I’m talking about things like houses, furniture, cars, clothing.
A friend of mine looking for a new home eliminated many possible houses as “too modern”, and eventually purchased a house that was built about 100 years ago.
Another friend of mine drives a 1956 Pontiac station wagon (two-tone, of course) as his only car.
There’s antique furniture, and there’s furniture that looks antique but isn’t, and there’s “distressed” furniture.
There are people who like things Victorian, Colonial, or Rococo.
So, do you like things from times past (or that look like they came from times past), or do you prefer contemporary or futuristic?
For me it depends on what it is. My car…I like to have new, in fact I recently bought my first brand new car.
Other things I really like old, but really only going back as far as I can trace a story. For example, I have a coffee table made out of a little red wagon with a glass top. The wagon is from around 1900, and it was the wagon my Great-grandfather won for selling magazines as a kid.
Not so much into things that are just old for the sake of being old.
I live in a little 18th century whaling village. Well at least it used to be… I love everything old. Heck, I love 200 year old dump sites…or middens. I love antique furniture, stone walls, old pocket knives, old trees, [that one doesn’t really fit], old buildings, old architecture etc…etc…
So yes, I love old things. Except my women, I like them mid-30’s, sassy, and whitty. OOPS, I just described my wife.
I love the look of old houses. Whenever I pass an old farm house with a few lights on it always feels “homey” to me. But I would never buy one, unless I were planning on gutting it and redoing the interior with all modern conveniences.
I like old houses, old cars, old photos, old boats…
…and I am in the middle of trying to convince my wife that we should consider buying a stone farmhouse that was built in 1827, instead of plodding through life in our modern home ‘cookie cutter’ home.
(re: 1827 house – is on a rural road that leads to Penna. Amish Country. The current owners owned it for 50+ years and did a “This Old House” type renovation to it. So, I like old, but I recognize that mixing old with new is better than just having old for old’s sake. The house has character…old trees…old growth lumber floors and woodwork…old things that matter, but new things like modern plumbing and wiring that help to preserve the old. Geeze, hope that makes sense.)
I love old houses. Our house was built in the 1920s and we eventually plan to move onto the family farm (house built in 1917). I especially adore the woodwork in old houses.
We also love antique furniture, and have begun to collect a few pieces over the years. We’re currently having an antique dining table that was owned by my husband’s great-aunt repaired and refinished. I’ve got an antique radio and buffet. I will inherit more when we move into the farmhouse, including an amazing piano that my great-grandparents brought up on a train from Iowa when they built the house and a trunk containing great-grandma’s false teeth.
As for clothing and cars, I’m pretty modern. I like to stay with current styles when it comes to clothes. Cars are of very little importance to me except as a means to get me from point A to point B. My husband does have an old Mustang (1955 I think?) that he is working to restore. I’ll be more than happy to ride in it with him when he gets it done.
I like selected old accents in my mostly modern life. I was just looking at 50’s diner styled barstools for my new euro looking kitchen. I really don’t mind if they were made last month in China, though. If it looks good, I don’t mind replicas.
Do it man! You only get one go around at this thing called life…Sounds like a no-brainer to me… Then again, wives can be a tricky bunch…I had a heck of a time convinving mine to let me have a tree house… then when I finally got it, we ended up moving. Well this will give me a chance to get another one… I hope she’s not reading this.
I forgot to mention that I own an extensive collection of vintage clothing and recreations of clothing/armour spanning the time from the Roman Legions to the Boer War.
Yes, I like old houses, old landscapes, old objects…I see it as a taste preference, but…one I’d rather be rid of. In fact, I’m trying to like modern things just as much, or even more.
While some things have improved as of late, predominently because of better (read: space aged) materials I suspect, it does seem that there was a work ethic imparted to goods in the past that’s often no longer apparent, a master crafter quality that’s been replaced by stamped, mass produced, cheap goods.
My grandmom had the most wonderful antique store. It was a wonderful place for a kid to grow up, especially coupled with her stories and appreciation for the uniqueness of the pieces. Most of what was really fine quality she couldn’t bring herself to sell, opting instead to keep them and eventually pass along to us. How could I not love such things. How could I not too try and pass that love and appreciation along to my child.
I like some old woodworking hand tools. Mostly because you can get a great used tool for a third of a great new tool. I like the new tools, but can afford the used tools. The oldest tools I have are some Stanley handplanes from 1945-ish.
