When we moved to our current place, we brought up some large, simply designed, impressively modern pieces of furniture from E.’s parents’ house. They made my threadbare couch and inherited easy chairs look like the work of decorating amateurs. I realized that we would have to approach decoration in a more serious way than the previous places had required.
Feeling out of my depth, I started reading home decorating magazines. So far, they’ve been no help. They’re fun to read, but for the most part they remain impractical—impossible fantasies packaged for consumption--nothing really to do with my life.
Whatever the “before and after” pictures look like, they’re not as interesting as the real stories of what happens in the places where people live. By nature of living here, we will impose our tastes and styles on this place, but it will shape our experience, too—and that is the process that interests me.
Two years later, it’s still too early to write the history of our current home. We’re learning the vicissitudes of home ownership, including property taxes, insurance costs, and the perpetual aggravation of having to maintain an old building. As for the future, I can only hope for good things.
And that’s what we all do: we hope. We make big plans. We see potential. We wonder if we shouldn’t just move somewhere else entirely. But for the moment, this is where we are.
Back by popular demand: The cats.
Molly (front) and Kitty ponder what it all means, when really, a sunny window sill is all you need.
I think your place looks just swell. It's fun to look at house porn, too, but in the end there's only so much you can do (and can afford to do) with the place where you live.
Loved reading this series, Anne.
Posted by: Laurie on December 11, 2003 09:10 PMKitty!
Is that chair a 'real' Eames?
Eric's parents' tastes were influential for me too, Anne. I someday aspire to that living room, maybe a bit brighter, but 'buy once and keep' is an underlying aspect of it.
Ya know?
Posted by: mike whybark on December 12, 2003 01:05 AMNo, we didn't have any real Eames chairs in our house - though my dad's brother Carroll (the architect) has one in his living room.
It is a great LR in that house, and one that I think AZ and I are also trying to recreate in spirit with our many books, bookcases, and the like.
Of course, I've always wanted to recreate your folks' breakfast nook, particularly the swedish pancakes with lemon and confectioners sugar.... Mmmmmmmm.
Posted by: Eric Sinclair on December 12, 2003 07:05 AMI rather think nick's couch and my electronic fippery rather bring the room down.
Also, without the massive china cabinet, cheese plate, liquor hutch, giant round foot, elephantine bit of lovely whatever it is, gravity is way off in the room. I often fall over upon entry.
I recall the rug cleaner coming for a visit when I first moved in. He was returning with the rugs which needed a clean. Badly. We brought in the various little ones, his massive bud in a baggie nearly falling out of his pocket (I felt like I should say something, "Dude, you're about to lose your weed" but is it appropriate to point out a fellow's drugs during a business transaction?).
Then we brought in the big one from the living room. He was extremely impressed and wondered if we had any idea what we had. After some discussion his (under) estimate of the price indicated that he had no idea what we had there.
Posted by: Chris Dent on December 12, 2003 02:12 PMI sit here reading the entries about Chicago to the sound of Manheim Steamroller's "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" and it seems very poignient somehow. Very poetic, especially this last post. I have enjoyed reading. I especially enjoyed the way you were able to pick some details to enliven the broader themes.
Posted by: Michelle on December 14, 2003 10:05 PMThanks, Michelle! I hope you have a festive holiday out under the lemon trees.
Posted by: Anne on December 15, 2003 07:29 PM