Mid-Century Modern
Mar 17th 2010
Claudia DainClaudia Dain & My Life As A Plebe
I’m going to apologize right here and now for you readers outside of the USA. You might not know about the current US craze for mid-century modern architecture and decor. Then again, do you? Is mid-century modern the thing in Germany and Turkey and Australia? Did your mid-century modern look like my mid-century modern?
Can you tell I’m a bit, oh, perplexed by the mid-century modern craze?
The thing is this: I was a kid during mid-century (modern!) and I lived in a house that would today be all the rage because it is classic mid-century modern architecture. And my parent’s old house would need to be practically gutted to look like today’s imaginary vision of mid-century modern, which sort of begs the question: what IS mid-century modern if it has to be totally redone to be mid-century modern?
I get the feeling I’ve talked myself into a corner. If me, then the entire design/architecture world!
The real mid-century modern has an open floor plan in the living areas, average sized bedrooms, medium sized closets, small bathrooms with colored ceramic tile and chrome faucets, a kitchen with colored tile and matching colored appliances (yellow was extremely popular, as was pink, and mocha brown–white tile and appliances were considered old-fashioned and blah) and linoleum (no wax!) floors. Mid-century modern had see-through fireplaces and built in dressing tables in the master bedrooms and bedrooms with one window. Real mid-century modern homes were built for a family of four with three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a two car garage. There were few area rugs, throw pillows were nearly non-existent, and curtains were sheer to give light control on the huge picture windows. The ceilings were acoustic, which today they call “popcorn.” In the mid-century everyone thought those bumpy ceilings (sometimes with gold glitter thrown in for extra glam) were great because they cut down on sound reverberation in all that open floor plan.
Today’s mid-century modern means shopping all over town for a house that was built in the fifties and sixties in this basic style, ripping out the bathrooms and the kitchen down to the studs. Granite! Marble! Limestone! Stainless steel fixtures and appliances! Windows are added and the floor space is doubled. They have granite islands. The kitchen counter tops are poured concrete. The floors are limestone. The backslash is glass mosaic tile. The cabinets are bamboo. The bedrooms are enlarged. The bathrooms are now huge with a four person, eight nozzle shower, a jetted tub for two, two sinks, a skylight, and a closet that will host a party of eight. The popcorn ceilings are replaced with smooth, the linoleum (still no wax!) is thrown into the nearest dumpster, and a huge addition is added where the garage used to be to house an extra large bedroom and an extra large bath or a room to hold a flat screen television for watching the Rat Pack take Las Vegas.
When the dust settles, they sit back and smile, proudly admiring their authentic mid-century modern house.
What’s your favorite architectural style? Do you like mid-century modern? What style house or apartment do you live in now?
67 Comments »
67 Responses to “Mid-Century Modern”
Dianna on 17 Mar 2010 at 4:19 am #
I have a tiny little house that was built in the early 40’s, 1942 to be exact. One closet which was an addition and has NO insulation which means I can freeze meat in there during the winter. Small, small rooms that won’t hold a bedroom suite without damage to shins and toes. I have seen apartments bigger than my house. The elderly lady that lived here before me actually raised 3 children in this house but I have yet to figure out how unless she put them in the basement. I went from 3 huge bedrooms, a 24 ft living room, eat in kitchen, two baths, and laundry room to two small bedrooms, 1 bath, closet sized kitchen. If I am cooking, don’t come in there, there is only room for one. The laundry is downstairs in the basement and you can’t get there from the inside of the house. One good thing though it is insulated well (except for that lonely little closet) and I don’t worry so much about the heating.
My favorite architecture is the old huge homes where the furniture was huge and heavy and the rooms were big enough to hold it all. I know they have to be remodeled to some degree and insulation is usually non-existent but the room to move is lovely.
cail on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:36 am #
I can’t believe that’s coming back! ::shudder::
I’m partial to old New England victorians. My parents have one and my paternal grandparents do. They are just lovely. Old plantation houses are also my style with sweeping stairs etc. I like things old fashioned.
