A plain old flip (or clamshell) style phone that you can actually hear on.

In reading all your comments, I've determined that I have an unfashionable house. In the addition I added a few years ago I have
1) A laundry chute from the master bath directly above a basket in the laundry room
2) A butcher block table in the laundry room for sorting and mending
3) An ironing board that is almost always open
4) A large storage closet for vacuum cleaners, brooms and miscellaneous stuff that needs to be kept handy
4) Vertical blinds
closed

open

Oh, and when I did my kitchen umpty-ump years ago, I installed a broom closet.

I didn't know houses could come without broom closets...that is my number one most needed item for home organization!

My friend has a color-matched dark grey towel on her grey sectional for cat hair. Great solution especially since she used some kind of Jedi mind trick to get her cat to sit on the towel. I'm going to try to implement the same system.

I'm planning a big mud/laundry room in our upcoming kitchen remodel and am now thinking an ironing board cupboard would be just the thing...along with my broom closet, kids' coat hooks and big utility sink.

Last year or the year before Architectural Digest had a layout and the house had vertical blinds. They were open, and not featured, but they didn't try to hide them either. It was a house with a lot of glass.

joanie, that room is what is missing from most homes. Also the room would need to have space for messy pets and have a table for projects.

A new house built near me not only didn't have a broom closet, it didn't have any coat closet! This is the north east. We were coats and boots. Oh but it did have a vaulted ceiling, gas fireplace, and a tub big enough for 3 people.

I think more WOMEN should design houses! Sorry if I sound sexist......but how many men would think about a big utility room with all that's been mentioned.......big sink for washing paint brushes or pets or what have you, tables for craft projects and folding clothes, space for wrapping paper and ribbon, landing strip for keys, bills, purses, broom closets, etc..

And a woman would not design a house where the hot water heater, heater, etc are plopped smack dab in the middle of the basement taking up valuable real estate. They would be in a corner where you could build a corner closet to house them instead of having a chopped up space because you have to build around them. And they would not put those tiny basement windows up at the ceiling.....they'd spend a little more and excvate and put in larger windows...and more of them!

Gee....what else?

Drip edges on kitchen counters; not the metal edge, but a "hump" at the edge.

Drip closet with a floor drain in the laundry or utility room, for drying clothes and mops.

joaniepoanie I couldn't agree more. In one of my first "rents" the kitchen had no drawers whatsoever. So where do you put your utensils? I miss canisters. Some are so pretty but when I buy sugar and flour, I only buy when it is on sale and I buy in bulk i.e. 3 bags of sugar (as opposed to a Sams amount). Even so I would not have enough room in the canister for what I've bought. Trying to jog my memory here but what was in the forth canister? The other three - flour, sugar, and tea bags but what else?

coffee

Chocolate chips (at least, that's where my mom hid them...)

I still have canisters set out on my counters, just just three. I don't care how not popular it is, I like it. When I was looking at houses, I saw many without a coat closet, granted most of what I was looking at were older homes. One thing that I don't have in my current house, and would love to figure out how to add is a "landing zone". Right now there is a little corner of the countertop that serves as a catch all. I try to hide it behind the bowl of fruit (which I am sure is also not popular) , but it is there.

romy, My XMIL had plastic covers in the "only used for company" LR. They were also "birth control devises" - think late 60's, because we were not allowed alone in his bedroom. Any movements on the plastic covers were magnified throughout the house!

I still have orange Tupperware canisters from the early 80's....they don't sit out on the counter...no room... But they still hold my flour and sugar.

Lynn..too funny....my MIL had plastic on her furniture too in her tiny NY apt....late 70's....I hated it even then!

uh, joaniepoanie??? kind of like these? Vintage 1976, first marriage wedding shower gift. They still reside in my baking cabinet.

Joanie and Dlm2000...another Tupperware canister owner here. Mine are green and I also have a few pink ones I picked up later. Best canisters ever. Ha!

I'm quite sure men don't think we need a "landing zone" as that is what the kitchen counters and/or table is for. And, frankly, if I had one, I'm quite sure I would want it to be beautiful and not cluttered with handbags, mail and car keys.

There actually IS a builder in my province (Nova Scotia) that features 'women centric' homes.

I've linked to their designs below. The only woman-centric thing I can really see about them at first glance is 'drop zones' and laundry/mud rooms. Maybe big closets.

Nova Scotians are big on coat closets, we get ALL the weather. Even so I see houses up here where the closets aren't handy to the front door. I find it hard to welcome guests without a place to put their coats!

