Ugly House Photos

As are 99.9% of the photos seen in this blog, this is an actual photo used to promote the sale of the home.

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Aren’t wallpaper murals fun?  Brings back memories of the countryside and fall foliage.  Why is there an iron gate at the doorway to the bedroom?

What is this room?  Are there antique presses on the wall or are those branding irons to punish the prisoners trapped behind the iron gate in the bedroom?

Here’s another odd room.  Good grief.

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Design Through the Decades - part 43

Flooring in Phoenix homes in the 1990s was basically a larger version of the 1980s.  The 1980s had a lot of 8″ ceramic tile squares.  The 1990s moved up to 12″ ceramic tile.

The 12″ ceramic tile of the 1990s was usually a light color and sold for about $1 per tile.

As the decade progressed, tile color became darker and more varied.

Carpeting was still a popular flooring choice in the 1990s.  The favorite carpet color was tan.

Starter homes in the 1990s came with rolled linoleum in kitchens and bathrooms.  If a Phoenix home was built in the 1990s and had tile, you knew it was an upgrade.

Slate tile flooring became popular in the late 1990s.

Travertine tile flooring was starting to catch on in the very late 1990s.

Coming Up:  Flooring in the 2000s exploded with variety.

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I had clients interested in this bank-owned foreclosure home in south Phoenix, mostly because it is only one of a few newer homes with pools.  Here’s the sparkling clean green pool.

The garage door was bashed in by thieves who tried to break in.  The door is beyond repair now.  The garage had hundreds of crickets.  And a black widow spider with several empty egg sacs and one full egg sac.  I used an extended lighter wand and melted the spider and burned the egg sac.  Sizzle, pop, pop.

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Oddly staged home with lots of clutter.  Can we clear it all out and start over?

The bedroom features a silver lamé bedspread and matching drapes.  Looks like wedding present wrapping paper.

There’s a little kid’s forehead in the foreground.  The harvest gold refrigerator complements the bric-a-brac.

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Ugly pool table in a Scottsdale home.

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What do you think of this color combination?

Someone sure likes plates.

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What is this room with a fireplace?  There’s only enough room for two folding chairs.

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Trash out front.  Weeds.  Chain link fence.  Unpainted new stucco.  Not much curb appeal.

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Design Through the Decades - part 42

Flooring in Phoenix homes in the 1980s was all about tile, tile, and tile.

The defining tile style of the 1980s was saltillo tile (commonly called “Mexican tile”).  Each tile was unique in its range of red, orange, pink, and yellow colors.  Saltillo tile squares are a thick tile, usually 1/2 inch thick.

Saltillo tile could be found in every room of a house, including bedrooms and living rooms.

Saltillo tile mostly disappeared past 1989, except in Phoenix homes with Spanish or Mediterranean architecture.

Eight inch tile squares were very common in the 1980s.

Dark grout contrasted with the lighter tile colors in the 1980s.

Another popular tile style was the rounded shiny 8″ tile, usually in white, ivory, or bone color.  Just like saltillo tile, it made for an uneven floor surface.

Carpeting was still used in bedrooms in Phoenix homes in the 1980s, and it also appeared in living rooms.  Teal green was a popular carpet color as seen in this 1982 Phoenix home.

Rust colored carpet was found in homes in the early 1980s.

Berber carpeting was also associated with the 1980s.

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