Can you tell why I would hate the mid cent modern houses?
Jamie on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:37 am #
I like traditional, cottage and colonial style of furnishings. I live in a Cape Cod style house. It, like the house you grew up in is literally “mid-century modern”. It was built in the early-mid 1950s. My parents moved into it in late 1955 or early 1956. I arrived in 1962. My bedroom is 10′ x 10′ with what people today would call tiny, too.
I LOVE watching HGTV and seeing what people like and dislike. Mom and I sometimes mock the people on House Hunters and say things BEFORE they say them. The one thing I don’t care much for one the house shows is that they take a cottage/traditional style and say it is out dated, won’t sell and rip it all out. Paint or cover the fireplace and make EVERYTHING comtemporary. Hey, a lot of people may LOVE contemporary, but that is not everyone.
What I like is when the designer listens to the owner of the house and then delivers what they ask for. If that person wants to paint and rip out that great looking fireplace, so be it.
LoriHandeland on 17 Mar 2010 at 6:19 am #
I don’t know anything about architecture. The house in the B & W photo looks like ours on the outside so maybe I have one of those mid century deals. We have the 3 bedrooms. The baths were tile. The kitchen was yellow and green, with green appliances when we moved in.
We’ve pretty much gutted the place.
What I would LIKE to have is a two story house. I’ve never lived in one and always wanted to. My hope is that having an office upstairs while everyone is “living” downstairs would be a lot more quiet than having my office right in the center of the house. On the left of me the living room and on the right the kitchen and everyone has to walk right past my door to get between the two. Very busy.
Margaret on 17 Mar 2010 at 6:42 am #
There are just some things that should never be allowed to come around again. Mid-century modern being one of them. And the uncomfortable furniture that went with them.
I, too, love watching the House Hunter people and enjoy making fun of their snooty comments. It cracks me up that a 4-5 year old appliance is outdated. I have appliance older than several of my grandchildren and they still do the job.
My least favorite decoration are those bathroom sink “bowls” that sit on top of the counter. All I can think of it how hard are they to clean around the bottom. Not easy, I’ll bet.
Michelle B on 17 Mar 2010 at 7:05 am #
My parents built a ranch style house, similar to your picture, in ‘69. DD#1 is living in it now. I still wonder how my Mom cooked in that house. Two small counters and not enough cupboards. Small pantry too.
My last house was a brick Tudor style, that I liked. It was built in the early 40’s on an Air Force base and had been renovated a couple of times, so best of both worlds. They are considered historical homes.
Now I am in my favorite, a traditional 2 story with 5 bedrooms, MBR on the main floor, hard wood floors downstairs to include the kitchen. I had to laugh at the “popcorn ceilings”. We have them, and it bugs DH to no end. It’s the first thing he wants to change about this house.
SheridanLA on 17 Mar 2010 at 7:12 am #
I am in the land of mid-century modern…and I am with you, the idea of how it looked vs reality is a bit skewed. I like life in a home… warmth and comfort. I have friends who have the redecorated and gutted mid-century moderns – and while they are lovely, I have no desire to live in it. I am told it is for those who love good design. I love good design, but what I am seeing is a whole lot of sterile looking homes that do not feel welcoming. bleh.
for giggles, check out http://www.unhappyhipsters.com
I have never really been able to settle on my own favorite style. I loved the furniture I saw in Thailand and still have hopes of collecting lots of teak… I also love all the fabrics and silks that are more Moroccan and Indian..then add in my eclectic color and decoration doodads (lots of images from travels, etc) and I am all over the place.
