Those Were The Days
It’s high time we shared our finds from the vintage magazines that we snagged for free at the Forest Hill Community Yard Sale. Towards the end of the day a nice woman had a slew of old House Beautiful glossies (we’re talking oooold, dating back 30-40 years to the early seventies) and she happily offered them up for free to avoid filling up her recycling bin. And we were just crazy enough to grab a hefty stack and lug them around for the rest of the sale. Well it’s a good thing we did because they were totally worth the effort. They were a veritable gold mine of eye candy and inspiration, with the added bonus of a good laugh on almost every page. Here are a few highlights…
We love this Neutrogena ad from nearly three decades ago. It gets right to the point.
We also liked stumbling upon ads for brand new items at the time that look super dated and old school now, like these amazing “state of the art” phones.
And what about this snazzy onesie, I mean flight suit, from Banana Republic?
This overly tan depiction of Vanna White thoroughly enjoying her Spring Air mattress in a satin suit (yes, there’s a cummerbund) also had us at hello.
And we couldn’t help but wonder who thought this Tony Soprano faux pink marble and gold jacuzzi was a good idea. Very klassy- yes, with a k. We especially appreciated that stylish updo on the lovely lady (no doubt to emphasize her upscale bathing experience).
We also liked how this faucet boasted that it was the first one that took it’s own temperature with a digital display on the top of the fixture. It may have also been the last.
This ad took us back to the days or removing the pea green toilet in our half bathroom at which point we asked aloud “when exactly were green toilets cool?” The answer: 1979 apparently.
We also loved how the last ten pages or so of each magazine was devoted to black and white ads that looked a lot like little newspaper blurbs full of strange products that nobody could possibly want, could they? I wonder how many Porta-Yoga devices they sold. I mean I can see how standing upside down would reverse the aging process, right? Just like walking backwards and putting your shirts on your legs and your pants on your arms would.
This “cordless massager” was certainly the most scandalizing black & white ad in the end of one of the oldest House Beautiful magazines (1975 to be exact). We don’t know what was more disturbing, the fact that our mothers and grandmothers probably read about it or the fact that it was available in four different lengths.
But don’t get us wrong. We didn’t spend the whole time tittering about the strange advertising of yore. We also found some fun and fabulous spaces that didn’t feel nearly as dated and odd, like this clean white room with pops of vibrant yellow.
And this lively and lovely turquoise room that could totally have been in Domino magazine last year (as opposed to House Beautiful twenty five years ago).
This groovy 70′s room is oh so Merimekko and fun, with giant graphic flowers on the bed and the vertical blinds. And check out that retro type treatment on the left page. It reminds us of Reading Rainbow (there’s another throwback for ya).
We love that this shot could have run in House Beautiful last month. And if it had I would have been looking up where that fabulous chair came from because I totally want it.
We also seriously swooned over this outdoor scene. You know we love white, natural materials, ottomans and dogs so this was pretty much the jackpot photo as far as we’re concerned. Isn’t it hard to believe it’s over 20 years old?
But there were also some pretty crazy spreads that weren’t quite as “fresh” looking. For example, we’d love this vibrant fabric on a pillow or a lampshade, but whose idea was it to cover the sofa and the two arm chairs nearby? Then they must have stepped back and said, hmm, it still needs something. How about draping some more of the same fabric over the round table between the sofa and the chair? Perfect.
Of course that’s nothing compared to this room that takes matchy-matchy to a whole new level. Yes the wallpaper matches the curtains which match the bedding which matches the table skirt. The fact that they stopped short of carrying it into the rug shows excellent restraint on their part.
Oh the fun we had with our timeworn magazines in our laps, marveling at the fact that everything on those pages was once fresh and current and oh so in style. Check out these Simmons sofa patterns and tell me that it’s easy to believe there was a time when they were in demand. The one on the top of the pyramid is so grunge-rock-plaid-shirt and the yellow floral is so grandma’s basement.
And what about this insanely busy “Congoleum” flooring? Will we someday find ourselves coveting this aesthetic once again? I hope not.
