To the editor: The muffled groans of prospective tenants complaining about their new, dull, yet functional, gray apartments perfectly reflect the arrogance and entitlement of the Los Angeles metropolitan region. (“'Soulless' gray vinyl floors have infested L.A. rental market, and tenants hate them,” August 9)
As these tenants searched for a place to rent, they likely passed one of the numerous homeless encampments and poor workers commuting to their second or third jobs of the day. The fact that no one in the article took the time to do a little introspection says a lot about their mental state.
A word of advice: save your money to buy flooring that your delicate sensibilities can handle, keep your privileges in check, and address some real issues in your life.
Alex Lemus, Anaheim
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To the editor: Think gray vinyl flooring is the only soulless trend in real estate? Try the paint job. All the remodeled homes for sale or rent in my neighborhood are white with black trim and laminate wood siding. You can blame “Fixer Upper” couple Chip and Joanna Gaines for that.
There are probably black countertops and white tiles in the kitchen. Maybe one wall has chalkboard paint. No, wait: chalkboard paint was all the rage in the 2010s.
It's always been a soulless place. In the 2000s, there was an excess of beige with black accents. In the 90s, there was peach stucco, fake arched windows and Kokopelli. And in the 80s? Patrick Nagel prints nailed to the walls, black metal futons and, at worst, carpeting.
If you live in a carpeted apartment for a year, you'll be asking for gray vinyl.
And what about that company GLB Properties you mention in your article for going against the grey trend? Check out their website. It's grey.
Susan Isaacs, Sierra Madre
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To the editor: The person who wrote this article either hates the color grey or gives in to the modern desire of today's young people and professionals to do something unique rather than something conventional. In either case, the bias is evident.
Eight years ago I moved into a new house, gutted it and put in grey floors because I love grey as a base colour as well as white walls. Clearly it is a matter of taste and colours, which go in and out of popularity.
I can understand that you want your home to be unique rather than boring or ordinary. But that can be achieved with furniture, pictures on the walls and other decorative elements.
Just as a white canvas provides a base for an artist to use, any neutral colored flooring in a home is a foundation for creating a unique space. No one would walk into my home with gray flooring and say it's not unique.
Chele Marmet, Los Angeles
