expensive / quality laminate is surely an oxymoron! It always looks cheap and nasty

Arguably No worse than not fitting flooring at all. Surely the definition of cheapass

I quite like the unmolested time warp houses from say 60s, swirly carpet, g plan furniture, brick fireplaces, Corby trouser press…

If I bought one I would keep most of it intact and have a retrotastic party.

We looked at a 1970’s chalet style bungalow when we were house hunting. It was AMAZING. All the doors were original, the stairs were the original open style with the flat horizontal planks for the bannisters. Lot of built in furniture which was probably there since it was built.
The thing was it looked really really good. Yes it needed redecorating (careful choices would need to be made) and a tidy up but I would have kept it mostly intact as is really suited the proportions and style of the house. Unfortunately it didn’t work for us in a couple of crucial ways – I reckon whoever bought it probably ripped out all the good stuff and put in IKEA furniture and Richard Burbidge turned spindles (boak) on the stairs. I don’t think I’d want to know what it looks like now just in case.

Arguably No worse than not fitting flooring at all. Surely the definition of cheapass

Lol! ffs tj at least put some sawdust down!

Trailrat – actually the main reason for the bare boards is neither me of the missus could find any flooring we liked! My hallway has been hardboard for more than a decade for the same reason.

That picture is of a flat intended for renting which drove a lot of decisions including the fact I am a cheapass!

Thermal /insulation reasons. Modern houses need to meet certain standards and its easier to do this with small windows

Exactly – cost saving. All modern houses are built to extract as much profit as possible from house buyers. In the past people were proud to build houses for people, yes following the design trends of the decade but you now have houses where you can place when they were built at a glance.
I doubt many people could tell whether a newer house was built in the 1990/00/10/ or 20 decade.
I reckon (hope really!) in 40-50 years time a lot of the houses built in the last 30 years will be seen as crap and “avocado bathroom”.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CExDQ_bnQ08/?igshid=hlofhh9gcmqu

Pigeon hut timber , large grey windows (the white ones now grey to match….it’s a left over from the old building)

I’m sure you’ll hate it but I’m ok with it.

Inside is terrecota orange with laminate flooring and an oak/steel combo dining table.

I’m ok with that

*Edit I see insta links no longer work

That picture is of a flat intended for renting which drove a lot of decisions

Was the decision to make it as soulless as possible? Like a set from a 1980’s game show where the polished model shows off the dinner set or mini hifi you can win in the next round?

Terracotta! and you slag me off 🙂

Never mind taste, surely wood/laminate floor in a flat is a no no?

*Edit I see insta links no longer work

Aye, we had too many nice things.

The Guardian has published an article today featuring a few of the posters from this thread.

Exhibit 1 – TJAgain

Guardian Modern Life is Rubbish

I quite like the unmolested time warp houses from say 60s, swirly carpet, g plan furniture, brick fireplaces, Corby trouser press…

You’ve just described my grandparents house. Must have been a fashion because a lot of their friends had similar.

The raised swirly Artex plastering on the walls.
Carpets in a swirly pattern, multi-hued but based on one colour (theirs were green in one room and an awful red/orange in the hallway).
I think they had a peach bathroom rather than avocado though.
They had a dreadful conservatory too, built back in the time when they were just coming into fashion except done on a budget and it was little more than a greenhouse but in white. Single glazed so absolutely freezing in winter and so hot in summer that the laminate floor warped and peeled.

When they died my Mum did as much as possible with the house to clean it up and then sold it. The new owners absolutely gutted the place – I never saw it redecorated but my Mum said it had been really nicely done and all the awfulness had disappeared!

Was the decision to make it as soulless as possible

To be fair for a rental I can understand that. Keep it simple and when your tennent **** it up and runs off its minimal cost to sort.

I’m ok with terracotta because it’s not magnolia.

My paint is not magnolia either. Its “soft cream summer mist” or something equally pretentious

its really magnolia

frank – nope not me. My stuff is all minimalist and clutter free

I bet all the 50 something year olds here know what lineoleum is . They would have had it in their kitchen , bathroom, kitchen table if you were poor
Change its name to Marmoleum and it’s apparently the healthiest most hygienic floor covering now although Kirkcaldy doesn’t smell just as bad as it did 40 years ago

Should see my feature wall in the dining room. 3 walls are terrecota and one is pure brilliant white……..

Bet you can’t guess why.

Bet you can’t guess why.

To try and hide the damp?

Bet you can’t guess why.

To use it as a projector wall for your midget porn parties?

I bet all the 50 something year olds here know what lineoleum is . They would have had it in their kitchen , bathroom, kitchen table if you were poor

Isn’t proper linoleum (ie. the stuff made from linseed oil) quite expensive now?

As with most things its all about not over doing it. Take TVs:

TVs on walls are fine.

TV’s on walls so high up its like sitting at the front row of the cinema are not fine.

TV’s on the wall so high up because they are above the fake mantlepiece in your new build that doesn’t have a chimney are ghastly.

TV’s on the feature wall so high up because they are above the fake mantlepiece which is also liberally decorated with “LOVE” and “HOME” ornaments strategically positioned to catch the light from the LED downlighters, well you get the point.

How do we stand on the Farrow and Ball type wall paints? Personally i really like them as they are not flat colours but subtle mixes. However I bet they will date as badly as the 80s/90s strong colours on walls or the 70s flock wallpaper

Seems I was right no correct guesses Ran out of terrecota paint and not bought any more so it’s remained pbw of the undercoat

It’s kinda like an anti feature wall…..