My crappy little apartment now has pink tile and a pink stove and pink oven.. the bathroom is aqua. It was built in 1963. Some nice storage features in it, but I could deal with a few additions (like a ceiling fan or something to stir the air – no AC and I don’t catch a breeze)
ladydawgfan on 17 Mar 2010 at 7:14 am #
We live in a ca. 1960’s Cape Cod style house. The only changes that have been made are the addition of a garage off of the kitchen and a covered deck to the back of the house with a French door connecting the dining room to the deck. The bedrooms are tiny, the closets almost non-existent, the kitchen doesn’t have room for a dishwasher, the living room is miniscule, and the laundry is in the basement, but it is home.
My favored style of design is more of a Country Colonial, with large bedrooms, open floorplan, lots of large windows to let in plenty of light, covered porches for outdoor living space, and a hidden garage.
I can’t stand the current trend in design in most subdivisions where all you see is a row of garages with houses stuck to the back of them. WHY???? The garage is the ugliest part of the house!! Why make it the most prominent???
Sarah on 17 Mar 2010 at 7:28 am #
I grew up in a four square house, something from the 1920’s ish. It has 4 rooms downstairs that are each separate but open into each other. It made a great running path for 2 kids, a dog, and cat to play
. The downside was no entry way into the house. I really like entry ways.
I’m probably a freak in the realestate world because I HATE open floor plans with a passion. I want each room to have a clear beginning and end and purpose. I do loved the trend for big kitchens with lots of counter space. In my current rental, I only have about 2 feet of counter beside the sink and then the oven.
Amanda on 17 Mar 2010 at 7:36 am #
The thing I love about mid-century modern is that the garage is on the opposite sides of the bedrooms. If hubby wants to be out working in the garage late at night, kids and I don’t have to worry about him making a lot of noise with his saws or whatever he happens to be building. Mid century modern also includes drive ways, which means the garage can be a work shop, and there is room to park the car in the drive. While I can’t add any more space to the bedrooms, or the bathrooms, we did do extensive remodeling in the home to get a more open feeling and gained acres of counter tops.
Rachel Gibson on 17 Mar 2010 at 7:39 am #
My tastes are very eclectic. My favs are Asian and Tuscan. My least fav is probably American Southwest. I love the architecture but am not a fan of skulls and Kokopelli.
Freshechelle on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:04 am #
I’d like me a nice ol’ Carolina single house. They’re the traditional old homes you find in Charleston with a piazza (porch) running along the length of the house on both levels. I really just like the name of the architectural style since the houses while lovely are 1 room wide (city living). I also like Hudson River Bracketed only because of the name, it was an Edith Wharton novel. You could
Kay on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:25 am #
I like Tudor homes, brick homes and log homes. And when I say log homes, I don’t mean Abraham Lincoln log cabins, I mean LOG homes. I once saw this cable program on one of those “this is too expensive for you channels” up in the Rockies or some mountain place. Anyway, the “estate” had a bunch of little log houses and each one of the houses was some kind of room but they weren’t attached to each other. They were all of course beautiful, but I wondered about the trek from one room to the other in winter.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:28 am #
Dianna, my grandmother lived in a house like yours, only it was built in the early 20s. Two bed and one bath, tiny kitchen, living room and dining room. That’s it. My grandparents bought it as their retirement house in the early 50s, but I know it was a family house before that. I don’t know how they did it, except that it was so darn cute you =wanted= to live in it. My husband and I were talking just the other day about how we wish we could have bought that house. We would have needed to add on to make it work for a family of five, but it was just so appealing that you wanted to. Some houses just have that *it* factor.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:29 am #
Cail, right. If you love Victorian, mid-century modern would not be a good fit. Exact opposites!
