The Molly & Claude Team Realtors Ottawa, Royal LePageTeam Realty
The kitchen says a lot about a home, and the period it was last updated! Canadian families spend a lot of time in this high-traffic room, so it stands to reason we get the itch to revamp them every so often. Here’s a quick history of some standout kitchen décor trends from the last 50+ years.
As soldiers returned home from war, they brought with them a new wave of prosperity, and record-breaking rates of building suburban family homes. Whereas previous decades saw small kitchens tucked away, these retro kitchens were meant to be seen. Easy-to-clean and widely available from post-war factories, candy-coloured steel cabinetry became popular. Matching was key, with dishware and appliances all echoing the bright, optimistic colour scheme. Yellows, blues, and pinks really made their mark throughout the 1950s. The pink scheme was also seen across bathrooms in the ‘50s (for better or for worse).
In this modernity-crazed, fun-loving decade, entertaining at home was all the rage. This iteration of retro kitchen was all about over-the-top details and ambiance. While cabinetry looked to wood, countertops and flooring started to become more vibrant to make up for a loss of colour in the kitchen. With the popularization of plastic in this decade came along with it all sorts of quirky novelty finishes, from faux stained glass to colourful formica. While wood features can still be seen in kitchens today, it was the 1960s that really brought this trend to life.
Many influences went into the ‘70s décor aesthetic—and it shows. The sleek lines of the ‘50s meet the hippie hangover of the ‘60s, resulting in a symphony of colours and textures never seen before. Kitchens began to feature appliances and furnishings in saturated avocado green, brown, and orange, alongside vinyl upholstery, fringe, and more. Harvest yellow and wood features were also a huge trend in the 1970s, sticking around until the early ‘80s.
Kitchens in the 1980s said goodbye to avocado green appliances and hello to a more subdued aesthetic. Black appliances with light-coloured cabinets started to become the norm, but don’t worry—they still managed to have some strange trends. Tiled countertops, anyone? Florals and lace also started to creep their way in, with tablecloths and curtains being added whenever possible.
This decade saw warm (see: orange) pine cabinets, evoking somewhere between a farm table and a rustic Italian villa. Hand painted faux finishes, like stencils and sponge-stipple textures, were a common DIY update. The 1990s was also when we saw the beginning of the “hanging pots and pans” trend, which was great for those with high ceilings, but a literal headache for those who kept knocking their heads on a soup pot. Warm wood finishes, bronze hardware, farm tables, fake fruit, and rustic figurines helped build this strange escapist phenomenon.
At the turn of the millennium, house “flipping” became a more common practice. In taking on these properties, sellers looked to modernize features with widely palatable, neutral colour schemes. This meant swapping out brass fixtures for cool satin-finish nickel for a more contemporary look, and staining warm cabinets for a rich, dark look. The 2000s also saw the birth of the hipster, making accent walls featuring images of antlers, birds and, inexplicably, moustaches commonplace.
The decade we’ve just exited has borrowed elements from all the aforementioned time periods, combining to form an overall clean, if eclectic, aesthetic. White cabinets, quartz countertops, and open shelving have grown in popularity for their clean and bright look. Blended into the modern farmhouse vibe are mid-century modern elements, like metal accents, wicker and rattan furniture, and patterned wallpaper.
When making aesthetic choices, consider how you want to feel in your home, and which elements will function the best for you. If the 2010s have taught us anything, it’s that what was once old will be new again. While we can’t predict what will come of kitchens in the 2020s and beyond, we know one thing for sure: in 50 years, people are going to wonder what on earth we were thinking.
Ah, moving day. It can either be a joyous occasion or a mind-numbingly stressful ordeal. No matter how much we prepare, there always seems to be some tiny detail unaccounted for. Let’s unpack the subtle art of preparing for and managing a—hopefully—flawless move.
Ever try to get a queen-size box spring up narrow stairs with 90º landings? Furniture that squeaks into one house may only jam up in another. Assess what will fit and what won’t by measuring your largest items ahead of time then test those measurements in the entries, stairs (especially around those corners and low suspended ceilings), and doorways of your new home.
On the flip side, unnecessary clutter tends to follow us from place to place, which makes moving the perfect opportunity to de-clutter, paving the way for a smoother move.
Traditionally, we’ve scrounged local retailers for empty boxes or bought new ones. More sustainable options have presented themselves in recent years, making it easy to obtain high quality used moving boxes, or renting reusable bins.
The Buy Nothing Project is dedicated to keeping items out of landfills by passing them onto others for free. They have Facebook groups across Canada and can be excellent resources for moving boxes.
If you can’t find free or reusable moving materials, that’s OK too. You can buy tape, boxes, packing paper, and other materials from your local moving companies—even if you’re doing all the moving yourself.
Hiring a moving company can be more costly than renting a truck and paying friends in pizza and beer. So why is it better to hire a professional? It’s simple. They’re professionals who do this every day, are insured against damage or injury, and their experience gives them the benefit of efficiency. Friends and family may be willing to help when called upon, but is it a fair test of your relationship to put them at risk of injury and expect them to assume responsibility for the safety of your most valued possessions?
Whether you’re an empty-nester who no longer needs a three-bedroom home, or find yourself unexpectedly moving into a smaller place, downsizing presents a unique challenge. If life teaches us anything, it’s challenges are opportunities in disguise. In this case, it’s a chance to take inventory of the possessions that are truly important and get rid of anything that isn’t necessary or doesn’t contribute to your happiness.
The key to a successful, stress-free move is having an effective strategy in place. Consider these points when planning your move:
What once may have been a stressful ordeal can easily turn into a smooth-running operation. Taking the time and care to follow these strategies can help remove a lot of stress from the equation when moving into a new house—especially if it’s your first home—so you can enjoy the process rather than fear it. Happy packing!
