This is the Simply Home Podcast - Ladies Who Build, a podcast for women by women.

This is Ashley Wainscott and Michelle Mullins.

After spending the last 10 years revolutionizing the construction industry and raising the bar of the contracting world.

We are inviting you on our journey as we continuously learn how to be extraordinary and thrive in this industry.

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Michelle Mullins (00:34.75)

Hello and welcome to season three, episode 30 of the Ladies Who Build podcast. Today, we are diving into the topic of timeless remodel choices to make in your home. So, we are gonna dive into things that we’ve seen in videos that can stand the test of time and some suggestions we made to keep your home timeless. Some points will go over what does timeless extra things will need in your home, so thats gonna be different things like fashion or other things in the world. Examples of timeless choices, how to spot the difference of what timeless looks like and what it does not look like and why this is important when evaluating your home and talking about how to design it. So, let’s begin.

Ashley Wainscott (00:34.75)

Okay, so timeless, I think we should talk about and we were just brainstorming about timeless versus trendy. And we should start there. Because clients are usually one or the other. Some are mixed but usually one or the other.

Michelle (00:34.75)

Right

Ashley Wainscott (00:34.75)

Yes, they are.

Michelle (00:34.75)

I’ve been researching this topic and there are some things that were surprising to me and some are pretty obvious. So, I think some examples of what timeless looks like and what we’ve seen overall is keeping the design consistent around the house. So, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your design has to be bland or boring but timeless is one thing that you should look at and it stands that ages of your home right and the ages of fashion, general design or whatever. So, that is maybe keeping it clean with crystalline in your furniture. Wood materials are always a classic timeless thing and just keeping you know, you want your home where each room has pink. I love that. Personally, I think that’s cool and fun, but that’s not something you really consider when you’re talking about a timeless home, right? Like, that’s quite the opposite.

Ashley Wainscott (00:34.75)

Yeah, especially if, which I would say trend right now is to be more woody, you know we want like light tile, light bright era, to the complete opposite and now like a little bit moodier like you were saying it's on our own personality. So, it’s like how can you do that and be timeless to where you are not being in the averages. You know, like if you pick a wallpaper, how can you pick a wallpaper that looks gorgeous for decades to come not like. Oh that “jungle leaf wallpaper” that everybody wanted, I mean we were using it for a couple of years and I’m sure it was everywhere.

Michelle (00:34.75)

Yeah, it is everywhere. I mean, I like it, I love fun wallpaper. But, I got your point. Wallpaper is tricky because it is some personal preference, like, people have different kind of opinions in wallpaper. What they think was nice. To kind of keep in classic timeless range, things like grass cloth wallpaper, are something or maybe neutral color wallpaper are something you can have fun with or add dimension to your room without it being be out for a couple of years and will not installing anymore. Things that you would tell, “Oh that’s dated.” Honestly, subway tile is really neutral but because some people who are putting that in their house will just become outdated and that you will always know that’s the period that they remodel their house and that’s when subway tile is really in. So, something like a neutral grasscloth wallpaper, would be timeless. That would never go out of style.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

Oh, I love that option. Also, we should never bring up subway tile for our home ever again. It makes me wanna throw up a little bit.

Michelle (00:34.75)

I know, I know. I mean how many times we install it. They really like subway tiles.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

So many, I mean we knew all the things about subway tiles. We knew all the shades, we knew all the calculations. I mean, there’s not a pattern that we didn’t do in subway tiles. Because everyone was like, “Oh, I’ll do it different” “I'll get subway tiles and do it in a different pattern.” No, somebody, we’ve already done that.

Michelle (00:34.75)

Uh, yeah my gosh, I know.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

I’m glad that’s over.

Michelle (00:34.75)

Yeah, it’s over, it’s out. I think I’ll never way like how do you say with bold colors do that without it being trendy pieces like art furniture or rags. So, things that you can easily remove from the space, not necessarily get rid of, I think in spaces that you can have a very neutral room and it can look so fun with the furniture that you put in there or a rags, or maybe the paintings, or the decor, you can mix up. It is really recommended that if you’re looking for the timeless look in your home, the pieces that you place that are trendy, are either less expensive or you might have changing those out more often, or they can be removed from the space, and so it still keeps the classic look.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

I mean in that case, that could be paint, because paint can easily painted over, like if you hate that green in a few years on your wall, “Oh, I can paint that over” Not as serious or committed, as like tile or countertops. Like you’re not about to change your countertops later,

Michelle (00:34.75)

Yeah, speaking of countertops, a lot of. Which I could’ve thought a marble would be I guess, trendy, but there's a lot of research that shows that there’s actually timeless materials. And I thinks, that’s true, I mean you think about maybe drawing the drake period like staying the marble in our homes too. So I guess marble understood the step of time. Things that I thought was interesting, to like a list of that timeless pieces is wood or natural stone, marble, linen materials, leather materials, natural materials, wood accent, designs would be like exposed with beans. Built-in stoves are timeless especially in living rooms, dining rooms.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

I mean I’ve never had a built-in shelves stoves today that I didn’t like.

