When I first saw all the other gorgeous entries I felt a little like my green caterpillar surrounded by all the beautiful butterflies! I love all the interpretations and everyone did an amazing job! I'm so honored just to be in this group and thank you Marti for coming up with such a fun idea that really brought out a lot of creativity and individuality from everyone. And THANKS to all who voted for me! Your support and kind words mean so much! --Amy

I'm loving this thread! Having lived a good many years(67), one sees trends come, and go, only to return again. I grew up in a turn-of-the-century house in a big city, with white appliances and painted cabinets. That was the only option. There was a huge walk-in pantry and the only true cabinet in the kitchen was at the sink. Oh, and it was a farmhouse sink, with faucet mounted on the back wall. The stove was 4 burner gas with a wood-burning heater on one side to heat the kitchen. We cooked with cast iron and stainless steel. All floors were dark varnished wood with area rugs and a runner down the hall, other than the kitchen... it was linoleum. Windows had roller shades, with either lace or sheer curtains, that could be pushed aside, for lots of light and privacy control. During the past many years, I have gone through white, coppertone, harvest gold, almond, bisque and have returned to WHITE. Cookware started with stainless... then 'modernized' to teflon, silverstone, 'lifetime' non-stick (hah!), and now back to stainless and yes, cast iron. My furniture has ranged from 50's modern, mediterranen, transitional, contemporary to currently a mix of collected traditional pieces that are timeless. As so many have said... ignore trends, go with what you love, and keep 'practical' in mind. Save money and don't follow what is hot at the moment. If what worked long ago keeps reappearing, it must be for a reason...

I remember reading that...but it's still just as funny.... I am completely surprised that I didn't find a post from me on there...My DH has done a few things during our 42 years that I tell on him every now and then. patti

I don't consider anything after 1940'ish to qualify as an old house. And a house built after 1940 is 75 years old and a house built in 1965 is 50 years old. Not considering something of this age worth discussing, or thinking that something 50-75 years old is open game for gut renovation every time because it's not old is exactly the mentality that ruined so many Victorian and Edwardian houses in the 1950s. I don't believe every house has to be maintained as a time capsule. I dont believe any house really is ever a complete time capsule unless it's a museum. But there has to be a point when one asks oneself why XYZ is not worth saving and needs to be replaced with whatever is current no matter how bad it looks in the house. (And people don't think it's bad until later and its not the latest thing any more). There are enough options out there that a new kitchen or bath could look completely compatible with almost any age of house, without necessarily trying to be a period recreation, and without breaking the bank. Daltile ceramic or porcelain tiles in basic sizes cover the bases for practically any period of bathroom from after about 1920 and if you are okay with non rectified subway, you can do a compatible bath from before 1920. The Old House forum should at the very least support those who want to restore and renovate compatibly with their older houses instead of leaving them to the vagaries of fashion in the general Kitchen and Bath forums. I don't think this necessarily has to be a forum for complete purists--I don't think it is now, but apparently some people do (?). Many people may beg to differ but I don't think there is anything wrong with trying to maintain or recreate something from as recently as the 1980s. There is really nothing "wrong" with some of it, Late- and Post-Modernism can be kind of interesting. It's just that most people hate with with the same knee jerk reaction that they hate anything that they think is too old Not to hate and too new to not look back on as just another period in design history.