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Woman centric' home designs

My fiancee owns a 1940's bungalow. When I first moved in I was shocked the lack of closets. It is a two bedroom house and only one of the bedrooms had a closet (and that was added on in the 70s because it was made out of drywall) and there was NO coat closet. The entire house had 3 closets. We added 4 more (including a coat closet) with the addition we are doing.

Dim...ha ha ...yes, my canister's are like that...not sure of the design....I will post a pic when I get home today....not sure what i did with the two smaller ones...will have to check. I think also a shower gift or from my mom....can't remember. You don't really hear about Tupperware much anymore. I loved their sipee cups when the kids were little.

Drains in the garage floor (in a garage heated to about 40 degrees) so the slush melts completely away. Unfortunately, this probably goes against code, now; risk of oil and antifreeze also draining there.

bpathome, back in my early days of car ownership when I was fanatical about washing the car, I wanted a garage with a drain so I could wash my car in the winter. lol

I want to put a floor drain inside one of the entry doors, actually.

Maybe I don't understand what kind of vinyl tile or resilient flooring you're saying isn't out there any more, except for some marketed to a low demographic. I'm looking at vinyl tile (glue on or floating or tiles or planks) for bathroom. What I'm seeing out there boggles the mind because there are so many choices and the vinyl seems higher quality and prettier now than the tile of old. It runs from low gloss to high gloss, looks like vinyl tile OR like stone OR like wood. It comes small squares or large squares, or French court modified squares, or wide planks or narrow planks, peel and stick or glue-on or floating planks or floating square tiles. It comes with a layer of pattern on top or with the pattern all the way through to simulate linoleum of old.

The colors seem to be mainly in the beiges, tans, and browns, but there is a plain shiny white and shiny black. There are greens. Can't say I've seen reds and blues and such, although there might be; I just wasn't looking for those kinds of colors.

I ran across all these tiles because I needed to check out vinyl, even tho I didn't want vinyl tile. I always considered it cheap looking, although practical. But for this bathroom, I wanted to check it out because I had to get a floor to go over existing ceramic tile, not being able to afford to hire someone to take out the floor. I was surprised at how far vinyl tile has come! What I saw was not the vinyl tile of old!

I enjoyed this the first time around and even more this morning. Sometimes a full on curmudgeonfest is the most satisfying read!

Definitely ceiling fans! They are a must in the hot (and I mean very hot) summers in Texas!

I also had a Honda Civic Hatchback circa 1983 and that was the best car. I got serious gas mileage out of it and the AC was so cold. I miss that car and would love to have another!

Glass block vs.clear glass shower walls. When we remodeled our master bathroom 5 years ago, the GC was pushing really hard for frameless glass doors for the newly enlarged shower area. I did NOT want all that clear glass in my bathroom and requested glass block. GC told me it was a huge mistake and that I would immediately regret it, glass block was old fashioned and out of style. Well it may be out of style, but I love my glass block shower! It is easy to maintain and provides a little privacy while maintaining an open feel. I have not regretted using glass block for one moment!

aktillery, I also miss my 1995 Toyota Corolla. That car was awesome. So well built, rode like an Audi, so comfortable, really peppy and flexible, and the headlights lit California when I drove west (I live in Mass.), I swear!

Now I have an '08 Toyota Matrix, which is the hatchback version of the Corolla. So uncomfortable, boxy, flimsy sheet metal, rough ride, and the headlights totally stink. They go about 20 feet then literally just STOP. It's terrifying. But this car gets the same gas mileage as my old one, and actually worse mileage in "city" driving.

Agree with the person who mentioned top-loading washing machines.

but there are so many examples. The quality of manufacturing has gone WAY down. Corporate America is appealing to our egos (thanks a lot, 1980s Yuppies!) and narcissism, so they sell us bells and whistles and shiny objects, but the guts (aka:important stuff!) are rotten, cheap, poorly made.

A few things have improved - flat-screen televisions are a big improvement over the old heavy clunky thingsâ¦but I can think of very few examples.

Rereading here...a really great thread. I'm comforted by those still wanting tile countertops. They are going in as I write, a softer feel to my kitchen and belongs to the era of my home. Am also using much smaller grout lines and syththetic grout. Along with a tile edge trim for keeping water at bay. I've wanted to post questions about this, but am hesitant to mention openingly as a thread. Tile counters are up for grabs.

Brown couch...bought this a couple of years ago because it is so darn comfortable (down). Hopefully will come back in future decorating. I have no cover on it, and easy to wash the cushion covers. Is wearing like iron and no signs of animal life. But do have blankets on the off white chair which cats and dog believe is as comfortable as the couch.

ineffablespace...if you are still here, they are now back to offering cove base for most tile. It seems to be all over the place for options. I ran a search and was surprised at the offerings.