Michelle (00:34.75)

I know, because you could still style that trendy with.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

Yeah, it’s always so fabulous if you have a nice built-in in your living room, or office. And, I mean, even if you didn’t like that stain or color on it. That could be swap out but it's just. Oh my gosh, something about feels like so homey.

Michelle (00:34.75)

I mean, if you’re very like luxurious, like you have nice built-in book shelves. That’s fancy.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

Anything that’s not Ikea would be manually put together.

Michelle (00:34.75)

Yeah, don’t mind my bookshelves in my living room.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

You can cross it off my bucket list, I’m not doing it again.

Michelle (00:34.75)

Yeah, for sure. Once you’re in, you’re in. You know they said, timeless shakers cabinets? It would not go out of style. Which is interesting, because I feel like we did like cabinets but I guess not did I think about that. You see homes, I mean I’ve seen beautiful homes that we’ve tested that test of time and like they do have shakers panelling.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

Oh, I was kinda shocked. I don’t know if I feel that way. I believe it, but I don’t know if I feel that way. You know, cause I’m like shaker’s style. It still hasn’t changed, I’m like people still do it and we’ve been doing it for 10 plus years, and never will still not want a shakers style option.

You know the other one that I think a giveaway from trends for the last couple years black window frames, I think everyone was doing, especially I should narrow this down, homes that are painted white, which shiplap from the outside, you have black window frames on the outside and I’m like.. Do you know how many home we saw being built same, they were the same house.

Michelle (00:34.75)

I know exactly what you’re talking about, and that would, that’s a very trending thing. I mean, it’s still beautiful. I mean it’s very trendy to do those colors.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

The first person who did that was unique, and then the second person was probably still unique, but by the 500 hundred thousand times, I was like, okay. We got it.

Michelle (00:34.75)

But, do you think black frame windows ever got out of style or do you think it’s part of being timeless?

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

Don’t quote me on this. I mean, beige windows are like cream where they are super popular for a long time and then white, I mean maybe it will just stick around. That's another option. But, I kinda think that white is monday backing up again. I think so, for sure in homes.

Michelle (00:34.75)

Yes, I love the black. I personally wish that it will not go out of style. Company days are way more expensive for normal white. I mean that would make it more trendy because it is that expensive but it's not as cost effective.

Okay, so another thing that they, I was reading, to keep it more timeless, I find it a really funny one because I’m not really great at furniture placement in my house that they said that you want your furniture to fit in and be comfortably in a space so think of like oversized sofas or oversized chairs with oversized tables. Like I think we’ve been in these homes, like I can probably think of some homes with really oversized furniture. First of all, you don’t hire a designer, like there’s no way. Secondly, that I think there’s might we have these really large rooms that are great, but we have this tiny furniture and we were like what do I do this afternoon? Like miniature.

We could put 2 king beds in 1 bedroom and 1 queen, that’s tiny, we should upgrade.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

Yeah,

Michelle (00:34.75)

Okay, so another timeless consideration is glass cabinets. And this is something that could be built into your kitchen. This could be built into your living room. It could be built into like a built -in bookshelf. So the actual look of the glass cabinets are really timeless and can be done really nicely because they can showcase some art pieces or maybe some nicer kitchen pieces. But I think a caveat to this though is the old school kind of reeded glass cabinets or glass that has a film on it. I think those can look really dated, but in regards to clear glass, I think that looks really nice and can kind of withstand the ages.

Ashley Wainscott (01:32.238)

Yeah, I agree. And I think redid glass is making a comeback, but there's only particular styles of redid glass that like, it has to be a very modern type of window with redid glass, right? It's not like those old glass blocks that we tore out for so many years.

Michelle (01:51.51)

No.

Michelle (01:55.286)

Yes, those were hideous and I hope those don't really ever come back.

Ashley Wainscott (01:59.246)

I know and I was just about to say Michelle, I'm pretty sure I saw some like recently while online shopping and I'm like, please don't be coming back. Please don't.

Michelle (02:07.464)

Maybe it's a thing.

