Hard to tell for sure, but it kind of looks like they replaced a bunch of that original hardwood with modern laminate or engineered flooring. But looks like they kept the real wood (refinished) in...
Hard to tell for sure, but it kind of looks like they replaced a bunch of that original hardwood with modern laminate or engineered flooring. But looks like they kept the real wood (refinished) in a few rooms, notably the dining room.
I'm a sucker for real hardwood and having a floor that ages nicely so it blows my mind that people would do that!
Depending on the specific renovations a house has undergone, a contractor may have convinced a previous owner to "upgrade" to modern flooring because there's a strong secondary market for old...
Depending on the specific renovations a house has undergone, a contractor may have convinced a previous owner to "upgrade" to modern flooring because there's a strong secondary market for old growth hardwood flooring. They can be so helpful as to handle the old boards along with the other construction waste without additional charge. Similar things are done with old chandeliers and other electrical fixtures they no longer manufacture. It's one of those things that's not stealing, since the new owner does want the change, but it's kind of embezzling, as the value of the old stuff is extracted without the owners' knowledge.
The original interior was, as a kid, what I always imagined the inside of rich people's houses looked like. Even when I was little, I could tell how wealthy Kevin's family was. The interior now...
The original interior was, as a kid, what I always imagined the inside of rich people's houses looked like. Even when I was little, I could tell how wealthy Kevin's family was.
The interior now looks like literally every other luxury apartment for sale anywhere. The ultra white minimalist look just won't die. I don't know why so many people apparently want to live inside a cleanroom.
When I was a kid, I just assumed families in America lived in houses like that. I think a lot of North American kids also thought it was the kind of house they would live in when they grew up and...
When I was a kid, I just assumed families in America lived in houses like that. I think a lot of North American kids also thought it was the kind of house they would live in when they grew up and had a job + family.
complaining about wealth
This very similar looking house for example. It sold for $750,000 (CAD) in 2024, in one of our country's poorest provinces (eg, excluding territories). Avg annual salary was $82,941 in 2023 (statcan).
Same house sold for $239,000 in 2021, when avg annual salary was $77,163 (statcan).
It's not that Kevin's family was that much richer than average in the 90s, it's that the average has become that much poorer since.
I don't know, I was a middle class kid when home alone came out, and it was very obvious to me at the time that there's no way my parents or anyone I knew could afford a house that massive and...
I don't know, I was a middle class kid when home alone came out, and it was very obvious to me at the time that there's no way my parents or anyone I knew could afford a house that massive and nice.
I imagine something like that would go for close to a million dollars in 1990 where I lived. I'd never even seen a million dollar house up close until I was an adult.
My theory is that the ultra white minimalist is just an easier sell. It's inoffensive, it's a blank canvas for an owner to do whatever with it, and it's good enough for most folks.
My theory is that the ultra white minimalist is just an easier sell. It's inoffensive, it's a blank canvas for an owner to do whatever with it, and it's good enough for most folks.
Personally I much prefer the ikea white room look. Idk, the OG home alone style of McMansion just feels garish and too visually cluttered and busy to me. I hate how it looks. AMA
Personally I much prefer the ikea white room look. Idk, the OG home alone style of McMansion just feels garish and too visually cluttered and busy to me. I hate how it looks.
There's definitely a time period nostalgic / repulsion factor. Example, for perfumes, one generation's clean fresh smell is another's granny soap smell; one generation's crisp feeling is another's...
There's definitely a time period nostalgic / repulsion factor. Example, for perfumes, one generation's clean fresh smell is another's granny soap smell; one generation's crisp feeling is another's powdery scent.
Same thing with decor: one generation's warm cozy is another's clutter hoarder suffocation, and what's clean minimalist for some is sterile sensory deprivation for others
I don't think this is that uncommon, but to me it feels almost the opposite. The original home alone house feels like people live there. People with fantastic maids and great organization, but...
I don't think this is that uncommon, but to me it feels almost the opposite. The original home alone house feels like people live there. People with fantastic maids and great organization, but people nonetheless. The current interior feels completely staged and sterile. It was designed by someone that feels completely afraid of making any sort of choice. Sort of like people's work personalities versus real personalities. No opinions are expressed, no risks are being taken, and painstaking care is being taken to tiptoe around and avoid possibly offending anyone for any reason. It doesn't really feel like a home to me, or even a house. It feels like a facility.
The home alone house has some clashing or garish choices (personally I think the green tile on the island is kind of bad), but the people that designed it DID make choices.
There's something charming about that sort of authenticity in both people and interior design.
I don't think it's really a fair comparison. The shots of the renovated house is from the retailer, who renovated it and is selling it. As in, it looks like no one lives there, because no one...
I don't think it's really a fair comparison. The shots of the renovated house is from the retailer, who renovated it and is selling it. As in, it looks like no one lives there, because no one lives there yet. Whoever moved in would add some of their own furniture, some pictures, and I think that's plenty of decisions to make the place look homely but aesthetically pleasing.
Personally, just the wallpaper from the Home Alone time makes me want to gag. And that's only slightly an exaggeration. It actually hurts my eyes. I'd hate to have to live and stare at its horrific ugliness.