White walls...am done with beige/gray and color overload for interior paints. Although I love color in all other things. Paint is waiting for me to go back to white.

Wide wale Corduroy, love it for slipcovers and upholstery. Although it appears to be coming back. The brown couch will eventually get a new cover.

Technicolor---I grew up in So Cal with tile countertops. Mom redid the kitchen in 1968 and got rid of the Formica and put in 4" square white tiles. Even in those days I don't remember the grout getting icky or dirty....at least not to the point it would be unsightly. Tile is certainly an inexpensive alternative to granite and quartz and with improved grouts and using smaller grout lines it might just come back into fashion.

Simple but well-made. Wish we could return to that.

and oh, all my dream houses have large multi-purpose utility rooms! I'm amazed at all the fancy houses being built now with inadequate work or utility spaces.

Above all the washing machines! I so wish I would have spent the same amount of money and had my old one repaired. I traded it for the top locking thing. It filled with a "sensor". Well, the sensor wanted to save more water than I did. You can not wash a full load of jeans in two gallons of water and then rinse them in one gallon. I got rid of that one and bought a Hotpoint with few bells and whistles. The repair man has been here .........4 times and when I called them today they said there were parts ordered. I questioned that because they had just been here Tuesday and today is Friday but she said yes, more parts were ordered. My next plan is to attend some auctions and see if I can find an old washer.

Totally agree on the utility room! Growing up my aunt had the best utility room; a good sized room off the kitchen. It had the laundry, pull down down ironing board, an area for her sewing machine, a counter she used for gift wrapping and tons of storage. Of course she deigned her own home so she had exactly the set-up she wanted. We will be looking to buy another home later this year and a good utility room is on my wish list.

logâ¦check on CL too. My father bought a dryer on CL. It was banged up, dented, but it is a workhorse! It's an old Maytag Estate dryer.

I just dug out my old corded landline phone and plugged it into the jack in my living room recently!

I have 3 kids and could NEVER find the cordless phones when they were ringing.

I even got one of those reeeeally long curly cords so I can walk around lol.

It isnt pretty but I always know where the phone is!

Love tile counters--Sonoma tile has the best selection of pieces for corners, bullnoses and the like.

What's missing, BIG TIME is color! Just five years ago I made the prettiest checkerboard floor with crema marfil colored and lapis blue porcelain tile. I have searched everywhere, and cannot find a piece of blue 12 x 12 tile except for very strong, primary colored one from a company called Marazi (?). In the course of just a few years, the entire world is beige.

I think all of us single older women who have no intention of every getting involved again, would be interested in going back to full-size beds....creates more space in the bedroom and it is hard to keep a big bed warm. (This is not a joke--it is true.) Hard to find sheets these days, though.

When I did my renovation a few years ago, the first thing I insisted upon was a small broom closet. Essential!

julieboulangerie, the toweling bathmats are available through Lands End. I see them in a lot of catalogs.

I don't remember who it was way up at the top of the thread who was talking about old fashioned vinyl flooring, but there is a lot out there. There is even the older-fashioned real linoleum available. I have sheet Marmoleum on many of my floors. It is made of cork and linseed oil and pigments and binders. It is anti-static, so we and the dogs don't get shocks in the halls or kitchen. It is expensive, but it really is carefree. I have a linoleum laminate in the kitchen at our old house. It has been there almost 11 years now and the tenant there says she does not see any wear. The brand was Nova and it was imported from Switzerland. I don't think it is sold here any more.

In that kitchen remodel, I put a utility closet into the kitchen when I ordered cabinets. I have always had those metal broom-holder metal racks screwed into the wall in the basement stairwell in past homes in order to have cleaning supplies at hand. Not in my current house. I got a metal cabinet and put it in the garage for the brooms and mops. The vacuum I have to keep in the coat closet. I do have one of those. It is nowhere near the front door, but I do have one!

My practical thing that is not popular is the use of cellular shades on sliding glass doors/doorwalls/patio doors or whatever you want to call them. One over each section of glass. It is easy and clean and neat. The blinds disappear when you push them up each morning. What else could you ask for?

Joanie/Veduzu, nice response supporting my eclectic decision. I have never had the issue with cleaning grout so many mention. And like sealant around baths, etc., cleaning when it needs it \works wonders. I consider the practical jobs of maintaining things as a norm. The other side to this is the number of people using all, which can bring more work in upkeep.

Veduzu..try the link below. I may be way off, but they carry years of tile options no longer available. You can send them a sample and they will hunt it down for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tile search

Not decor related but since cars where brought-up...
I still miss the "wing" windows !

I loved those wing windows! And back then everyone's parents smoked, and cars did not have AC. We needed them!

