apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Thank God I'm immune to this phenomenon--my mother has horrendous taste! Country, wallpaper borders, everything cheap, cheap, cheap. I actually lie to her about what I paid for things because I'm sure she'd admonish me if she knew the truth. She now looks to me for style pointers and I've taken to forwarding her furniture finds on Craigslist, some of which she's actually bought!

Childhood influences are definitely strong. That's why I can't really appreciate the retro look. To me, flotaki rugs, lucite lamps, and starburst clocks look like my grandma's house. Even when the hipster-retro walls are wasabi instead of avacado, I still expect to hear someone cranking Dean Martin records on the hi fi.

When my dad's partner moved in with him and I, he brought with him a love of retro designs (and this was 18 years ago, before it was mainstream), which has definitely influenced my appreciation for clean, interesting and, yes, retro, design and vintage accessories, particularly in the kitchen.

There was a feature about this in a very old issue of Domino mag. It was interesting to see the mother and daughter's rooms side by side.

My father was a woodwoorker and managed to make almost every piece of furniture in the house in the tiny (barely two people could be in it at once) shed attached to our Air Force house. He loves the cleanliness of Mission Style, and while I find his home a little too rustic and severe, I find that I gravitate today towards simple pieces with clean lines and a touch of the artist - a stray chisel mark or an uneven edge.

My parents are crazy about anything vintage (1950's or earlier). Dragging me to all those flea markets and antique fairs must have rubbed off, because now my home has lamps from the 1930's, a curio cabinet from the 1940's and a newly made couch that looks like it was from the Jazz era.

My parents had residual taste, that is inherited taste. The only things in the house that were tasteful were things they got as wedding presents or were handed down. Its not that they were tasteless, its just that they did nothing to make the home stylish. I think I inherited an idea of taste from my grandmother, who was very stylish, and reportedly haunted auction houses in search of bargains. She was elegant and beautiful. She knew how to dress and how to decorate.

My wife and I began decorating to be different from my parents, and hers. We are now to the point that my mother imitates us.

Growing up (20yrs ago) my Mom had very boho style- a huge victorian green velvet sofa with an 1800's painted pine cabinet, arts and crafts style end tables and huge desk, a carved elk, painted wood furniture, a marble top victorian table. Some was great, some only so so, but it was really different than all my friends mothers. I kind of have that asthetic, but now my mom has gone into the dark side-colonial furniture! Or as I like to call it- revolutionary war furniture. ICK. I hope I don't slide down that slipper slope.

slipper= slippery. Boy, we have to have an edit feature or I have to learn to spell soon.

I grew up in a house that was largely traditional in style. Queen Anne sideboard and matching hutch/china cabinet, antique grandfather clock, a table that came from an old Scottish Pub that got cut down to use as a coffee table, things like that along with antique white walls, slightly off white carpeting, neutral drapes but Mom pulled in color through the uphostery on the furniture and art work on the walls so the place was not blad by any stretch of the imagination.

She was also well known for using lamps, etc to light a room and it was often a bright, happy room filled with laughter when family was home.

To that end, I inheritated that but my style developed on it's own beginning in Jr High some 30 years ago to veer more towards mid century modern and the mod modern of the late 60's through the 70's primarily although I'll have some antiques to intermingle with the overall look and who knows what my future partner will like as well but for now, this is what I'm striving for, but with more color than Mom uses.

Geez, I do agree, an editing/spell check feature would be nice. blad=bland...

clutter.

I've said before and I say it again:

My mother and grandparents are wholly responsible for my enduring love for Danish modern furniture, flokati rugs, hardwood floors, and Asian pottery. An eclectic mix, to be sure.

I realized that I had inherited my Mother's penchant for all things antique when I admired a coffee table at my friend's dad's house. When I asked him where it came from he said that he got from such and such furniture store. I thought: Huh. I NEVER would have thought of buying furniture at a furniture store. Every item of furniture my Mom ever bought was second-hand and full of charm. She's always had a great eye for design. Her taste has gotten more modern over the years, but she would still rather buy older (usually better quality) pieces of furniture and refurbish them than buy something straight off a showroom floor.

To this day, the only furniture I've bought from a furniture store was my mattress, sofa bed, and a gorgeous new lamp. Not everything in our house is antique though. I recently picked up a modern glass coffee table and a great solid teak entertainment centre on eBay. Finding quality second hand furniture at good prices is a combination of my mom's sensibility and my dad's frugality. Thanks mom and dad!

My house was mainly stuck in the 70's..heck we had two solid orange/rust colored couch sets in my house (but actually not ugly at all). Modern wood display cabinets for family photos and small statues..not trinkets. Chrome 70's end tables and lamps with globe style light bulbs (no shades).

Nothing antique at all...

my parents' style was and always has been a lack of aesthetic in any way...i know they try but somehow still shower curtains in their remodeled bathroom clash with their tile and towels and accessories clash with both....just as an example...they own all the same furniture they did when they bought their home, save a white leather couch and loveseat that is pretty bad on it's own and only made more garish by the contrast with the home's original burnt reddish carpeting...i love them but i will say their lack of style has definitely influenced my need for balance, cohesiveness, and purpose in home decor...it was definitely born of my roots...although i will give it to my parents...my home always felt cozy and "homey" ...a place you could relax in--that is the one element I have always tried to carry with me...making my space beautiful but liveable :)

my parents don't care much about design, but their dining room table, living room bookshelves, and bedroom set are all beautiful cherry wood and scandanavian which they purchased back in the 70s or 80s. i'm sure all those clean lines and that beautiful wood tone have influenced my taste.

I grew up with what they now call mid-century modern I certainly didn't absorb anything from that. I hate orange cushions etc. My mother grew up with Art Nouveau and she hated that, weird huh.