If you walked into a house of 100 years ago, you'd see many things that wouldn't make sense. For a start, the use of electricity has come on leaps and bounds. It wasn't unknown a century ago to run appliances off the light fixture supply, which was every bit as dangerous as it sounds!
You don't need to go back the full century to get the same impact. Even fifty years would see a massive difference in how homes were laid out, the items inside of them and - most importantly - what was considered the epitome of style. We might look back now on the lurid floral prints of the 1970s and wonder what on earth they were thinking, but in the moment, they were the height of fashion. And believe it or not, nylon was once considered the fabric of the future and beloved by all - now we reserve it for hosiery, not the soft furnishings of our home.
This is still terrible, though.
While some of these things - that'd be you, nylon - definitely deserve to remain in the past, some home choices could really do with a 21st century comeback. Not just in terms of being used, but in terms of how they’re perceived. It's common for one thing from the big statement pieces to the finishing touches of our home to time travel, but that's not the same as fashion and style truly embracing them. So what needs to be welcomed into the warm, open arms of a new millennium?
Serving Hatches
These were a great idea. Popularized in the 1950s, hot food could be passed through to the dining area fresh from the stove. What's more, the chef was not sequestered away from the family or guests while cooking - they could continue the conversation throughout.
While open-plan living has dealt with some of these issues, the fact remains that serving hatches made a huge amount of sense. Let's bring them back - and not just in an ironic throwback way, either.
Conservatories
Obviously, conservatories are still in use, but are they stylish? Some would argue not, saying the idea of indoors outdoors is passe. Conservatories also have a - unfair - reputation for being high maintenance and difficult to control the temperature of. Now there are different conservatory roof styles to aid maintenance and as for the temperature - blinds exist, as do heat-blocking curtains.
So rather than seeing conservatories as an easy option compared to a full house extension, let's refit them as a viable choice.
Bureaus
A bureau usually had a fold-away desk surface, with the storage incorporated into the design. Nowadays, we buy flat desks and then try and stack various additional storage options on top of them. Why are we doing this? Building the storage into the very design means everything is tidy, stable and secure - and a bureau could easily house a laptop to bring it properly up-to-date.
We had the answer to desk and stationery storage and then we stopped using it. Maybe it's us modern era folk that don't know what we're thinking.
