36: Eclectic Grandpa and Other 2024 Home Trends

Intro:
Hey, you’re drinking house coffee – unfiltered conversations brewed at the intersection of real estate life and coffee shop service. We’re Maggie and Rich – local business owners and friends sharing stories and welcoming you to pull up a chair with us. The door’s always open. Let us pour you a cup.

Maggie:
I took a beat down yesterday a beat down. Did somebody beat you up?

Rich:
Yeah, my freaking pilot junk that I had to move from one storage unit to the other in like three days because I procrastinated

Maggie:
Wait. Did you have to be out by a certain date?

Rich:
Yeah Yesterday by 5:45.

Maggie:
Oh

Rich:
Room sweat cleared out room Sweat by five 45

Maggie:
Like those sellers at the walk through that are still moving out of the house when you’re the buyers are trying to have the final walk through and they’re still packing up the moving truck.

Rich:
That’s me. I’ll take every available minute sometimes. Yeah, we I decided I wanted to move my storage unit from the one that is outdoors. To the new one down the street that’s indoors. And in that process I started that process probably honestly a couple weeks ago. and I got the same size unit that I had. and my thought was okay I can but I had stuff that wasn’t yet in the storage unit that needed to go into storage like stuff that was in this all the coffee shop other extra pilot junk in the back room of the shop, which was a lot of book boxes of books and some shelving and other stuff so While TJ was still in town. I had him helping me a little bit get started just to start getting organized. So then I got this new storage unit and great quick. Easy process. Good unit. We got a 10 by 15 is what I had. That’s what I got. So I start moving

Maggie:
10 by 15. Okay. Yeah,

Rich:
So I I got shelves off of Facebook Marketplace and

Maggie:
I think smaller than my trailer

Rich:
It. I could be. It could be frankly you could have something.

Maggie:
I think my trailer is a little bit

Rich:
Different or okay. Well, so I got shelves from Facebook. Yeah, I’ve found some other shelving and I set it up. So what I did was I I rather than just throw all the stuff from one into the other I decided let’s go in and organize it. Everything will be accessible as we as. As I continue to put them in it can go in in an organized way. So that started to work out really well while I get into.

Maggie:
I wish we were recording from your storage unit today

Rich:
The having fun right I get into this thing and I’m like, all right. You know what? How much more money could it be just to get a slightly larger size before I move everything in here? Because I realized 10 by 15 was already a tight squeeze with all the stuff I had and I’m adding more stuff to the equation and I’d like to have room to get more if I need to or room to at least like be in their organizing. So I’m like, alright, let’s see if we can upgrade this thing. So I added another 10 by 5. I got not seeing it. I got a bigger unit. So the end in one day I was able to move all this stuff from the 10 by 15 new one that I had into a 10 by 20 that was you know, those exact.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
In the same on the same floor. So I got a 10 by 20. As a two days ago and started to get all the stuff in there, but then I had to get the rest of the stuff. Yeah into my van

Maggie:
That is bigger than my trailer and

Rich:
Then over to the cinema 20 is bigger.

Maggie:
Yes,

Rich:
But the time can be smaller. You could definitely in between That’s why I didn’t that’s my pasta said yeah, so that was pretty much all me over the last. Three days and nights.

Maggie:
Mm-hmm

Rich:
Because the new

Maggie:
Well now you feel like a home state. Yes, which clothes?

Rich:
Yeah, I guess so the unit close at 10 pm. So got it. Both of them would close to 10 BM so I could either But I had to be home for 7 pm for the bass. I’d go back out, you know, tune eight or nine and get a load and then go drop it off. And you know, we did it.

Maggie:
He did it.

Rich:
We did it and I’m impressed. I’m pleased. I’m very pleased with With how the new one came out. It needs to be organized now and kind of called for. stuff that’s legitimately garbage and and needs to just vacate my life, but Yeah, it’s it’s better. It’s good. Yeah, and there’s so much stuff on Wheels so I can just wheel it

Maggie:
Oh

Rich:
Or wheel it around if I need to. Some of that stuff. I I cobbled together and some of it was just shelving the wheels, you know, yeah, the stationery stuff is kind of like off to the side lining the walls. Um, I was even putting like I said, I’m using every square inch of that place. Yeah, like as you against the wall, so I don’t know if you’re been a storage unit, but it’s got like metal framing. It’s like a It’s like a warehouse. So you got this like thin sheet metal type of wall, but then there’s the the steel stud that’s like the frame that comes off of that and so along the floor on the side with the steel framing, you know, there’s a six inch. Four inch spot that you can’t put shelving back up against because it like comes up from the floor like a lips the campus stuff there. But but you can put skinny stuff. Okay that little pocket there. So I’ve got like snow shovels and stuff hanging from the from up above on the framing and like table legs are yeah tucked in a corner and by the door, it’s it’s a maximizing

Maggie:
Love it

Rich:
Maximizing.

Maggie:
I love that that’s amazing happy for you,

Rich:
You know. Thanks. I’m happy done today. I didn’t even think about it.

Maggie:
Yes, it was all done yesterday. I was like anything we are moving.

Rich:
The so one of the bad things about the new one is it’s like deep in this. Steel structure so there’s not really cell reception.

Maggie:
Okay,

Rich:
Or Wi-Fi. So whenever I would go in listening to something my radio app would cut out.

Maggie:
Okay,

Rich:
So sometimes. You what I was AMC. Yeah, it’s typically or I would be I’ve been working on a couple new song ideas and it’s generally pretty lonely there like no one else is around.

Maggie:
So I would actually singing

Rich:
I’d be funny to watch the security footage. But yeah,

Maggie:
Cool.

Rich:
That’s that But now it’s like I’m sore. I’m like, oh my my wrist hurt. I’m like stretching out all day trying to just

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
Get back to normal. So

Maggie:
That’s not even thinking what it is from that is the reason why I work out rich I work out so that I can lift furniture and move stuff and not be extremely sore from doing my job.

