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If you’ve ever seen the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and wondered if any of the comedic moments happened in real life, I can assure you that they do! From the vintage home decor, to the food, to the love of Windex (!), Cam & I grew up experiencing it all. Our Pappou (Greek grandpa) and Yia-Yia (or Gia-Gia, Greek grandma) paved the way for us!
The Homeland: Greece
In the melting pot that is the United State of America, we all came from somewhere else. In the case of our Mom’s family, that somewhere else was Greece. Hailing from various places in the southern part of Greece, we even have some Spartan roots somewhere in the mix!
From Ellis Island, to running a restaurant in Chicago frequented by infamous gangsters, and somehow ending up in Tucson, AZ, the Greek roots have been passed along from generation to generation. Well, our Mom is 100% Greek, Cam & I are 50% Greek, and our children are 25% Greek. Through the years, however, we have made (& eaten!) baklava, known how to correctly pronounce “gyros,” and attended Greek festivals as though we were one of the family.
The House
In Tucson, our Pappou was a home builder. He built the last house they lived in, and in 1973, it was time to move in. Cam & I grew up visiting there most every Thanksgiving & Christmas & times in between. I even lived there for almost two years, while attending the University of Arizona!
This house is very nostalgic to us. It holds memories of holidays spent with our aunts, uncles, and cousins…eating Greek food and listening to the elders speak Greek, so we wouldn’t know what they were saying…swimming in the pool, marking the ceiling downstairs with cue stick chalk, and watching the sunsets from the balcony.
Our Yia-Yia kept a neat and tidy house, and a lot of the decor has stayed the same since 1971. On our recent Arizona road trip, I decided to take a closer look.
The View
Perched on a hillside, the view is mountains, more mountains, and the entire expanse of Tucson. From the front door and most of the bedrooms, you can watch the mountains change, depending on the weather.
Larger clouds cast shadows that completely change the look of the mountains.
On the other side of the house, from the balcony, you can see more mountains, look out over Tucson, and catch the sunset every day.
Vintage Home Decor
Inside the house, there is a different kind of nostalgic beauty. Vintage home decor abounds in Pappou & Yia-Yia’s house. From wallpaper and flooring, to lighting fixtures and upholstery, this house has it all.
We’ve crossed over this tile since birth! I love its unique shape.
The living room holds memories of Christmases past.
This lighting fixture in the kitchen is vintage home decor all the way!
Ditto for this one, plus popcorn ceiling with sparkles! As kids, we loved looking up at the sparkling “stars” when it was bedtime.
It is a large house, so our Pappou built it with an intercom system. 🙂
My favorite feature in the bathroom is the medicine cabinet mirror that faces the main mirror. It makes it easy to see the back of your head when getting ready!
This is the fanciest vinyl flooring that I’ve ever seen!
When you travel, where are your most nostalgic destinations? Please share in the comments below!
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OH. MY. WORD. This post brought back a flood of wonderful memories for me with each photo! My grandparents also lived in Tucson – in the foothills – off of Campbell, between River and Sunrise/Skyline. Was your pappou’s house in the Rincons? Anyway, I was raised in Oklahoma but my parents would take us to Tucson every other summer or so to visit. It was so magical! When my grandparents had both passed I begged to take over the “hacienda” but was denied. I could never have afforded its upkeep anyway. Nowadays I don’t have much to remind me of their house. It’s set off the road and you can’t even see it driving up Campbell, but I’m grateful to have had those memories to forge in my youth, and I appreciate your post, bringing them back for me to cherish this evening! **Hugs** – Maggie
Hi Maggie! I love this! Yes, the house is in the foothills. I drove down Campbell every weekday when I attended the University of Arizona. Crazy winding road! So glad this brought back good memories for you too!
Niki, thanks for capturing all these things that we’ve seen so many, many times throughout the years and maybe lost the appreciation and wonderful memories they bring. Along with Mom and Dad’s home, I am thinking of both of my own Yia Yia’s and Papou’s homes (your “Greats”) and feeling the same warmth and coziness of being there. And to go with all the vintage was always something to eat when you went over. YUM!! Those were the days!!
What a world rich with tapestry, design, sunlight and memories.
I really enjoyed looking at these beautiful pictures!
I really enjoyed this article and all the wonderful pictures of your house. The sunset view was stunning and the vintage home decor is beautiful!
This is so sweet! I love going on trips down memory lane, looking over the best of the past, and every memory that it holds.
Very beautiful pictures and house!
Those light fixtures are too much! Totally retro 70’s. I could not be more in love with them!
Family memories are wonderful. Loved seeing the photos and yes, they are vintage for sure! It brought back memories for me of my Italian grandparents and the many, many family gatherings we had over the years. I will always treasure those times.
Those pictures are fabulous!! I love them. I lived in Greece as a child and have lived so much of what you wrote. 🙂
This brings a smile to my face 🙂
I love the close ups of the designs and textures!
Holy cow! So vintage! This is funny!