Yuppie Homes.

The understated interior style of the 1970s was replaced in the 1980s by the decadent tastes of the yuppies. While the town house early in the decade reflected the largely single status of the baby boomers in the 1970s, in the 1980s many detached homes were built to house affluent professionals who were starting families — or increasing existing ones as a result of divorce and remarriage. The yuppies tended to build two-story Georgian homes that dwarfed existing houses in their neighborhoods; much to the annoyance of academic architects, the exteriors were embellished with historical references, such as arches and dormers, purely for decorative reasons. Inside, homeowners filled their rooms with expensive tokens of their wealth, such as teakettles designed by the architect Michael Graves and overstuffed couches with Laura Ashley floral or Ralph Lauren classic patterns. To attract yuppie...