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:30 am #
Jamie, yes!! I so agree. Not everyone likes the modern look. If you do, great. But to rip out and modernize in the new version of modern is not a Universal Gift to every buyer.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:32 am #
Lori, it’s true that multiple floors cut down on noise, and dirt. The dirt tends to stay localized. But it’s a bear sometimes to cart things (like laundry) from one floor to another. The words, “I think I left that downstairs” get to be a signal for pain. *g*
Julia London on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:33 am #
The mid-century house I grew up in had indoor/outdoor carpet in the kitchen. I kid you not. I guess I don’t need to add that the appliances and countertops were avocado green.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:33 am #
Margaret, YES!! I completely agree. Those raised bowl sinks…all that splashing water! All that crud that’s going to build up around that sink. Plus, I’m so short I wonder how I’m supposed to bend over and wash my face…I’d have to stand on a stool! LOL
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:35 am #
Julia, my sister, my mom put indoor/outdoor carpet in her kitchen in CT, a colonial style house, because it was so cold and she didn’t want to wash floors anymore. LOL Our i/o carpet was red. What color was yours?
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:37 am #
MichelleB, yes, they were a little skimpy on kitchen counters back in the day, by today’s standards. First, it was a one person kitchen. Second, they used the kitchen table as a prep zone. I can still remember my dad turning the meatballs on the electric skillet at the kitchen table while my mom worked at the stove. Ah, memories.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:38 am #
Sheridan, that’s it. The fight between good design and comfort. To me, it can’t be good design if it’s not comfortable. Contradiction in terms.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:40 am #
Ladydawg, YES, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES, YES!!! Why, why, WHY put the garage front and center?? It defies all logic.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:42 am #
Sarah, welcome to my fold!! I am also one of the rare few who doesn’t like an open floor plan. It’s SO hard to find a new house with actual rooms nowadays. I don’t WANT the kitchen to be a part of the family room and the living room to be part of the dining room and the foyer to be the biggest (unusable) room in the house. I want rooms! I’m no fool. I know two-by-fours and drywall cost money. Labor cost money. It’s an evil trick for builders to convince us we want open floor plans, all the while they’ve cut their cost by tens of thousands. When I buy a house, I WANT WALLS!!
LOL
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:44 am #
Amanda, so true. My parent’s mid-cent mod was exactly the same way. Lovely utility room right off the kitchen, too, that connected to the outside and the garage. And the garage was rear entry, meaning you had to go to the back of the house to get in. Talk about making the garage low-visual!
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:45 am #
Rachel, the one style of house I’d love to live in and never will is Japanese. I love the clean lines, the heavy timbers, the emphasis on views of nature. Someday, maybe if I move to an island in the Pacific…
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:46 am #
Fresh, oh, I am so with you. Those houses are lovely.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:47 am #
Kay, you can still find Tudor and Log around, can’t you? I think they were super popular in the 70s, meaning they should still be in okay shape if you could find one.
Janae on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:57 am #
I live in a ranch house built in 1961. When we moved in the stove and oven were turquoise. We had to replace them because they didn’t work properly. You had to use a lighter to light the stove. The linoleum looked like someone splattered olive green and navy blue paint on a dingy white background. It was hideous.
Favorite architectural styles – bungalow, Prairie style, Greek revival farmhouse, Georgian, Queen Anne and Italianate Victorian, Tudor, and storybook. There’s a gorgeous storybook house about 5 minutes from my children’s elementary school that has the most amazing view of the Santa Monica Bay, Malibu, and the LA Basin. Least favorite – adobe, and any new tract housing built in the OC – it’s just bad architecture and has no style, despite what my bil and sil think.
Pesky on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:57 am #
That’s not mid century anything! That’s just well…get a house and modernize it. Basically it was the post wwII building boom house that is practically a blank palate because it lends itself to decks, gardens, porches, open floor plans and taking down that institutional or avocado green/dusty pink tile and putting in modern tile (I guess that’s where the modern comes in).
I have two favorite forms of architecture:
1. Victorian: I love the huge windows and unexpected spaces in a victorian, there’s always a nook to hide away and read a book or a place to imagine children playing hide and seek. The tin celings are so beautiful as well.
2. English/Irish Cottage: For one person it’s perfect, two bedrooms, living room huge, kitchen/dining area together. Garden and patio outside. Placed in the perfect area, it never fails to bring that “gotta have it” feeling to me.
