Retro Designs on the Future

Walking out of a home center with a roll of duct tape to fix my vacuum, a plastic tarp to contain the leak in the attic and a large supply of the caf''s chocolate eclairs to repair my mood, I see the cashier shake her head sadly. "We live in strange times," she murmurs, convinced I'm preparing for a disaster greater than leaky roofs and lint-covered carpets. And, while only the eclairs speak to my concern over world events, I can't help but agree.

"Shock and awe" until recently, words I used only to describe my feelings the day the dog ate my couch suddenly have taken on a whole new meaning. The world is a changed place, and whether you support the war or not, you can't help but feel the prevailing mood of solemnity, as daily reports of bombings and casualties bombard us from every side.

Is it any wonder, then, that people are developing a renewed interest in days' past, and kitchens and baths that remind them of safer, happier times? Retro design is becoming hotter than ever, with the '50s gaining popularity in ways we haven't seen since "Happy Days" ruled the airwaves.

At the same time, we're seeing a renewed interest in warm and cozy environs over high-powered glitz, even at the high end where impressing the Joneses used to be a perfectly fine reason to invest in impractical baubles that did nothing but look expensive. "Comfort is the new glamour!" the media screams, and there's no question there's a growing sense of nostalgia at work here.
The fact is, a lot of people out there would like to turn back the clock, and the design world is clearly picking up on this trend. Old World looks, furniture styling and colors and finishes that strive to create a feeling of history are increasingly the rage, as if age, alone, could convey some kind of magic to protect us from the dangers of an uncertain future.

Families are in; high tech for the sake of gadgetry is out. Even stainless steel is getting "warmed up" to make it softer and more family friendly. Nobody wants anything that whispers of a "cold" home; whether the style is contemporary, transitional or traditional, people are looking for something that evokes a sense of warmth and security.

There's no uncertainty in the past we've seen how it all turns out, and if it's not perfect, at least it's familiar and safe. So, it stands to reason that if we can replicate those designs, that feeling, that world, we, too, can feel safe and sound, no unpleasant surprises, no global uncertainties to plague us.

But, the thing is, you really can't go back.

Think about it: We design for families, but the family of the new millennium bears only passing resemblance to the Father-Knows-Best family of yesteryear.

Our customers want distressed cabinetry that simulates the well-worn patina of age, yet they'd be lost without convection cooking, smart appliances and microwaves of the 21st century.

Women want kitchens that bring back fond memories of grandma's house, then they race off to jobs grandma never would have dreamed of, and buy their apple pies from the take-out store.

People say they want quality and personalized service they used to get from Mom and Pop stores, then they swarm to home centers where they need cell phones to find their spouses, forget finding actual help.

We don't need the President to tell us that life goes forward. Nothing stands still not family mores, not technology, not business. And neither, most assuredly, can we.

So, how do kitchen and bath professionals stay cutting edge while still staying attuned to the sudden wash of nostalgia that's taking the nation by storm?

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that recreating the warm and familiar feeling of times gone by is far more complicated than just recycling tired old designs and trendy colors. People may want their kitchens and baths to evoke a feeling of history, but they still want a modern interpretation that includes all of the latest in technology, durability and function. They don't want the products their parents bought; they want newer, better products that look, wear and function at a superior level yet somehow still remind them of the "good old days."