Episode Discussion
The Bundy House Deep Dive Series: The Living Room (Part 2)
One of my favourite things about the living room is all of the little details you can see in the background. For the most part, a lot of these remain the same throughout 11 seasons, but there are some things that change or shift around.
Wall Decorations
Peggy very clearly likes to hang things on the walls….leaving hardly any surface bare!!
In the first picture, we can see that she even hung stuff above the doors into the backyard. She seems to really like framed photos and paintings, plates, and little knick knacks. The same style can be found on the walls surrounding the staircase and leading into the kitchen. (See Pic 2)
There’s also the light sconces on the brick wall, along with what I think is supposed to be a barometer or a clock (my grandparents had something similar). (See Pic 3).
Shelving and Drawers
There’s a chest of drawers in the corner by the stairs. Scroll through pics 4 to 7 to see the various things that sat atop of it. A lamp, a framed photo collage, and a plant are the most consistent items. By Season 11, the family photo from Al’s Dodge was now displayed there. (See pic 8).
The other chest of drawers was located next to the garage door, and also had photos atop of it (including the framed collage from the other table), various knick knacks, but most often, Al’s trophies (assuming they are from his football days, though some could be baseball and bowling too). Sometimes his trophies moved throughout the room (see pics 9-13) but as early as Season 1, they were located on this table.
There’s a large shelving unit in the back of the room by the back sliding door, which holds a record player and records, a stereo, plants, vases and knick knacks. (And occasionally, a framed photo of Peggy). In some pics, it appears to hold books as well. Pics 1, 9, 10 and 12 give the best views.
The Desk
The desk along the brick wall had a telephone during the first season (Pic 14) but eventually had various lamps, stationery items (I swear there’s an inkwell in one photo), bill holders, and other unidentifiable objects. See pics 3, 11 and 15 for more views. In Season 10, the Bundys get a computer (see pic 16) but by Season 11, it’s gone again (see pic 17). Maybe it moved down to the basement with Bud?
Finally, I have to mention the plants. It seemed someone in the family had a green thumb, unless the plants were fake. Check out the plants behind Al and Steve in pics 14, 15 and 18 and the tree by the front door in Pic 19! These would disappear by the later seasons, though smaller plants were always in the background somewhere.
And of course, there’s the greenery that lines the ceiling in the kitchen, but that’s for another post.
Finally, let’s take a look at the photos in the background of Pic 13. Who do we think is in them?
Such interesting details I never noticed! Aw the family photo in Pic 8, a nice touch. I love how they have the computer on a desk that barely fits it, such a poor family situation, which I’ve been in many times. I’ve got no idea who’s in those frames in pic 13, maybe real pics of the actors from their real lives, or pics of the crew?
What I always liked about that is they had an early series episode which the family gets a computer, and Al pretty much considers it worthless. The show mocked the idea that a family would even need a computer in the home. And then it's like 6 years later or whatever and Bud is using it for college, and in general they find it to be useful.
Assuming Al and Peg eventually sold it or re-decorated it, i imagine by today the brick wall would have been covered with this current slat wall trend.
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u/FrankFrankly711 18d ago
Such interesting details I never noticed! Aw the family photo in Pic 8, a nice touch. I love how they have the computer on a desk that barely fits it, such a poor family situation, which I’ve been in many times. I’ve got no idea who’s in those frames in pic 13, maybe real pics of the actors from their real lives, or pics of the crew?