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beano49

has your interior design taste changed much over the years?

Anthony (Beano)
2 years ago

Just curious as to what people’s interior design tastes have become over the years.

I was born in the early 70s, my parents were quite trendy when It came to furniture, I’ve still got a set of dining room orange chairs to this day they bought @1974!

Thing is my tastes in furniture havnt changed much in my lifetime, I’ve always had a love for mid century styling (not so much the interior wood cladding!), I’ve some genuine mid century stuff in my home, the newer stuff that I buy is generally a new or similar take on the era!

I’d say I’m more heavily into it now than ever, ive mid century and brutalist concrete books among my collection now.

The other thing I can’t understand is the cost of then stuff! I am constantly on pamono, vinterior etc looking at stuff but boy is it expensive!

Tbh I don’t think I’ll ever change, I do like to look at new trends etc but I’m well and truly stuck in the past :-) saying that, I brings a lot of good memories as wall as being a look I love.

Featured Answer
  • Ribena Drinker
    2 years ago

    My style has depended on the house I live in at the time. I've never really followed trends as such, although they do influence some things occasionally.


    Our first house was a regular semi and we had regular unremarkable decor - we didn't have a lot of money, so it was mostly run of the mill furniture.


    The next house was a stable conversion over three floors, it was mostly neutral shades, with the odd splash of bold colour in some of the rooms, cream berber carpet, cream leather sofas, Chinese rugs, blonde wood furniture, frosted glass top tables, oversized table lamps etc. All very calm and understated.


    As our current house is a fairly rambling, older country property on the edge of the Cotswolds (almost in "Chipping Norton Set/Soho House" territory *eyeroll*), we have gone for a more modern country feel. Think Laura Ashley, Oka.


    Squishy sofas, with lots of cushions & throws, Persian rugs, lots of wooden flooring, natural wood furniture and some painted as well. The walls are F&B or similar colours. The art work is mostly original, by local artists or stuff I've bought randomly at auction that I liked, but nothing high end or anything that's makes a statement. We don't have art pieces, we have vases/jugs of flowers instead. Bathrooms are modern, but nothing cutting edge. We have a new kitchen, again modern that has everything you need in a modern kitchen, just not a showpiece with whistles and bells,


    The style is neither fashionable or unfashionable. The whole vibe is just a comfortable country house home in calming, unremarkable colours, with cats, a loudly ticking/bonging wall clock in the hall and the type of place you'd have tea and a slice of cake in the afternoon, with your feet up,leaving your wellies at the front door.


    We don't have colour changing LEDs that are controlled with an app and we don't have massive 60" tvs dominating the sitting rooms. We have hard wood windows and French doors in a white colour - no anthracite here. There's no wacky or crazy styling.


    Everything is low key, laid back and appropriate to the style and age of the property. Boring I know, but it's a home. Not a place designed simply for other people to admire, it's a place we feel comfortable in, irrespective of how it is perceived by others.

    Comments (36)

    • AMB
      2 years ago

      I'm still starting our on my interior design journey, having only had my own house (and been able to furnish and decorate it). I don't 'follow' trends but some of them grow on me and I take a long time to get onboard with them. On the other hand, I sometimes find I'm ahead of the curve, for example, I was hankering over a grey sofa when everyone else was still in love with brown leather sofas.

      I think tastes come from where you grow up too. My mum grew up in the sixties and hated the crazy décor, so when I was growing up the house was very neutral, pale, and calm (still is). I rebel against this by being colourful, but have also been influenced by it because I like pale colours. I know that the dark walls trend is not for me.

    • Daisy England
      2 years ago

      I’m modern/contemporary. I struggle to understand why people are stuck in a bygone time (sorry).


      I like the latest gadgets, absolutely love modern and trendy/different kitchens and if it’s labour saving I want it.


      I love a bit of colour too but it must be in the right place. I don’t have any rooms painted magnolia.

