PBS's Antique Road Show Old-time Fancy Vent

Beautiful air return covers are not a new design element.  As a matter of fact, decorative covers have been around for a very long time.  In 1890, Tiffanys created this beautiful cover for the Havemeyer mansion in New York City. The cover was presented on the PBS’s Antiques Roadshow in 2009 and was appraised at $45,000 to $50,000.

So how did we get to where we are today where the standard cover is a industrial looking white, louvered aluminum piece that sticks out like a sore thumb?

My theory, the housing market changed dramatically Post WWII.   We saw our U.S. population increase very rapidly with the baby boom generation. The population explosion required a lot of housing … quick. As home builders began putting in track houses and sub-divisions everything became standardize to speed up production.   Hand-crafted and custom work became very limited or non-existent.  Cold air returns were one of the first architectural details to be eliminated.

But, we now have an option to recapture that timeless styling of our past. Add the grace of the old-time artisans to your home with a Fancy Vent.