old stuff is better

Went house hunting this week and while I was underwhelmed by what I saw on the whole, there were bits I liked. These bits being the details and charm that escaped the bad remodeling jobs using the latest sale items from Home Depot. Last I checked, Portland was nowhere near Tuscany, so please, folks, stop "fixing" your home to look like Tuscany. It just doesn't look right and doesn't fit with the architecture of the house.

So what bits did I see that I liked? The wallpaper lining the closets in the 1950s homes -- awesome plaids and japanese lanterns and giant florals -- stripped from the living rooms and bedrooms, but thankfully overlooked in the closets during the Pottery Barnification of the home.

And formica in basement laundry rooms or family rooms. Why don't they make patterns like this anymore?!