Ashley Wainscott (02:13.134)

It might be, but I mean, it's like I get the in the four bathrooms, right? That like, obviously you want your window distorted, but there's so many other ways to do that than they just remind me of like bifocals or glasses that are really thick. And I'm like, there has to be another y 'all we have to invent another way. We can't go back.

Michelle (02:36.47)

No, we're not going back. Yes, there's so many alternatives to make it privacy class, but no, I don't think glass blocks is the answer. I mean, maybe it can be done cute in the future. I don't know. Someone needs to create it, but I don't think it exists yet. But yeah, I think glass in general, depending on if you can use it right and you can keep it looking good, then that can be timeless. You know, I think that It's just a matter of how well you upkeep it as well.

Ashley Wainscott (03:09.774)

Yes, and built -ins, I'm thinking glass and kitchen cabinets and built -ins like what you were saying. Clear glass will always be timeless. It's anytime you get into that decorative glass that, it gets questionable. It starts to go down a sketchy hill. But I mean, I think about like the 40s, the 1940s built -in I had in my first house that I kept in the… kept it, you know, as a part of the style of the home. And it, I mean, it looked aged and it looked unique, but it didn't look tacky, you know, and it was clear glass and it was cute.

Michelle (03:49.014)

Hmm, yeah.

Yeah, I think now because like vintage pieces and vintage decor is coming back and that in itself can be really timeless, but if glass is done well, then that can be part of something that's like vintage in your home. I think that could look really cool. But again, it's so dependent on what it is, you know. There's not really like a blanket, universal good glass besides clear glass but if it's beyond that there's not really a blanket one it's going to be really dependent on the land house.

Ashley Wainscott (04:27.278)

Yeah, you're walking a fine line. Which is also why, you know, a designer can help, especially when we're moving into talking about like furniture and I know you had talked about this too, but like finding timeless pieces or vintage pieces and incorporating them into your home and into your style and how to make that look timeless rather than like a trendy piece of furniture.

Michelle (04:58.294)

Right, yes, and I think if you're going to, if you're going to go trendy then do something that can be easily replaceable. So maybe like table lamps or rugs or light fixtures, something that you can replace if you were to move or decide that something else is in style because those pieces are a lot more inexpensive than larger pieces, especially when it comes to like, home design stuff that's like part of the build of the home. So it's not to say like you can't have fun with trendy items, but if you are wanting to create more of the timeless look in your home, then just kind of be careful where you select those because you can always replace them later.

Ashley Wainscott (05:46.83)

Yeah, I mean, they make me trendy and timeless. Those things make me nervous together because I don't know how to pair them. I'm not confident in my abilities, but if you are, love that for you.

Michelle (06:01.878)

Love it. Yeah.

Ashley Wainscott (06:04.11)

More power to you. I applaud you. Okay, anything else in the timeless category?

Michelle (06:12.886)

So I think really, I think we hit on a lot. I think it's good to like, when in doubt, kind of stick to neutrals. I know that can be boring sometimes, but again, have fun elsewhere with your decor. And be careful with, I think, pieces that you're reupholstering. That can also be really fun. So those can either be seen as your accent piece or those can be seen as a timeless piece. But again, that's something that's really expensive. So if you're going to reupholster something, you might want to stick with the timeless look. And then of course, decorate it with a fun trendy pillow.

Ashley Wainscott (06:52.782)

But like a comfy pillow. Don't be the person that buys the uncomfortable ugly or the uncomfortable but pretty pillow that I have to sit on. Well, we should just say, if we did or didn't, that you can never go wrong with marble. But I think we did cover mostly everything with marble. But I'm a big fan of marble. I'm like, just marble everything. I mean, maybe not, because that would be really cold. That would be a very cold house.

Michelle (07:57.014)

I actually have seen marble pieces that are, that can be too much marble, like it's kind of a little gaudy, but marble pieces throughout, you can't go wrong. That in itself is timeless.

Ashley Wainscott (08:03.278)

Yeah. It is so timeless and i don't know if we touched on this but wainscoting we were talking about trim in general but wainscoting you know i think wainscoting and any kind of any kind of trim throughout a home is beautiful on the walls and incorporated into bedrooms especially i'm incorporating some into little man's nursery. And I'm so excited because like he doesn't have a say in his room layout or style but I do right now so it'll last forever.

Michelle (08:46.838)

Yeah, that's the best. You could do whatever you want. Mm -hmm. Yeah, it is timeless. It's a really timeless piece, and I think you can always go back and paint it a different color. It really brings out character in a room, so if you think that timeless may be a boring look, or maybe there's not a lot going on, you can have dimension with Wayne's Coding. I think Wayne's Coding, and honestly like crown molding too. I will say… Some crown loading can look dated, but if it's really nice and beautifully done, then that can kind of stick to be the timeless role as well. But for sure, Wayne's going to wear crown loading.

