granite counters, hardwood floor. They lived there for 2 years.

Then a family with 2 kids bought the house. Tore out the entire kitchen--they didn't like granite at all. Put in cherry cabinets, Caesarstone counters, linoleum floor, added a bay window. (They also tore out the oak wainscotting in the front rooms and took out the original radiators and stained glass windows, but that's a separate story.)

That's three entirely new kitchens in the space of 10 years.

Granted, the kitchen from the 1940s needed to be replaced. But the other kitchens? I'm not so sure they were "awful" or "dated."

They simply weren't to the taste of the new owners. And while in past generations, many people were simply willing to live with an odd color of counter top or floor or weird cabinets or not-quite-optimal work triangle, today, many people are more inclined to change everything to suit themselves. My mother lived with pink Formica counter tops for decades, because it simply never occurred to her or my father to spend money to replace something that was perfectly functional, just a color she didn't like.

That's my parents' house! Not really, but close. They have the exact wallpaper in the kitchen, and Dad added the lovely Z-Brick in the adjoining family room. The harvest gold appliances, walnut stained oak cabinets, and maple furniture are all still there. As I assist with their caregiving, I see it almost every day. It became awful 30 years ago. They still love it, so I keep my mouth shut. It's hard.

Marcolo,
That first photo IS exactly like my DDs apartment right now. In a college town in a complex full of grad students. Since the size of the kitchen can't be enlarged, and everything works, she will gladly pay "slightly lower" rents on that apartment vs. "slightly higher" rents to have the same layout with new everything. So the extra $150 a month is worth a bit of awful.

This is also 1970s though:

And this is 1960s

These were probably not in the popular taste of their eras.

Very nice, Pal. I only really dislike the third kitchen because of the wall color.

Camlan, I think your story speaks more to the disposable attitude of our current culture, rather than specific decor. So many people see just about everything as disposable, that it doesn't occur to them NOT to change it out and throw it away.

We have the same refrigerator that we bought 16 years ago at a scratch and dent store. It's white and it doesn't have an icemaker. Still works, though.

We looked at a house 10 or 11 years ago that had a kitchen intact from the 1980s. It was wonderful. Mind, nothing in it was my personal taste. It had dark cabinets, but they were real, rubbed walnut. It had a real linoleum floor installed at a time when everyone else was using cheap white tile. It had true commercial appliances that were still very, very good. The layout was ok; it was designed for a big table in the middle with 8 chairs around it, a design much more liveable than the ubiquitous center island that I have come to dislike so. Yes, the wallpaper was dated--- it was wedgewood blue and white---- but it was beautiful. We didn't buy that house but if we had, I would have tried to remodel around the kitchen instead of demolishing it.

This is fun! My parents kitchen in the house I was born in until I was 14 had a bright orange fridge & pea green counters. It was all the 70s rage!

My mom always said the original owner was schizophrenic (which actually, I think she was) to make her feel better about living with that for so many years.

I think no matter what, bad 70s never looked good & will never come back in style. Too many powerful hallucinogenics were used in the 60s & 70s that clouded everyone's judgement, methinks. How fun would it be to drop some acid & sit in your orange & green kitchen for a few hours? Not that I would know (really, truly!), but if I had to guess, it might be fun! My brother on the other hand probably spent many an hour in that kitchen!

I'm not a fan of the wallpaper, but I love the brick and that range hood, in fact, it looks a lot like the 1967 Broan Rangemaster that graces my kitchen, hell, mine is even painted yellow, but not that particular "Harvest Gold" shade of yellow.

And of course our taste evolves, we evolve, after all, the only thing you can count on in life is change.

sandyponder

My living room is a mix of all the things and colors most people hate about the seventies. It also has some things that people hated about the eighties (shiny brass side tables teamed as coffee tables). There are also a few sixties things thrown in. Yet, I like it (ignore the nasty rug; still don't have the new one down yet). However, I'm not going for an "in" look. My point though is that some of the hated 70's and 80's decor can be used today in a mix. You just have to look at it individually.