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    • AMB
      2 years ago

      After growing up in a various-shades-of-beige house and then ten years of renting I have a passionate hatred for magnolia.

    • Sonia
      2 years ago

      I grew up in the 60s/70s when some decor was a little crazy. My dad would go out with his chums and come back with reams of wallpaper. He would put it up very badly! I can remember the dining room having orange patterned geometric paper, with Lino on the floor of a different pattern, with cheap chipboard furniture that mimicked Ercol and G Plan. Put me off mid century styling for many years but I am starting to like it more.


      i love country style decor. I find it cosy and calming. I like rustic features such as wood, stone and metal. I prefer pale colours although I have embraced the dark side on one wall in my kitchen which is navy (or Little Green Woad to be exact!). Maybe my love of country decor came about because I found the decor in my parents home the opposite of cosy and calm! Utter chaos to be honest. Although it is my preferred style, I can appreciate other types of decor too and the stylish side of mid century is lovely. I’m not keen on minimalist decor in the home or garden.

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      @forzailalia, what’s your italian link if you don’t mind me asking?

      Must admit my I love most italian design but the funny thing is my favourite designer is a female from Spain, I’ve 5 pieces of furniture she designed through moroso.

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Sorry, missed a t for an l there! Doh

    • Sonia
      2 years ago
      last modified: 2 years ago

      Hi Beano, my parents were Italian Immigrants in the 1950’s. The British govt put up posters in Italian Town Halls saying Britain needed workers to help rebuild after the war so loads of Italians came over. All very poor and desperate to improve their lot. My parents settled here and had four children, I was the oldest. They weren’t Into home decor probably because of the poverty they grew up in, but boy could my mum cook! Dad also grew all his own veg and sold some of it to local restaurants. I’m of dual nationality and very proud of both sides!

      Now Beano what is your heritage?



    • Emmanuelle
      2 years ago

      Always loved antiques and old quirky stuff. My tastes have veered from scandi (10 years ago), to mid century- rustic mix... but I have always used old furniture, even in my little student flat, I had antique mirrors, tables etc.
      I guess a legacy from my French parents who had many pieces inherited from family. Old wood makes me happy, but so does a contemporary chair. Throw a little bit of handmade and crafted stuff in the mix, I am in heaven.

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      @forzaitalia, I’m from Northern Ireland so I’m Irish through and through I guess! Lol, had a good early life but were not well off in any way, always been good with my hands so had an intrest in making things, always been intrested in interiors but more so over the last 10 years odd, only thing that annoys be about what I like is that it always seems so expensive :-( I can do a google image search for something, it will show no prices on the images at all but when I click on something I like it will always generally be over 4 figures! I don’t decorate too often, I’ve only had 2 sofas in 27 years the second of which I only got in Feb this year! Put it another way, I can afford to get new stuff that often! Lol

      Very intresting background you have, id give my eye teeth to life in Italy or Switzerland!

    • Sonia
      2 years ago

      I love the Irish! My husband is Irish. Parents emigrated to the UK for work back in the day. We all love lovely stuff don’t we? I look at posh stuff, say “I’m not paying that”, and then search for similar elsewhere! Sometimes though it’s best to get the thing you love in the first place, assuming funds permit.


      i must say I’m so proud of my Italian roots. I have millions (well almost) of relatives in Italy as well as ones in Canada and Wales. I’m not sure I would want to live there permanently though. My roots are in southern Italy, Naples area and there is still little work, corrupt governments and far too much religion for my tastes! But the people are wonderful and the scenery is to die for, and the food.....well....... :-D

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Yep, you deffo nailed it on the scenery! It’s beautiful and so historic, never been to souther Italy but been around the north, great sense of style but boy can it be expensive!

      Totally different way of life, very helpful people too, never feel uneasy when out for the night or relaxing in a pub unlike some of the grips and drink to you fall down, be sick all over yourself and then waste the emergency services time, yob culture we have here sadly :-(

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Nice response @rb, that’s how a house should be tbh, I know there are many that do follow trends and probably don’t even know why apart from they are the in thing!

