B-Hind the Times: Retro = OLD is NEW Again!

When my grandparents passed away we were faced with decisions about their “stuff” and their house was much like a time capsule. Many of their things revealed their unique and quirky personalities. This made it hard to part with some items and at the same time we were perplexed, asking ourselves how the heck we could incorporate these strange and sometimes goofy items into our own home décor.

Much of what was there would be deemed “retro” and some would be stamped with “OMG-what were they thinking?” There was the ceramic duck lamp my father had bought them with money from his paper route when he was a kid. We couldn’t let go of it for sentimental reasons but then none of us wanted it in our house either. Dad took that one home. Ultimately we sat down and decided we had to go through and pick what we knew we could not part with and then find a “perfect” home for the rest.

I came home with a black poodle made from pipe-cleaners that had always been on grandma’s frig, a tiny cup her teacher had given her as an award when she was little, and a box of both home-made valentines and then some of the first store-bought ones ever offered and finally the love letters my grandparents exchanged when they dated. These were my treasures.

I was sad to leave behind all the fake Christmas trees she had. There was the pink-flocked one I couldn’t decide was too hideous to keep or too unique to leave behind. My Dad took the silver one and my uncle took the blue flocked one. The decorations were either cute or down- right ugly, no grey areas there.

One of my sisters had been redecorating her den in a 50’s motif so some of the items suited her house perfectly. My grandparent’s comet green and silver table set would be perfect for her home. Sadly none of us could imagine where an odd hanging lamp that had angels encased by threads which dribbled some oily-type rain should go. It was both a marvel and hideous at the same time.

My grandma loved costume jewelry. Some of it she made by herself, it was given to her, or she collected it over her lifetime. There were gaudy pieces and also beautiful things. I couldn’t imagine myself wearing any of it but I could imagine Madonna tossing layer upon layer of these pieces for one of her earlier videos. Sadly I was way past my Madonna stage. My sisters found homes for these items.

Grandma’s ornate crystal lamps which had been on her dressing table for as long as I could remember are packed carefully away for my daughter. Grandpa’s bottle of “Old Spice” is in my curio cabinet. I sneak in there occasionally to smell it. Next to it is a couple of pecans long past the time they would be considered actually edible. Grandpa loved pecans and these came from his tree. It is odd that I would cling to a few old pecans. Hey—I have vintage pecans…how cool am I?

Another sister took the plank picture of a bouquet of flowers made entirely of different seeds, nuts, and shells, heavily varnished over and over. It was sentimental to me but I was grateful that a decision didn’t involve me finding a place for it in my home. There were many items like this that we were attached to emotionally but faced with the reality these were really just “things” on some level.

Now I look in antique and curio shops and see items which may have come from my grandparent’s home. It is like visiting old friends. We all have kept our “retro” memories which remain timeless while others enjoy making new homes for the “stuff” we left behind.

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