The Distressed Look-Not a Blast from the Past

After living a thousand miles away from our children we now live close enough to see some of them rather often. It’s been an eye-opener.

One of our daughters showed us the bedstead she bought for our room. “Nice! All it needs is a little touch-up with paint here and there,” said my husband.

“No, Dad, it’s distressed wood,” she replied., “it’s supposed to look old.”

The same daughter took me shopping for large area rugs to put in our apartment.

“These are nice,” she said, flipping through the rows of hanging rugs.

“I don’t think your dad would like these,” I observed, while thinking, “I don’t think either of us would like these."

“They look like the old, worn-out carpet that was in my bedroom when I was a kid,” I said.

It was true. My grandparents lived in our farmhouse before we did, and the carpet they left in our upstairs bedroom gave new meaning to the term threadbare. You could practically read newspaper through it. And now people are making new carpet that looks old!

If only we had known there would be a market for our worn-out home furnishings several decades ago, we could have taken a trip to Hawaii on the profits we could earn selling the stuff.

I’m absolutely amazed young adults and middle-age ones alike, are fawning over old, worn-out belongings. We couldn’t wait to get rid of our faded wallpaper, nicked chairs and scratched tables.

I gave in and bought two lamps to go along with the distressed wood in our headboard. But I refuse to pay good money for the privilege of walking on something that looks like what we burnt on our trash pile so many years ago.

What about you? Have YOU decorated with things that look like they came from your grandparents’ attic? Feel free to comment below.