      I don’t do a lot of entertaining, not many will ever see what I have it’s just my drive for the unusual that I love, sometimes this equates to comfortable but most of the time not as I stand back and think, that just looks like it’s has dropped from a spaceship or I’ve landed back in the 50s!

      As you say, my style really does reflect me, awkward, strong willed, unrealistic and causes me a whole bunch of pain but eventually I get there and love it :-)

    • Sonia
      2 years ago

      Ribena love your style. Soft, cosy, Persian rugs, just my style and what I have too, although in a 1930’s terrace. With you all the way! :-)

    • T Gray
      2 years ago

      Ribena Drinker, your home sounds utterly wonderful. :)


      Great question Beano. We had a Barratt house before the ridiculous Edwardian. It was a solid comfortable house but not very inspiring so we didn't do much to it at all. Until we bought it, we were renting so not much opportunity to develop a personal style really.


      Then moving to the ridiculous Edwardian (we did think it was Victorian but that was before we did any research) which is in need of a thorough update throughout meant that we had to start seriously thinking about what we wanted to do with the house to make it ours. We started researching the house itself, the history, who lived here first, when was it built, how many owners, who they were etc. We wanted to get a sense of the house and what the house wanted us to do with it (that does sound odd now I have written it!) I guess I mean that we want to be sympathetic to the style of the house and the tons of original features we were lucky to retain,


      As most of the original features are on the ground floor, any decoration has to work with them, so the general direction we have taken with the house is ground floor fairly traditional, first floor a bit more modern and top floor as modern as you like. Two rooms on the ground floor and two on the first floor have been completely refurbished and we are mainly sticking to the plan. We are finding that the tricky bit is the stairs and how we link the floors and make it work.


      We weren't in a position to replace absolutely everything we brought from the Barratt house (which was a lot of Ikea stuff - we lived 15 mins from one) so we have placed it, shuffled it, updated it, donated it. Most of the furniture we have added has been secondhand, vintage or antique to suit the house. One of the reasons we call it the ridiculous Edwardian is that it is nearly twice the size in floor plan with somewhat taller ceilings so it needs larger pieces. Decoration has been a mixture of paint and wallpaper so far with each room having a distinct identity.. However we are now more understanding of flow and how each room needs to be complementary to the others around it too. The wonderful Houzz community has helped us so much with feedback and suggestions and we wouldn't have got half as far as we have without you guys. :hugs:


      We aren't decorating it to impress anyone else, to be slaves to the latest fashions or to keep up with the Jones's. Ultimately I am totally with Ribena Drinker, it's a home and needs to be our calm, safe sanctuary from the mad, mad world we live in today :)

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      @t gray, you have a stunning home! I’ve seen it in the other site rich im seldom on now tbh, I meant to reply but I think I got way laid reading it all!!

      I have a love for period properties and all their features and although I’d retain them all as I love the ornate features these homes come with I’d probably go contemporary all the way through with my furniture as a polar opposite:-)

      My parents have a more traditional home, I have to say it’s a place I like to be, very relaxed!

    • Jonathan
      2 years ago

      I think you either embrace or reject the style of your childhood home. I think my Mums taste is a little safe and so when I got my first flat I rebelled against a sea of magnolia and painted my kitchen Sentry Red, my lounge Slate Green and a deep blue bathroom. I think my style has evolved and although I still like a confident use of colour I think I use it with more restraint than I used to and I now have a cohesive style using a similar palate throughout the house rather than each room having a different identity.

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      @jonathan you should share more pics of your home! I saw a pic you posted of your front garden and it’s was fantastic! Your advice is always on point so I think your home would naturally follow on from that.

