there were . . .
telephones with cords. Unless you had a telephone with an extra long cord (like my aunt who loved to chatter), you had to stay next to the telephone to carry on a conversation. This charcoal gray grid design reminds me of a vinyl covered kitchen chair that sat next to our telephone when I was growing up. I can still feel the vinyl's texture -- rough and nubby. Use the zoom view on this design and you can see the texture.