Quiz: Home Decor by Decade
The cable channels have been streaming a lot of time travel movies lately—particularly some great ones about romances that span centuries. But there’s little romance if a home-buying prospect comes away from a showing feeling as if they’ve just journeyed back in time. Although some of the most successful current home decor solutions do blend bygone elements with current styles, it’s a well-thought-out undertaking.
Here is a snap quiz to see how good you are at matching home decor artifacts with the decades during which they rose to prominence. More senior quiz-takers will have a scoring advantage:
A. Wicker Furniture The 60s
B. Hollywood mirror lights The 70s
C. Avocado Green and Harvest Gold The 80s
D. Stainless Steel Appliances The 90s
E. Vinyl Flooring The 2000s
F. Tuscan Kitchens NOW
Since décor styles do flow, ebb, and re-emerge from time to time, these answers may provoke some controversy. For now, these will have to serve:
THE ANSWERS
The 60s: Answer-E. Vinyl Flooring. This first appeared as a modern replacement for linoleum—a material that is now making a spirited comeback (linoleum’s popularity is due not just to its retro appeal but to eco-friendliness as well).
The 70s: Answer-C. Avocado Green and Harvest Gold –They debuted in the 60s, but they reached their high-water marks in kitchens and service porches once they caught the eyes of appliance manufacturers. Still with us are their more timeless cousins, Copper Brown and Almond.
The 80s: Answer-A. Wicker furniture. Wicker and rattan began a comeback a decade or so ago and are currently going strong—particularly “sleek and chic” pieces that go well with today’s designs.
The 90s: Answer-B. Hollywood mirror lights. Today, softer luminescence has pretty much obliterated this blinding alternative.
The 2000s: Answer-F. Tuscan Kitchens. If you pine for the sun-drenched feel of the rolling Italian hills, you won’t fear resurrecting what critics call its 2000s-era ambiance. In fact, in addition to the warmth and earthiness of this style is how nicely contemporary appliances fit in.
NOW: Answer-D. Stainless Steel Appliances. This finish has been around for decades but is now available so universally that it’s hard to imagine a future without it (a 2022 Houzz study reported that 75% of current respondents plan to install stainless appliances).
