Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Home trends that should go away | Star Tribune
Minneapolis Star Tribune ^ | January 13, 2010 | Kim Palmer

Posted on 01/13/2010 9:58:31 AM PST by KateUTWS

Now that the first decade of the century is in the rear-view mirror, it's time to wave buh-bye to some ubiquitous design trends that have worn out their welcome. Here are my picks:

(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: architecture; macmansions; trends
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-60 last
To: KateUTWS

Why can’t walls be made of something other than fragile, delicate sheetrock. You hit it with a piece of furniture, a door, and you get a hole. Try to get your kids and their spaghetti hands from the table to the bathroom to wash without touching the walls. Spaghetti stains white paint and you can’t wash it off, the paint comes off instead but a pale pink shadow remains. Try to find matching paint for touch ups. You can’t paint over sharpie writing.


41 posted on 01/13/2010 10:58:25 AM PST by sportutegrl (I was for Sarah Palin before being for Sarah was cool.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SMARTY
It's called a log cabin.

I'd love a house with 12 little rooms...one which would be a library.

42 posted on 01/13/2010 11:02:10 AM PST by Sacajaweau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: KateUTWS

Oh yes, the brown and torquoise. I’ve seen that. Hideous. Like I said, I have the funds, but I’m waiting until something more to my taste comes along.


43 posted on 01/13/2010 11:06:35 AM PST by Hoffer Rand (There ARE two Americas: "God's children" and the tax payers)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: JenB
"...I like being able to converse with my husband who’s in the computer area while I’m in the kitchen,..."

Our house was built in 1950, and is all hardwood floor. I never realized how sound seemed actually magnified by the floor, until I realized the loud noise I kept hearing every night was my (not fat, subadult) cat walking down the hall. The cat actually makes the floors creak, they are so old.

I can be in the kitchen and clearly hear my wife (at the far end of the house)in the bath tub summoning me for another cocktail; She knows I can hear her so there is no use trying to hide.

So yeah, all you folks with newer homes don't know what you're missing.

On the plus side, my home came with an old, decrepit nuclear fallout shelter underneath our back yard, which is totally cool, IMHO.

44 posted on 01/13/2010 11:33:55 AM PST by I Buried My Guns (BLOAT: Buy Lots Of Ammo Today)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: ReneeLynn

Alright, lets say its Dec,31,1999, 11:59pm
The clock ticks...Hurray! New decade!

2000 to 2001 thats the first year
2001 to 2002 second year
2002 to 2003 third year
2003 to 2004 fourth year
2004 to 2005 fifth year
2005 to 2006 sixth year
2006 to 2007 seventh year
2007 to 2008 eighth year
2008 to 2009 ninth year
2009 to 2010 tenth year

Thats ten years.
Jan 1, 2010... start over.


45 posted on 01/13/2010 11:46:53 AM PST by envisio (Need tires? See my profile.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: envisio

Hahaha, no. 2011 starts the eleventh year. Since this year is not over yet it has not been a full ten years = decade. So, that’s 9 years and 12 days and 15 hours and 14 minutes so far.


46 posted on 01/13/2010 12:13:29 PM PST by ReneeLynn (Socialism is SO yesterday. Fascism, it*s the new black. Mmm Mmm Mmm.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: ReneeLynn

NO

How many years has someone lived if its their tenth birthday? They have been alive a decade on their tenth birthday.

Zero to one is the first year.
One to two is the second year.
So on, so forth....
Nine to ten is the tenth year.

You are mistaking for time lasp for anniversaries.
Zero to one is one year of time, the first year.
Even though someone is not 1 year old until their first birthday, zero to one was still their first year. Nine to ten is their tenth year.


47 posted on 01/13/2010 12:25:18 PM PST by envisio (Need tires? See my profile.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: ReneeLynn

“””””2011 starts the eleventh year.”””””

2011 starts the 2012th year.

2011 years have already passed.


48 posted on 01/13/2010 12:28:43 PM PST by envisio (Need tires? See my profile.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: KateUTWS

Nope sorry. It is cheaper to build a 2 story home than it is to have the same SF on a asingle floor. I use my kitchen and will have commercial stainess steel appliances and probably the faux grante that is made from an eboxy and grantine scraps, it is more durable than real granite.


49 posted on 01/13/2010 12:34:27 PM PST by chris_bdba
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VegasCowboy

Me too. I hate homes that have tiny little sealed rooms. It makes the whole house look much larger whan the area is open like they were in old Victorian homes.


