Yesterday's Trends

Often it seems that when one trend is skipping off

into the distance, another much-maligned

memory is making a comeback. Who would

have thought wood panelling in the "rumpus room," wallpaper

or Formica tables would be hot? Fashion and design

experience similar peaks but a key difference is that there

is an eventual lack of materials and/or artisans to create

certain interior design settings. So with that in mind, New

Dreamhomes looks at a few era specific phenomena that

have fallen by the wayside. Style, however, is what you

make it. If any of these seem to your liking, there's plenty

of opportunity to make it part of your dream.

50s Melmac

Plastics as a household function peaked in the 50s with the

introduction of "fine plastic" like Melmac, actually the generic

term for the trade name melamine, created by American

Cynamid Corp. Like a lot of stuff from this era, melamine saw

its beginnings during World War II when military experts

were looking for a light, transportable and disposable dinnerware

for the troops. Usually found in an array of funky shades

of green, pink and blue, Melmac eventually evolved into various

shapes and colors. It moved beyond straight tableware and

had designer names like Russel Wright, Raymond Lowey and

Irving Harper working with it. Metal utensils easily scratched

Melmac, it scorched when put too close to stove burners and

it was susceptible to coffee and juice stains, all of which helped

accelerate its downfall. Melmac is now the domain of

antique shops and collectors and is less likely to return to the

kitchen table.

60s-70s Wall-to-wall Carpeting

The advent of affordable synthetic fibres in the late 30s

enabled countless North Americans the freedom to furnish

their homes with plush wall-to-wall carpeting or "fur on

the ground." The fact that some folks took the term to

heart and actually put broadloom on the walls is remarkable!

One of the reasons carpeting became so pervasive was

because it was relatively cheap, easy to clean, eliminated

the need for baseboards and well, it was trendy!

Wall-to-wall carpeting peaked in the 70s and 80s at the

onset of the energy crisis, when homes were built tighter to

trap warmth.

80s The Entertainment Unit

If the 70s seems like an era of mythical, excessively great

music, (think Almost Famous, the movie) it certainly

ushered in a wave of audiophiles as basement recreation

rooms blossomed and macho mustachioed men held court

at their wet bar in the 80s. A natural companion to this

was the Hi-Fi Entertainment Unit, usually comprised of

five pieces; 2 speakers, receiver, turntable and television.

And the style at that time? Without question bigger was

better. Richard Bowden of Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto

relays a story from this era about visiting a friend

with four-foot high speakers in concrete finish. Four-foot

high and concrete! Quite the change from the flat screen

televisions and modern stereos of today, which hang

suspended on the wall as if artwork.