Ashley Wainscott (09:24.366)

Yeah. Yeah, crown molding is, I mean, it's one of those things I feel like that teeters where, you know, it. Yeah, I mean, you're lucky if it stays in your house during your remodel and a designer can incorporate it because some of the time I think it's just so tacky.

Michelle (09:48.278)

Okay, so what would be the difference? So how would we know to spot the difference between timeless and trendy?

Ashley Wainscott (10:02.446)

I thought you were going to say tacky.

Michelle (10:04.246)

It could also be tacky.

Ashley Wainscott (10:07.086)

I mean, yeah, it can be both can both borderline with tacky. Okay, so timeless versus trendy. I mean, I think I always think of something trendy is something relevant for today or something that you see a lot of, you know, I, I think timeless, there's an element of uniqueness or like character to it. Again, I think at borderlines with tacky, so you have to be careful. But when I think of the elements that we've talked about today, I feel like I can always spot it because I'm like, yeah, does it have a clean neutral look like marble? Or does it have something simple like wainscoting that every person can appreciate or Is it like, you know, Michelle, like what subway tile backsplash that we did over and over for 10 years?

Michelle (11:21.302)

Yes, right. Yeah, and I think because we've seen over the years so many pieces that have become trendy and then no longer were, so we could probably spot this a little bit differently than other people, but I agree with, as I'm thinking about this, like walking through different spaces, I also think of really ornate detailing on cabinets or on woodworking.

wThat seems a little dated to me. I mean, obviously some of it can be very vintage pieces, but if you're all of your cabinets in your kitchen are like extremely ornate detailing, that's that can be really pretty, but it's probably not necessarily timeless because that's a look that hasn't really always been through the generation. So I think generation, I think over time, clean lines is probably going to be your biggest focus in regards to what timeless looks like.

And then bold colors. I love bold colors, so definitely not against it, but bold colors versus whites are neutrals, are kind of a giveaay as well. It's like, I want to be, this is a more trendy space versus neutral.

Ashley Wainscott (12:35.438)

Yeah. And you know, when we were doing all of the trendy, when we have been doing all those trendy styles, here comes a large truck. I don't know if you can hear it. But we were doing all those trendy styles. I was just thinking the whole time. Like this isn't unique to you at all, you know, so.

It's figuring out the way in which you're making your space unique to you, but then not going overboard with like the crazy, you know, like the ornate cabinet details where you go into a home and you're thinking, okay, this is very like 1960s or this is very, you know, there's like this middle ground of don't do subway tile, but don't do ornate crazy trim work.

Michelle (13:33.846)

Mm -hmm.

Ashley Wainscott (13:34.638)

Where you have to find the medium. And it's hard because there's not like a formula, right? We don't have a formula to tell people, but I so wish we could have been like, don't put in the subway tile, because it's just gonna, I mean, it's gonna be dated in a few years, right? Like everybody's gonna know when you did that subway tile or when you did that remodel. And… I mean, if that's what you love, then great, but it's just not ideal.

Michelle (14:07.254)

Yeah, definitely not ideal. And again, I mean, these are just, this is on topic of timeless. So we're by no means saying like, don't install that. If that's, like you said, if that's what you love and that's what you want to put in, go for it. Like no one's going to be like upset about it. But yeah, it's absolutely not offensive.

Ashley Wainscott (14:24.302)

No, the boy's not offensive.

Michelle (14:30.838)

I think another tricky one can be wallpaper because I love wallpaper. Obviously wallpaper was in back in the day. Then for a long time we were removing wallpaper when we were doing remodels because it was like dated wallpaper you could tell. And then wallpaper became popular again with like very different prints, which is great. But again, that's still going to be trendy over time. So if we look back, 10, 15, 20, maybe 30 years onto what we're installing today, those patterns aren't gonna be in style 30 years from now. So if you were to do wallpaper, it's best to do something neutral like a grass cloth, which is beautiful. It can withstand the elements. And I think over time that can be in style, but it's just tricky, you know, cause it's personal preference.

Ashley Wainscott (15:27.502)

Yeah, it is. I mean, and you have to decide how you want to be trendy, because if you want to be trendy with wallpaper, then great. Do it, but you just know you have to replace it over time, and it's fine. Like, I know the ridiculous pink wallpaper I have in my bathroom isn't going to be there for 10 years, right? It's probably going to be there for like,

Michelle (15:40.374)

Great.