Pesky on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:58 am #
Hey Kay!
We have a bunch of log home builders up by us if you are looking. They do post and lintel work that’s gorgeous!
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 9:18 am #
Janae, you like a lot! That has to make house shopping easier for you. I would die to see that storybook house with the LA views!!! Oh, wow, that house must be worth a huge fortune.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 9:22 am #
Pesky, I think, judging from my parents, that the appeal of mid-century modern was that the rooms were large compared to the houses they grew up in. It’s all a comparison game. The kitchens were HUGE compared to what their moms had sweated in. I’m wondering when the appeal (and necessity) of large bedrooms and bathrooms came in. It’s recent in history, I think. Maybe sometime in the 80s? It seems that houses built in the 70s had “normal” sized bedrooms, like 10X12 or thereabouts. And one bath for all the kids was considered normal until very, very recently, like the last 15 years or so.
Nicole Jordan on 17 Mar 2010 at 9:37 am #
We’ve always liked contemporary styles… which isn’t easy to find in a lot of places we’ve lived! “Ski logde” works for us.
I love looking at the English manor house/cottage styles though.
Karen Rose on 17 Mar 2010 at 9:53 am #
What? What is this mid-century modern? It’s like a scary and unfamiliar language.
I live in a one story house with concrete block construction, covered in stucco. Initially I thought it was totally ugly, but came to respect the design when I lived through my first very bad hurricane season. Concrete blocks are good.
It’s rather sprawling and I’m getting ready to completely re-do the inside. I’ll have a cool bathroom and lots of bookshelves. Oh, and two microwave ovens. The decorator worries about everything else, LOL.
The outside stucco will need to be painted soon. I’m thinking about flamingo pink. In my neighborhood, it would work.
Pesky on 17 Mar 2010 at 10:38 am #
hmmm, could be Claudia. I’m not sure about the bathrooms either. While I like the idea of the huge bathtub to soak in, it’s very seldom I have the time to. If I can run in take a shower and clean up I’m good.
However, I also have a vanity table in my room to put on my makeup and do my hair, which cuts down the bathroom time considerably.
While I can’t see the appeal of mid-century modern, doesn’t mean I don’t understand other people’s desire for it.
LisaK on 17 Mar 2010 at 11:03 am #
I’m actually not very good when it comes to architecture but what I can say is that mid-century isn’t modern in Germany atm. I think here it still depends on where exactly in Germany you’re living. In southern Bavaria and Austria (okay, that’s not Germany, but the two are closely connected) there’s a totally different style of architecture than only in the north of Bavaria (which isn’t that far away) or even northern Germany. However, sometimes they (mostly people that aren’t from here) build strange, really, really modern houses, with (too!) much glass and steel and grey and very boring in general. You can imagine that doesn’t fit the general architecture here at all but well, what shall one do?
Btw, I’ve never before heard of that mid-century modern thing and if you hadn’t explained it I wouldn’t have known what it meant at all (mid-century here was very different from mid-century in the US, you can imagine), but now I feel really clever because I’ve again learnt something!
Janae on 17 Mar 2010 at 11:58 am #
Claudia, that house has multi-million dollar views. The house next door is going for $2.1 million. It’s no where near as charming as the storybook house and not quite the same view. While I tell my dh that I would LOVE to live in it, part of me can’t imagine living in a house (mansion) that big.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 12:17 pm #
Nicole, I like some contemporary styles, but some are too sterile for me. There’s such a wide range in contemporary! Which is a good thing.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 12:19 pm #
Karen, two microwaves? That’s a new trend I’m seeing. Is it because people use microwaves the way they used to use ovens? Congrats on the re-do! That should be exciting!
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 12:21 pm #
Pesky, I remember so clearly my mom telling me that a full bath was one with a bathtub and a three/quarter bath was one with just a shower. Half bath=toilet and sink. The delineations were so clear! Nowadays a shower only bath counts as a full bath. I just can’t make my head go there. I want a full bath!
