To our complete delight, we came across an October 1981 issue of Metropolitan Home at the thrift store, and had to bring it home. Flipping through the pages (chock full of cigarette ads and ridiculous big hair) we decided we had to share the Home of the Month with Apartment Therapy readers for a throwback glimpse of high design in the early 80s...
We have to admit that this home didn't pound us over the head with over-the-top 80s kitch. We rather like some of the elements in the house---we would yank the Corbusier chairs in red lacquer right out of the spread for our own home if we could! The heavy use of cinnamon colors in the parlor is a bit much for our sensibilities by now, but the neutrals in the front sitting area are, dare we say, kind of nice!
Take a peek at this Metropolitan Home of the Month from 28 years ago that combines "century-old architecture with today's sensibilities."
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Comments (19)
you mean "kitsch" not "kitch."
Doesn't anyone edit this thing?
Oh come-on, Teacup, they are putting an enormous amount of interesting stuff on daily, with relatively few errors.
sheesh...tough crowd!
I think you're confusing Corbusier chairs with Thonet chairs...
there's nothing by le Corbusier in those pictures.
That said, I find this house not all that dated. It would ba a good candidate for a "Guess the decade".
I kinda like it, especially the kitchen. But those obnoxious palm trees would have to go.
Love the Thonet chairs!
Teacupcake's comment is valid. Things are getting worse on this site, IMO, as far as grammar and spelling, although the posts are interesting, entertaining and informative. If there isn't an actual human editor (who might catch the le Corbusier mis-reference, for instance), at least try doing a spell-check! (It won't catch the misplaced apostrophes, but would prevent things like "kitch" ...)!
I just spent five minutes trying to find the Corb chairs!
Goes to show that design eras aren't uniformly good or bad. Lack of taste can make any style look bad.
That's kind of amazing. I love those red wicker chairs.
Minus a very few details it doesn't look different from most things in the shelter magazines today.
The one thing that looks really dated is the Mao poster. Beware, people with antler decor, deer paintings, and the like! Your mass art will betray you!
Yes, those are Thonet chairs, not from Le Corbusier.
There have always been a fair amount of mistakes on AT. It's put together at top speed on a limited budget. It's free, and it's full of creativity. Count your blessings, people. So "kitsch" is misspelled. Stop being so kitchy.
@ AustinSarah: you make me laugh, in a fabulous way, you are so right...
About the post... Good design is timeless {period}
It really isn't that bad. A few small changes and it would be up to date. So it's fairly timeless, I'd say.
@ AustinSarah - you are spot on with the antlers... I just know they're gonna go quick - and good riddance!
What's with all the run-on sentences in these comments? Grammar grammar grammar!!!
thanks for this post...I loved reading that magazine back then, when I was in high school. I don't see how the mao poster is out of date when several recent homes on here have featured mao figurines. It's not my taste, but hardly the item that dates this decor.
I think the 80s gets too much of a bad rap...much as I thought 70s decor got a few years ago. There are good things in any decade.
If you think back to 1981, interiors were just emerging from a period very similar to the style that is all the rage now: a hodge podge of colors and styles complete with craft touches like crocheted wall hangings. I think what made this home stand out in that context is the emphasis on visual organization and symmetry and the "soft minimalism" in the details (like window coverings). Everything is balanced and in pairs.
I am sure that must have felt like a fresh start after the financial, cultural, and visual chaos of the decade previous.
I'm surprised no one has remarked upon the table top -- it's granite. This was the beginning of the love-affair with granite. It was still quite rare in 1981 to see it in the home, especially on something like a dining table.