Rich:
Yeah, that’s a good point. I don’t know. I don’t know that your stuff is generally as I mean, maybe so far or something but like I’m talking big stainless steel sinks and tables that I had and

Maggie:
Yeah, that’s big stuff

Rich:
Big heavy box of books, you know, not saying not the discount year,

Maggie:
But it’s also like a lot of movement endurance for eight hours. You know what I mean? That’s tough like being on your feet. That’s true and like moving bending up and down stairs downstairs in and out of the trail or like

Rich:
Exactly

Maggie:
The bent. I would say my bins of accessories are like pretty

Rich:
Happy I can

Maggie:
Imagine but not that I’m trying to like, you know compare like one one or the other. I’m just no, it’s just making a hiring conversation.

Rich:
I hear you.

Maggie:
So

Rich:
Shout out to your line of work and your lifestyle

Maggie:
Keep it

Rich:
All going. what have you been listening to do

Maggie:
I have been listening to Um, I don’t want to go into it like we did last time when we were recording with TJ, but talking about Dashboard Confessional made me wanted to like go back and just listen to their album. And so I actually listened to that a few times again and

Rich:
Places you have company for

Maggie:
Them. Okay, so you’ve come to fear the most. Yes and just re-listened to some of the songs that like brought me back to like friendships and places and stuff. So, yeah

Rich:
That

Maggie:
I did listen to again just for Nostalgia sake and but what I’ve been actually listening to is the this book by Rick Rubin called the creative act a way of being and I might have mentioned last time that I I have the audible version of it, but I also bought the hard copy of it and I listened and read at the same time. So it’s like the author is reading the book to me because I’m following along and that just helps me retain the information a little bit better

Rich:
Pro tip.

Maggie:
Yes, and I don’t do this for every book. I I only do it for the nonfiction books because it’s just easy. It’s just it’s just something I started doing this year because I have the audible credits. And I want to you know for me get get the most out of it. So I wanted can I read a quote from one of the chapters?

Rich:
Yeah, I think

Maggie:
Our audience would really really like

Rich:
Don’t even copyright, but I

Maggie:
Don’t think so. No book. the chapter is called and this little segment that I want to read is like really stuck out to me today. And it says hanging on to your work is like spending years writing the same entry in a diary. Moments and opportunities are lost. The next works are robbed of being brought to life. and I just thought that that was like that really stuck out to me because sometimes I I personally have a fear of like sharing things but the world and I let like the fear and like judgment or other people’s opinions. Stop me from doing that. And then he goes on. And addresses that actually later on in the chapter says concerns about releasing a work into the world maybe rooted in deeper anxieties. Could be a fear of being judged misunderstood ignored or disliked. Will more ideas come will they ever be this good again? Will anyone even care? and you know goes on and then says this is different from a work of being perfect. We can engage with any of the works. We’ve been a part of and recognize things wrong with them. Maybe we didn’t in the moment when we finish them, but when we’re looking back we often do There are forever changes to be made there is no right version. Every work of art is simply an iteration. And he talks on about going like avoid over thinking and things like that. So I just wanted to share that excerpt because this book has just really challenged me and I it’s like more of a how to Let’s I don’t know. I can’t it’s just like some of the chapters are like one page and then some of the chapters are like eight pages. It’s just it’s kind of like random and then there’s like little poems here and there and just just

Rich:
Very good book. Anyway, thanks for sharing. Did that resonate because of a particular work or expression or iteration? You’ve been hanging on to? Now no, it doesn’t experience you

Maggie:
Enroll. I I tend to lack follow through in a lot of my creative endeavors. and I leave things like half finished and I don’t like complete them and so being challenged to both and I’m a journaler. So when he when he wrote like not sharing something is like writing the same entry in a diary spending years writing the same entry in a diary. I’m like, whoa, that’s that hit me personally because I am I am a diary writer. I am a journaler.

Rich:
Yeah, well

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
Cool well here’s to Put more ish out there and

Maggie:
This year. Yeah.

Rich:
Sweet

Maggie:
Sweet.

Rich:
Well today

Maggie:
Can’t wait.

Rich:
We’re gonna hear from Maggie.

Maggie:
So excited

Rich:
Tell us what you’re gonna tell us.

Maggie:
Well, we are gonna talk about 2024 Home Trends. Sec. And

Rich:
And the one that no one expected

Maggie:
And the one that no one expected. Drum roll. Should we have a drum roll be eclectic Grandpa.

Rich:
He collected Grandpa coming in hot

Maggie:
Has anyone heard of this trend

Rich:
Hot on the heels of the coastal. Grandma

Maggie:
Yeah, from what from what I understand. Honestly didn’t know was a trend.

Rich:
Yes same

Maggie:
But same

Rich:
That one

Maggie:
That

Rich:
Might have been actually based on Based On A Photograph. I saw that might have been or an article I pulled up. Not just last year that could have been even earlier.

Maggie:
Okay,

Rich:
Like 2022. Gotcha. I didn’t look into it that deeply but

Maggie:
No I can kind of see where like nostalgic grandma could be a trend with like quilts and like You know

Rich:
Closing the whole Coastal thing like the Lakes. Do you know actually Florida?

Maggie:
Yes Pottery Barn definitely had that type of Decor Trend when I worked there

Rich:
Also the student farther back.

Maggie:
Yeah. Yeah. Definitely true.

