What happens when an architect/preservationist and a city planner/1980s-obsessive move in together? Well, we’re not yet sure what to call it, but it’s very special. After their wedding, Jonathan and Meg wanted “something that already had authenticity,” says Meg, who runs 80s_deco, but also “something that we wouldn’t feel too bad about messing with,” says Jonathan. An 1896 house filled with quirky details fit the bill, and would be the perfect envelope for the couple’s extensive archive of design pieces. “We’re not shy about bringing in new things that help it look old,” says Jonathan about the home, which he says embraces “fake authenticity.” In fact, the mix of styles and colors creates just enough chaos to let design artifacts from any era play well together. For Jonathan—a cofounder of preservationfutures—the question of what society keeps is an important one. He’s interested in “expanding preservation beyond an approach that imagines a special, frozen moment in which buildings are...