White is good for lighting, it helps make natural light go further. Small-seeming furniture (e.g. no headrests) make the house look larger by comparison and therefore pricier. And white/beige goes...
The ultra white minimalist look just won't die. I don't know why so many people apparently want to live inside a cleanroom.
White is good for lighting, it helps make natural light go further. Small-seeming furniture (e.g. no headrests) make the house look larger by comparison and therefore pricier. And white/beige goes well with all the Ikea furniture you'll buy - furniture which is only sold in beige or flax (a slightly yellowy beige) or beige-y green or the ugliest shade of red you've ever seen.
In the old "The Brady Bunch" series only the exterior of a house was used. Years ago someone bought it and redid the interior to look like the sets from the series. They now charge a chunk for tours.
In the old "The Brady Bunch" series only the exterior of a house was used. Years ago someone bought it and redid the interior to look like the sets from the series. They now charge a chunk for tours.
Hard to tell for sure, but it kind of looks like they replaced a bunch of that original hardwood with modern laminate or engineered flooring. But looks like they kept the real wood (refinished) in a few rooms, notably the dining room.
I'm a sucker for real hardwood and having a floor that ages nicely so it blows my mind that people would do that!
Depending on the specific renovations a house has undergone, a contractor may have convinced a previous owner to "upgrade" to modern flooring because there's a strong secondary market for old growth hardwood flooring. They can be so helpful as to handle the old boards along with the other construction waste without additional charge. Similar things are done with old chandeliers and other electrical fixtures they no longer manufacture. It's one of those things that's not stealing, since the new owner does want the change, but it's kind of embezzling, as the value of the old stuff is extracted without the owners' knowledge.
The original interior was, as a kid, what I always imagined the inside of rich people's houses looked like. Even when I was little, I could tell how wealthy Kevin's family was.
The interior now looks like literally every other luxury apartment for sale anywhere. The ultra white minimalist look just won't die. I don't know why so many people apparently want to live inside a cleanroom.
When I was a kid, I just assumed families in America lived in houses like that. I think a lot of North American kids also thought it was the kind of house they would live in when they grew up and had a job + family.
complaining about wealth
This very similar looking house for example. It sold for $750,000 (CAD) in 2024, in one of our country's poorest provinces (eg, excluding territories). Avg annual salary was $82,941 in 2023 (statcan).
Same house sold for $239,000 in 2021, when avg annual salary was $77,163 (statcan).
It's not that Kevin's family was that much richer than average in the 90s, it's that the average has become that much poorer since.
Yeah, shame they went with generic gray white
I don't know, I was a middle class kid when home alone came out, and it was very obvious to me at the time that there's no way my parents or anyone I knew could afford a house that massive and nice.
I imagine something like that would go for close to a million dollars in 1990 where I lived. I'd never even seen a million dollar house up close until I was an adult.
My theory is that the ultra white minimalist is just an easier sell. It's inoffensive, it's a blank canvas for an owner to do whatever with it, and it's good enough for most folks.
Yeah. I've heard the same. Makes sense I guess. Still makes me sad though.
Personally I much prefer the ikea white room look. Idk, the OG home alone style of McMansion just feels garish and too visually cluttered and busy to me. I hate how it looks.
AMA
There's definitely a time period nostalgic / repulsion factor. Example, for perfumes, one generation's clean fresh smell is another's granny soap smell; one generation's crisp feeling is another's powdery scent.
Same thing with decor: one generation's warm cozy is another's clutter hoarder suffocation, and what's clean minimalist for some is sterile sensory deprivation for others
I don't think this is that uncommon, but to me it feels almost the opposite. The original home alone house feels like people live there. People with fantastic maids and great organization, but people nonetheless. The current interior feels completely staged and sterile. It was designed by someone that feels completely afraid of making any sort of choice. Sort of like people's work personalities versus real personalities. No opinions are expressed, no risks are being taken, and painstaking care is being taken to tiptoe around and avoid possibly offending anyone for any reason. It doesn't really feel like a home to me, or even a house. It feels like a facility.
The home alone house has some clashing or garish choices (personally I think the green tile on the island is kind of bad), but the people that designed it DID make choices.
There's something charming about that sort of authenticity in both people and interior design.
I don't think it's really a fair comparison. The shots of the renovated house is from the retailer, who renovated it and is selling it. As in, it looks like no one lives there, because no one lives there yet. Whoever moved in would add some of their own furniture, some pictures, and I think that's plenty of decisions to make the place look homely but aesthetically pleasing.
Personally, just the wallpaper from the Home Alone time makes me want to gag. And that's only slightly an exaggeration. It actually hurts my eyes. I'd hate to have to live and stare at its horrific ugliness.
White is good for lighting, it helps make natural light go further. Small-seeming furniture (e.g. no headrests) make the house look larger by comparison and therefore pricier. And white/beige goes well with all the Ikea furniture you'll buy - furniture which is only sold in beige or flax (a slightly yellowy beige) or beige-y green or the ugliest shade of red you've ever seen.
In the old "The Brady Bunch" series only the exterior of a house was used. Years ago someone bought it and redid the interior to look like the sets from the series. They now charge a chunk for tours.