Jterriynn, I really like your room! It's a very good example of transitional, and looks comfortable too. Well done!

Thank you kswl, all I can see in that picture is that someone turned one of the glass sculptures on each side of the TV with the lower curl facing in. I just fixed that lol. I do really like to room for comfort and will like it even better when husband gets the new sod down in the back so I can lay the new rug.

jtl, your room is lovely and contains those primary elements of massing, scale, and balance as well as a nice color scheme and a blend of materials and textures which all add interest.

I love that second picture Marcolo. How charming, I could easily live there, except for the uncomfortable albeit stylish chairs, but I know some people WILL still prefer the first kitchen!

Re: old, vintage, and/or "dated" kitchens. My childhood home was sold recently, and it had this cooktop in it this past summer (second, fifth, and sixth thumbnails -- I hope it's OK & allowable to post images from someone's ad here):

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/app/3477199616.html

I have not been able to find images of the matching wall-mounted oven; suffice to say, it's a pinkish-brown enamel. The brown formica countertop, original to the house, was there as well.

I hope the new owners keep those things, but I suspect that they will be thrown out, if they haven't been already, to be replaced by budget-level stainless and granite, all of the moment. After the house was sold, I'd actually contemplated asking the new owners whether I could buy the oven and cooktop from them, although I've no idea what I would do with them. I just think they're very cool looking.

I knew a couple once whose kitchen contained a large floor-to-ceiling cabinet, sort of like a Hoover cabinet. Maybe it was in fact a Hoover cabinet, if Hoover cabinets were that large; the piece might even have been a built-in. Regardless, it fit into the space perfectly, looked good, and was highly functional. The couple was determined to "update" their kitchen, and they did. I remember we all urged them to keep the cabinet, but, no, it had to go: it didn't fit with their conception of who they were or what type of house their sort of people should live in. In the end, they renovated their kitchen so that it was a perfect looked-like-but-wasn't-really-at-all-upscale-early-1990s kitchen. For good measure, they tacked onto the kitchen a monstrous great room. Their kitchen and that huge room might have looked appropriate in some houses - but in a small American foursquare with, until they moved in, all-original elements?

Then there was someone else I knew who also had an American foursquare. His renovation, which I saw while it was in process, was really going very well. Unfortunately, he was determined to redo the kitchen with a brand-new, modern stove - even though the house had its original turquoise stove in it. If the rest of the house was an example, the renovated kitchen was probably very, very good; however, I have to wonder whether, in the end, it lacked something that would have given it real personality, never mind whether turquoise stoves are considered awful or not.

Sorry about the double post that was here pre-edit. I thought what I had to say was interesting, but surely not interesting enough to say it twice. ;)

This post was edited by lynxe on Wed, Jan 16, 13 at 10:57

Thank you Annie!

Jterrilynn, I like your room, too !

Growing up, we had that same wallpaper in the first pic...

So we bought our previous house in spite of the kitchen, which had cheap cherry cabinets, formica countertops, yellow plaid wallpaper, a big fat soffit that just suddenly stopped in the middle of the wall, Coppertone wall ovens, and a fake brick sheet vinyl floor with grout that looked more like the dog threw up between the bricks. And you could see that floor from every other room in the house.

In the first week, I was standing over the neglected old stove top with rubber gloves on and a steel wool pad in my hand, and I thought, "Hell, I'm too old and a little too rich to do this nasty job," and I went out and replaced the durn thing that afternoon.

Then two years later we did the whole thing over, keeping only two sets of base cabinets in place with new doors and drawers. The happiest day of the twenty years we lived there was the day that hideous floor came out and the oak flooring that matched the rest of the house went in.

Now, two owners later, I hear that my pretty kitchen is gone, and a new one installed in an addition pushed out into the back yard. I swallowed hard when I heard that, but it was exactly what the house needed, and just what we would have done if we'd wanted to stay in that too big house.