Rich:
Just kind of Timeless almost which is you know,

Maggie:
Because like you think about like homes in Nantucket or New England and like though they were trying to go after like that type of Friend, like you’re like house your summer house

Rich:
Totally. So it’s cute that I yeah, so Grandpa’s on the scene. No

Maggie:
Eclectic, Grandpa. is the trend for this year and the person who brought this to my attention was Joe my staging assistant and we were staging a house. last week and you know a quick backstory Joe is somebody who likes to buy things brand new and keep them in pristine condition like in the Box still like doesn’t like to use things because he’s just Like clean neat and just somebody who takes extremely good care of his property. and he always sort of poked fun at me for using used furniture from estate sales and all these like quirky little decor items that I’ve collected over the years and he’s always just sort of been like poking fun at me for this because my whole mindset around doing this is not necessarily to be trendy, but it’s it’s more for my passion for sustainability and not buying things that take up a lot of packaging and The packaging goes in a landfill and then the furniture you buy from a big box store ends up breaking down quickly because it’s made of cheap particle board and it’s just like I’m all about buying like Timeless pieces of furniture that will last that was my motivation for doing estate sales for a lot of my core pieces of furniture

Rich:
And it’s not like you were trying to get the old person Vibe either.

Maggie:
No, I was not it was just something that I was I was trying to go for a more like lived in

Rich:
Yeah

Maggie:
Feel for my staging furniture as opposed to clean modern. Type of like gray and white like I really wanted to have that lived in feel. So when you would go to a home that I staged you would really question as to does someone live here or not. Like that was the whole goal of my staging and Joe is like all these years. I’ve been making fun of you Maggie for buying your estate sale furniture and now eclectic grandpa is the is the trend for 2024 and like you were the leader of it like years and years ago. So Vindicated And then I felt a sense of sadness.

Rich:
Why?

Maggie:
Because now all these big box stores are now going to try to re make these pieces of furniture. Like I am already seeing influencers online assembling. Vintage style desks and consoles and tables and linking them to these big box stores that are saying by this vintage style. piece of furniture and it just kind of makes me sad that. Instead of going to Facebook Marketplace first or shopping your local estate sales.net and seeing what’s out there like people just still want that like instant gratification. Assembly, and I just I wish that influencers who have a large following would encourage people to. Do that first as opposed to just trying to make a commission off of a link to a piece of furniture. That like is trending.

Rich:
That’s interesting. I feel like we saw that in the mid-century modern Trend.

Maggie:
Yes,

Rich:
Which I don’t know how long that’s been a trend. It kind of seems like one that is a little bit Always In Style these days depending on which part of the mid-century, you know,

Maggie:
I

Rich:
Do. When you when you search mid-century, whatever on on Facebook you tend to get the same you can tell you kind of like

Maggie:
Right flavor the caning. Yeah, like bright yellow or like primary color of like velvety.

Rich:
Yeah, or like the leather type of thing. Yes. And or the framing of a chair or something like that? Yeah, you generally see like those characteristic things and put together sense of what? Mid-century modern is well, as I was shopping for stuff like that. Like when we were remodeling the shop, not that I wanted a mid-century Vibe, but I wanted more lived in cozy homie chairs as we discussed and in previous episodes and in that time, so but you would find and I’m sure I sent you a couple things stuff that is mid-century style horrible, but but is modern and I think I don’t know maybe that’s inevitable.

Maggie:
It isn’t

Rich:
Because everyone’s trying to make a buck off of everything possible, you know, depending on what you do.

Maggie:
No, and

Rich:
I hear that’s that is

Maggie:
And I I didn’t actually intend on like coming here with like a sad story. It just was like no no, like my my two instincts was like, yeah. I’ve been a trendsetter and I’ve been doing this the whole time and all of my stuff in my staging furniture is eclectic Grandpa. And then I was like, oh man now all these people are gonna try to make a buck off of buying something new so it looks vintage. So it’s on Trend.

Rich:
Yeah. Yeah. It’s

Maggie:
Very

Rich:
Not even gonna shout you out and that’s the worst best. Honestly the worst part of this for me

Maggie:
Son of a gun.

Rich:
They don’t recognize whether it’s originally came from

Maggie:
Right so article that I came across as I was like researching this nostalgic. No, sorry this eclectic Grandpa trend. Joe sent me a couple of videos and then I came across this Instagram post on the every girl and I went to the website and the article is titled. Business nostalgic trend is the new Coastal Grandma. Here’s how to get the look in your home and the article was written by Sarah Lyon and was published on January 16th 2024 on the every girl. so You want to talk about our key takeaways from this article?

Rich:
Yeah, do

Maggie:
You have any? Other than the fact I feel like you are kind of an Eclectic Grandpa already.

Rich:
Well, okay. I had that that’s actually kind of funny because when I was in literal High School not even out of high school yet. I was a No, no, I think I was like in my senior year maybe even. into my junior year. I I earned the nickname Gramps from my friend. Yes. From my group of friends kids that were older than me

Maggie:
And

Rich:
Younger than me. I was called Gramps because of a number. Yeah, just kind of like a number of facets of my personality at the time. I was a little grumpier

Maggie:
There now

Rich:
If you can imagine and I was I had I had like thick framed glasses which you know, everyone has these days. and I think they were a little ahead of the time.

Maggie:
Yes. Yeah

Rich:
13.

Maggie:
They definitely were

Rich:
Cautious at 15 years ago now. Oh my God 2009. It’s 2014. No, it’s 20 20 24. That’s 15 years, right?

Maggie:
So you are you framed glasses, so

Rich:
Yeah, yeah and just like yeah, just one way I I did have some you know, I did have a couple of like the flannel Vibes going on. Play like acoustic guitar and stuff. So it’s just happened nickname as Gramps. It’s not like I dressed like an old personally.

Maggie:
That was your Vibe.

Rich:
It was a it was a Vibe. It was trying to capture a fine. I don’t know that had the eclectic part dialed as much as just like the old soul. Maybe was the old soul thing going on. I’ve I’ve kind of grown into that and grown out of it. I think a little bit I can’t really but it’s not the same

Maggie:
I can really do that.