On the cars theme...manual transmissions. I love driving them, not sure they fit in the "practical" category, though. I've been looking to replace my 11 year old BMW and I cannot find a manual shift for the life of me, except in their sportier models.

Have been driving manual forever, they are just fun to run. You might want to look again at new cars. The manual is becoming more available now due to carmakers wanting to raise mpg options. Just bought a new car, manual was prevalent.

Loved those wing windows too. And my daughter has a 2011 crossover with them. She was giddy about the option and they could have sold her the car on their own. Aside from smoking use, they allowed you to open a window without much wind, far better than the option of setting outside air circulation now. Wonder why they did eliminate them. Added cost most likely.

When we remodeled a few years ago I insisted on a large utility room. So we took a portion of the old LR and turned it into a UR. It's right off the kitchen so I didn't need a sink. I have a real broom closet! lol.

There's a pocket door separating the two rooms which really comes in handy.

Thirty four years ago I bought the cheapest Maytag washing machine I could find. A gentle and a regular cycle, noisy turning knob to select how many minutes to wash, no dispensers. Still going strong without ever needing a repair. And I had three kids who loved to play in the mud! I talked to a saleswoman in my local old fashioned appliance store and she was telling me about the new washers with no agitator. She said you have to ball up each item before throwing into the washer. How will they get clean?

I saw a dish drainer yesterday at home goods that collapses flat (accordion style) to store under the sink. Don't know if the grooves were deep enough to hold plates upright but thought it was a very practical idea.

What I miss in cars: those floor vents that allowed fresh air to come in - really cooling. They might blow your skirt up over your head, but made driving without an AC quite comfy.

Agree with the manual transmission! Getting harder to find. When I was buying my new car, my mechanics, inspection guy, etc. all urged me to go with automatic transmission, but I stuck to my guns and got a manual transmission ('08 Toyota Matrix). There are very practical reasons for going with manual. They're about $1,000 less than auto transmission, they get better gas mileage, you have A LOT more control in snow with manual transmissionâ¦and shortly after I bought the car (my old one was also manual - I was taught to drive manual in Beacon Hill, Boston, by my father!), gas went over $4/gal. With manual transmission, you can "hyper mile", which means coast in neutral down hill. I still do it to this day, now out of habit, and I get on the highway as much as between 50 and 60 mpg by hypermiling.

The manager at Toyota told me that the trend now is that women are asking for manual transmission. Interesting.

However, I don't recommend it if you live in the city or do mostly city driving. And definitely not if you live on Beacon Hill or in San Francisco!

I am very nervous that it is going to be obsolete by the time I have to buy my next car.

If there was one cell phone with the efficiency of the 1970s land lines, I would feel we have progressed. Alas, we have not and don't lecture me. I have sons in the business, and I get their nonsensical lectures constantly, none of which measures up to a good land line. One thing the USA did well before 1980 was telephones and then we had that stupid law that split Ma and the babies, and it has been a disaster since.

I really miss those traverse rods. I want those new ones that they have in hotels with the large wand that pulls them open and closed. They attach to the ceiling. I found them once online and forgot to bookmark the site.

Tupperware! My daughter makes a comment every time she sees my old blue canister set and my tall white salt and pepper shakers. Remember them? She wants me to get new ones. Why? They stay inside the pantry and no one uses them but me.

My husband broke the salt shaker the other day. For some reason he smacked the bottom on the quartzite and now I have a bottomless salt shaker. Am I going to get rid of the pepper shaker? Nope! It will now be a salt shaker!

A place to drip dry hand washed clothing or blocking sweaters in the laundry room. I have always had one even though they are not popular.

Attic fan- Always had one of those too. I love sleeping with an attic fan running and the windows open.

Here's another one for ceiling fans. Not because I'm in the heat of the south, but because I'm in the Midwest. There are years when it seems we go straight from furnace to AC, and a ceiling fan can at least extend the time when I get to have my windows open.

My childhood home had an attic fan--it was loud and obnoxious but I remember my parents opening all the windows and running it to pull in the cool evening air after a hot day. I wish I had one in my current home.

My second practical indulgence is a TV above the fireplace. It's the central focal point of the room, but this arrangement has freed up so much real estate in my smallish family room by not having a TV console taking up floor space. Our kids don't have TVs or computers in their bedrooms, so I remind myself that a big one above the fireplace is the lesser of the evils. One day sans kids I'll get to relegate the TV to a small corner of a den or something more obscure, but right now, the reality is a prominent spot in our family area.

As a follow-up, are attic fans still installed in newer homes? Has anyone retro-fitted a home to use an attic fan?

I spend a good 3-4 months of my year pining over one, but no one I know has one.