Plus ca change....

jterrilynn, you have saved the best of the decades and intermixed it to create a great traditional blend that probably represents the best we had to offer that will linger on as classic and it will not age like the big boxes of Chinese furniture being pulled into ports by the bazillion every day, which whether beautiful or not, will not hold up to a family, weather or practical use. Picture the durability and longevity of the old Ethan Allen compared to the new or disintegrating.

Thanks Patricia! I find beauty in ugly. For example look at these hideous chairs in black Patten leather and ugly wood (70's?). And, look at the cheap shiny brass dining fixture (80's?) and the laminate top borderline cheesy dresser/TV stand (70's?) or the little benches (70's?). No one wanted many of the pieces in the rooms I did for my young son's first place. However, mixed with some other craigslist, garage sale and rehoming habitat finds & it's sort of fun. Shiny brass is particularly taboo around here, yet I love it in certain settings.

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Fri, Jan 18, 13 at 11:53

Terrilynn, the bones were always good!

I was helping my father install a new range in his rental property where my grandmother lived throughout my childhood. The kitchen has beautiful original (early 1960s or maybe late 1950s I think) birch slab cabinets with really lovely grain. The countertop and backsplash is white formica flecked with copper. The pulls and knobs are copper. As the property has aged, the appliances have just now finally been replaced with white. The original linoleum floor has been replaced. And it's a really beautiful kitchen. Much better looking (to be honest) than my mostly original 1970s kitchen. The original appliances in my grandmother's were copper color (according to my father). It still looks great now with white, though I think true copper appliances would be smashing as well.

My parents kitchen was installed (by my parents themselves) in the 1980s when the home was built. They've been discussing/debating for the last few years how they will update it. The gray laminate countertops are getting stained from extensive use and the linoleum floor is showing wear/damage, but otherwise it's in pretty good condition. They have a new dishwasher, but original range and refrigerator. The layout is perfect for them. They've gone back and forth between replacing everything (cabinets, flooring, appliances) and are currently thinking about keeping the cabinets. My mom loves them and can only find extremely pricey European cabinets that she loves as much. (I don't like them nearly as much as she does, but they're nice and very functional.)

So I don't think there is truly a timeline to "awful". While I do not have enough years of experience to say for sure, I suspect that most rooms that are truly awful, were probably either awful or taste-specific in the first place. Other "out dated" rooms probably aren't that awful could probably use a few minor adjustments here or there to bring them up to looking good again, but maybe never to that "perfect" that we all (including myself) seem to be trying to achieve. As a consumer society, we do (including myself) seem to be driven to achieve perfection, which includes being perfectly current on whatever might be important to us (maybe it's appliances or maybe it's cabinets or maybe countertops). But since we're trying to achieve this perfection, so often we look at replacing everything, rather than fixing or reusing. Our culture seems to be "do it all/do it right" rather than make do with what's there and make minor changes. How often have we (including myself) told someone not to bother to put new expensive counters on top of old cabinets (if we think they aren't going to love them)?

Terrilyn, You have an excellent eye. I love your living room and what you did for your son. You used colors that I am not normally drawn to but put them together brillantly. (I must confess that I still love shiny brass too. I guess I'm dated why not.)

Thanks enailes, I have been doing "awful" for a while. It started due to budget but now I guess I'm just hooked on it. If anyone is wondering why the shiny brass light is hanging a tic high...its because of the big a$$ chair height and the visual across the room.

When I look at the original picture Annie posted, it looks to me like 'awful' was there from the get go. LOL I think when you follow trends, it's just a matter of the next trend coming along before a space 'becomes awful', and is just a continuation until the next, unless that trend has some sort of substance that will keep it from becoming just another trend.

Granite, stainless steel appliances, and wood flooring are not trends, but design materials that have been around forever. Only those with a certain amount of cash used to be able to afford them, but these days, we don't think about cost as much as our parents did, we do, and have, what it is we desire. What has made them so popular is they have finally been offered to the the masses, not only the wealthy.

With that in mind, doing what you love will never become a trend. Doing the 'color of the year' will eventually date your home, but if you use it sparingly, or in items that can be painted or haven't spent a ton of money on, you won't be wasting your money.