So thanks for the memories old stack of free yard sale magazines. You were enjoyed many years ago and equally appreciated just days ago when we flipped through each page, reveling in the fact that we were about negative eight years old when you went to press. We may have laughed at the old fashioned headlines and the strange infomercial-style ads at the back, but we’re still totally digging that egg chair on the cover. And white lattice, you’re still totally cool too.
So that about does it for our vintage magazine showcase. Any favorite scenes or ads of the bunch? Have any of you uncovered some old finds that had you in stitches? Do you think our iPod and Nike ads will someday look this crazy to future generations? What say you lovely readers?
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Just goes to show you classic interiors never go out of style! Those mags are great!
PS – I remember that Bell phone ad and I totally wanted the yellow one.
LOVE old ads!! The second one with the phones, is pretty close to our lifetime I think (those of us born in the early 80′s). I remember that Mickey Phone being sold – I wanted it as a kid! People Magazine posted their archives last year and I spent an embarrassing amount of time perusing the ads and marveling at the outdated decor. Sometimes it does help with inspiration, and I’m sure as advertising people it’s especially fun for you! :-)
I’m thinking the Hanky Panky Apron & Bewitching “Cocktail Bra” are pretty stylish ;)
Oh, these are priceless photos! Thanks for sharing! I think our children, or our children’s children, will look back at this and say: “What’s a magazine? You mean you actually read books made out of paper? Why didn’t you just look online or shop via virtual reality?”
Just what I’ve been looking for! A Bewitching Cocktail Bra and a Hanky Panky Apron! I wonder if those 1-800 numbers still exist? These are hilarious. That faux pink marble bathing experience is too much. I think I’ve seen that set used in a couple Lifetime movies…
You know, That orange and brown plaid sleep sofa (17th picture 3rd sofa from the top)was in my family room growing up! Wow, how I remember playing monopoly for hours in that room. LOL. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. :-)
Love that turquoise room! Just proves once again that what goes around, comes around. That congoleum flooring reminds me of what used to be in my parents’ kitchen. And that “massager”? I once found them listed in my grandmother’s medical supply catalog along with a slew of other questionable items! My mom almost died when I pointed them out to her!
Great magazines! Hey, I think my dad was the art designer for that old Bell Telephone ad! Depends on how far back that was, but it looks awfully familiar…
No way Amy. That’s amazing. We think it’s from one of the late 70′s early 80′s mags in our stack. The world is so small, huh?
xo,
s
…OLD? Now the 30′s is old…those are just “dated”. And you can bet your bottom dollar that the congoleum will be back full strength. But I am still getting over the trauma of pulling out harvest gold toilets and tubs (this house was built in ’73)
I think we uncovered some congoleum flooring in a lovely orange, yellow and green morrocan pattern when remodeling our kitchen this spring. We covered it back up with cork.
I have two wing back chairs that are dying to be reupolstered. I love the yellow stripes. Did you notice the painting of the woman sitting in the chair beside the chair? So inspiring.
First of all, the bathtub ad has me racking my brain…what residential high rise building in Manhattan has the view of the Empire State Building shown in that ad? :)
Second, when my parents redid the main bathroom in their house in the late 80s, the tub/shower handle was a silver version of the one in the American Standard ad. I remember the whole family thinking that it was soooo cool. I still know that my dad prefers the shower temp at 105 (crazy hot, IMO). Alas, one day, the temperature display part fell totally off the handle.
“Check out these Simmons sofa patterns The one on the top of the pyramid is so grunge-rock-plaid-shirt”
My sister in law has not one, but TWO of those lovelies in their basement. Besides being covered in scratchy wool and looking ugly as sin, they are quite comfortable. (If you’re wearing pants and long sleeves!)
Oh my god that matchy-matchy room seriously had me cracking up! It’s like a blur of blue pattern…some kind of optical illusion!
And as for the ads, the cocktail bra and hanky-panky apron had to be my favorites! :o)
Great post Sherry! I really love the timeless ads especially. You guys are so great at informative/instructional posts that I’d love to see a post about all the timeless stuff and how to apply it to modern home decor…it was such a great bunch of pictures that I’m left wanting more.