      Btw I did the same in my first home, looked like a bomb had went of in the Duluth factory :-)

    • Ribena Drinker
      2 years ago

      I love your front garden too, Jonathan!


      Oh dear, I sounded a bit like a dizzy fangirl just then....

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Duluth = dulux! Doh

    • Sonia
      2 years ago

      Beano I found a couple of pics of my mums village in Italy called Prata. Thought you might like the architecture. Very ancient and picturesque. Antonio Carluccio, the chef, lived there for a few years. In the south you are not allowed to change the outside of these old buildings, but you can update the inside. Quite a shock to step into a home that is ancient outside but modern and trendy indoors! They also tend to keep inherited properties within the family, rather than sell them. The steps in pic 2 lead down to my grandparents home, owned by my cousin now.




    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      @forzaitalia, thanks for the pics, lovely village, that’s just how I visualise old italian Villages, there were some similar to that when we travelled away from riva del garda (we had a hire car) it’s the only way to explore, we found a lovely small pub by a lake that the locals where water skiing on, it was bliss to sit there and watch time go by.

      God willing I’d love to have a small second home in Italy, 6 months here and 6 months there but for the life of me I don’t know why I’d want to come home for 6 months!

      I love to see the old stuff kept, that’s what makes Italy so special, unfortunately when the earthquakes that they have been having lately hit, it’s the same reason there is so much damage as the houses are so old :-(

    • User
      2 years ago

      Nearly missed this thread, but loving what I'm reading! Since we've been in our current home friends and family seem genuinely surprised at how we (well, I) have decorated. I think I have quite classic tastes that have evolved, rather than changed, over the years as I've grown in confidence. This is our third house - bought as the 'forever' home - and I think that has really impacted how I've approached it, e.g. I'm doing the things that I always wanted to do, but didn't want to invest in in previous homes. In fact that's probably the main change - I'm no longer thinking about if how I decorate will impact the resale value!


      I bought my first house before I met my partner and after years of living in shared rented accommodation where everything was covered in magnolia woodchip promptly painted every room a different primary colour (all very Changing Rooms - it was the 90s after all!). Being young and skint I did everything very cheaply - hand me down furniture, bargain shop buys, etc - but I like to think with some eye to style. We both thought that our last house was 'the one'. Although it was an almost new home when we bought it, it had character and we couldn't see why we'd ever need anything else. We renovated from top to bottom in what could be described as a classic contemporary style, e.g. use of more muted colours and investment in some decent furniture. However, in the end I think just couldn't recreate the feel that you get in an older property, which is what drove us to make this move.

      We weren't necessarily looking for something this old (around 300 years) but absolutely fell in love as soon as we walked through the door. There aren't the kind of period features that you get in Victorian/Edwardian houses, but the beams, level changes and general quirkiness of the layout, make it an interesting place to live. Fortunately most of our existing furniture has travelled well into this house and we've started to mix this with junk shop buys and even a couple of 'proper' antiques. The style Ribena Drinker describes is what we're slowly moving toward - a sort of relaxed (minor) manor house aesthetic. Another twenty years and we might get there!

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Great little read @shjuly :-)

    • E D
      2 years ago

      The photo of forza's mum's village with all its colourful houses and roofs looks like a painting!

      One that I would happily put on one of our home's walls. :)

      I have fond memories of Italy. In my younger years I spent many a week there, firstly on holidays, later for work (and pleasure...).


    • Patrina
      2 years ago

      Beano what an absolutely fantastic thread. My home is constantly evolving so I guess my taste you could say is evolutionary.

      I hail from sunny Jamaica. The house I grew up in had really heavy dark stained Solidly built mahogany furniture the kind built to last. Stub your toe and the other side of the village could hear you scream. lol :-)

      Lots of vibrant colours and patterns but always put together in a way that just just screamed good vibes family and fun. Our house was always bright and airy and nothing screamed Island like a gauzy white curtain billowing out wooden French windows.

