9 Decorating Dilemmas New Homeowners Will Never Understand
Thank goodness we don’t have to worry about this lot anymore...
As in any era, today’s new homeowners have plenty of difficult decorating choices to make – wallpaper or heritage paint? Original boards or engineered wood? Shaker kitchen units or something more modern? However, the following dilemmas remain firmly in the past – thank heavens.
Choosing the right carpet for your bathroom
Sticking to the bathroom theme, it’s safe to say that Generation Y will never find themselves heading to the local carpet warehouse to select the cosiest shag-pile to sink their toes into as they alight from the tub.
In fact, it can be hard to fathom how carpet was ever a trend in bathrooms. It’s unhygienic (think of those unsavoury dribbles and splashes) and impractical (damp carpet is likely to go mouldy and rot). Most of us would rather take the temporary discomfort of chilly toes on a porcelain floor any day of the week.
That said, there are some benefits to bathroom carpet (stick with us). Carpet is warm, which is one reason it was popular before widespread central heating. If well-fitted, it’s non-slip, a benefit for the frail and elderly. And you can get special bathroom carpet with fully waterproofed backing. Even so, we’ll be sticking to our slate-look tiles, thanks.
Sticking to the bathroom theme, it’s safe to say that Generation Y will never find themselves heading to the local carpet warehouse to select the cosiest shag-pile to sink their toes into as they alight from the tub.
In fact, it can be hard to fathom how carpet was ever a trend in bathrooms. It’s unhygienic (think of those unsavoury dribbles and splashes) and impractical (damp carpet is likely to go mouldy and rot). Most of us would rather take the temporary discomfort of chilly toes on a porcelain floor any day of the week.
That said, there are some benefits to bathroom carpet (stick with us). Carpet is warm, which is one reason it was popular before widespread central heating. If well-fitted, it’s non-slip, a benefit for the frail and elderly. And you can get special bathroom carpet with fully waterproofed backing. Even so, we’ll be sticking to our slate-look tiles, thanks.
Figuring out where to put your serving hatch
Broken-plan might be in vogue, but the humble serving hatch – that handy internal window that links kitchen and dining room – is still unlikely to make a reappearance next to the range cooker any time soon.
This Abigail’s Party-worthy kitchen feature was handy when you wanted to slide the chicken kievs and prawn cocktails post-haste to your dinner party guests. But an island that connects open-plan cooking and eating zones is much more sociable for today’s modern hosts.
Broken-plan might be in vogue, but the humble serving hatch – that handy internal window that links kitchen and dining room – is still unlikely to make a reappearance next to the range cooker any time soon.
This Abigail’s Party-worthy kitchen feature was handy when you wanted to slide the chicken kievs and prawn cocktails post-haste to your dinner party guests. But an island that connects open-plan cooking and eating zones is much more sociable for today’s modern hosts.
Finding a really great Artex pattern
Many homeowners in recent decades have puzzled over how best to cover or remove inherited Artex ceilings and walls – the swirly, textured plaster effect that was briefly fashionable in the 1970s. What they almost definitely haven’t spent time doing is choosing a wonderful new Artex design. All you need to think about with plain plaster, luckily, is which great shade to paint it – and, let’s face it, that’s hard enough.
On a safety note, if Artex is pre mid-1980s, it may contain asbestos (which was finally totally banned in 1999) and will need specialist removal.
Many homeowners in recent decades have puzzled over how best to cover or remove inherited Artex ceilings and walls – the swirly, textured plaster effect that was briefly fashionable in the 1970s. What they almost definitely haven’t spent time doing is choosing a wonderful new Artex design. All you need to think about with plain plaster, luckily, is which great shade to paint it – and, let’s face it, that’s hard enough.
On a safety note, if Artex is pre mid-1980s, it may contain asbestos (which was finally totally banned in 1999) and will need specialist removal.
Fitting fluorescent tube lighting
If you grew up in the 1970s or 80s, chances are your kitchen was lit by fluorescent strip lighting. Not only did it give your home the ambience of a hospital waiting room and make everyone look as if they were starring in their own zombie movie, it also attracted every moth within a 70-mile radius. Today’s homeowners don’t know they’re born, with their lovely range of long-life, low-energy bulbs and tasteful LED spots.