Rich:
Yeah, so It’s just that’s just funny. But anyway, I can I can I can relate I feel like I can relate to this. Yeah, and

Maggie:
I

Rich:
Don’t think I can quite embody it having seen some of the influencers who are kind of being pegged for having brought this to the the four so you got people like I don’t know people are naming. I don’t know what names you’ve come across but like and I don’t really follow influencers or celebrities. I think celebrities tended. De facto b influencers sometimes but they got like Tyler the Creator which I didn’t look as I didn’t look at his page or anything emerging Emma Emma Chamberlain. I know that name. She Chia model. She must be because I don’t know what else she does. She has a coffee company.

Maggie:
Okay

Rich:
In her name called Chamberlain coffee. I don’t think she personally does anything. He had coffee except maybe. Maybe tastes the products or gives direction to the The Branding or something, but she’s got a brand that’s a coffee brand Chamberlain coffee and she’s got a podcast called anything goes. Other than that. I don’t but she got 15 million followers on Instagram.

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
So I don’t know what she’s doing out here. But she if you go on her page you 15 million following does have the eclectic Grandpa if I yeah in the mix of her other

Maggie:
Stuff.

Rich:
And what else they say? I think somebody named a Kardashian. I don’t know.

Maggie:
Oh.

Rich:
Yeah, maybe not maybe a mix it up with somebody else.

Maggie:
These are all. Stop personal style,

Rich:
Right?

Maggie:
Not necessarily Home Trends, right?

Rich:
That’s that’s true. That’s a good point. So this is kind of a trend in design and fashion. Yeah, which I don’t know how often those things go hand in hand again. I’m not it’s not really my realm but they might complement each other because You know. You live? Yeah, where you

Maggie:
Yeah, I think I think so, I think fashion like I I wouldn’t I don’t want to comment so much about fashion because I don’t really like I am I always like ask my friends about what is cool.

Rich:
Yeah, so

Maggie:
And I’ve been I also shop vintage clothes at estate sales. For stuff, too.

Rich:
That’s another point to make. is like a state sales and thrifting more particularly, I think thrifting is is something That we talked about but it’s also something where this is coming. Out yes,

Maggie:
It’s becoming even more trendy

Rich:
Thrifting is becoming trendy, but I think you eclectic Grandpa. shopping is easy or to attain than ever shopping like yes, like

Maggie:
Like

Rich:
Getting that that style for home or for Where is yes is attainable through thrifting. So I think it’s probably all coming up together.

Maggie:
If I had to guess yes. and again, like oh another word for this eclectic Grandpa the article calls it Grandpa

Rich:
Corps. Yes. I saw that

Maggie:
And like everything is a core.

Rich:
Yeah, that’s that’s also very trendy way.

Maggie:
Very trendy way like stuff in the digital area. Yeah, like mushroom core

Rich:
Cottagecore

Maggie:
Cottagecore. Yes, all that. So Grandpa core would be another Searchable term if you are interested in. Looking into this eclectic grandpa style for your own home. So what does it mean? What is it? What exactly is eclectic Grandpa? Yeah. so some of these things so the article lists a couple of like key factors on like what it means how you can get it what type of textures and colors and tones and materials and then I have also added my own opinions in my own Flair will say for this Grandpa Corps and how you can get it in your home. So first thing would be vintage finds. Academia inspired accessory and Menswear so

Rich:
Professors

Maggie:
Professor like sweater vests like the Tweed.

Rich:
I guess I could be your

Maggie:
Glad

Rich:
Corny High School teacher too. Trying to think like who embodies

Maggie:
I mean

Rich:
Don’t look at me.

Maggie:
Well, you are wearing them best right now.

Rich:
That’s

Maggie:
Why I’m like sweater vest though. No, it’s not a spider best retro patterns leather. Do you have some leather like accessories? No.

Rich:
No, I don’t have

Maggie:
And oh, no, my remarkable. Just went to sleep. I think it said vintage finds retro patterns leather accessories, so That would be that’s for fashion. But there are also ways you can incorporate this into your home. So a leather accessory in your home would be like a pillow or a tray a leather tray by the door.

Rich:
Really? I don’t call it. I mean other than tray like yeah key.

Maggie:
Yes key

Rich:
Drop.

Maggie:
Yep

Rich:
A valet tray. I think I saw the valley heard of it. Yeah, I’ve never heard they’re called the valet.

Maggie:
Yes,

Rich:
Right, but that’s that makes sense. Put your keys and whatever

Maggie:
The place to put like your male your letters your keys like that.

Rich:
That’s right. I do not own in any style. But I think

Maggie:
I

Rich:
Think this is the year

Maggie:
We’re gonna get rich is gonna get a valet tray

Rich:
In Grandpa, of course

Maggie:
For his front entryway. um and like so ways that you can do that in your home. Like I said was like a pillow the tray a chair an ottoman. Things like that. You can easily kind of sprinkle into your home to give it more of that. Like leather

Rich:
Brown leather chair

Maggie:
Brown. Well, let’s just say brown. That was a huge.

Rich:
Yeah one color, right? Yeah. That’s another one. That’s one.

Maggie:
I’m going to the next item.

Rich:
What okay,

Maggie:
Which is brown.

Rich:
Oh, that’s

Maggie:
Okay. Yes. Yeah. Yeah,

Rich:
It’s also just a general 2024 design.

Maggie:
Yes

Rich:
Trend.

Maggie:
Yes, exactly. So

Rich:
I’m saying leather brown leather chairs and bring all together.

Maggie:
And also like Like in terms of brown like brown tile brown paint colors for your walls your like Cabinetry site like things like yeah, it doesn’t dark wood tone. So like you are literally like always saying the what I love it. I love it. Like then it’s like you’re reading my

Rich:
Article. Do you

Maggie:
Love these like transitions? Because the next thing I was gonna say it was warm with tone

Rich:
Oh, that’s so funny,

Maggie:
Which would be you don’t have to replace every piece of white furniture in your home if you if white was like a big trend for You know years ago where everybody was doing white cabinets white counters. white accessories all of that like you can incorporate warm wood tones or brown into your home by like switching up the paint or like replacing some accessories or getting a warm wooden tray to put on your coffee table

Rich:
Right

Maggie:
To put like Flowers or plants remotes coasters things like that.

