Anything that hasn't been the rage in the last ten years :). If you see it at pottery barn it's not classic, even if it's in their "timeless classic" line.

Leopard print...LOL. Well at least it is one classic at my shack!!!

Anything that's at my house. If it isn't in style, it can't go out of style.

Art. Framing may need an update but if you buy artist's work you love it won't ever go out of style. I am often surprised when looking on MLS by how many folks are living in very expensive homes with premium finishes that have no "real" art.

Proper architecture, anything beautiful that comes from Mother Nature and (I agree) art is classic.

Also crystle, silver, wrought iron, copper and yes, brass. All of which kinda fits in the art category.

How about plantation shutters and lattice work. Sorry, I know I have to stop this!

Real oriental rugs.
Most antiques.
I think Shaker or Mission furniture is classic. Not everyone would agree, maybe.
Basic, clean lined, solid wood bookcases.
Nice, squooshy, needlepoint pillows. The good ones; the kind I can't afford.
And I agree with the art.

When tempted by something that is a newly seen look, I ask myself if I would have liked it 5 years ago. If yes, it's classic, if no, it's trendy.

Trendy is good in small, inexpensive, accessories.

Examples for me are bold 70's fabrics. I would have thought a room heavy on those was an outdated room. (seen a lot at estate sales LOL)

Now this is very in. So I would consider a table runner or throw pillow, but not an upholstered chair.

white kitchen cabinets

I think in terms of things that come back in style again and again. Not that I like them all, but in the world of home decorating, they will always be around and have impact in spaces.

Things like toile, herringbone, paisley, velvet, damask. Queen Anne legs, rolled-arm couches, shaker, chippendale,Saarinen pieces. Wood, marble, slate for floors. Crown moulding. Crystal chandeliers. Gold (brass), pewter and sterling, stainless (not appliances). Mirrors and art. Candles. Flowers.

Blue and White looking ceramics. Not necessarily oriental though- Spode blue room, for example

The Eames Lounge or the credenza designed by Florence Knoll.

Polished brass.

old transferware dishes historial homes
silver anything Old Paris vases
farm tables Empire mirrors
Wood floors Bulls eye mirrors
A little black dress english gardens
pearls enamel cast iron pots and pans
windsor chairs painted furniture
wing back chairs wood floors
armoire's oriential rugs (although I'm tired
White of them)
cream Brass pots and pans
beige Diamonds
antique white ironstone blue jeans
chest (the game) Black
tennis shoes Leather gloves
Men's rain coats Books (not the kindle)
Umbrella's? taper candles
sea shells cloth napkins
Staffinshire platters manicured gardens

english gardens ferns
wicker orchids
The Cadillac wine (red or white)
Gone with the Wind brass
clay pots
The classic black and white checkerboard floor?
fireplaces Pixie haircut (I think)
red lipstick summer sandles
red nail polish The high heel pump?
natural nails
antiques
tradtional
The classic bob haircut
Letters (handwritten)

Pinch pleated drapery that touches the floor over pinch pleated sheer curtains on a traverse rod.

Interior shutters with narrow louvers.

I love your list Newdawn! As I look down at my red toe nails & very much in need of a manicure natural nails in my very traditional house! That has a few of the things on your list.

Smiles:)

many of mine echo those wonderful thoughts above .... :)

-fresh squeezed juice on a sparkling morning
-homemade baking (from anyone's home LOL!) and jam
-china
-brass, silver, pewter
-fans moving in the heat
-hot tea in a thick sturdy mug or a china cup
-hot coffee after a marvellous dinner
-old rugs (whether braided or oriental or stitched
-old portraits -- whether painted or photos
-handiwork (sewing, knitting, weaving)
-the right count of cushions -- not too many but just enough to make a chair or sofa even more comfy
-a throw to warm someone on a cooler night
-artworks of all sorts and kinds
-martini, Manhatten, Mai Tai
-the pop of a champagne cork
-crisp white wine
-hearty red wine
-a cheese selection with nuts after dinner
-a box of chocolates passed around a group
-fruit in a bowl
-flowers that brighten a room
-plants that add pattern
-old botanical prints hung in a grid
-intaglios in boxes on a wall
-swing coats
-well-fitted jackets
-gentlemen
-ladies
-charm (whether in a person, home or room)
-sense of humor
-common sense
-true courtesy
-clocks and watches
-well-used pots and pans of all sorts
-armoires, cupboards
-china cabinets
-books and their shelves or cases -- stacked and piled everywhere
-lamps -- task table or standing
-chandeliers
-lanterns
-music
-candles
-firelight
-the sound of crackling logs on a fire
-the sound of popping corn
-umbrellas for rain and for sunny spots outside
-hats and gloves
-mirrors -- especially old ones
-sconces of all sorts
-slippers
-garden hats and gloves
-old garden equipment
-cherished hardworking tools of any trade -- painters, writers, carpenters, plumbers (yes -- a good plunger has saved many homes!)
-old jeans
-Keds
-bicycles of all sorts -- fitted with a basket and a bell
-baskets of all sorts
-trays of all sorts
-exotic elements -- Oriental, Near East and Tropical influences
-old maps
-nautical charts and star charts
-handwritten notes and letters
-busts and statues -- especially when wearing a spare garden hat!
-dog hair and cat hair (within limits and sighed over and cleaned up)