      We also had wide planked waxed wood floors that got polished to a high shine every saturday. I was forever changing round our home sewing cushions, curtains etc. Mother said I was born decorating the inside of my cot.

      I am fortunate to have travelled a lot and over the years when I started owning my own home, my sense of style which is a mix of modern/contemporary with a dash old pieces has been influenced by travel and also my heritage but also by my hubby who is English.

      I absolutely love upcycling so I always have a project going and if the piece suits it gets a prized place in our house. If not my friends are usually happy to have them.
      I'm off to Norway next month and hopefully will find something decorative that jives well with the my decor. :-)

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Hi patrina :-)

      So did you actually live in Jamaica for a time or where you born here? Never been but can imagine a very laid back vibe from there!

      It’s fantastic to chat to people from different backgrounds (sort of a turn this thread has took) as there is too much hate about to do with different cultures and race :-(

      It’s funny how styles change though! As I’ve said I do like mid century and have a few genuine pieces but I guess the stuff I pick now is probably an evolution of it, well in my eyes have heavily influenced the design of the pieces I like.

      I also like to make stuff, it’s generally a take on something I’ve seen that is either too expensive or just not quite right but nearly there! In the throws of possibly making a very contemporary concrete bench for the front of the house! It’s one of those ones that is either gonna be great or go horribly wrong.

    • Patrina
      2 years ago

      @Beano yes Island girl through and through grew up in Jamaica until my early 20s before emigrating to the UK.

      Weirdly my family tree on mother's side have traced back to Devonshire in UK. Mother is American so I am a bit of a citizen of the world. My family have always been inclusive race does not matter to us, our family looks pretty much like a rainbow lots of racial mixes.

      I am a creative as well. If there is something expensive I see and i'm not willing to pay through the nose. I usually make it.Turns out I'm the handy one in the family. (this really irritates hubby) I just use hubby for the heavy lifting.

      Like you I do google image searches and I always seem to gravitate to really expensive things when I click on them and see the prices :-(

    • PRO
      OnePlan
      2 years ago

      I think we should have a gallery for all the regular posters homes ! I'd love to see all of your fab creations and home space (I'm just really nosy! ) I have been lucky enough to see snippets of a few peoples homes - and even visit and stayed at a couple of regular posters homes ... which was a real honor! Anyone else think we should do this??

    • E D
      2 years ago

      Do what, staying at posters’ homes?

      Yea, why not?

      :-)

    • PRO
      OnePlan
      2 years ago

      party time ! yay!

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      @oneplan, I think the gallery would be a great idea where people are free to post and ask questions! I find, although nice to look at, most of the pics seem to be from pro photographers from some photo shoot of a rich persons home and when people ask questions there are not many answers come back!

      I section for ‘normal’ homes would be great where people are possibly less worried about posting a pic or two of their home.

    • PRO
      OnePlan
      2 years ago

      I wonder if it might be better on one of the offshoot threads - like 'others' rather than on the main threads??

    • Sonia
      2 years ago

      Great idea but I haven’t got much room in my tiny house for many guests (excuses excuses!). OnePlan I like that idea. We could photograph one room at a time each week and share it. God that means I have to hoover and make the bed........

    • Anthony (Beano)
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      I’d like it in the format of a proper gallery of sorts like the home page format, like when you pic what you like and then Houzz builds your profile likes and you look at the pics associated with what you have highlighted, it appears 3 pics wide by about 3 deep on my I pad!

      When a pic is choose it automatically links you to associated pics of the property, I think that would be a great format, as in, if someone posts a pic and somebody is just browsing through the gallery, they can pick on one, it links to any pics you have and they can as a question if they want to know something and you gat a notification about it.

      Like, where do all the pics come from, how do they get in the main galleries?

    • PRO
      OnePlan
      2 years ago

      In general pros need to post them for them to be in the Houzz collection - they may ‘reject’ stuff if it’s not what they are ‘expecting’ !

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