Rich:
Yeah

Maggie:
To bring in that eclectic Grandpa feel.

Rich:
Cool, I can imagine if you have like a white like I’m thinking of your kitchen, right which is kind of like a lot of white gray and stuff. But if you got like a nice dark wooden bowl or or tray or like something like that. that could bring in part of that Vibe, but but it’ll it’ll pop in that space and

Maggie:
We are actually running gonna renovate our kitchen but not like not in the

Rich:
By you’re trying to be done with all those

Maggie:
No I please know we’re trying to close out our building permit so we can just move on with life

Rich:
Right

Maggie:
And not to detract from the coastal Grandpa. Yeah conversation. But anyway, We are going to Brandon I have like been talking about. What we want to do. to like Elevate our kitchen a little bit as we are like closing out this Edition and one of the things that I want to do is get rid of we have this like skinny little Peninsula that we sit at which it doesn’t have cabinets underneath it. You just kind of like It has like two legs at the end and then you can like it’s it’s our counter surface like parcels and stuff. And what I would like to do is remove that Peninsula and kind of just bring in. an old vintage like console table or like an old Desk, or an old like I’m looking for this right now. This is what I’m on the hunt for it’s like a big wooden like

Rich:
You’ll know when you see

Maggie:
A ball that I can use as an island in my kitchen to incorporate this like older vintage style because my kitchen is very much. Gray, white right white like, well, not really. It’s it’s got some mix of like old like brassy stuff in it, but it’s like it was very much on the end of the trend of the grand white and so in order to like Not replace all of my cabinets and counters instead. I’m just

Rich:
You only putting it for

Maggie:
You. Yes, seriously. You know, I’m gonna we’re gonna bring in I’m looking for this like piece of furniture that I can put in our kitchen and use it as an island.

Rich:
Hi things together

Maggie:
To tie things together

Rich:
School.

Maggie:
So it’s not like I’m gonna redo my whole kitchen.

Rich:
Yeah.

Maggie:
It’s just gonna like now bring in that eclectic Grandpa. Piece of furniture

Rich:
Now we have the name for it. But were you thinking about this already was? I’m sure maybe you wanted to get rid of the peninsula already.

Maggie:
We’ve been thinking about what we can do to make our kitchen more functional as we Finish the addition.

Rich:
Yeah, and

Maggie:
One of the things that we’ve been thinking about is like making the flow of our space a little bit better and one of the things that we could do that is getting rid of that Peninsula,

Rich:
Right?

Maggie:
Because it like it only allows one path of travel to the addition and if the peninsula is gone now you have two Paths of travel with an island because then you can go on either side of it as opposed to just being blocked by the island

Rich:
For sure, but there’s a way you were thinking of replacing it with

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
Were you thinking this was this is a dark wood type old vintage type thing already

Maggie:
Thinking about I don’t know what I was thinking about. I I wanted to do Butcher Block

Rich:
Sure sure.

Maggie:
That was my vision for having an island. So that would incorporate like the darker tones. Yeah.

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
Okay across an Instagram post someone’s kitchen and they had like a big Vintage Island. It was like looked like a piece of furniture. Yeah. I was like that’s what I want to do.

Rich:
Cool. I’m trying to decide if if it was if it was it just further evidence of you starting the whole eclip Trend, you know,

Maggie:
Gotcha. Gotcha. Well, maybe

Rich:
Yeah.

Maggie:
It was it was back in my creative space somewhere.

Rich:
Yeah, cool. All right, so change as an accessories change of the

Maggie:
They said

Rich:
Tones the

Maggie:
Article goes on to say so warm wood tones vintage fines, which like that’s like pretty much all the accessories in my business first

Rich:
Day golden for you.

Maggie:
Yeah. classic patterns and accessories that tell a story so that might mean this like old clock right here,

Rich:
You

Maggie:
Know.

Rich:
Yeah, when you got cool stuff like this, it’s like you can’t help but tell the story of how you got that.

Maggie:
Yeah, this is your right. Yes. I don’t know.

Rich:
You’re

Maggie:
Not that I was there.

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
Really

Rich:
Not. Yeah. I got that on the street.

Maggie:
Oh my God,

Rich:
Enjoy at the

Maggie:
That’s right.

Rich:
Go ahead and garden tour.

Maggie:
That’s right. Where

Rich:
Are you Brandon and me and Christine? But do it all Molly. We walked around Troy and saw the Guardians are open for viewing

Maggie:
For God.

Rich:
Yes. Some random crew was having a little line walks that

Maggie:
I bought some candlesticks, I think.

Rich:
Yep, so that’s where that clock came here. It is in our podcast studio

Maggie:
And then this little radio thing.

Rich:
Yeah, that’s yours you

Maggie:
This is mine, but it’s it’s from somewhere. Maybe it’s from my parents’ basement.

Rich:
It could be but I don’t know. It’s like it doesn’t even have to be Here’s a thought on that. It doesn’t even have to be your story. Right like all the Vintage clocks that I have at that

Maggie:
Story read. I

Rich:
Don’t know other than my story of how I got it. I bought that on eBay or I grew up with that one or I was gifted this one. However, I got it. I don’t be on that. I don’t know the story. I just know this thing is from the 50s. Or the 70s or the 80s and I know it has a story

Maggie:
Right?

Rich:
And so you get to like fill in the blanks you to imagine?

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
The story behind that thing knowing it’s been here that long like who enjoyed that. What are they listen to you can imagine like the setting in the home where it was and what it could have been like you don’t know it but you know, it tells a story and that’s I think one of the things I’ve always liked about old crap is like it it’s got it’s not just about repurposing something for the sake of like not wasting it or letting it go to waste and fill up a landfill. It’s more like I don’t know living vicariously through the experience that someone else shared with that. Yeah, I think there’s something deeper to to that for me. And that’s something I’ve always liked about vintage or old reused stuff. It tells a story. I think that’s a cool note to have on that.