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 12:22 pm #
LisaK, I love hearing about the architecture of other countries, so thank you! I learned something today as well!
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 12:23 pm #
Oh, come on, Janae, imagine it.
Everything in the imagination is free and doesn’t require any maintenance.
Pesky on 17 Mar 2010 at 12:34 pm #
Lisa H on 17 Mar 2010 at 1:12 pm #
I live in a 100 year old Victorian home. I absolutely love it. Yes, our kitchen and bathrooms have been gutted to the studs and re-done in an Italian feel decor. I like to personalize my spaces. I love my 100 year old home and would change nothing except to add central air if possible.
jackie on 17 Mar 2010 at 1:18 pm #
I like Victoria – large rooms, large windows, high ceilings, wrap around porches, formal living and dining rooms, hard wood floors, a fireplace in every room with lots and lots of gingerbread on the exterior.
Solveig on 17 Mar 2010 at 1:44 pm #
If it wasn´t bad for the health I would live in an old fashion turf house, built with rock, turf and wood. :Ö) http://www.blog.designsquish.com/images/uploads/turf-house_thumb.jpg
Kathy on 17 Mar 2010 at 1:57 pm #
I can understand 2 dishwasher, or 2 ovens, but why would you need 2 microwaves?
I’ve lived in victorian, stucco square, and split level hoems. none of which were decorated in modern ways. i’ve house sat at an Estonian woman’s home, who embraced the non comfy chair lifestyle of hard swedish design. yuck.
my apt hosue is not a victorian, but it is 100 yrs old. i’ve got 9ft ceiling in most of my rooms, wand 12 ft in my bedroom. old fashioned rads- I love those clunky things and so does my cat who takes one over in the winter; pushing any bathroom related thing off the shelf and stretching her full length to get all the warmth.
When I lived in Trinidad as a teen, we had no bathtubs in any of the 3 homes we lived in. always shower stalls.
kind of cool, actually, made all of tiles, with a tiny wall only 5 inches high to keep the water from going all over the floor. there were tiles all through the bathroom so that part doesn’t make sense to me now, especially remembering the drains were in the main part and the shower stall as well.and one home had a living room that was open to the outside, with only wrought iron bars at the top of the walls- easy for bats to fly in.and they did
Kathy on 17 Mar 2010 at 1:59 pm #
also, my dad was an architectural engineer. so while I got to see lots of styles, we didn’;t have to live in ones my mom didn’t like.
lol
Janae on 17 Mar 2010 at 3:31 pm #
Ok, Claudia, I can imagine it maintenance free.:) I’ll even take up tennis to make the most of the tennis court in the backyard.
Janae on 17 Mar 2010 at 3:33 pm #
Or maybe I’ll put in a pool, so I can have a cute pool guy. Oh, and a live in housekeeper is a must.
Paula on 17 Mar 2010 at 3:45 pm #
When I was growing up we lived in a huge Georgian Farmhouse, with high ceilings and in the downstairs 2 living rooms and the dining room there were fireplaces. it even had a cellar that back in those days were the kitchens and store and the larger of the 2 cellars still had the old fireplace. I never really appreciated it as a child but now that it is no longer in the family I miss it and appreciate how lucky I was to grow up in a house of those proportions.
My DH and I live in a house that was bulit in the late 60’s (1967/68 to be precise) the rooms are quite large and the main bonus is that it has a big back garden. We have extended to add a master bedroom and a family room downstairs. I like the older style of house and would buy an older house over a modern one anyday.
A lot of the houses that are built in the Uk nowadays have small rooms and tiny gardens. The larger houses (4 beds +) tend to have slightly bigger rooms but generally small/tiny gardens.
Lisa K I love the traditional houses that are commonplace in Bavaria and Austria. I have never been in one but would love to they fascinate me.
