Shocked with the new furniture

[dianeschlicht]

I wonder why they did not keep the original king beds. They certainly look better than the "new" headboards.

I agree with the others, Old Key West brings to mind pastels colors, lightweight natural wood/wicker furniture and natural fabric soft goods, not dark and/or plastic materials.

That was my main complaint too. If you see pictures of the real Key West from 1900 you would understand that the original "look" of the decor was spot on. This "new" look harks more to the 30's than earlier in the century. The gingerbread Victorian architecture would say the old was more true to theme than the new.

 

[kid-at-heart]

That was my main complaint too. If you see pictures of the real Key West from 1900 you would understand that the original "look" of the decor was spot on. This "new" look harks more to the 30's than earlier in the century. The gingerbread Victorian architecture would say the old was more true to theme than the new.

Perhaps when a DVC resort is due to be renovated we DVC members should email "someone" (I do not know which department we should email) expressing our desire that the renovations keep with the original theme of the resort and that quality materials be used. Quality materials cost more upfront but cost less in the long run.

 

[dmoore22]

That was my main complaint too. If you see pictures of the real Key West from 1900 you would understand that the original "look" of the decor was spot on. This "new" look harks more to the 30's than earlier in the century. The gingerbread Victorian architecture would say the old was more true to theme than the new.

Hemingway began spending his winters in Key West during the early 1930's. That being said, the woodwork in the Hemingway House/Museum is not as dark as that in the OKW renovations. Not even President Truman's Little White House in Key West showed woodwork that dark as late as 1949. I really can't figure out what, if any era relevant to Key West, is being themed in this renovation.

 

[JimC]

Thank you, Sammie. Just my opinion, but that is ugly.

 

[SueM in MN]

I wonder why they did not keep the original king beds. They certainly look better than the "new" headboards.

I agree with the others, Old Key West brings to mind pastels colors, lightweight natural wood/wicker furniture and natural fabric soft goods, not dark and/or plastic materials.

Another who agrees.
I did not like the new headboards or the new bedspreads. Those were stiff and did not have a good feel.
The living room and kitchen areas we better than I expected, but the bedrooms, especially the 2nd bedroom/studio, felt very cold because of the color choices.

Yes, but if they had replaced ALL the furniture with new, something tells me that it would be the same quality as that horrible headboard. That headboard actually makes a good case for refinishing the original furniture.

I agree.
I think replaced furniture would be worse quality than refinished.

Hemingway began spending his winters in Key West during the early 1930's. That being said, the woodwork in the Hemingway House/Museum is not as dark as that in the OKW renovations. Not even President Truman's Little White House in Key West showed woodwork that dark as late as 1949. I really can't figure out what, if any era relevant to Key West, is being themed in this renovation.

You mean it has a theme?

It reminds me of the design challenge TV shows where a number of designers are working on the same room and are not necessarily on the same page as far as how the finished design should work.

 

[dmoore22]

Another who agrees.

You mean it has a theme?

Oh Jeez! Now I know why I couldn't figure out the theme.

 

[dwelty]

Just got back from 4 days in a studio at OKW. Had a very comfortable bed, and thought the rooms looked much better than before.

 

[dwelty]

Hemingway began spending his winters in Key West during the early 1930's. That being said, the woodwork in the Hemingway House/Museum is not as dark as that in the OKW renovations. Not even President Truman's Little White House in Key West showed woodwork that dark as late as 1949. I really can't figure out what, if any era relevant to Key West, is being themed in this renovation.

Im not familair with either of these properties. Would you say the old white washed look of the OKW villas matched the Hemingway house or Little White House? Or was the whitewashed look more a product of what was popular all over the U.S. in the early 90's?

I owned a condo at that time in Southern Californa that had the same whitewashed style in the kitchen.

 

[tjkraz]

Stayed in an Old Key West studio last week and fortunately the headboard didn't look anything like the other photo linked. Looks brand new:

Overall the room was in very good condition. They didn't change he bathroom tile and that was the one aspect I didn't like. That old uneven tile is really hard to clean and you could see a lot of gunk gathering in the cracks and crevices.

 

[Sammie]

Stayed in an Old Key West studio last week and fortunately the headboard didn't look anything like the other photo linked. Looks brand new:

Overall the room was in very good condition. They didn't change he bathroom tile and that was the one aspect I didn't like. That old uneven tile is really hard to clean and you could see a lot of gunk gathering in the cracks and crevices.

Those headboards are not new, they are the previous ones from the studios and refinished. And yes they did a better job on them than the king headboards. And I agree the bathroom tile needs replacing.

 

[dmoore22]

Im not familair with either of these properties. Would you say the old white washed look of the OKW villas matched the Hemingway house or Little White House? Or was the whitewashed look more a product of what was popular all over the U.S. in the early 90's?

I owned a condo at that time in Southern Californa that had the same whitewashed style in the kitchen.

It's kind of hard to tell from the old black and white photos if its whitewash are just white paint. The furniture appears to be the natural wood with a coat of shellac. The darkest seemed to be the natural "golden oak." The dark finishes from the renovation remind me of some of pieces we have from the late 1800's that belonged to our great grandparents -- aged varnish on oak except the old varnish is checked and satin while the OKW headboards seem glossy by comparison.

 

[dmoore22]

Those headboards are not new, they are the previous ones from the studios and refinished. And yes they did a better job on them than the king headboards. And I agree the bathroom tile needs replacing.

However the bed frame has been replaced with a platform.