I have a big collection of House Beautifuls and House & Gardens from the late 1940s through early '60s, and it's mostly true their rooms are ones I'd be thrilled to live in today. (With the exception of the 'colonial' (Early American) stuff that was pretty prevalent, right alongside the best modernism found in those years.)

The biggest difference I notice in those older photo spreads is how much sparser rooms were then -- even opulent, wealthy homes were leaner then. We jam so much stuff into our rooms today. I'm tired of that, and glad that the revival of mid-century modern has tempered that trend somewhat.

the only reason I knew which one was 1990 was the appliances in the kitchen. That wall oven and dish washer scream their age. The kitchen from 1997 looks fantastic though I personally wouldn't want shelves over my windows.

The 1990 tip-off for me was that shade of blue - as soon as I saw it, I remembered that it had been everywhere at the time. Interesting that the 1997 is the most timeless (though not to my taste) - I would have guessed it later than the 2007 pic.

Hi~
At first I saw the 1990 photo and read only the part "penthouse in milan" and I thought: these Italians, always going retro... :D