So true. My mom had dark cabs, gold & orange flowered wallpaper, gold linoleum floors, white tiled countertops. It was all very custom designed and very pretty for the time. I too admire those who can incorporate part of that look into an updated design for today. But it's not me. I'm currently trying to update my 80's kitchen, painting the oak cabs white, took out fluorescent light box, etc. I find myself wondering what I might be doing now that will look sooo 2011 in 10 years.

Tell me about it...everytime I try to find kitchens with brick floors, it's a 70s flashback! White seems too stark, but I'm wondering if the wood is going to be too dark, so I may use both. Planning to use french blue ceramic tiles for the perimeter cabinets, but no avacado or harvest gold...yet LOL

I think darker wood cabinets and lots of bright coloful countertops will be in fashion again, just because it's something different and people love to see something 'new' even if it's really not :)

I think some things are timeless, but how you combine them makes the difference.
Farm house sinks were around...well...seems eons ago and they are all the rage now. But Quartz countertops were not around and paring them brings it up to date.
Avocado was all the rage and now green is the hot new color, but not necessarily on appliances.
Oak floors have been around nearly forever and no one who loves them thinks they are dating themselves using them.

I think we just have to accept that styles will change and kitchen (as well as other parts of the house) will be dated but if you love it, it shouldn't matter.
Marble has been used for centuries and we still love it.
Blue jeans have been worn since the 1800 (working man's clothes) and they are still a hit.

In an odd way, I am sort of lucky to have a limited budget because it forces me to evaluate things for function, durability and cost....plus I have to like it.

Brass fixtures are making a comeback as well. Did it the first time and definitely won't do it the second time.

I have a House Beautiful kitchens/baths magazine from spring 1996 (our kitchen was reno'd last summer but that's how long the planning process was) and there is a picture of a white kitchen in there that would fit in with today's kitchens.
It has an island, cabinet drawers, bridge faucet, glass in the upper cabinets, wood floors, corian counters, open shelving, school house lights, paneled appliances, a dividing 2-tiered peninsula separating the kitchen from the eating area..

If it were posted here people would like it. Something to be said for being timeless.

This is interesting! Since I am a person who is challenged in respect to decor I would love to hear what others consider "timeless". I have a feeling that this is going to be my last shot at a major renovation and I would like to keep it "in style" as long as possible.

I remember when skirts started getting short (again) and Nancy Reagan was asked about the new fad. "I've already done that once" was her reply.

The pendulum swings and the inevitability of change do argue a good case for not going with the trend, at least not whole hog. Then when things become unfashionable you're not as unfashionable as your colleagues. And if you've been hearkening to different drummer all along, you're no more eccentric than you previously were.

A little OT, but when the financial crisis hit and a sense of frugality swept in, my boss commented "Great! I'm back in fashion again".

Try and keep your ship straight, regardless of which way the ocean's moving.

What is timeless exactly? And why is it such a good thing? The notion that these very fussy and quite elaborate white kitchens of the moment are "classic" and won't date is a fantasy as far as I'm concerned. To me successful kitchens don't look like they were pulled from a magazine they look like someone might actually use them or pad around in them with bed head in their underwear rather than with perfect hair and a coordinated outfit. This is not to suggest that some of these kitchens don't get used as I described but often they don't look like they do. Hopefully our personal tastes change and evolve but if you really like it today their will probably still be things you like about it 10 years from now. The "good" in "good taste" is the same one in "good breeding" - informed by old and outdated ideas about the superior discernment of the wealthy (old money wealthy of course). I think the biggest trend in kitchens today is to not be trendy - where does that leave us?

What I like in a kitchen is knowing I can be less than perfect about keeping it sparkling and it will still look good. There are far more important things in my life than worying about a waterspot on my faucet.

Timeless is what you will still love ten, fifteen, twenty years from now. That varies from person to person. If you are going to want to redo it in ten years I wouldn't call it timeless.

However, things tend to go in a thirty year cycle. If you can live with it until then it will be back in style and just think how much money you'll save on remodeling the kitchen!

>>things tend to go in a thirty year cycle. >>

Oh boy, I only have 10 yrs to go and I won't have to remodel, LOL!

But seriously....everything gets dated. Dark woods are now showing signs of visual fatigue; the more cutting edge kitchens are back to light woods and laminates again.

For most of us, we are aiming for a better layout that works with our current lifestyle. This is different than, say, my 83-yr old MIL who only needs a mini-frig and a microwave to get through life.

I could remodel, and when we go to sell this house eventually I might invest a few $$...or not. What I got out of the remodel in 1989 was a larger kitchen with a much better layout. I could replace the appliances and cabs, counters and sink, but I would never change the layout, because it works for me, then and now.

I doubt it will work forever. Time and technology change things, it's inevitable. But the next owner will have the option to do whatever s/he wishes, which is exciting for them.

Me, I'm just glad our remodeling days are over, and I can't believe I'm even discussing the possibility I might do it again someday!

Marrmoleum. I've been seeing people posting about it but never stopped to read the posts or look at the pictures until today. "Oh, THAT stuff!" It is back. Good example of something old being new again.

I just want to add that "old" isn't necessarily bad. As someone posted, function is important and technology changes. I was thinking about this when I was watching an episode of Poirot. I'm sure folks in the 30's wondered if their kitchen would be dated in the 40's and now, some of us actually WANT an authentic looking 30's kitchen. I think maybe enough years need to pass and then a design is appreciated if it functioned well the first go-around.

No, I did not mean to imply that old is bad. Far from it! I am very glad that we can have the older styles/trends with updated products.

Just observing, that is all. My niece absolutely loves dark woods, dark furniture. She wasn't alive to live through the first round of it so to her it isn't dated. i would probably feel differently about it if I hadn't lived with it once already.