A BuzzFeed article highlights reader opinions on home design features from past decades that surpass current trends. Commenters shared preferences for practical elements like walk-in pantries and single-story homes. These insights reflect a nostalgia for functionality in living spaces.
In a recent BuzzFeed post, readers expressed enthusiasm for several "outdated" home design trends they believe are superior to modern alternatives. The article compiles anonymous comments emphasizing practicality, accessibility, and comfort in older home features.
One popular suggestion is walk-in pantries, described as full rooms with shelves, cabinets, counters, and sometimes sinks, rather than mere kitchen closets. An anonymous commenter from Georgia, aged 71, noted, "Pantries! We use the cabinets as a pantry in our home now, but I miss a good-sized pantry. And walk-in pantries are even better."
Single-story homes also drew praise for their accessibility. A 64-year-old reader shared, "As a person who's had a bad back since age 18, and now bad knees for the past 20 or so years... you couldn't pay me to live in a house with stairs, pits, or multi-levels." This individual prioritized a single-story layout when purchasing a new home.
Other favored elements include screened-in or glass-enclosed porches, which one commenter equipped with a cat door for pet convenience. Under-counter pull-out drawers were recommended to avoid squatting, as suggested by an 77-year-old from South Carolina. Ventilation options like transoms, double-hung windows, attic fans, and whole-house fans were highlighted for cost-effective cooling without relying on air conditioning. An anonymous 55-year-old from California added, "Screens, powerful fans, and safely-located windows, including bathrooms... It's wasteful" to forgo such features.
Closed cabinet shelving was preferred over open shelving for hygiene reasons, with a Michigan reader calling open designs "disgusting and unsanitary." Pocket doors, real wood cabinets, bay windows, linen closets, and dedicated dining rooms also received mentions for their utility and charm. For instance, a 78-year-old from Virginia recalled a walk-in linen closet with extensive shelving, contrasting it with limited modern storage.
Additional preferences encompassed whole-house fan systems for energy savings, kitchens large enough for family tables, smaller homes with one bathroom for singles, entryway coat closets, built-in bookshelves, and separate dining rooms away from televisions. A 40-year-old from Tennessee stated, "True dining rooms. I miss having family dinners in rooms that are intimate and not open to the television."
The post, written by senior staff writer Liz M. Richardson, invites further reader input on reviving these trends.
