Actually we went through a house a couple months ago that was SO dated it was actually coming into style again. It was a cookie cutter "brady bunch" style, complete with orange shag and all the 60s mid century modern furniture. lamps, and kitchen cabinets, even the stove from that era, the brown double oven. And it was ALL in absolutely in perfect condition.

I considered that dated, but some other people would consider that a goldmine these days.

Dated to me is: mauve/lt. blue country look.
Mediterranean style - 70s super dark stained cabinets.
Anything that is Harvest gold or Avocado green.

Sometimes those home shows go overboard I think.

In our area, most mid priced markets decors work, as long as the house is clean and neutral and people are able to "turn key" . People don't want to have to do ANYTHING to the house when they move in there.

Almost everything becomes "dated" at some time or another in it's decorating life. Sometimes I will hear furnishings referred to as "timeless" and I can see where they can stand the test of time from style change to style change.

What goes around comes around again though. Trends come and go, and then come back again.

Dated to me at this point in time would be something from the 80's. It's not old enough to be "cool" and "in" again like mid century decor from the 50's. If you can look at something and it definitely screams 80's (or even in some cases 90's) then it's dated.

Sometimes I think people us the word "dated" when they might actually mean "cheap" or "ugly." There are plenty of cheap, ugly builder's grade light fixtures that you can find in Home Depot right now that someone might look at and say "dated."

We recently bought a house built in 1991. Not a tract house and the builder still lives just a few doors down. He built most of the houses in this area, one by one.

The house only had one owner before us, and I'd consider a lot of the stuff "dated." The hall bath has a mauve 2" tile ceramic counter. The master bath has dark green 2" tile on the counter. Kitchen cabinets are all oak, but that's fairly common in this area. Kitchen counter and island are 2" grey ceramic tile. Window blinds in living room are mauve.

The dated stuff we'll eventually replace, probably, but it didn't really bother us (even though I don't like mauve) because the rest of the house fit us well. Some of the other newer houses had nicer counters and cabinets etc. but the layout was bad or the yard too small or on a hill or some other thing that couldn't be changed.

I think the home decorating/selling shows on tv are doing a big disservice to the average buyer/seller.

I know what you mean: "cheap" or "ugly."

My mom's house was 70s-dated when we sold it. But she had some very nice very expensive lamps and chandeliers that were so high quality they were definitely not considered dated. The house was a tear down, but those lamps and stuff were salvaged... i.e. you will NOT see quality like that again unless it you pay big bucks.

Mostly Colors are what go in and out of fashion, thus the reason you never choose a wild color for your sinks, toilets, tubs, etc.

To me, dated means falling apart, faded, broken, chipped, stained, etc. Like my old kitchen, LOL! Actually the kitchen had a "timeless" design - plain shaker-style white painted cabs, white tile and white appliances. The dated aspect of the design was the drop-panel fluorescent lighting.

But the paint on the cabs was chipping to reveal the original dark wood stained cab, the drawers were failing, the grout on the countertops was old, stained and porous, etc.

Things get old, then they're "dated".

See, to me "dated" does NOT mean "in bad repair."

To me, "dated" means, "in good repair, all that's wrong is that it is the color/style that was really hot more than 10 years ago."

It actually, to me, implies "in GOOD condition, all that's wrong w/ it is it's obviously out of style."

otherwise, it's a fixer-upper.

To me, 'dated' could be either just out-of-style and/or in need of repair. I've seen a lot of dated fixer-uppers. lol

If I can look at the styling & immediately know it was built/installed, etc. mid-80s, early 90s, etc. then it's dated.

There's a difference, IMO, between vintage & dated. To be vintage...it has to be old enough to have some nostalgic value.

/t

I think that for something to be "dated" it had to first be "trendy". "Classic" can look dated if it's dingy or poorly maintained -- or it wasn't authentically classic in the first place.

To me, dated means you can look at a certain fixture of style of furniture and know what era it was purchased during whether it was the 70's, 80's or 90's. That's not necessarily a bad thing for some buyers. I prefer more timeless, classic decor just as I do clothing. I would certainly prefer good classic styling to something I'll need to change in a few years due to poor workmanship.