Michelle (15:51.285)

Yeah, it's just funny how...

Ashley Wainscott (15:53.998)

three to five years or I mean, maybe I'll get five years, but yeah, it's just fun for now. Michelle, I could do what all of our clients have done. And when Michelle and I were demoing bathroom walls or whatever, usually primary bathrooms and we would peel off the old wallpaper, you know, so we could float over it and there would be layers and layers of wallpaper that we would just. Get to see the changes of people's preferences over the course of like 30 years and we'd be like, okay, so this one's pink and then this one was green stripes and then this one was a floral.

Michelle (16:34.998)

Yeah, because there's really not a way to fully remove wallpaper when you go to like, if you didn't want it anymore, if you were going to sell it or someone bought a house and they didn't want that wallpaper, you actually can't fully remove it because it's paper. It's like pulling paper off of cardboard, right? You can't really get it all off. So long story short, there's a method to it. But so you can, you just pull off as much as you can. And then in that process, you can like see different layers, which we have, we've been like, in really old homes and we'd seen different layers behind it and we'll see like my gosh the wall was painted green at one point but you would never know because there was wallpaper on it. So then you just cover up you mud over the wall and then you paint it and so over time like that wallpaper just stays there so if someone were to actually peel that off you think it's your old wallpaper.

Ashley Wainscott (17:23.666)

It's almost like, you know, burying a, what do you call that? A message in a bottle or whatever.

Michelle (17:31.414)

Yeah, it was kind of cool. It's a little mystery.

Ashley Wainscott (17:33.678)

you know, little time machine. We also worked on that home that was pink, like fully pink inside and out. And that was a lot of pink wallpaper. That's a lot of pink.

Michelle (17:41.27)

Yeah. Right, but then of course, they're obviously not going timeless. They don't care to go timeless. They're like, this is my money and this is what I want to do with my house. And we're like, we're all for it. That's amazing. We love it. We love to see it. So they may never move.

Ashley Wainscott (17:59.63)

Yeah, it's so true. Just because we're talking about timeless for some people, what people are curious about. But like, listen, if you want to fully pink home, I support you because I was in that home and I loved it. I don't want to like live in it, but I loved it.

Michelle (18:16.31)

More power to you. I think it's awesome. Be bold. Yes, be bold.

Ashley Wainscott (18:19.598)

Michelle and I support fully pink homes. But this home, just to be clear, is not the Georgetown, Round Rock home, wherever that was. Cedar Park?

Michelle (18:30.806)

sneak or what?

Ashley Wainscott (18:33.678)

Vlugerville, okay, literally named every other city outside of Austin. But it was in Lake Way. I just didn't expect it to be in Lake Way.

Michelle (18:43.51)

Yeah, very weird, yeah. Not the five, I would say for pink out.

Ashley Wainscott (18:47.438)

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Anything else on the timeless note that the world needs to hear?

Michelle (18:57.942)

I think the only difference, the only last thing I was thinking about was, we talked a little bit earlier about furniture and having it fit with the room. I think if you see really oversized furniture in a room, not timeless. And then keeping your big and expensive pieces neutral. So your furniture, I mean your beds, your couches, because again, those are gonna be your most expensive things. So you don't wanna have to constantly have to replace those every 10 years or 15 years, 20 years and then just accessorize them, make it fun on top of it. So I think that's the only big thing. You could probably notice the difference.

Ashley Wainscott (19:35.662)

Yeah, oversized furniture really kills a room. You know, and I liked what we were talking about as far as disclaimers of what makes you what makes you happy in your home is the path that you should go. And sure, you can make some decisions. Michelle and I have seen clients make a lot of questionable decisions and questionable meaning like. We understand their future in the home. And so if you're going to resell in a few years, I would consider going more timeless, right? And listening to our advice here. But in general, if you plan on just enjoying your home, you do what you love and that's your space. So.

Michelle (20:23.798)

Yeah.

Ashley Wainscott (20:29.006)

You know, feel free to incorporate like the trendy and the timeless into your house and do whatever makes you feel comfortable in your space and happy and at peace, you know? Cheers to that. Michelle, let's drink to that, but give me like five weeks and then let's drink to that. Yeah. Okay. Well, that wraps us up for episode 30.

Michelle (20:48.822)

Agreed. Cheers to that. Yes, thank you for tuning in and of course as always if you have questions or if you are concerned about what your home looks like and you want to make some changes we are here to help and here to listen.

Ashley Wainscott (21:20.654)

Yeah, we are. Just message us. Message us on Instagram. We're listening. Okay, well, bye for now.