c/ugly-home-decor

I spent 4 weekends stripping my grandma's 1976 lampshade and it's still ugly

My grandma passed last spring and I inherited this lamp with a beaded shade that looks like a melted disco ball. The beads are glued on with something that smells like nail polish remover and they're half falling off, so I figured I'd clean it up. Three weekends of picking beads, scraping adhesive, and using every solvent I own, and the shade still has this weird brown stain that won't budge. Yesterday I finally checked the inside and found a label saying it was hand-painted in 1976 with enamel, which explains why nothing touches it. I honestly think I should just accept it as a permanent fixture in my guest room and call it a conversation piece. Has anyone else dealt with vintage items that fought you the whole way, or am I just stubborn about junk? I'm this close to just covering the stain with a tassel and moving on.

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karenf40•9d ago

Found out that 'vintage' 1970s macrame plant hangers can go for $85 on eBay, my grandma's are just dusty

I was cleaning out my grandma's basement last weekend and found like 6 of those ugly macrame plant hangers, the ones with the giant wooden beads and super thick rope. I was about to toss them in the donate pile, but my cousin said to check eBay because apparently there's a weird market for them. I looked up sold listings and was floored. Some are going for $85 to $120 depending on the bead type and condition. Hers are all tangled and dusty, but now I'm wondering if I should actually sell them or if anyone else has stumbled on grandma's junk being worth real money. Have you ever checked your family's ugly decor before trashing it?

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paul_lane80•9d ago

Crocheted toilet paper cozy that took 14 hours to make is now my pride and shame

I spent a whole weekend making this massive crocheted cover for a spare toilet paper roll, complete with little yarn flowers and a frilly skirt. My aunt in Cleveland saw it and asked if it was a doily for a dinosaur. Turns out it fits perfectly over the spare roll, but it also looks like a sickly mermaid tail, and I can't decide if I should display it or donate it to the nearest thrift store in Des Moines. Has anyone else made something so ugly they couldn't bring themselves to throw it away?

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jessel35•11d ago

Talked to my aunt about her avocado green bathroom and I get it now

She's 74 and still has the full setup, matching toilet seat cover, the whole deal. I always joked about it when we visited. But last week she told me she picked it out in 1978 with her first husband right after they closed on the house. Said every time she walks in there she remembers how excited they were, even though the marriage didn't last. That tile is like a time capsule for her. I used to think ugly decor was just bad taste, but now I wonder how many of these weird pieces are just people holding onto a moment. Anyone else ever found out a backstory behind some hideous thing in a relative's house and it completely changed how you saw it?

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abbyl49•11d ago

The gnome lamp that took 3 trips to the dump to actually ditch

My aunt gifted me this ceramic gnome lamp, about 14 inches tall, with a mushroom base and a face that looked personally offended. I tried donating it in Tucson, but Goodwill rejected it on the spot, then the thrift store near 4th Avenue laughed me out. Finally drove it to the county landfill and the guy at the gate said, "That's the ugliest thing I've seen all week," and charged me $8 for the privilege. Has anyone else paid to get rid of decor that nobody would even steal?

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the_rose•12d ago

Rant: my thrift store find got roasted here, but I actually love it

Last Saturday I hauled home a ceramic deer head with gold antlers from a Goodwill in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and everyone at my dinner party laughed for ten straight minutes. I get that it's kitschy and the eyes are a little crossed, but it's got character and it was only $12, which beats another boring beige landscape. Am I crazy for thinking ugly decor can be a genuine conversation piece instead of just a joke?

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the_evan•14d ago

My aunt's 1972 macrame owl collection is the real MVP

She kept 14 of them in her living room and last weekend I finally asked why. Turns out she used them to cover the holes in her drywall, so now I'm thinking about DIY-ing the same fix for my rental. Any other ugly decor doubles as a repair hack?

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