At least SOME people care about preserving historic architecture...

[catherine]

... but not Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger apparently. They razed a rare mid-century modern home in LA to replace it with a modern "farmhouse" mansion. I lot of people weren't happy about it. But if you read the article and the comments, you can see that the the architect's (Craig Elwood) daughter was actually pretty forgiving.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/chris-pratt-katherine-schwarzenegger-backlash-historic-la-home-demolition-215535741.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&segment_id&ncid=crm_19908-1202929-20240424-0&bt_user_id=DVWMjf%2FxdvNDcwAaz7cosXsgrlqNPEe4iueKV lDvcI59AAeoIqiyLT9SLvQh2LIp&bt_ts=1713963715959

[iris lilies]

... but not Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger apparently. They razed a rare mid-century modern home in LA to replace it with a modern "farmhouse" mansion. I lot of people weren't happy about it. But if you read the article and the comments, you can see that the the architect's (Craig Elwood) daughter was actually pretty forgiving.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/chris-pratt-katherine-schwarzenegger-backlash-historic-la-home-demolition-215535741.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&segment_id&ncid=crm_19908-1202929-20240424-0&bt_user_id=DVWMjf%2FxdvNDcwAaz7cosXsgrlqNPEe4iueKV lDvcI59AAeoIqiyLT9SLvQh2LIp&bt_ts=1713963715959

I know. I saw that headline story and I didn’t even go in to see what the house looked like before they took it down because it was too depressing to me.

the farmhouse trend is OVER in interiors, and it’s tragic that those exteriors are still being built lickety--split all over the place. The house across the street from us that is same era as mine was renovated into black-and-white farmhouse exterior complete with fake bits of stone.

Speaking of Los Angeles design, I’ve been addicted to Jeff Lewis and his antics in his past TV show called “Flipping Out “and his current one as well. But there’s no way I would hire him. One of his first renovations for his latest show where he works with Hollywood clients, he took a house that looked a lot like mine. It was a darling yellow clapboard cottage with picket fence, and he turned it into an awful dark depressing…thing.

oh by the way, we are now supposed to hate “orange floors “you know, those floors that are natural wood? They are what I call honey colored because that is naturally how God made that wood. But we are supposed to hate them! We are supposed to put in vinyl Plank floors (“luxury” haha what an oxymoron) that’s better than “orange!!!!!” Oh don’t get me started…..

and then the owner of the formerly cute
hollywood cottage just moved a year later anyway.ugh.I hate these people (even tho I actually like the lesbian comedian who owned the house.)

[iris lilies]

We spent the day in the city yesterday waiting for Lowe’s to come back and fix the windows they incorrectly installed in
february. It was a minor fix. Our 100 year old condo building requires 6 over 1 window panes, and Lowe’s mistakenly installed 6 over 6.

they just had to pop out the bottom insert, not a big deal, but it took months for them to make the replacement windows and return to install. Meanwhile we appeased the Condo Board by assuring them we are complying with the program, just need to wait a bit…

Our window guy thought he was commiserating with us about the silly requirement but ummm, nope! I want this reasonable accommodation to the historic character of our building. They are not requiring wood windows whoch was a requirement in my old neighborhood.

[Rogar]

I'm hardly the fashion guy, but it seems odd to have floors that look like wood, but are just plastic.

This home was featured in the local paper as "architectural archeology". A full restoration back to mid-century modern. An extreme example, but mid-century is pretty big around here as far as I can see.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/35-Eudora-St-Denver-CO-80220/13395823_zpid/

[iris lilies]

I'm hardly the fashion guy, but it seems odd to have floors that look like wood, but are just plastic.

This home was featured in the local paper as "architectural archeology". A full restoration back to mid-century modern. An extreme example, but mid-century is pretty big around here as far as I can see.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/35-Eudora-St-Denver-CO-80220/13395823_zpid/

That is quite a house! I’m not sure I like the lime green paint accents but on the other hand, maybe they are OK.

Mid-century modern is a classic, handsome style and I respect it. It’s been at top of trend for quite a while among the millennials and Gen Xers. The younger generations, what are they Z? are into retro Memphis style (from the 80’s) and also this style called “grand millenial” which is like your grandma’s house, the grandma who had poor taste.