Well, I'm a little embarrassed to post this, but this is my old kitchen and I thought it was great when I picked out the wallpaper. I was ready to redo the whole thing when I decided to get a divorce. Luckily (I didn't think so at the time)my ex got the house and I got a newer house with a more updated kitcen and no wallpaper.

Terrilyn, that sofa below the cityscape is fantastic! Honestly, I think it all looks lovely. But then, I tend to decorate in a similar way. I have various decades of furniture from the early 1900s up to present, all living together, and I love it. Some handed down, thrifted, with just a few bought new. You won't see my rooms in a magazine, but I don't think my combinations are awful.

Thanks Alex, you won't see my rooms in a magazine either lol. When I remodeled the kitchen I even kept the old micro/convection with fan above the range. I knew there would be people shaking their heads thinking...oh my, a perfectly lovely kitchen ruined. However, I refused to give in to peer pressure because I like it there and it still worked and because of the fact that I make a lot of soups and stews (don't do frying) and I did not need the extra expense of a fancy exhaust fan and hood.

I was just browsing Craigslist and there is a whole lot of awful in one place! Times sure change.

My new "dated" kitchen
Here is part of my new-ish "dated" DIY two year old kitchen. Not only do I have the very uncool otr micro, I have a huge hulking monster over the range mirco. Granted it would all look much better with something more stream-line. When this thing dies off and if I'm still here I will put in something more flush. My dated kitchen goes well with the rest of my home decor.

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Sat, Jan 19, 13 at 12:22

Let's see:

a)Old painted cabinets in white with no handles and painted hinges

b)older white appliances including (eeeeek!) a white micro-hood

c)white tiled counters and backsplash

...... and yes -- the rest of the house is that bad too .... which is the reason that I no longer post photos of my home ... no changes forthcoming due to interesting economic times ...

That kitchen in the OP was ugly when new. I see plenty of ugly new kitchens.

My parents decorated around what they liked, not around trends. Our 70s kitchen had a huge wallhanging of a chac mool and everything was decorated around that in the room.

When my parents remodeled, now referred to as renovated, back in the late 1950's, it was the very first time I had seen stainless steel. That kitchen became the piec'e de re'sistance of the neighborhood, as well as family members.

If the countertops had not been pink formica, and the floor blk/whit spotted linoleum, the kitchen could have sustained the original look for years. Mom and Dad used the newest materials of the era, and 'trending' wasn't even an option.

The first pic marcolo posted with the Euro style cabinets are the same ones I actually chose for our kitchen reno in the 1980's! I don't think I even liked them much then but they were an inexpensive upgrade and the house did sell quickly and for top dollar a couple years later. One of the worst kitchen cabinet styles IMO and I'd never again use them.

I think one can perhaps avoid "awful" if one gradually makes changes to one's decor removing the worst of the "popular taste" and adding more classical features. For example if the wallpaper were removed from the originally posted kitchen and walls painted it would immensely change the look. Then if the furniture were upgraded, perhaps the brick removed or painted, it would completely change it. Not sure what I'd do with that humongous range hood, probably replace it with something not so gaudy. I think with the right color scheme even the orange countertops could be OK (for some people altho I couldn't live with them). So making gradual changes to one's decor will likely stave off 'awful' for quite a while.

Have been looking at my house quite critically lately because of the various recent threads. Not that I will make any drastic changes very soon as I like most of my house. The parts I've recognized as bordering on 'awful' I've always recognized as such altho sometimes making changes can be more difficult than living with 'borderline awful'.

Teacats, I remember pics of your home and IMO your decor is timeless. Perhaps kitchen is not 'up to the minute' but I think you are likely being critical. Altho I hate to use the term I think your 'taste' is wonderful! ;D

The OP's pic looks just like Samantha Stevens' kitchen. Bewitched 1965. Love it!

jterrilynn - I just looked at my new microwave in my nonremodeled kitched and it sticks out further than yours! I didn't know I had any other options. Your kitchen looks great!!