What’s most disturbing is that our mothers and grandmothers probably ordered the cordless massager.
Wow…I didn’t realize we bought a house from trendsetters. Our house was built in 1977, and it is complete with a green toilet (ad from 1979) and matching green tub. Of course it has matching green tile. I would love to blame the 80′s for the palm leaf wallpaper they added, but I’m afraid it was a 2000 addition. Thanks for the fun article.
I think the most disturbing part of the cordless massager ad was the fact that even so recently vibrators couldn’t be openly discussed; they had to be advertised as foot massagers. Crazy!
I have that Mickey phone in my living room as we speak. It was my husbands when he was little and he refuses to ever let it go. I think he thinks It’ll be worth money one day. I just dust it and try to think of places to hide it when he’s not looking.
I love the first two rooms, the white with yellow accents and the turqoise! So pretty!
The pink tub has been laughing, because we just bought a house with a very similar pink soaking tub situated in the middle of the master bathroom. Helllllllllo seventies! Needless to say I will be visiting your blog often for fun, modern, and thrifty ideas to update our old house!
I laughed looking at those ads, but some of those rooms were amazing! I would love to have that turquoise room in my home today. It’s comforting to know that I can go all out decorating a room and if I do it well, I won’t have to worry about redoing everything each decade.
Love the old magazines. I think we could all use a Bewitching Cocktail Bra! All that floral fabric in one room makes me feel really claustrophobic! Thanks for sharing.
My dad worked for bell and we had the yellow banana phone, the french phone, and we also had a Snoopy phone too. I’m sure if I dug around my parents garage, attic and closets, I could find all three!
Here’s a story to make you feel dated. I was subbing a few years back and a student was listening to his ipod. I asked what he was listening to and he replied with “Jesse’s Girl” by Rick Springfield. According to the student, he was into oldies music. WHAT?! When did that become oldies music?
Hanky Panky apron!? I want it! haha, these are amazing, and I love that turquoise room.
That’s the Chrysler building, not Empire State – and I think the “view” must be stolen from a helicopter shot, because the angle is otherwise nonexistent!
It’s a tragedy the Porta-Yoga did not catch on. I mean how is standing upside down NOT a “truly enjoyable experience”?
Stare at the matchy-matchy room long enough and you’ll probably have a stroke.
I love the timeless designed rooms! They are something I would use for inspiration today.
I swear our house had the Congoleum floors before we ripped them out. The house also did have purple toilet. Not sure if that trumps pea green toilets or not. Regardless, I still want to kick the person who thought making colored bathroom items was a fantastic idea.
I was already an adult at the time those issues were published and I just thought I’d add that even back then, a lot of us thought some of those adds and picture layouts were a bit tacky. Bad taste is bad taste, no matter what the era. :>)
More like this please!!! Hilarious!
Ha! I love how almost-scandalous those black & white ads are.
Holy cow, Youngsters — this stuff isn’t that old!!! OLD is the 1930 photo of my dad I recently posted on Facebook! (“Old” is anything that happened before I was born, apparently. :-)
But I’ve noticed more than a couple rooms in some recent magazines I’ve been flipping through that look disturbingly like the pattern-crazy stuff in some of these photos. Seriously scary stuff!
And the massager? That would not have scandalized the moms and grandmoms back then, nor would it those same ladies now, because I can assure you that my mom — a grandmother seven times — would have no idea why it makes the rest of us giggle!
Fun stuff, guys … thanks for sharing it!
Love the turquoise room – it’s hard to believe that’s from 30 years ago because it still looks relevant! I can’t say as much for the other spaces/sofas/toilets. :) I just can’t believe the person you got these from still had these magazines 30 years later. I’m sure his/her garage sale was full of great old items!
I absolutely love old ads, and new ads for that matter. I also love the decorative, ceramic head of lettuce in the house beautiful pic with the great chair. I wonder if it’s a bowl or just a very large trinket? Thanks for sharing!
Love the old ads! They’re absolutely hilarious!
