We began the most recent round of Guess the Decade on Friday with this photo of a living room. An extra tough one, it kept people guessing all weekend - now we'll reveal the (surprising) answer and more photos of the house...
...which is featured in the current issue of Chicago Home - it is from now! The same designer worked on the living room in both 1985 and 1994, in addition to the current update, so some of the pieces have been kept over the three design renovations, making the dating of this room extra challenging (and fun!).
It is the living room from a recent update of a classic 1950's ranch in Winnetka. Architect Tom Schafer and designers Ann Kaplan and Bruce Goers took on the project. According to the article, issues with the older home that prompted the work were numerous: old, leaky pool, cramped spaces, out of date appliances, lack of storage, more windows - these all needed to be addressed without sacrificing the lines of the original home. We were pleased to read about a project that was all about improving on a good thing; respecting past work while moving forward.
This time around, the photo stumped the readers (for a change!) - 121 of you voted 80's making it the lead decade by far in our survey, which was the decade we would have guessed. It was followed by the 90's with 81 votes. The 70's just about tied with NOW - with about 60 votes each, meaning that twice as many readers voted 80's. The 60's took 5th place with 25 votes, followed by a handful of votes for the 50's and in last place, the 40's.
Thanks for playing along!
More Guess the Decade:
- Guess the Decade: Home Office
- Guess the Decade: Home Office - The Answer
- Guess the Decade: Entrance Hall
- Guess the Decade: Entrance Hall - The Answer
- Guess the Decade: Saarinen Sitting Room
- Guess The Decade: Saarinen Sitting Room - The Answer
- Guess the Decade: Yellow, Red and White Kitchen
- Guess the Decade: Yellow, Red and White Kitchen - The Answer
Photos: Chicago Home & Garden
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sprout Side Table
Kitchen Before & After: A Cookbook Author Transforms His 1950s Kitchen
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Thanks so much for that. I love these things.
Can I say that I think it's the patterned carpet that makes this look so 80's? At least, I think that's what it is....
It probably has been in the room since the 80's. Trick question yo. All of our grandmas houses are officially "now" haha. Kidding, but yeah, tricky.
I was going to say now. It looks new, yet old.
I think there's something about the overall lighting of the photo that makes it look like a faded page from Architectural Digest. I guessed the '90s because it seems a little more sophisticated than the '80s.
trick question :D
That coffee table was there since the beginning no doubt.
I guessed and then kept reading different posting and saw one for the chairs in the picture are realized it had to be from today.
that's no fair! the recent stuff can't be seen in the living room shot you showed; the recent renovations/redcorations are in the other rooms. This was a trick...
I thought the feet on the tan chair behind the piano totally gave it away as "now" or very recent. Details, details, details.
At any rate, I'd like to live there!
Carol K:
having read Met Home throughout the '80s and '90s, I would stake my collection on those being Donghia chairs made in the late '80s - early '90s, not "now" at all...
"In 1985 and 1994, she worked on the living room."
Did AT even read the article? The living room was last updated in 1994.
monika is right about those being Donghia chairs. But I believe you can still get 'em.