Charmingly vintage or wistfully nostalgic? My thoughts on this lily pad wallpaper

Every once in a while you get that rare chance to walk into a room that is a time warp- in a good way. A place that hasn’t been changed in decades and the result is a charming nod to a bygone era.

I recently attended an event at my childhood church and found myself amazed that every single detail of the basement bathroom remained unchanged. I mean, it wasn’t “modern” when I was a child, so as I marveled at the fact that while I never even acknowledged the wallpaper then- I instantly knew it was the same. Instead of thinking it was out dated I suddenly saw it as adorably nostalgic.

But why? Is it just time for these vintage details to make their comeback? Or is it me? Do I have a weakness for something in the backdrop of my very own romanticized “simplier times.” Or is the evolving designer in me just taking a cue from trends and embracing the whimsy and sentiment of less serious, less pretentious design? Before I show you this perfectly preserved little church bathroom I am going to make a case for the latter and then you can decide!

It wasn’t that long ago that I highlighted this bathroom vignette at the Vegas Builder’s convention:

(Not the church bathroom)

The pattern and colors were reminiscent of the old wallpaper books I used to page through as a child. This shift towards hazy dreamy imagery of yesteryear is what I referred to as the Pastoral Artwork Trend.

From antique shops to mainstream decor items at craft stores– this rich landscape art was a new window for the biophilic design movement.

Last month I even gave a nod to the fishing version, alive and well in an upscale interior design and furniture store for north woods cottages and cabins:

My own mud room wallpaper mural rounds out another example of this trend. The imagery is somewhere between a colonial tapestry and a storybook drawing in a tattered cloth book.

On the other hand- we also have this idea that vintage and kitschy is now cool as we recover from the times of black and white and farmhouse all over.

Take for instance the rise of “Grandma chic.”

And the acceptance that design can be excessive again if we want it to-

Or maybe you’ve noticed that there is an entire hobby around collecting fun and colorful accessories so one can vacation in another decade:

Now, I am perhaps in the right circles to experience these design changes so they are more evident to me. I certainly dedicate more of my time these days shopping at events like the upcoming Antique Acres weekend or Ripon shops like Patina Vie and Back Porch Gatherings than immersed in the pages of Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn (that were once favorites of mine). So maybe it is me and my own preference?

All I know is that I wouldn’t change this little bathroom-

(Actually the church bathroom)

Even though the wall color is giving me 1940’s glassware while the vanity looks more like 1970’s Mediterranean…

And the door trim is chunky craftsman while the antique mirrors are delicately ornate…

This wallpaper just makes me smile!

This wallpaper was more than likely in those wallpaper books I paged through as a child.

So maybe my own personal nostalgia has played a role in finding this outdated bathroom charming, but for now I stand by the watercolor lily pads and pastel paint as a vintage find ready for a comeback. They are not “classic” or “timeless” but they could have been covered up multiple times over the years with choices that would now scream- dated! Instead, they are a small reminder that not everything needs to be redone for the sake of favoring something new. Updating is over rated if what you have a sweet little space that could one day spark a memory of a simpler time.