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

I had two lists and I should of read it before hitting submit. They are both thrown together, sorry.

ND- that is what makes your list fun and exciting!

Outdoor landscapes that include azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas, crape myrtles (at least in the South!)

Outdoor landscapes that focus on plantings, rather than "garden accessories."

Understated jewelry.

A crisp, white cotton shirt.

A twin sweater set.

Argyle...in a sweater, vest or socks!

Black pants.

Well-cut jeans.

Good manners.

Your own unique style. Eccletric.

Things that are authentic.
Real (or correct, high-quality reproduction) Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Regency, Stickley, Eames, Knoll, to name a few.
Trench coats.
Blue blazers.
Perfectly fitted fine wool trousers.
Camelhair coats.
Good cashmere sweaters.
Genuine pea coats.
Brown & cream spectator shoes.
Chinese bronzes
Japanese obi patterns
French copper cooking pots
Real silver and gold leaf frames.
Wedding ring china.
Certain silver patterns (1810, Fairfax, Old French, Tiffany Audubon, Craftsman, to name a few)
Georg Jensen anything
Linen slipcovers
Mohair velvet
Ticking stripes
Old Hermes leather
Red leather Mark Cross datebooks
Heavy ivory letter paper
Beeswax candles
Audrey Hepburn
Gregory Peck
1955 Jaguar XK140 Roadster
A bobby pin holder made by your 8-year old from an old Sucrets tin with a bobby pin glued on top, and some awful pink paint .

Hardwood floors.

"Real" floors, i.e. slate, wood, granite, marble.

Travertine might be a little trendy.

I have to disagree with a previous poster. I don't think white cabinets in kitchens is classic - I think it's quite a trend that has come and gone in waves.

I do think white cabinets are classic, but that doesn't mean they are always perceived as being "the height of style."

I think everything in my living room is classic...chippendale camelback sofa, wing chairs, butler's tray table, but none of it, whatsoever, is "in style" at all. Often a classic is something that is regarded as "out." For lovers of a classic, it doesn't matter.

Stinky, that's a good point particularly in regards to clothes. Those items while "classic, blue jeans for example, are constantly being updated each season and after a while if they aren't updated will be out. Classic Mom jeans were so popular that everybody had them yet they are sartorially hilarious now.
I think that idea can apply to decorating too ....and especially artwork.

This is an opposite of the ever-so-often thread "what is trendy." I agree with the majority of examples posted above. Rather than repeat what has already been said here, I'll mention some items I posted about in August. Several classic items that seem to be "trendy" today are numbers, trestle tables, vintage wooden boxes and reused architectural pieces. It seems to me that these are a few of the things I've been buying for the past thirty years and they are still around today. That to me says "classic."

To finished your sentence "When I say 'classic,' you say...." most anything you run across in an antique store and nothing you run across in today's home stores.

Here is a link that might be useful: Classic Trends

Hmmmm. My first and only thought is classic wood paneling, heavy trim and moulding w/ deep windows sills & huge windows. White walls.

Seriously all you have to do is throw a mattress in the middle of the floor w/ great linens and it's perfection.

Bronwynsmom, your list made me smile -the first two silver patterns you listed were handed down to me by my mother and her mother, though the Fairfax gets used more often here as I prefer it to the 1810. I like them both for their simple elegance.

Here's a few items on my classics list:

Snowy white double damask linen tablecloths
Ogee mirrors
Shieldback chairs
Windsor chairs
Revere bowls
Tall case clocks - old ones
Brass or silver candlesticks
A string of pearls

Those are quite the lists, thank you! As for white cabinets, I think they are more classic than some finishes. I have some other things to add and I wonder what your thoughts are:

Wing chairs

White, off white, black, navy, red

old brick, river stone

wood

old quilts

leather

roses

antique china dishes

pottery

stained glass

cedar shakes

beadboard

wainscotting

terra cotta

Muskoka and Adirondak chairs

hammocks

claw foot bathtub

toille

baskets

cast iron

pressed-back chairs

school house and carriage lights

black and white photographs of nature and old architecture