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Thread: And now for something different

  1. #11
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Bob Cassily also came out of this neighborhood. He is the mad genius behind City Museum and he was The most enthusiastic and important salvager of architectural elements ever born.

    https://www.citymuseum.org/about-us/gallery/

    Bob’s ex-wife Gail, another artist, was close friends with Jim King;they lived half a block from each other.

    there’s so much artistic energy and talent born my neighborhood. I get nostalgic and weepy thinking about those people of my generation now moving on to artistic endeavors in the sky.

    Edited to add: I can’t get images load these days
    , I guess our Internet connection is crappy.

  2. #12
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by razz View Post

    Using this home, not to disparage anyone but as an example to trigger discussion, do our homes express who we are?
    I definitely see homes as a form of self-expression. I think that's why I hate shows on HGTV: they are ALL beige, the furniture is ALL out of Wayfair or a place like that. The owners/buyers only want to strip the homes of any interesting architectural feature. I've often said to DH that I'd hate to have an HGTV designer come in and strip out all my stuff and replace it with a bunch of crap from HomeGoods. And they always leave that one personal item: a framed wedding photo, or a letter from a dead grandparent to give it a shred of sentimentality.

    My son tells me about a girlfriend he had who told him once, "Your apartment is so YOU." He took it as a compliment: his one-bedroom apartment is simple, in an old Victorian house with dark moulding, with walls covered with beautiful paintings and drawings and photos and other ephemera given to him by friends. I would hope someone would say the same thing about me. I want my home to be my form of self-expression. Kind of a happy, warm coat made of 4 walls to wrap around me.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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  3. #13
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    I’m sad that the new kitchens of my friends all use the same material: white shaker cabinets. Check. Subway tile. Check.Quartz countertop that mimics marble. Check.Two of the three of these guys are Design aficionados. Design is important to them.

    One of these friends who has wonderful decor had stunning, absolutely iconic red lacquer kitchen cabinets that were on a track so they moved back-and-forth. There was no real point to the movement except that it was cool. This red kitchen was many years ago and now he installed the standard kitchen that everyone must have. Sigh.

    This and two other kitchens just like it caused me to stay away from white cabinets. I was mindful of someone here who commented : if you avoid a trend for something you really like, you are still allowing it to influence you.This is astute, granted.

    I cannot bring myself to install white shaker kitchen cabinets even though I do like them, and they are so fresh looking.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by razz View Post
    Interesting thought. Do we see our homes expressing who we are? Or, are the contents simply a collection of stuff reflecting our interests over the years?

    Using this home, not to disparage anyone but as an example to trigger discussion, do our homes express who we are?
    I think my home "used" to express who I was... "was" being the key word here. I've changed but my home no longer feels like "me"... if that makes sense. I've changed through the years, but my home has not and I'm ready to move on.
    To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." Mahatma Gandhi
    Be nice whenever possible. It's always possible. HH Dalai Lama
    In a world where you can be anything - be kind. Unknown

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by iris lilies View Post
    Bob Cassily also came out of this neighborhood. He is the mad genius behind City Museum and he was The most enthusiastic and important salvager of architectural elements ever born.

    https://www.citymuseum.org/about-us/gallery/

    Bob’s ex-wife Gail, another artist, was close friends with Jim King;they lived half a block from each other.

    there’s so much artistic energy and talent born my neighborhood. I get nostalgic and weepy thinking about those people of my generation now moving on to artistic endeavors in the sky.

    Edited to add: I can’t get images load these days
    , I guess our Internet connection is crappy.
    The lady who bought my house in SC was close friends with Bob Cassily.

  6. #16
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    As for our home reflecting who we are: I like to think I am a Chamaeleon who can live in many styles of house and I will create an interior that is appropriate for that house. The decor is about me but it is also about the basic structure.


    This is what I like to think but who knows if it’s really true.


    I’m looking forward to moving out of my Victorian townhouse Which I love due to DH is carpentry work into a country cottage as well as a tiny sophisticated city condo. To me these are three very different spaces.

  7. #17
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tybee View Post
    The lady who bought my house in SC was close friends with Bob Cassily.
    It’s a small world! I,used to half way believe that lafayette Square,my neighborhood, was the center of the universe. I think it’s not far off. Egotistical? You bet! Haha.

  8. #18
    Senior Member KayLR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by happystuff View Post
    I think my home "used" to express who I was... "was" being the key word here. I've changed but my home no longer feels like "me"... if that makes sense. I've changed through the years, but my home has not and I'm ready to move on.
    HS this is SO me, too. I could have written the title of the "I Hate My House" thread. My house does not reflect me whatsoever. However, maybe it does. It's not pulled together, not organized and not tranquil. So maybe it IS me, but not who I wish to be. How much of that affects who I am right now (reversing the thought).
    My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already!

  9. #19
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    The St Louis City Museum is an amazing place. Thanks for the link to have fun exploring its history.

    Having given more thought to 'does my home express me", I agree with Catherine. It does and it was fun walking the dog and thinking about it.
    Happy Stuff is correct that because none of us stands still, it is to be expected that our house will evolve as well.

    Looking at the two properties in the original post and examining my reaction to them and comparing to mine, my house needs to be clutter-free ( I wish it was usually but I love it when it is).

    I see my house has NO curtains as IMO they are messy dust collectors, intrude into the space and limit the light coming in. I have outdoor roll-up shutters for privacy, temperature control and security for large windows and simple blinds elsewhere.

    I see wall colours as the picture frame of the contents so prefer serene neutral shades. The contents provide the colour accents and focus with again simplicity.

    Nothing extra or of any great significance in contents but valued just the same.

    Maybe that total picture of the house does express me along with my gardens - simple, unique with colourful accents. Fun to explore.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

  10. #20
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    My brother lives in University City and walks to his office in Clayton a few blocks away. Their house is probably in the 4000sf range so way too big for two old people. The doorways are all gothic shaped archways as are all the bathtub enclosures. I love that era of houses and I can understand them not wanting to leave that leafy beautiful neighborhood of stately houses.

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