Next time you moan when one of your downlighter bulbs goes, just relive that migraine-inducing flicker for a moment. And fluorescent lighting itself has moved on, too, giving a much more natural light and having the added bonus of being energy-efficient.
If you grew up in the 1970s or 80s, chances are your kitchen was lit by fluorescent strip lighting. Not only did it give your home the ambience of a hospital waiting room and make everyone look as if they were starring in their own zombie movie, it also attracted every moth within a 70-mile radius. Today’s homeowners don’t know they’re born, with their lovely range of long-life, low-energy bulbs and tasteful LED spots.
Next time you moan when one of your downlighter bulbs goes, just relive that migraine-inducing flicker for a moment. And fluorescent lighting itself has moved on, too, giving a much more natural light and having the added bonus of being energy-efficient.
Deciding which stencil you like best
The stencil in this picture looks gorgeous – fun, modern and creative. But there was a lot of bad wall stencilling going on in the past that was all a bit Changing Rooms, and not in a good way. However, current homeowners are much more likely to indulge their creativity of a weekend by performing an Ikea hack or two, or upcycling old furniture.
9 of our favourite Ikea hacks
The stencil in this picture looks gorgeous – fun, modern and creative. But there was a lot of bad wall stencilling going on in the past that was all a bit Changing Rooms, and not in a good way. However, current homeowners are much more likely to indulge their creativity of a weekend by performing an Ikea hack or two, or upcycling old furniture.
9 of our favourite Ikea hacks
Getting busy with woodchip wallpaper
Ah, woodchip wallpaper. Lots of homeowners have spent many a happy hour steaming off a particularly stubborn, sticky patch. Woodchip was a conundrum – basically a plain paper that went and spoiled it at the last moment by having lots of ‘bits’ stuck to it to give it texture.
However, woodchip has the kind of nostalgic kitsch factor that means it could almost become fashionable again (see also Anaglypta). I said almost…
Ah, woodchip wallpaper. Lots of homeowners have spent many a happy hour steaming off a particularly stubborn, sticky patch. Woodchip was a conundrum – basically a plain paper that went and spoiled it at the last moment by having lots of ‘bits’ stuck to it to give it texture.
However, woodchip has the kind of nostalgic kitsch factor that means it could almost become fashionable again (see also Anaglypta). I said almost…
Putting up ceiling tiles
Have you ever looked at your ceiling and thought it needed a layer of polystyrene tiles? Me neither. But in the past, lots of people evidently did. Polystyrene ceiling tiles did have a practical purpose, covering up cracks and other ceiling sins, and also providing insulation.
However, along with the trend for lowering ceilings with wooden panelling (so your room felt smaller), these little guys won’t be hitting your home in the very near future (not least because they’re also a fire hazard).
Tell us…
Which decorating dilemmas are you glad to leave behind? Let us know in the Comments section.
Have you ever looked at your ceiling and thought it needed a layer of polystyrene tiles? Me neither. But in the past, lots of people evidently did. Polystyrene ceiling tiles did have a practical purpose, covering up cracks and other ceiling sins, and also providing insulation.
However, along with the trend for lowering ceilings with wooden panelling (so your room felt smaller), these little guys won’t be hitting your home in the very near future (not least because they’re also a fire hazard).
Tell us…
Which decorating dilemmas are you glad to leave behind? Let us know in the Comments section.
Avocado? Rose pink? Or maybe a fetching light brown? Back in the 1970s, choosing the best shade of porcelain for your new bathroom suite (including bidet) was a potential headache. Nowadays, fortunately, it’s all about fresh and versatile white – much easier to coordinate with your hand towels.
However, colour does seem to be creeping back into bathrooms, albeit in new ways. For example, this spring green (not the avocado of our memories) looks rather lovely on the tub and basin in this modern bathroom. Black is also growing in popularity for taps, shower frames and basins. In fact, who knows, beige could be back one day as well…
Is this the hottest trend in bathrooms right now?