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I swear I have never seen so many bad trends than houses built in the 1970s in terms of design, materials, architecture, etc.
I have been looking at some listings recently and have seen many 30+ year old properties:
What I have commonly found is:
Batten Board
Dutch Colonial Striping (Interior)
Linoleum Floors
Huge globular light fixtures
Wood Paneling
Dark Cabinets
Track Lighting
T-111 Siding
Enormous Flourescent Light Fixtures
Striped Wallpaper
Dark Thick Carpeting
Did anything good come out of the 70s in terms of houses?!
Here are a few:
Spacious rooms
Vaulted ceilings
Eat-in kitchens
Built-in wood burning fireplaces
In-ground pools
Large lots (which allowed large, single-story homes to be built)
Mature trees [today]
Sturdy, strong construction
Cooktop-design stoves
Unusual stonework (inside and outside)
Mod furniture design and accessories
Using the colors of nature (green, orange, gold)
Bold colors and patterns
Spacious rooms
Vaulted ceilings
Eat-in kitchens
Built-in wood burning fireplaces
In-ground pools Large lots (which allowed large, single-story homes to be built)
Mature trees [today]
Sturdy, strong construction
Cooktop-design stoves
Unusual stonework (inside and outside)
Mod furniture design and accessories
Using the colors of nature (green, orange, gold)
Bold colors and patterns
And that is my preference, I like a sprawling brick ranch style home on a large lot. I hate the 2 story vinyl sided boxy looking houses that you see today that are only 8ft from the neighbors house.
Notice I didn't jump on those 70's homes? The 50's and 60's homes yeah, but the 70's house was good and stylish.
50's homes were TACKY
60's homes were CHEAP
But I guess it's all a matter of what kind of taste a person has.
I grew up in a house built in 1967. It was a very solid house structurally, but horribly depressing on the inside. It had few windows, very small rooms, very dark tongue and groove paneling, and thick box beams on the ceiling which made the larger rooms feel smaller.
That is why I have renovated a house to install larger windows since I live in the north. I do it for two reasons. 1) To maximize the total amount of daylight into the house during winter, 2) For passive solar radiation during the cold months, 3) During the warm months I put back up some window treatments to block the hotter rays.
I don't usually get rid of anything in a house either if it still works. I do update some of the cosmetic items that can be done more easily.
I do like the traditional chandeliers as it fits in more with the colonial New England look.
And that is my preference, I like a sprawling brick ranch style home on a large lot. I hate the 2 story vinyl sided boxy looking houses that you see today that are only 8ft from the neighbors house.
Two-story houses became more prevalent after the 1970s due to the lack of land. That's when we see more 2-story homes and houses that are referred to as "Neo-Eclectic" style.
I agree about being so close to a neighbor that one can virtually see into their homes. A lot of planned neighborhoods are like this--houses with great amenities but all squeezed together.
I don't usually get rid of anything in a house either if it still works.
Exactly.
Thanks for all of the nice comments about our bathroom.
The point of posting that was: this is how something 70+ years old looks if a)it was high-quality in the first place and b) it's been well-cared for.
I am not a fan of the "throw away" culture. Buy the best you can afford. Take care of your belongings. Preserve what others have left before you.
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