Maggie:
Can I tell you a story please about vintage radio, so Joe and I recently staged a house a very large like I would newer house house. I was built in the 2000s. Huge house and

Rich:
Rooms, how many bedrooms

Maggie:
Um, five bedrooms like a living room and a family room and a study downstairs and a formal dining room with eating kitchen. It was it’s a lot it was a big with the finished basement. It was big house.

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
And the owner’s they elected to be present while we were staging because they hadn’t fully moved out yet and they just felt more secure being there while we were staging which is completely fine. And we we staged this one room. It was like the formal living room and I actually had an old radio that I kind of set up next to the couch and like had the whole we had like a clock on the wall with like some plants and a coffee table and like it was I actually had like a leather ottoman as the coffee table and like a leather pillow and it just like all came together really beautifully and they had this like vintage clock radio. No. No, it wasn’t a clock radio a vintage. What’s this called here analog Radio where you like you turn the dials. There’s no like numbers on it. Like there’s no digital numbers on it. It’s just like you turn the dial to get to the station and it’s got like an antenna.

Rich:
Yeah call radio

Maggie:
And When when we were done the homeowner? Who is like? Very lovely was like no. I see that radio next to the couch are are people supposed to like think that I just sit here next to the couch and listen to the radio all day and I was like No, it’s it’s just it’s just decoration. It’s it’s not like No One’s Gonna thank you sit next to this radio and listen to the radio all day. It’s just for it’s just for decoration and she’s like very confused

Rich:
That’s interesting

Maggie:
With She’s like, okay. Well, I’ll just I’ll just out that’s fine. Like she was just very confused as to why I had the radio next to the couch because it was just so like outside of

Rich:
I guess like the lifestyle

Maggie:
Of the way she lived.

Rich:
There wasn’t anything particularly. It wasn’t out of place. It was a Decor. It was not a place it for for

Maggie:
My stuff. Just caught her off guard. Yeah

Rich:
Funny.

Maggie:
Yeah, yeah.

Rich:
That’s that reason interesting point and this might this is probably on the page, too. but I one of the notes one of the things that that you can do is like when you think about Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know where this comes from exactly and maybe just imagery from movies or or maybe older people live this way but like like a collection of magazines or newspapers like you’re just in your study reading all the time or something like that in books. And so one of the tips was like First of all have a collection. Yeah, looks like magazines. They may be presume that you already do and so finding something that you can like store that stuff in like an old trunk. Yes or basket or like we’ve got this you probably maybe seen this box at our house Christina and I bought this like old shipping crate for a coffee company. We bought it years ago.

Maggie:
Yes,

Rich:
Or like power first thinking about storied say again.

Maggie:
Is it look like pallet wood kind of

Rich:
Not I guess. I mean it is it your coffee table. It was

Maggie:
Okay. And

Rich:
I know you’re over our Apartments. Yeah Woods.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
Teas and coffees on it Best Buy comparison. So we bought that and it’s our Envision that car that kind of thing, you know could work for for this but but the point I’m making here is as I was reading that and thinking about it. I was like I was like what I actually wrote this down as a question. I was like, what’s where do we get? What do we get out of doing this stuff? Like following design Trends following Home Trends and stuff like this. It’s like

Maggie:
It’s like a great question.

Rich:
What is in us that makes us want to to do why am I gonna uproot my whole life or go on a journey of looking for a particular piece of furniture to how’s this magazine collection that I may or may not even own and It’s like it’s like who are you trying to impress partly and like and like who am I trying to be? It’s not like my life. Listen this way. Nobody reads magazines. Nobody reads physical books of you right now, but you’re you’re listening to it at the exact same time. Yes, you’re reading it. Right so like nobody. Okay. Nobody’s a very broad generalization. But a lot of younger people but modern a lot of modern people just don’t have the time or Lifestyle the freedom to read right? So so what am I doing going and getting a trunk? To put my magazine collection in just for the vibe. Like am I trying to live vicariously through that sense of someone else’s, you know, Carefree existence, you know, just it just made me think like why do we why do we do this?

Maggie:
Okay, I I don’t come from I don’t haven’t easy all Encompass. Yeah, but I will literally

Rich:
Wrote ethereal question.

Maggie:
I love you the answer for me personally. For me personally, I am deeply affected by my physical space. If my desk is messy

Rich:
That’s probably a very common.

Maggie:
It’s very common for a lot of people but like if my desk is messy at home, like I feel like I can’t concentrate on my work and I’ll go and pick up my computer and like work on a space that’s like clean. and I I definitely think that like color and style and pattern can greatly affect your mood and your creativity and your sense of productivity they do for me personally and so

Rich:
And probably 95% of people that just heard you say that

Maggie:
Right so Design Trends just like fashion are ways of expression. and I have found that when I can express myself in like the way I decorate my home or the way. I have like the clothes that I wear. For example, like I feel a sense of identity a sense of confidence a sense of creativity all those things and those are all just ways of expression even the lack of Trend quote unquote or even if you just wear black all day, you just like your uniform is just black pants black jacket black shoes. Like that is also an expression of yourself.

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
So For me when it comes to like Trends and stuff. That’s the other reason why like I kind of I don’t want to say it annoys me, but I just kind of like the fact that they made eclectic Grandpa a trend when it’s something that I I felt was unique

Rich:
And

Maggie:
My sense of identity in style and my in my Decor I mean I’m like man now I have to like I wanted I’ve always tried to be unique. I’ve always tried to set myself. apart from like from what I’m doing like even if I’m following fashion trends which I do I’m not gonna sit here and say that I don’t care about fashion. I don’t care about what I wear because I do it’s a part of myself expression, but I don’t want to look like a carbon copy of everybody else and I think that’s a lot of other people don’t either and that’s why eclectic grandpa has like hit a nerve with so many people is because The uniqueness of it is what makes it cool.

Rich:
You can really make it your own.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
You can be in the collected Grandpa Club.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
With completely unique thrifted finds.

Maggie:
Yes that

Rich:
No one else would have you didn’t go on this website where you bought the same thing that a hundred million other people?

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
Could you know picked up as well?

Maggie:
So

Rich:
Yeah, okay. I hear that makes sense. That makes sense. I just yeah, you know, there’s just a question to pose. It’s like the way I wrote down was like how much of our design aspirations are just trying to vicariously find ourselves through some fantasy version of a life we envision but can’t realize so. Deep

Maggie:
Rich is here to bring in the Deep questions.

Rich:
That’s Gramps.

Maggie:
Mm-hmm.

Rich:
Grab something.

Maggie:
Yeah, all you need is a pipe. True

Rich:
True or cigar?

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
Some of my friends. No, you’re right a pipe would definitely be

Maggie:
Right here. But you’re you’ve definitely would be a pipe.

Rich:
So anyway, I’m not I’m not here to Poopoo, you know design Trends. Obviously, we’re talking about it. It’s your realm and it’s

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
And it’s It’s it’s part of life. But for me, is this is New Territory. I’m learning about. What goes goes into this thing? I

Maggie:
Would even go as far as to say is like storied coffee has a little bit of an Eclectic Grandpa either,

Rich:
Dude. The earlier first, I will be trending in no time.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
Just get us on the gram

Maggie:
Get you on the ground

Rich:
Cool. I appreciate it’s

Maggie:
Going to that back room is done.

Rich:
Yeah, no. We’ll have to I’ll have to hit you up for some some design ideas back there. Okay, cool. We can press on I guess.

Maggie:
Yeah, so,

Rich:
How’s it gonna one other question but I don’t think it’s what I can ask.

Maggie:
Okay? Yeah. Well, I was just gonna go on to say like my own thoughts and opinions on like if somebody wanted to easily incorporate some of this eclectic Grandpa Grandpa core Trend into their home. Now one easy way to do that without having to like renovate is like plaid, you know, the article talks about plaid blankets. I would say maybe some plaid pillows

Rich:
Shout out to tartans

Maggie:
Tartans. Yeah,

Rich:
Glenville High School mascot

Maggie:
Oh, I thought you were talking about The Tartan as in like the Scottish.

Rich:
It’s the same thing

Maggie:
Pattern that’s

Rich:
Working fabric high school math guys. Literally a fabric pattern

Maggie:
Dude my sister when she got married my younger sister Elizabeth. Hey when she and her husband Josh got married. He wore a kilt that’s sick. And I was like that is so

Rich:
That’s legit.

Maggie:
Bad, you know what

Rich:
My friend Ethan is in a Scottish pipe band.

Maggie:
Oh cool.

Rich:
He could play probably any of the instruments in the band. I’m pretty sure he’s a drummer call in the Bandit but they’ll work kills when they go to their competitions and performances and stuff.

Maggie:
Nice. Yeah. So, yeah, so like heart and type that hurt like glad Fabrics on Earth. We mentioned dark Rich Wood tones. Wooden trays leather cozy wool sweater like blankets pillows textures. Then the last thing the article said was vintage ashtrays.

Rich:
I saw that

Maggie:
As like an old glass like glass vintage colored glass vintage ashtray for not necessarily like cigarettes or cigars, but for like jewelry or accessories or keys or things like that which by the way Not to go off on a tangent in my I have like a little tray on my dresser where I keep my jewelry and I have Old Salt cell. They’re like glass like back in the day where like you would put salt in like a tiny little bowl. And you’d like pinch it and like put it on your food there. I think they’re called salt. Cells or like they’re just it’s like a tiny little bowl. I keep my jewelry in those on my dresser. Um, so you could do like old

Rich:
You’re hurting your first people. Yeah. All right, when that is on it was Maggie’s idea.

Maggie:
Yeah. Nobody steal it. No, I don’t care if you steal it you can get but those are a little things that you can get at a state sales in a dining room, but you can put them in your on your like, you know, vanity tray and keep like earrings and rings and stuff in them. So some of the ideas that I had for that to go on this like get getting this trend into your home were vintage books. I’m surprised that they didn’t have that but like Joe and I use a ton of vintage books in our decor for staging so you can just get you know a great place to get some vintage books is stored coffee.

Rich:
Oh shoot. That’s bookstore coffee shop that has no one stuff over exposure.

Maggie:
Have you heard of it?

Rich:
I’ve been there. Yeah. I’ve been there a couple times.

Maggie:
Oh, yeah, so you can get some vintage books stored coffee to use as Decor.

Rich:
Yo, you heard this here first actually have a box that’s straight up just Old books. It’s literally labeled all these but goodies that hasn’t even hit the shelves yet, but it’s it’s in the shop you if you want me to help style

Maggie:
A whole shelf of vintage books with some like little decor items to make them look really cool.

Rich:
Let’s do it.

Maggie:
I’ll do it for the ground for the gram for sure. And for that I know yeah. All right on it. um weird sofas that was from a video we watched but I’m definitely starting to see like Grandpa sofa, you know it when I say grandpa sofa you have a vision in your mind of what Grandpa’s sofa looked like and that that’s that’s what’s coming back

Rich:
Into myself is actually plaid.

Maggie:
Yes, the sofa is so it’s plaid or has like Frills on the bottom or it’s like partially wooden with one of those buttons called that are on the back the words are saying No, but Stuff like that and then items that are collected over time. So think like layers of things on a Shelf picture frames so you can like go and get some old picture frames and put some prints in it or photos light fixtures, like old brassy light fixtures things that have like a pulse switch on them or like task lamps hammered metal or like just metal. storage bins so yeah, that’s that’s about those are the things that you can do in your home and and you don’t have to go to a big box store to get these you can actually go to. Estate sales and you can find local estate sales on the estate sales.net app or website and there are photos of things that are available in your local town and you can start by getting your own eclectic Grandpa core decor items and start making your home more eclectic if you so desire

Rich:
Amazing, you heard it here first people.

Maggie:
Um

Rich:
What I want to know though.

Maggie:
Just

Rich:
As a general question just as a general question. Who who is the Arbiter of design trends? Like how do these things? Happen right? It’s 2020 is it’s the beginning of the year? Okay. It’s 2024 and eclectic grandpa has the scene and everyone’s picking it up and it’s like okay. Here’s the trend. Here’s what’s gonna be hot in 2024. So here’s what’s going to be hot. Like, how do they know? This might be a silly question. I would like okay, like who get to make this calls? You know, I think a lot of it

Maggie:
Has to do with like larger corporations like Ballard Designs or even like well-known interior designers who are designing and decorating homes.

Rich:
Well known interior designers. I cannot name a single. interior designer so that’s because I don’t it’s not my world probably a world. So like in your realm you probably have them,

Maggie:
You know

Rich:
Every 10 names. Yeah,

Maggie:
Like Jonathan Adler Nate

Rich:
Burkus you happen to know that name, but I don’t know why.

Maggie:
Um,

Rich:
Yeah like HGTV,

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
Yo, which total side

Maggie:
Note oh and influencers are the ones who follow these designers and like they are selling product on their social media and so like if they’re following these Trends and so like they’re following the designers and the designers are pushing these Trends and their products and the influencers follow them and like post within everybody wants to be cool and have the cool eclectic Grandpa house so they want to have the things that the influencers have

Rich:
Those guys from cheap old houses I think they’re yeah I think they’re gonna be around

Maggie:
Oh yeah

Rich:
In the near future no, I think they’re coming either local or they’re gonna be on the radio or something like that I love that but I think we talk about that before

Maggie:
We did

Rich:
And I just heard that the other day that’s that’s I know yeah brother back to mind so that’s cool local touch Point what I found interesting was when I started to look into this whole thing everyone was naming like Like quote unquote influence. Well, actually they were naming celebrities. And so this holy collected Grandma thing. I don’t know. I guess you’re saying that it comes into it comes into the the what the the grammosphere like through these interior decorator people, but all the I listen to maybe three pied two podcasts or three about this slash the articles and they were all naming celebrities. which was primarily talking fashion even more than oh

Maggie:
People also have lines in big box stores like Magnolia Studio McGee or they may or they have collaborations with bigger stores Emily Henderson. Yeah, so it’s all kind of hand in hand it all our hand in. Hell. Yeah

Rich:
Interesting. That’s that’s fascinating. because Our

Maggie:
Brand Partnerships Chris loves Julia.

Rich:
Okay, cool. Question. Sounds like something I can look into

Maggie:
I mean and here’s the thing like I too would be. Half a brand partnership with some of these bigger stores if they had more sustainable options. You know. that’s that’s my I’m I’m not against people who want to have a business model or a way to collaborate with bigger Brands and have Partnerships like that. I just wish there was there were more options for for items that were made from fair trade sources or sustainable resources. and didn’t have a ton of packaging that just doesn’t disintegrate and it’s just just stays. Like inner landfills.

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
It’s a bummer. I

Rich:
Hear you. That’s I mean, that’s

Maggie:
Because that cost money.

Rich:
Yeah. that’s That’s a big problem. He probably try to solve so you trying to be a big Corporation and making money out here be profitable for the sake of yourself and everyone that you act like. Yeah to do packaging sustainably and profitably is is a modern challenge.

Maggie:
Yes,

Rich:
But dude, shout out to the voices like yours calling. Yeah for change. And also pushing against that tide as much as you can.

Maggie:
And I’ll do our part. and like the way I try to do my part is by shopping secondhand first and all ways possible if if it makes sense.

Rich:
Yeah.

Maggie:
So what are you looking forward to? Oh

Rich:
What am I excited about? I’m excited for my new glasses to come dude. Oh. They frankly I don’t know why they haven’t called me yet. I went last Wednesday. This is 7 to 10,

Maggie:
You know, you’ve been eating new glasses for a year, and I know this because when we were doing our photo shoot for the House Coffee podcast with Becca, I remember you like your you were like something having like your glasses being

Rich:
They’re really crooked

Maggie:
Taped or something.

Rich:
They might have been

Maggie:
Or glued

Rich:
Exactly. I’ve needed them for probably like five years anything glasses in 2018. They finally broke as you’ve noticed. I have not been wearing glasses, right? Well over. It’s been like two months probably.

Maggie:
Mm-hmm.

Rich:
So when last week

Maggie:
Cool

Rich:
Excited for those to come in. Yeah, maybe they’ll call me later. Maybe they won’t.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
If not, probably next week.

Maggie:
Can’t wait to see them.

Rich:
Thanks.

Maggie:
No pun intended.

Rich:
Oh snap, dude. You know what? I think they’re gonna give eclectic Grandpa Vibe. So yeah,

Maggie:
Love it.

Rich:
What are you excited about?

Maggie:
Um, I am excited about Where my business is going this year? I know it’s kind of vague. But I’ve been making a lot of like a strategic choices and planning like I I now, you know at the end of 23, I welcome home called bought a storage shed. So

Rich:
Is that up? Yeah.

Maggie:
Yep. It’s up.

Rich:
I haven’t been by.

Maggie:
Yeah, it’s really cool, and I am excited to finish our dang Edition. Is going to be really nice to like close out that permit. We have like a couple more walls that need to come down and then we’ll be done. So just excited to finish and wrap up a few things.

Rich:
I’m sure I’m sure

Maggie:
Yeah, cool.

Rich:
All right y’all

Maggie:
Later. Peace.