In my own house I’m striving for classic English cottage style, so I look at the recent trend of “cottage core” of course, but it’s too twee for me. It’s full of junkie crap that you buy at those fake boutique stores where it’s all made in China, they are imitations of real cottage items.


I do like the natural, clean, and mostly colorless styles of Organic Modern and Boho as well.

[catherine]

That is a beautiful house! I am finding myself partial to orange as accents these days--not so much lime green.

My DD and DSIL--my artist and style couple== are totally into midcentury modern. My DD is desperately trying to find her way out of their starter home, and a few months ago I found them the perfect house--it was clean and in good shape, but all the original 70s elements intact, and she was so bummed that they aren't quite ready to move yet. She's the one who has glommed onto all of my MILs iconic 60s/70s stuff. My MIL never replaced anything in good working order no matter how out of fashion it was, such as:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1065187275/26-30-atomic-wall-clock-light-beam

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1089690687/vintage-floor-lamp-and-side-table-1960s

[iris lilies]

That is a beautiful house! I am finding myself partial to orange as accents these days--not so much lime green.

My DD and DSIL--my artist and style couple== are totally into midcentury modern. My DD is desperately trying to find her way out of their starter home, and a few months ago I found them the perfect house--it was clean and in good shape, but all the original 70s elements intact, and she was so bummed that they aren't quite ready to move yet. She's the one who has glommed onto all of my MILs iconic 60s/70s stuff. My MIL never replaced anything in good working order no matter how out of fashion it was, such as:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1065187275/26-30-atomic-wall-clock-light-beam

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1089690687/vintage-floor-lamp-and-side-table-1960s

That starbust clock is great. I will admit some years ago I couldn’t quite grok mid-century modern but now I like it. But don’t ask me to ever adopt 1970s Spanish/ gothic revival. Yet I see that creeping into decor posts on the web and oh my God, noooooo!

i have spoken several times about The Bedroom Set here belonging to DH, stored at his famiky farm for decades. Now. It sits in our garage. I would say it is circa 1972. It is hideous. I mean it’s kind of cool but it’s hideous for my 1940s house. Fortunately, there’s no way it fits because it’s made for long rectangular rooms and our cottage bungalow has little square rooms.

I think it will sit in our garage for quite some time .

[catherine]

There are a lot of ugly bedroom sets, which is why I don't like "sets" of anything. If you break them up, they may have some potential, based on individual merit and a lot of chalk paint.

Actually, I had a really ugly bedroom set, because we couldn't afford anything better. It was purchased from a discount furniture place in Florida, made of shiny white laminate. We actually sold it during The Purge, and we didn't pay anything for it to begin with, so that was a net win I guess.

[Rogar]

That is a beautiful house! I am finding myself partial to orange as accents these days--not so much lime green.

My DD and DSIL--my artist and style couple== are totally into midcentury modern. My DD is desperately trying to find her way out of their starter home, and a few months ago I found them the perfect house--it was clean and in good shape, but all the original 70s elements intact, and she was so bummed that they aren't quite ready to move yet. She's the one who has glommed onto all of my MILs iconic 60s/70s stuff. My MIL never replaced anything in good working order no matter how out of fashion it was, such as:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1065187275/26-30-atomic-wall-clock-light-beam

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1089690687/vintage-floor-lamp-and-side-table-1960s

Those are nice little accents.

If I remember right, one of the rooms in the house I mentioned had shag carpet. I didn't think I'd ever see that again! My home was built in 1951 and purchased from the second owners. It had not been updated for decades and there were certain MCM things that had to go. A work friend actually wanted the pink wash basin and toilet. There were some hanging light fixtures in different colored globes that would probably be worth something now, but had to go as did the kitchen wallpaper. I might have kept the avocado frig and the harvest gold countertops and stove, but they were getting old. I suspect those colors are coming back. When I pulled up the carpet there were oak floors that I don't think had ever been walked. Coved ceilings. It still has the long tubular metal chimes for a door bell. It would seem strange to live in a new place with everything modern.

