Black and White Again

In the 1980’s people became infected with what I call the “Ying and Yang” fetish. Everything was translated into Black and White. Clothes had to be combinations of black and white with some touches of color like a dab of red or pink. From clothes this black and white combo went to real estate. Every new kitchen and bathroom had to be redecorated and redesigned to be all white with accents of black and a touch of red, or all white with black countertops or bathrooms that had white and black accents and fixtures, including the tiles on the floor. 

In the other rooms of the house, it was considered passé not to paint your walls any color other than white unless it was a child’s bedroom. Some people would get into this trend by just doing a kitchen or a bathroom, but others would go the whole nine yards, even painting the living and dining rooms white and then getting white or black furniture with small accents of red or even taking the same scheme and doing the entire house this way. It got to a point where if you entered a house and didn’t see a white kitchen and white walls all over the house, it was a sign the house had not been updated in style. The more extreme versions of this decorating style made you feel as if you woke up in a black and white movie that you could not escape.

Well, life goes on and now that decorating has taken a completely different turn, when I show those white kitchens left over from that period, what I hear is, “I could never live in this kitchen, it must be changed immediately.” So, I wonder to myself, “What did the people in the 1980s eat that made them fall head over heels in love with those black and white kitchens and bathrooms that today’s customer can’t tolerate? Since obviously their tastes in style are so different, what am I going to do with all the leftover black and white kitchens and bathrooms still around from that time period?”

On the one hand, white is a universal color that blends with everything and can certainly be spruced up with any other color to change its look. Everyone agrees with that. But what do we do with all those black countertops, floors, and cabinets since you can’t change them without redoing the entire kitchen?

There’s no easy answer for those who cannot afford to change an entire kitchen or bathroom other than just jazzing it up with fiesta colors and putting some money aside in a jar until you can afford that new wonderful kitchen and maybe even some fabulous new baths (again, money in the jar permitting).

Now, here’s my new question! If it takes a long time to save that money each week that you put aside in the jar, when the time comes and you’ve finally saved enough to rip out those white or black kitchen cabinets, what if these color schemes are suddenly back in style? Does this mean we’re ahead of the game and can use the money in the jar for a trip to Hawaii or something?

My short answer to those that still haven’t changed their kitchens or baths is that black and white is back again! And if you haven’t saved enough in your jar, you can still use the money for a trip, just not to Hawaii. Anyone for Fort Lauderdale? 

Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a Licensed Real Estate Broker (Anessa V Cohen Realty) with over 20 years of experience offering full service residential, management and commercial real estate services in the 5 towns of Long Island as well as the tri-state area.  She can be reached at 516-569-5007 or readers can send questions or scenarios by email to [email protected].