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Karen Sealy, a regular on CityLine, suggests using elements from a bygone era in small doses, or in affordable accessories, to avoid going overboard on retro. The orange shown in the photo above echoes the burnt orange that was popular in the mid-seventies, but it's got a fresher, brighter tint that works better now.
From YourHome.ca:
It’s often portrayed as fickle, but home decor fashion is better described as cyclical. Every few years, a new generation discovers and falls in love with beautifully detailed toiles or the streamlined perfection of a Georg Jensen candlestick. That’s because great design is timeless, says Karen Sealy (sealydesigninc.com), a regular expert on Citytv’s CityLine.
“Good design happens when form meets function, and that will always endure,” explains Sealy.
Damask, she says, is an example of a design that proves itself endlessly adaptable. The most recent incarnation I’ve seen is a damask pillow from Pier 1 Imports, in rich red and royal blue with beaded trim, which sells for $50.
Homeowners are now more likely to blend elements from various eras than stick rigidly to a specific style, such as French country, says Frank Turco, manager of colour, trend and design for Home Depot Canada. That’s why his company identified a heritage look as one of three corporate design themes (the others: eclectic and contemporary).
“It’s fairly traditional, but it’s updated with modern elements and it works because it lets people find inspiration in pieces they already have,” says Turco.
The look is suited to recessionary times, says Turco. “You can update a room by making one or two small changes,” he says. “For example, if you have great kitchen cabinets with glass doors, you could line the backs with a traditional wallpaper in a really current colour.”
Sealy thinks a recent swing toward ’70s-inspired design is partly rooted in boomer reaction to unsettled times.
“Back then, we hung out in our rec rooms and played Monopoly. Now that the world isn’t as safe, we want to nest and be reminded of times that were more comfortable,” she says.
Sealy introduced design elements from that era into a room she put together to promote Hershey’s Chocolate, which has just been reformulated for the Canadian market. The warm chocolate-brown was enlivened by retro leather pouffes from Elte. These seating cushions ($2,495 each!) come in a vibrant turquoise and an orange that’s brighter and lighter than the ubiquitous burnt orange that ruled in the mid-’70s. She also added an arc lamp from Elte ($895), a fresh take on a look that began showing up in ’60s living rooms
Even makers of decorative hardware recognize the trend toward eclectic design that embraces several eras. Stanley Home Design, which makes wall plates, knobs, pulls and coat and hat hooks, offers a “transitional” style, with global and regional influences. This season, Stanley has also added two new finishes that reflect the trend toward warmer metals – Egyptian bronze and satin nickel. At about $6 for a two-pack and $19.97 for 10, these accessories are an affordable way to update a look.
While the diagonal squares of wood flooring known as parquetry have been making the design rounds since the 1600s, many homeowners will remember it as an over-used staple of the 1980s. The popularity of parquet sank in the ’90s. It’s back again, although new parquet floors will more typically come in 16-by-16-inch squares, rather than the older eight-by-eight-inch pieces. If you don’t want to replace existing parquet, Turco and Sealy suggest staining it a medium brown to update the look.
Turco points out the look of worn wood that references earlier times is also big. At its recent fall 2009 product preview, Home Depot showed five-inch engineered plank flooring in an antique distressed finish. This product is not yet on store shelves, and prices aren’t yet set.
Circa 1940 Hollywood glam is also gaining strength, a look is exemplified by round back chairs with images of Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe silk-screened on glossy white vinyl on sale for $349 at the newly-reopened location of A Special Place. Without the images, the chair also comes in a zingy pink and orange.
The lowly kitchen apron has – and always will be – useful, as any hostess who has dribbled gravy down her dress just before serving a meal knows. Perhaps that’s why aprons and dish gloves with a ’50s vibe are making a comeback.
Local company Artz-Axentz distributes wonderful aprons and gloves with frilled and pleated cuffs (a practical feature, as it means you can plunge your hands into the sink without wetting your arms or your sleeves). Go to artz-axentz.com or call 1-800-713-2949 for the nearest retailer. You’ll also find aprons from Kitsch’n Glam for $40 on wheredidyougetthat.ca.
Kitchen goddesses and feminists of all ages may be especially drawn to the design called Minerva’s Owl. (Minerva was the Roman version of the Greek goddess Athena, better known for war craft than her culinary accomplishments, which just goes to show that feisty broads never go out of style.)
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