Sabrina Jeffries on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:02 pm #
It would help if I knew what you were talking about. *G* You know me, I know nothing whatsoever about style or fashion. But I can’t imagine liking a 50’s style house. Just can’t imagine it. I would think it looked dated. Which I guess it would if you took it just the way it is.
I don’t know what I like–traditional? Not sure. I like eclectic, if that’s a style. Is that a style?
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:14 pm #
Oooh, Lisa H, I’d hate life without central air! That must be some great house to lure you to live without it.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:15 pm #
Jackie, that sounds lovely! I watched one HGTV show where they took a city Victorian, very narrow house, and gutted it! Made the kitchen, foyer, living room, dining room ONE SPACE. It looked very modern once they were through with it.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:16 pm #
Solveig, a turf house is bad for your health?! I had no idea. Big D’s idea of smart housing is a turf house. He’s loved them for decades.
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:17 pm #
Okay, Kathy, now I have to get the image of bats out of my head. Thanks! LOL
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:17 pm #
Janae, I like the way you think. Keep imagining!
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:18 pm #
Paula, my gosh, I would have given my eye teeth to live in an old Georgian house! I am green with envy!
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:20 pm #
Sabrina, the house you live in now is transitional in architecture—meaning it’s part open floor plan and part traditional division of space. Very popular now, meaning the last 20 years or so. If you like it, now you can say you like a transitional style house.
Kathy on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:38 pm #
there was also an tarantula in the pool once, a huge lizard in the lime tree, and since that house was cloes to the zoo, and my room had only wooden slats, I could hear the lions roar at night. how’s that?
oh! not to mention all the very large hissing cockroaches that scurried on my floor.
Can you tell I’m never planning on going back??? hahahah
Claudia Dain on 17 Mar 2010 at 5:43 pm #
Kathy, eeeewwww on the hissing cockroaches. Some people keep them as PETS!!!
Kathy on 17 Mar 2010 at 6:45 pm #
I KNOW!!! blech
Patricia Barraclough on 17 Mar 2010 at 11:38 pm #
Both my husband’s and my homes when we were younger were the mid-century style. His in Florida was a bit closer to what you described. Our’s was the standard shoe box model. We then moved to an early 1800’s farm house which had been remodeled in the 1950′ style. I think of all the wonderful old features that were removed and I could cry.
I now live in an 1898 farm house. It has the Victorian ginger breading and a wraparound porch. It is pretty basic inside, but does have a fireplace mantle in every room. Again, we got a house that someone who had no clue what they were doing got to first. They knocked off the kitchen and stuck a family room/kitchen in its place. Unfortunately, they did not bother to line up the walls or roofline. We have taken a lot of time (effort and money) to renovate the house and repair all the damage he did in less than a year.
Julie Ortolon on 18 Mar 2010 at 1:27 pm #
I’m an HGTV junkie and I’m completely perplexed by the number of mid-century modern makeovers I see. I also crack up when young adults shudder at their parents’ “horribly outdated” decor that hasn’t changed since the 1980s. Yet the ’50s and ’60s are all the rage???
My theory? People frequently scoff at whatever style they knew growing up, but anything prior to their birth is way cool.
E.R. on 18 Mar 2010 at 9:48 pm #
Hmmm…I don’t know what my preference is, but I do think I like the Spanish/Mediterranean vibe as well as some Asian structure. I’m tired of the suburban cookie-cutter houses, but alas, I live in one of them. Mid-century modern is okay, but I don’t think I would like living in one. I have eclectic taste, and I would just mix a lot of architectural styles to create my own. That would be an ideal solution to getting the best of everything.
Solveig on 19 Mar 2010 at 3:28 pm #
Yes Claudia, it is very hard to build them without them being damp and moldy where it rains alot like here, air conditioning I imagine would also be a hard problem to solve ;Ö) Glad to hear I´m not the only one .Ö) Go Big D!!!