50 posted on 01/13/2010 12:37:12 PM PST by chris_bdba
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: cynicalman

Most kitchen islands have a place to set. The island is there for extra work space if a family really cooks and they do have a purpose.


51 posted on 01/13/2010 12:39:21 PM PST by chris_bdba
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: old and tired

When I have had a dinning room we have used them as a dinning room. Great places to have when you have 30 people over for holiday dinners.


52 posted on 01/13/2010 12:41:13 PM PST by chris_bdba
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: jaydubya2

Years ago we turned our “dining room” into a 5th bedroom (we have 4 kids) and have never regreted it (except Christmas Eve).

We also turned our “living room” into a computer room with 3 desks and 3 computers. The future holds every kid doing assignments on computers and we don’t allow them to be in their rooms. So essentially our “living room” serves as a library/study center.

I live in CA (SF Bay Area), the most expensive area in the nation, and we make every sq ft count. We have less than 2000 sq ft and everyone has his/her own room and we are comfortable. Useless rooms are a luxury. I know many Californians who have turned living rooms into game rooms with a pool table (we have no basements in CA).


53 posted on 01/13/2010 12:49:04 PM PST by olivia3boys
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: SMARTY

You eat in the kitchen, at the kitchen table, and ignore the cooking pots/dirty dishes behind you.

It’s worth it to save thousands of dollars for a smaller house. Dining rooms that are only used twice a year? Total waste of precious sq feet.


54 posted on 01/13/2010 12:51:17 PM PST by olivia3boys
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: freespirited
I'm with you. Walls and doors were invented for a reason...that being to keep noise out so I can FReep.

Gotta go against this one. My office is on the second floor. So the sound issues are not as pronounced. But I love the Family room / kitchen separated by a half wall. When entertaining everyone ends up in the kitchen anyways so you may as well open it up.

Personally I like the people who turned the old Atlas-F missile silos into houses. Nothing beats a house with a 10 story basement that can withstand a nuclear blast. Talk about a man cave.
55 posted on 01/13/2010 1:13:53 PM PST by GonzoGOP (There are millions of paranoid people in the world and they are all out to get me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: olivia3boys

I eat in the dining room every day-so I don’t have to look at the kitchen while I eat.


56 posted on 01/13/2010 1:20:22 PM PST by SMARTY ("What luck for rulers that men do not think. " Adolph Hitler)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: old and tired

Our house was built without one and it’s a pain when we entertain. I have no idea what the builder was thinking; I have a small kitchen, no dining room and a huge master bath room. Did they expect folks would be hanging out in there?

I know, I know, why’d I buy it? Mother-in-law in wheel chair; floor plan mostly worked.


57 posted on 01/13/2010 5:45:14 PM PST by Vor Lady ("Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." JFK)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: sportutegrl

You need to invest in a can of Kilz. It covers everything including Sharpie. I know this, because one of my granddaughters loves to ‘draw’ on the walls with sharpies. And try using eggshell finish instead of flat paint. It washes.


58 posted on 01/13/2010 5:49:42 PM PST by Vor Lady ("Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." JFK)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: Vor Lady

I love my formal dining room, but I could probably live without it (if we had a differntly designed kitchen). Lots of people scoff at formal living rooms, but that’s something I won’t give up. We use it all the time when guests are here and it’s my haven from the kids, TV, toys, etc. in the “family” room.

A trend I think should definitely go by the wayside is the “garden tub” in the master bath. I admit, when we built the house I thought it would be great, but once the kids came along, it just became the big bubble bath tub. I never bother with it and don’t miss it a bit. What a space waster. Would love to remodel and have a big walk-in shower with a built-in seat and wall niches instead.


59 posted on 01/13/2010 6:00:41 PM PST by workerbee (Yes, I hate Obama because of his color: RED!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: workerbee
A trend I think should definitely go by the wayside is the “garden tub” in the master bath.

I couldn't agree more. We have this triangle shaped thing that only gets used by the grandkids and the dog. I want to tear it out and turn that area into a dressing area. Our walk-in closet isn't big enough for the dressers and in spite of the huge bathroom, the dressers won't fit in there either so we have to go into the bed room to get the 'drawer' clothes then back into the walk-in to get the hanging stuff like pants and shirts. I think our builder was smoking wacky tabaccy when he was drawing up the plans for this place. I wish I had a formal living room.....

60 posted on 01/13/2010 6:19:02 PM PST by Vor Lady ("Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." JFK)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-60 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson