Avocado Green Again?

by Jim the Realtor | Aug 21, 2023 | Remodel Projects | 4 comments

Remember “avocado green” and “harvest gold”? If you were born before the Reagan administration, chances are your early years provided an overdose. Throughout the 1970s, these ubiquitous hues covered everything from station wagons to shag carpets—which is why by the time the minimalist new millennium rolled around, they’d become design shorthand for suburban, cringy and dated.

So it was with some surprise—and a little bit of horror—that in the last few years, décor-watchers of a certain age started noticing the notorious palette making inroads in interiors again. And if the Instagram scrolls of tastemaker designers like Kelly Wearstler and Muriel Brandolini are any hint, it’s time we primed for shades of olive, amber and saffron.

Aghast? It’s understandable. For decades, stereotypical ’70s tropes—from Naugahyde loungers to plush conversation pits—have been the butt of jokes, not objects of desire. But before you say “no thanks” to another helping of pea-tinted interiors, rest assured that contemporary designers render this throwback palette in ways that feel measured and mature, not outmoded. Think less “That ’70s Show” and more Joni Mitchell in Laurel Canyon.

The tranquilizing properties of these colors may also be just what the doctor ordered. In contrast to brazen “Barbiecore” pink and chilly millennial greige, “earth tones provoke feelings of comfort and calm, something very necessary amid the madness of the outside world,” said Lauren Wager, a color designer in Columbus, Ohio, and author of the Palette Perfect book series. Indeed, according to Montaha Hidefi, a color archaeologist from Ontario, Canada, and vice president of color forecasting at Color Marketing Group, the last time these hues ruled American homes, on the heels of the Vietnam War, political assassinations and the civil-rights movement, their rise was an emotional response to a turbulent decade. Another factor: the inaugural Earth Day on April 22, 1970, which kicked environmental awareness into high gear—and a thirst for earthier interiors along with it.

Others chalk up the rebound to old-fashioned nostalgia. “I think it’s a combo of fetishizing our grandparents’ era and realizing that after 20 years of gray, we’re living in a cold, detached, technological world,” said Los Angeles textile and interior designer Peter Dunham. While he hasn’t fielded requests for a chocolate brown stove just yet, Dunham says in the last two to three years he has seen a big bump in customer response to furnishings featuring these shades.

But whether you find this palette dated or timeless may ultimately be just a matter of mind-set. After all, said New York City designer Ghislaine Viñas, despite its cultural baggage, we’re exposed to it every leaf-peeping season. “Really, these are simply autumnal hues that work beautifully together,” she said.

Don’t let names hang you up, either. Bristle at the thought of “avocado green”? Then try Guacamole, which was Glidden’s 2022 Color of Year, or Basque Green, a dead-ringer from Sherwin Williams.

All-Electric

by Jim the Realtor | Jan 29, 2022 | Remodel Projects | 9 comments

Nearly 75% want electric appliances? I haven’t met anyone who would give up their gas stove.

There are many ways we can make a difference, like reducing our dependence on gas to power our homes. In fact, at least 48 cities in the country have outlawed natural gas in new home construction. If you’re looking for ways to upgrade your home in the new eco-friendly era, here’s where you can start.

The road to a cleaner, safer, healthier planet begins at your front door. Research shows that homeowners have a critical role to play in the race to a zero-carbon world. There are myriad ways we can make a difference, like reducing our dependence on gas to power our homes and putting more solar panels on rooftops. Here’s how to flip the switch on an all-electric house.

When it comes to cleaning up our energy habits—reducing our use of natural gas and electricity generated at coal-and-gas-powered plants—people in the West are ready to change their ways. Nearly three-quarters of Californians said that they would prefer efficient electric appliances powered by clean energy instead of fossil gas, according to a survey conducted by FM3, the California-based research organization, and released by Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm. And the state energy commission aims to put standards in place that would require newly constructed homes to be electric-ready. In June, on the hottest day in Oregon’s recorded history, lawmakers passed groundbreaking legislation requiring the state to convert to 100 percent clean, “responsible” energy by 2040. At press time, 48 cities in the country had outlawed natural gas in construction of new homes and commercial buildings, according to the Sierra Club’s tally.

Every piece of the technology puzzle that we need to make this dramatic shift in our power supply and our behavior at home already exists.