We just finished looking at a house that was built in the late 70s. Interior wise, the owner has taken extremely good care and had recently replaced the carpet. (OK he has carpet in the kitchen - berber to be exact and it was spotless) You can tell he has done some stuff to update,the cabinets were newer in the kitchen.

None of what I am used to, like big walk-in closets and fancy tile and granite and about 1/2 the size of our last house.

The exterior was what was "dated" It's a raised ranch with natural cedar shake siding on top and reddish brown brick on the bottom - I think when you consider "dated" you think browns, and golds, and avocados and faux gold/brass hollywood lights in the bathrooms.

Normally I would walk away from that - but the interior and the location - on a lake - and the reasonable price, and the low taxes in the town and the incredibly good condition of the house - we just submitted an offer.

I swore I'd never live in a raised ranch. It's an ugly house on the outside - but I figure I can change the exterior with some siding about the same time next Spring when we bump out one side and open up the main floor, and finish off the basement for my DH and company.

Standing outside you could hear the loons calling. Never say never.

MP

To me, "dated" simply means out of style, anywhere from 5 to 20 years old. But then, the style becomes "retro" once it's about 25 or 30 years old. So, '60s is retro but '80s is dated :) (I don't think the '70s will ever be retro)

I also agree with whoever wrote that to be dated the style had to be trendy at some point.

I can handle dated if it is good quality dated (solid oak cabinets). But when it is trashy dated, not so much (white melamine cabinets with wood trim).

My mother loved Danish Modern. It's now coming back, but it was dated for quite awhile. But all the pieces were solid wood, amazing quality, etc. I wish my father had kept the coffee table (looked like a surfboard with wood inlay).

Sad story: in the 1960s, there was no such thing as "salvage". When an old manse was being taken down they would just wreck the whole thing - solid mahogany woodwork, tile, wood carving from Europe, stone floors, etc. My grandfather rescued a few things from houses being torn down. Some lights, wood carvings, etc. It was considered "dated" back then! Now? There would be an onsite auction to sell it off, everyone wants it.

I learned from that. If someone is high quality it is not dated. It is classic. Or will be someday.

I can handle dated if it is good quality dated (solid oak cabinets). But when it is trashy dated, not so much (white melamine cabinets with wood trim).

I have the dark oak cabinets in fairly good condition in a very dated (70s) kitchen. Nope, can't say I'm handling it very well. I loathe these cabinets. Definitely dated and not retro. I'm hoping to replace them with IKEA cabinets soon.

My mother loved Danish Modern. It's now coming back, but it was dated for quite awhile. But all the pieces were solid wood, amazing quality, etc. I wish my father had kept the coffee table (looked like a surfboard with wood inlay).

I got my parents' old dining room suite - danish modern (kai kristensen) in rosewood - 5 years ago. They bought it in the early to mid 60s. Very clean lines. I have always loved the dining furniture - I never thought of it as dated.

I'd rather have the "cheap" dated melamine cabinets than the good quality solid oak cabinets, because I would feel less guilty about tearing them out.

It is difficult for brass to be "dated" when it has been used for over 2,000 years. That's like saying Greek columns are "dated". I have a tough time seeing oak cabinets as "dated". How can beautiful wood go out of style? Crystal chandeliers may be undesirable to some, but does sparkle really go completely out of favor?

Trends may come and go (and come and go), but if something was high-quality, timeless and beautiful to begin with, it is difficult to become "dated"; it is just not currently fashionable.

In the real estate business, dated has nothing to do with condition. Dated simply means, it is "functionally obsolete". Some people had it right. If you walk into a house and can tell what era it is from just because of colors or styles, its dated.

linda117 is right. Teeny bathrooms and kitchens, low ceilings, 100 AMPS -- those make a house dated. You can up the electric and re-plumb, but there's not always much to be done about small rooms and low ceilings without doing a teardown. Of course if a home is historic, that's different. People will remodel or add on to an antique. Many a BR has been turned into a larger bath/closet. Expensive proposition, though!

xamsx,

I agree with you.

Another example of what's not 'dated' would be oak cabinetry & trim in a 1912 Craftsman home. You can't generalize so much & just say such-and-such is 'dated'. It has to be in context to its surroundings.

When I think of 'dated', I envision indescript architecture with faddish interior such as a raised ranch filled with brass/glass/mauve/Hunter green furnishings. Or, a fake Colonial trying to look like an 80s advertising image of a mid-19th century farmhouse (that 'look' was never true country...just how it was marketed to consumers).