But yes projector wall is a good shout I’ll use that next time 😉

flooding a house with cat5 seems to have died a death (and not just because of cat6), but at least it was hidden.

lol, i did that in my house, i’ve still not connected the ends up, just buried the cable behind the fittings because i cant be arsed..

How do we stand on the Farrow and Ball type wall paints?

Linoleum is pretty good stuff.

Yes, probably more expensive than vinyl (although not by much if you compare how they wear and longevity), but also made of natural materials not plastic. And yes it is hygienic – that’s why it’s used so widely in healthcare settings (admittedly not such a high priority in houses).

To fit it well, you need to know what you are doing though, and it isn’t available in every fashionable colour and pattern.

possibly an image ?

Apparently not- maybe a link ?

https://postimg.cc/qggCVdth

There you go teej guarantee you will hate it.

How do we stand on massive oversize copper coated faux ship lights ?

Either way a couple of tins of paint and it’s a different room again.

That burnistoun link is fabulous dahling

Marmoleum if your willing to pay can probably be as fancy as you like with laser cutting or water cutting. Linseed oil and sawdust it’s come a long way

Axctually trailrat thats not as bad as I thought – bar that bloody lampshade and the fake floor. 🙂

another thing we do not ave – lampshades. Again everytime I try to buy some I find them all to be hideous 🙂

@b230ftw

We looked at a 1970’s chalet style bungalow when we were house hunting. It was AMAZING. All the doors were original, the stairs were the original open style with the flat horizontal planks for the bannisters.

I think you’re getting at something really important here. I think a very high quality, well designed interior from almost any period can look really cool. But what happens is you get poor quality imitations of any trend and that tends to be what people end up hating. I’ve also seen places with original 70s woolen Axminister carpets that still look good in all their swirly glory.

E.g. the current trend for dark walls and wood panelling. I think done well by a master craftsman with high quality finishes it’ll age OK. MDF stuck to the wall and splashed with some of Wilco’s finest not so much. See also cheap laminate vs. high quality engineered wooden floor, and a quality stove installation vs. a ripped out fireplace with a folded metal box in it.

It’s not a lampshade dear.

Wooden worktops. Previous house solid oak worktops, utterly ruined with water marks, espcially round the belfast sink (arrghhh).
Did a minor kitchen refresh (replaced some damaged ikea fronts while they were still available) and installed laminate tops. I had many happy evenings throwing chunks of oak worktop into the wood burner (defense – village with no mains gas, and a old inefficent oil boiler).

Laminate flooring. If you cannot afford wood then get carpet

As said quality laminate is expensive and a hell of a lot more resilient than wood.

expensive / quality laminate is surely an oxymoron! It always looks cheap and nasty

Anyone else dare to stick their heads above the parapet with pictures?

I’ll fling a picture of the kitchen floor up after it gets washed but it won’t be until later. Tile effect laminate, looks the same but with none of the disadvantages (cracking, bloody freezing). But see to be honest, I couldn’t GAS what anyone thinks as I doubt you do either. This home was decorated for us, not an imaginary future tennent.

Have to ask though, does anyone still put carpets in bathrooms or pish mats around the toilet? 🤮

Oh, and completely with you on sparkly bathrooms.

Now this is a real floor. 150 year old boards showing all their history. Curating them took hours and hours of work. the picture somehow does not show the warmth of the colour and they have had nothing done to them bar cleaning and a little oil. You cannot buy that sort of authenticity but you can buy fakes.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2krpLfV]20210112_101538[/url] by TandemJeremy, on Flickr

IRL they really divide folk – some love ’em some hate ’em

People thought their bathrooms were nice at the time 😉

My father in laws bathroom still looks exactly like this, just a bit grubbier.

Tony wins!

do you think the move towards a retro 70s look will go that far?

How do we stand on the Farrow and Ball type wall paints? Personally i really like them as they are not flat colours but subtle mixes. However I bet they will date as badly as the 80s/90s strong colours on walls or the 70s flock wallpaper

Depends on the house. On newer houses it’s kind of pointless as a lot of the colours F&B and Little Greene do are researched from period properties like stately homes. The colours are really good for old houses as they tend to be less harshly tinted and probably quite similar to what was put in there originally. You can overdo it though.

Don’t use the estate emulsion from F&B as it’s very very Matt and chalky finish and isn’t very durable – but it isn’t meant to be, it’s supposed to be a traditional finish. The modern emulsion from them is good. Yes it’s expensive but you generally need a lot less coats so works out similar in price sometimes.

ha those modern front doors with full height handles are my pet peeve, but theyve been done to death… bifolds was another.

we have just completed an extension, made the standard big open plan kitchen / living space room. didnt go for bifolds, but got full height/length timber framed glazing at the back with french doors..

looks nice, but im not really comfortable in there. much prefer to sit in the snug with the fire on!

@tjagain Yeah, remind me of Emma’s flat in Dalmeny Street, down to the sticky grot stuck down the wider gaps.

As someone also said, wooden floors in flats are a nono. You hear EVERYTHING and every damn footstep. They’re probably illegal in Switzerland.

Previous owner thought this looked good.

Edit that’s not magnolia…it’s cigarette tar stain

Edit that’s not magnolia…it’s cigarette tar stain

Fagnolia…as it’s known in the trade.