Product recommendations- Then & Now

Contrasting the evolution of kitchen & bathroom styles!

After 14 weeks, we’re back in our partially renovated apartment! And after living with all these changes for a week, here are my thoughts! **Note: Partial renovation = bathrooms and kitchen were renovated, all other living areas were unchanged.

Larger!

Everything is bigger in the 21^st century! Our original bathroom/kitchen were from the 70s. Then, the floor tiles were little 1.5 by 1.5 inch tiles, the taps were small fit in your palm things, and the toilet tank was small as well (probably only held 4L of water). Now, everything is larger! The tiles are dining plate sized thick slabs, the taps are chunky and as long as my forearm, and the toilet tank goes right down to the floor! All of which is great, as they give off a sense of durability and being indestructible, but it also makes me feel diminutive. Haaha. Case in point the bathroom vanity (which feels like chest height), it feels like I’m washing my hands at a religious  altar, and when sitting on the toilet I now need to wear shoes or otherwise my bare feet don’t even touch the ground!

Angular!

Then, sinks used to be oval shaped, bowl like things with curves. Now, everything is squared off, the sink is square (with corners), the sink hole is square (with corners), the tap handles are flat rectangle things (with corners), and the frameless shower-screen is all sharp lines (with corners)- BTW, not looking forward to walking into it for the first time. For this evolution of style, I think I preferred the Suttle refinement and softer lines of the 70s!

Simplistic!

Then, kitchen appliances had all sorts of nobs and switches, and cabinets had all sorts of ridges and cavities.  Now, the cooktop is basically a flat sheet of black glass, the oven and microwave look like two black panels, that matter with finger pull cabinetry, all the vertical surfaces look like flat panels. Admittedly, looks nice and clean, but very simple and maybe a little bit lacking in character?

Quieter!

Then, when we were living at our temporary digs this was more evident,  when my wife was using the microwave or washing up in the kitchen, I literally couldn’t hear my computer speak when working in the lounge room. Now, everything is almost whisper quiet! You can hardly tell if the microwave is doing its thing, the water flowing through the taps are less intrusive, the range hood is quiet enough that you can still hear your music over it, and most of the time you can’t even tell that someone is taking a shower in the next room. Fantastic, as I take super early morning showers!

So incredibly lux!

Then, all our tiles and benchtops were single solid colours. Now, you don’t have to pay too much to have an incredibly lux (luxurious) look! We chose a tile which resembled the patterns found in marble, the floor tiles look pebbled, and the Ceasar stone has these interesting bubble pattens in it. In the olden days this would of costed a pretty penny, but with the advances in manufacturing techniques, these lux options didn’t break the bank!

So, we’re living in the 21^st century now, and it’s not all that bad. Now to complete this modern esthetic , I just need a silver jumpsuit and chunky looking gravity defying boots!