My co worker passed by me when I was reading your blog and saw the “cordless massager”. We were laughing so hard!
Hah! I had that Banana Republic “flight suit” or something very much like it, and it was, as you said, like a onesie, though I didn’t know what a onesie was back then.
I love the yellow room! And the 70s isn’t old…I was born in ’78 and most definitely am not old! :)
Ah the seventies and eighties. At least you were spared the brunt of it, you Youngsters. I agree with the commenter who said bad taste is bad taste, no matter what the era. Some of my current favorite magazines sometimes show decorating editorials that give me the serious heebie-jeebies.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. (Not that 40 is OLD.)
Grandmas have needs too, Sherry :)
OMG, my aunt was the manager of an AT&T phone center store in the 1970s and 1980s. I had a Snoopy or Mickey phone very similar to the one in that photo (sad that I can’t remember now, I’m not that old!)… except with mine, you hung up the yellow handset by putting it on Snoopy/Mickey’s arm, which moved up and down (like the “hook” of a traditional landline phone). Thanks for the memories!
Hey, looky there! Great minds think alike! :) I’ve been schlepping through the world of old interior design photos, too. I’m after a look the truly is classic… and chic – I look I can update with little changes, not a complete overhaul every 8 years. I ADORE that white room, by the way. Great to see bright white living room furniture from before the inception of the Shabby Chic phase. Very encouraging!!!
Thanks for the laughs, too ;) I remember wishing I could be as glamorous as dear Vanna.
XO,
Jacci
Love the ads, I have some 40-50s ones hanging in my dining room. For champagne, no “ride up” underwear, and cadillac. I got ‘em from “The Paper Guy,” if there are any other Richmonders out there its a definite must visit! Its this antique shop out on 301 past Atlee Station and this guy has every paper thing you can imagine. Old magazines, postcards, posters, pin ups, etc. Its intense!!!!!
Lol. At first I couldn’t figure out why you would comment on the yoga device and ignore the “hanky panky” apron, but then I saw that foot device (yes, that is what I have to call it… eww)… what a hilarious magazine.
Wow…can’t believe someone kept such old magazines. Wait a minute….in my very own basement I have a stack of 1980′s Country Living mags. Dude I am so old!!! Yes indeed I was right there in the middle of what my friends called “the 1980′s country fakin’ it ” look. Ah lovely memories of wedgewood blue & rose patterned rooms. I would have totally loved your “granny dining room”
Soooo ugly!!!! Shudder….thank God the 80′s are over and this “old 40 year old” has found Young House Love….sigh
Laugh, giggle, chuckle, snort, chuckle, chuckle . . .
Ummm… DH’s grandma has the Porta-Yoga sitting in her bedroom. She swears by it, lol
And she has the cordless massager. She calls it a temple massager and pulls it out anytime anyone mentions a headache. We all politely decline. HA HA!
Thanks for the laughs :-)
I absolutely LOVE looking through old magazines. I’m kind of an addict actually. Have you ever seen this post before? Hilarious…
http://www.retrocomedy.com/2009/07/15-creepiest-vintage-ads-of-all-time.html
I wonder if it is possible to create an historical timeline of design based on the colors used for bathroom sets. We’ve had fake-marble pink (70′s), pea green and purple toilets(early 80′s?). The house we bought a few months ago has a fake marble duck-egg blue toilet and vanity, with shell-shaped double sinks! The house was built in the early 90′s, although I think it was decorated from an earlier decade. I wonder if our current love of white will be seen as a major faux-pas in the decades to come?!?
I would SO rock that Hanky Panky Apron! :o)
A couple summers ago, my husband and I went to a huge auction and they had a bunch of home decor and wedding magazines from the 60s and 70s. We missed out on the auctioning of them and I was a bit disappointed.
But lo and behold, later that week, a lady dropped off a box full of those same magazines at the library (where I work) as a donation. I grabbed them all and they are now in my guest room.
They are quite hilarious to look at but can be inspirational at times too. How fun is it to look back in time and see how some things have changed?! Thanks for sharing!