The Mistake Of Choosing Trendy Over Timeless

It can often be hard to predict which home design trends will stay in fashion, and which are short-term styles that will go down in history as laughable missteps.

Trends Come and Go

In the 1950s and 1960s, Victorian fixtures such as claw-foot tubs were ripped out of bathrooms in favor of the modern, sleek-lined, brightly colored fixtures popular during the Atomic Age. Today, though, the designs of the Victorian era are recognized as timeless, and have transcended generations of fleeting styles. And now those same Victorian fixtures cast away in the post-war era are in high demand, and commanding high prices.

And remember when Avocado-colored tile, toilets, and baths were all the rage in the 1960s and 1970s? By the 1980s those fixtures and colors were branded as outdated symbols of an ugly, bygone era. The matching shag carpet didn’t help, either. Nor did the fake wood paneling on the walls. Look away!

Garages and Style

To some degree, garages have been spared many of the fashion blunders of the last hundred years. Until fairly recently, interior garage design was either ignored or simply fell victim to the same fashion crimes perpetrated elsewhere in the home. In the last couple decades, though, as people are starting to put more money and attention into this valuable space, it has become imperative that you ask whether your choices in garage design and furnishing are truly lasting.

Take diamond plate, for example – that textured, shiny pattern that started popping up across the country in garages, gyms, workshops, and pickup trucks a decade ago. Diamond plate may be a current and widespread trend in garage design… but will it last? What happens if diamond plate suddenly becomes outdated and no longer fashionable? Metaphorically speaking, you’re stuck with a garage-full of avocado toilets.

The best way to avoid the stress of these trend questions is to avoid having to ask them in the first place. Essentially, you want to find the Victorian equivalent for garage style: a look with undeniable appeal that will transcend the shifting tastes between one generation and the next. You want timeless. You want classic. You want the Fender Stratocaster guitar. You want a Rolex. You want a Shelby Cobra. That’s where VAULT comes in.

VAULT’S Timeless and Classic Garage Cabinets

As VAULT founder Chad Haas puts it, “You know that you’ve achieved a great design if whatever decisions you make will look great 40 or 50 years later. I prefer a design that is timeless, versus something that is trendy.  That’s my guiding principle.”

So what does this look like? It means no diamond plating. It means no garish, trending color palettes. What it does mean is graceful lines, beautiful detailing, the deep gloss of automotive-quality powder coating in tasteful colors, exposed exterior frames, and stainless steel handles and exposed surfaces. And it means symmetry and harmony when pairing these pieces and placing them throughout your space. It means a collection of features that form into a style and quality that will stand the test of time.

Timelessness Demands Durability

Timelessness means being unaffected by time, which is why choosing a cabinet built to withstand the test of time is equally as important as transcendent style. As Haas points out, though, some current design trends are prioritizing style to the detriment of durability:

“Unfortunately for consumers, there is an epidemic of bad products flooding the garage cabinetry market. Melamine cabinets, for example, may look amazing the day they are installed, but they have to be ripped out five years later because that raw material is simply not appropriate for use in the garage – as such, it has a high failure rate. Same thing for cabinets built from aluminum. As a soft metal, aluminum scratches and dents very easily. And because aluminum cabinets have painted surfaces – which may look nice, but are not powder coated – they just do not hold up.”

Bottom line, according to Haas, is that focusing on trending style and ignoring durability may be great for the maker of the cabinet, but it means a terrible return-on-investment for the homeowner. Clearly, some cabinet manufacturers just don’t worry about timelessness. At VAULT, though, achieving a classic, lasting design matters because our cabinets and tool chests will still be standing in 50 years – a fact that is not lost on our customers:

“Extremely happy with the quality of the cabinets, think they’ll be in good stead till well after my grandchildren are old!”
– JUSTIN GAN (Perth, Australia)

Durability and Style to Stand the Test of Time

We build each VAULT cabinet to be an heirloom – like a Rolex, a Fender Stratocaster, or a classic sports car that’s as thrilling to drive today as it when it was first built. VAULT cabinets are well made so that they can be passed down to children and grandchildren. They will last, so their look needs to, as well. In 50 years, when your grandkids are stuck with your diamond-plated garage cabinets… well, don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Instead, maybe listen to VAULT customer Don Cooper from Orland Park, Illinois:

“If you’re looking for the ultimate quality that I think will look just as good ten years from now as it does today, I would pick VAULT.”

Ten years, twenty years, fifty years, and onward – classic never goes out of style. So if you’re ready to take the first step towards building a classic and timeless garage, contact VAULT to schedule your free consultation with owner Chad Haas.

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