[catherine]

When we moved into our NJ house in 1985 it was already very out-of-date with shag carpeting, ugly wallpaper murals, metallic wallpaper, and brown paneled family room walls. Because we didn't have money to update it--and also because, frankly, I'm a little like my MIL in that I also don't see the point of changing something just to keep up with the times--it stayed that way for several years. We finally painted and pulled up carpeting, etc. And now my son owns it, and there are no 70s artifacts there at all. I've given up expecting things to stay the same. Younger generations WILL think their parents stuff is ugly. Stylists WILL promote more "modern" decor. It's just a fact of life. I'm finally starting to accept it, but I still don't have to like it.

[iris lilies]

There are a lot of ugly bedroom sets, which is why I don't like "sets" of anything. If you break them up, they may have some potential, based on individual merit and a lot of chalk paint.

Actually, I had a really ugly bedroom set, because we couldn't afford anything better. It was purchased from a discount furniture place in Florida, made of shiny white laminate. We actually sold it during The Purge, and we didn't pay anything for it to begin with, so that was a net win I guess.

ummm… the bedroom set of DH is white-ish. I think it’s laminate.

and I am mourning Roger’s pink bathroom fixtures even if he is not. There’s an entire website devoted to pink bathrooms. I’m sad that I’m old enough now to know I will never have my own original pink bathroom.

[catherine]

There’s an entire website devoted to pink bathrooms. I’m sad that I’m old enough now to know I will never have my own original pink bathroom.

Aren't you referring to "dusty rose"--not "pink"? My bathroom fixtures (toilet, sink, tub) were that color.

[Rogar]

ummm… the bedroom set of DH is white-ish. I think it’s laminate.

and I am morning Rogers pink bathroom fixtures even if he is not. There’s an entire website devoted to pink bathrooms. I’m sad that I’m old enough now to know I will never have my own original pink bathroom.

Well, I did keep the pink bathroom tiles. Or maybe they are dusty rose. And also the harvest gold kitchen tiles. It's possible the preference for pink might be gender related.

I rented a small house for years before buying my first house when I was a bit over 50 under the illusion I could save enough to pay cash or mostly cash and avoid debt and interest. I guess that's sort of a simple living thing but housing prices were going up much faster than I could save. So when I bought my house as a fixer-upper it was affordable and in a good neighborhood and without a huge loan. The trends probably make it a little more desirable now, but it's far from a MCM showpiece. I would never turn the page back, but do miss the freedom of renting some days.

[bae]

I recently worked out that if I sold my current home I could stay at an AirBnB every day for the rest of my life with the proceeds, and never run out of cash. The temptation to insanely simplify my life is strong, especially after having a water heater explode (seam ripped open on the side as I was watching) and my heating system boiler explode (well, all the pressure relief valves popped, again while I was watching, as the boiler had stuck itself on "on" and was running steam through my warm-water hydronic heating system).

Getting those fixed in a timely fashion and cleaning up the mess has me thinking...

[catherine]

I am finding that selling and renting is a strategy that some of my financially well-off senior friends are employing. My SIL (who is recently widowed) had moved with my brother from a beautiful home on a river to a small 2 bedroom apartment in a senior community. Now that my brother is gone, she is "trading down" and moving to a 1 bedroom in the same complex. Another friend who has a beautiful house here in the islands is planning on selling and renting a retirement place in Rhode Island.

This seems so counterintuitive to me--I find comfort in knowing that once the house is paid off, there's only the taxes to worry about, keeping my monthly living expenses low. But OTOH, the house does represent a nice pool of cash once liquidated. Maybe that will be the solution for. DH and I someday, but not quite yet.

[Rogar]

I am still enjoying home ownership after so man years of renting and not being able to personalize the surroundings. I do have to say that my house problems and upkeep have tended to migrate from< I can do that, to I'll call the guy. I've probably lost a little sleep over plumbing problems or changes in a 1950's house where the pipe joints and valves are corroded or crusted over with water deposits, replacement parts could be hard to find, and clay sewer lines are collapsing. It just goes with the territory.

[happystuff]

I'm one of those that is pretty much over home-ownership - at least, THIS house. It is too old and requires too much maintenance which both dh and I are not able to/have no desire to do ourselves. It is too big and I'm so ready to downsize. I have started to look around and even small homes around here are way more than we paid for this house! And rents are soooooo high! I just don't know how people do it! But, the hunt continues and we'll land somewhere. (Thanks for the little bit of rant. LOL)