Classics never become 'dated'. One may not like English 2nd half of the 18th century Chinese-influenced Chippendale but it's certainly not 'dated'.

/tricia

Dated: No buyer in their right mind will purchase without some seller concessions or allowances.

Dated to me means "out of style" and or just plain "old"
Still working but not the right colors or texture (carpet)
Can be a tip off to - old and even very old but still working and not stained
if its not working its a "fixer upper" or possibly "needs TLC"

"Well-maintained" can still be dated but belong to someone who changed furnace filters and cleaned and maybe even updated mechanicals like electric when they should have been.

I looked at a house a 3 years ago that had a stove top (name escapes me, you know with wall oven, not a range)
that was Robin's egg blue and the sort of wild thing to me because I'd never seen it before was instead of dials it had mechanical push buttons! You pushed the rectangular button down for Hi, Med Lo.

I agree with Tricia on the "dated" - if it's classic and/or original but not a fad, or it's quality workmanship and well maintained, I wouldn't say dated. Nothing worse than the faux Colonial Tricia mentions!

And some people really like the retro - especially if it's all original and well maintained. We had friends who sold their small house in Tucson with an original 1950s style kitchen. Everything in the kitchen was original and well maintained. The artist who bought from them absolutely adored it! Not my personal taste, but clearly there is a % of people out there who love it.

But sometimes "old" isn't old enought to be historic or back in fashion, it's just old.

The home shows call fixtures dated because fixture manufacturers sponsor the home shows and want you to buy more of their product. If something feels dated 10 years after being the best thing since sliced bread then you have fallen for the advertising industry's brainwashing.

Almost everything is "dated" if you are familiar enough with it to estimate when it was manufactured. I think "dated" comes more from decorating that was done in response to fads than it does with regards to actual dates or eras.

If everyone is doing granite and stainless steel because it is "in", then in 20 years granite and stainless steel is going to be looked at as dated because it is everywhere, reminds folks of the '00's, and they want the next newest and best thing.

Classic elements are always a better choice than what is currently "in" and this is exactly why. It is entirely possible IMO to decorate a home that won't be dated in 20 years but you won't do it by following the advice of home shows and trend magazines. You do it by choosing classic timeless pieces to begin with and not just getting what everyone else thinks is cool or the latest greatest new thing.

I think that for something to be "dated" it had to first be "trendy".

Bingo.

I think the reason why people are conflating "dated" with "poor craftmanship" is because poorly crafted items are much more likely to be trendy items.

Classic heavy brass fixtures may not appeal to someone's personal taste, but if well made and well integrated into a particular space, rarely look dated.

In contrast, the builder's brass chandelier that appeared in every cheap apartment built in the early eightes dated very quickly. The dated quality isn't just the ubiquity of brass, it was also the fact that the fixtures were often cheap-looking and put in places without any regard to the space.

Now, high-end stuff *can* date, especially with extreme styles, but it's much more difficult.

Same with architecture. Someone above noted that small spaces & low ceilings are 'dated'. I disagree.

If the above architectural features are incorprated in a classic Cape Cod or CA Bungalow they are not 'dated'. It would be inappropriate to see soaring ceiling & ginormous bathrooms. It's all about being in context. If one were to remodel a classic Cape Cod & alter the floorplan to today's design concepts then those remodel features would soon become 'dated' because they are noticeably different & can be time-dated to a certain point i.e. 2005-2007 granite & SS.

That's one of the inherent problems with purchasing an older house. How to make the house fit the needs/desires of today while remaining true to the architecture? We've all seen houses built c. 1970s with remodeled kitchens & baths. While it may be nice to see a more modern kitchen the property is now what I call a "mutt", architecurally speaking.

There are going to be many thousands of such 'mutts' 10-15 years from now because of the remodel craze we've just been through.

/tricia

Damn, I wish I could type without typos!

/t

"There are going to be many thousands of such 'mutts' 10-15 years from now because of the remodel craze we've just been through."

I'll second that. I'm just waiting for granite counters to be the next thing that makes a kitchen "dated".

Although, if the architecture was unremarkable in the first place, I see no problem with making it into a mutt.