I know I often say this, but this 1976 time capsule house for sale in Salem, Oregon, listed by Ty Hildebrand, may be my favorite 1970s time capsule house ever! Thanks to reader Wendy for this time capsule tip! The lines and angles of the house are amazing. The setting and views, too. The house appears to be in amazing, move-in condition — I wouldn’t need to change a thing! And, given that I am the world’s #1 lover of wallpaper, I am in heaven. I spoke to Ty on the phone on Friday, and he told me that the original homeowners used a decorator in Portland, Oregon, who was known for her genius with wallpaper. He also says the wallpaper is so strongly adhered that prospective buyers still looking at the house are considering stucco-ing over it (gasp! horrors!) rather than removing it.
I will bury that thought deep away in my psyche and instead say: Hooray: 40 terrific photos — captured by Cal Curths of HD Open House — sharing this slice of high-style 1976 design, still here for us to admire.
From the listing:
- Year built: 1976
- 4,207 s.f.
- On 3.31 acres
- Two bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
- Three fireplaces
- $550,000
And so I diverge: On Commenting:
So here’s the deal, dear readers: It’s beginning to seem like America is running out of time capsule houses from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s — and that time capsule houses from the 1970s are now popping up all over. This transition is going to mean a lot of wallpaper (often with matchy-matchy pinch pleats) … crazy-wonderful tile … bittersweet kitchen countertops… and burnt orange, rust, and lime green shag carpet. The 1970s are my favorite era, because designers pushed things to the limit. They pushed things beyond the limit. However, I know a lot of folks cannot get their eyes around 70s style (yet. Buwahahaha, my evil-righteous plan is to change that). But, I do ask this: Given my commenting rules, which center on civility aka The Golden Rule, I ask that if you don’t like (e.g. if you h***) the wallpaper, or whatever, that you simply skip that in any comments. I do not approve, or delete, comments that are critical, when such criticism is not invited. I ask permission to feature all these time capsules. We are, therefore, invited in. So let’s all be super courteous — comment as if we are standing in the home with the original owners — grateful and gob-smacked for the opportunity to see these wonders! Thank you for your understanding!
Let’s take a look at some of my favorite spaces:
Above: That family room (?) with all the gleaming woodwork, colorful yet soothing (yes: soothing!) wallpaper, matching pinch pleats, and cozy carpet — complete with marlin — perfection!
Above: Yes, a kitchen like this, with high-quality wallpaper adhered to the walls — and the ceiling — so it doesn’t fall down, is my dream. I love this flooring, too.
Above: The sunken living room is lovely. And I love all the main rooms of the house seem to have views in multiple direction. Love me the rusty-orange carpet… the Flintstones rock wall… and note the lacquered ceiling int he dining room. Hmmm…. Are all the walls in this space lacquered?
Above: I think this is a bedroom. Rust carpeting! And that wallpaper! And that fireplace!
Above: I think this is the bathroom that does with that bedroom. But, it could also be off the kitchen — note the floor. I spy wallpaper on the sixth wall (e.g. the ceiling) in this room, too.
Above: The other bedroom, with coordinating bathroom.
Above: A wet bar tucked somewhere. In bittersweet. Be still my 70s heart.
The slide show has more photos — takes on all the exterior angles… the dramatic foyer… and the sweeping views. All that said, once inside, I’d crank up P Funk and never leave the house.
So what do you LOVE about this house, dear readers?
On a scale of 1-100, where are you on digging ’70s design so far?
Link love:
- Ty Hildebrand and his team.
- Photos by Cal Curths of HD Open House.
- See all our Time Capsule stories here.
Phil says
The only thing that house needs is my name on the mail box.
I love everything about it.
Robin, WA says
I am a huge fan of ’70s contemporary architecture and this house is an AMAZING example. Oh my gosh, all the angles. I’m in heaven.
Bette Jean says
On 1 to 100 for the 70s I’m at about 70. But this one…gimme it and I won’t change a thing. I’d get some Don Draper (Meghan apartment era) furniture (not too much), put on my go-go boots, throw a party and sing Zou Bisou Bisou. You’re all invited! (Hope I don’t break a hip or anything ????!!)
Lynne says
I’ll bring the fondue!
Kelly Wittenauer says
Pam,
Thanks for explaining the very reflective white walls & ceiling! I couldn’t imagine even high gloss paint being that shiny. Never thought about lacquer on walls/ceilings. Must’ve been a drywaller’s nightmare, as that shine would magnify every imperfection!
Andrea says
I love the spiral staircase, all the windows but most of all, I loved the sunken fireplace. A few of my neighbors, when I was growing up, had them and I thought they were so cool, the epitome of hip.
Jackie says
My parents’ house has those kitchen cabinets. They’re solid wood. They’re just incredible.
That’s a gorgeous house. I’ll admit that wallpaper is a bit to take in, but I can appreciate it. Better than the white cabinet/white marble/white subway tile of today.
Heidi E. says
I’m fine with the wallpaper on the kitchen ceiling and the patchwork pattern amid the wood, but not so much okay with it being a beige kitchen! I kept thinking, “But where’s the *color*?!”. Glad there is that lime green bedroom, at least.
ineffablespace says
I look at real estate nationwide for over an hour every day, and I think there is going to be a big shift in what you see, and not just an esthetic shift. The 1970s represented a shift in building that probably had to do with forces such as high interest rates and the first wave baby-boomers coming into the housing market.
When my parents, who were in their 40s, built a house in 1969, it was the last house in town built with plaster, one of the last with solid wood doors, the last with a full mortar bed tile floor in all the bathrooms, full tile wainscot around the entire bathroom, stick built vanities, things like that. It was old-fashioned.
There was a big shift to tile only in the shower or tub surround, or to plastic tubs and surrounds, vinyl floors, carpeted kitchens and baths, rubber wall base, modular free standing vanities, things like that. At least when it comes to “modest” houses, which I think has mostly been your focus.
So I think even within the context of the 1970s and beyond (technically 1987-1992 fall within time capsule status), you are going to find less time capsules, simply because bathrooms and kitchens started being constructed in less durable, more easily changeable materials. Carpet in living rooms, and vinyl in bathrooms and kitchens covered another layer of plywood, not hardwoods. Things that are easier to change than tile on a mortar bed and metal mesh get changed.
I think the other thing that you will see, despite the colorful decor of the 1970s is a sea of brown and beige, which is what a lot of the construction materials were. A lot of the color is on things that did not survive.
There will always be time capsules, but I think they are going to be more rare, and I think the ones that do survive are going to be more of the 1970s-80s tours de force custom-build variety, and less of the late-midcentury-Modest sort.
pam kueber says
“Tour de force” — that’s even better to describe this house than creme de la creme. I am going to change my headline, thank you!
Kelly Wittenauer says
I think your assessment is spot on!
Leslie says
Yup, I’m with you there. This has got to be my favorite era, love it!
Maria says
Every time a stylish home is built, the whole idea is to do it different and/or better than whatever came before it–which is why you simply can’t “fault” the 1970s! The ’70s look is built on the solid foundation of construction ideas that came out of the 1960s, 1950s and back from there. The creators of this look learned their craft by examining the structures of those earlier decades, and then launched into a new direction. It’s a building block of progress. It’s another step in a new direction. Look closer, REALLY look at the photos, and you can see that Mid-Century influence is still there and intact in many ways. You can love this home for its own angle on the architecture and patterns of the 1970s, or love it for its origins/inspirations, but you can’t deny that it does provide a dramatic and eye-catching series of angles and spaces that put the majority of modern structures to shame!