WORTHINGTON -- Don't think he's being unfairly critical: Mike Sammons used to have "Canyon Paradise" carpet in his own house.
He also used to wear, as he describes it, "John Travolta-like platform shoes, robin's egg-blue leisure suits and corduroy pants with 24-inch flared elephant bell bottoms."
But he doesn't anymore, and therein rests his point: Been there, done that, not going back.
It seems a lot of other people have shorter memories or fewer years to their credit, however, as Sammons, an area floor covering specialist since 1973, is bearing witness to a trend toward interior colors he remembers as all the rage when he first started laying flooring over three decades ago.
"A lot of the colors I saw when I started in 1973 are coming back," assured Sammons, who is not altogether sure this is such a great idea. "There were bright oranges, blues, reds, deep-sea greens, a lot of dark browns, plus the avocados, goldenrods and rusts.
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"There was a particular carpet pattern called 'Canyon Paradise' that I put in for years and years," continued Sammons. "It was a big glob of brown and orange with little veins of red, orange or blue. They must have sold millions of yards of that stuff.
"The vinyls -- they called them 'linoleum' back then -- came in big flowered patterns, bright yellows and paisleys. I guess they were trying to imitate colors found in nature, but it didn't always translate so well."
While those distinctively '70s colors and patterns slowly disappeared from many homes as white walls, neutrals and earth tones started coming into favor in the 1980s, Sammons has noticed in the past few years a somewhat toned-down return to the bold and bright colors from his early working days.
"I don't know if it's because some of these interior decorators are young and haven't lived with that color scheme too long or what, but these are colors I was actually glad to see go," commented Sammons. "It seems to be more the younger set going with those colors.
"People in their 50s and 60s still seem to have more of the lighter, more neutral colors around."
One positive trend, as Sammons sees it, is the resurgence in popularity of hardwood and wood laminate floors.
"Wood laminates are really big, partly because they are easy to do -- they snap together, so they can either be professionally done or you can do it yourself," volunteered Sammons.
Wall-to-wall carpeting is not nearly as common today, according to Sammons, which is fine with him since arthritis prevents him from installing carpet with the frequency he did in the past.
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"People used to cover up their hardwood floors, due to noise or scratches, but the finishes on hardwood and laminate now are very durable and can take a lot of abuse they couldn't before. They can stand up to kids," said Sammons. With six children of his own, he knows well the damage youngsters can wreak on surfaces.
Sammons, who busily installs laminate, vinyl and ceramic flooring on most weekdays in the greater Worthington area, observes with his 35 years of experience that interior design trends tend to circle around. In other words, if you don't like the new colors, wait five or 10 years and something else will be in style.
Certain people like being on the forefront of design changes, and Sammons will continue to do his job and be respectful of whatever a particular business or homeowner happens to choose. But that doesn't mean he, or others, are without their opinions.
"There are still some people out there with radical tastes," revealed Sammons. "I've been putting stuff in sometimes and I just want to say, 'I'm sorry, ma'am, but that's the gaudiest crap I've seen in a long time,' but what do you tell 'em?
"They'd be heartbroke."
