When we first moved in, we had this giant rock on our front lawn. It was just one of the many unexplainable objects d’art collected by the previous owner.
Landscaping was low on our priority list, but the rock irritated me. So I put it on craigslist. Anytime I give something away on craigslist, I am astounded by the tsunami of people who want the very thing I am getting rid of. The rock was no exception.
Paul was on vacation last week. A luxurious time of non-stop projects and all-day banging, sanding, sawing, powerwashing, and twenty-seven trips to Home Depot.
At the beginning of the week, he sat down to make his list of things to do. I was excited, because there was a project I’d been waiting for him to find time for. I must have been hanging around his list-making too eagerly because he looked at me, looked back at his list, and immediately crossed out the first item. He said—hand me that marker. I was delighted! My requirements were getting top billing and in the bold sharpie they deserve. He wrote:
Paul and I did the Society Hill home and garden tour yesterday, in Philadelphia.
I continue to be obsessed with old marble stairs, ornate entrances, any kind of interesting entablature, and elaborate architectural elements.
I thought I took pictures of the interiors and gardens… but when I uploaded my photos, it appears I spent most of the day ogling doorways.
It was wonderful and all… but by the end of the afternoon, I was really tired of looking at other people’s beautiful homes.
Way more doors… after the jump.
Last night Paul and I went to the Philadelphia Antique Show at the Convention Center.
If I had a spare $15,000… this is what I would have bought:
“Buy Now Bring Back Prosperity” Ephemera: $2,600
I love anything Art Deco, depression-era, industrial… and I particularly love the orangeish-background, screen-printed skyscrapers, shipping, automobiles and factories.
Imari vases: $4,200
I love anything Japanese. Particularly the blue and orange combination of Imari porcelain.
Mahogany Slipper Chairs. England, circa 1840: $4,800
Victorian, tufted, mahogany, unusual… all my favorite things.
If I’d been able to buy anything at all, it would have been these petite chairs. They were a pair, but the lighting was terrible, and the photo I took of both doesn’t show how beautiful they are.
There was only one dealer with modern… I generally deny myself the challenge of combining it with Victorian, but something about these chairs made me reconsider.
Over two years ago, my husband and I bought an old house. We moved from a pristine, Arts and Crafts, 1920’s home. To a disaster 1890’s Victorian. We have lived here while rehabbing.
It has been:
Good
Bad
Ugly
Heroic
Beautiful
Extraordinary
Crazy-making
Horrendous
Fantastic
The Internet has become part of my life in a way that it wasn’t before. The last two years, I’ve spent an insane amount of time hunched over the computer. The access to ideas, inspiration, fixtures, tile, advice… has been invaluable. But it also makes it nearly impossible to settle for anything less than the perfect solution. If you keep looking long enough, you will find exactly what you’re looking for. I have spent untold hours scrolling, scrolling, scrolling… searching, searching, searching… For that one,unnamable, elusive concept.
The parts I’ve found most enjoyable are personal, house-centered, blogs. The ones with actual content. And actual homes, with real projects, real experiences, and real limitations. Not just gorgeous pictures and pristinely decorated, unattainable spaces.
I found myself wanting to be a part of that experience. To share the process of what we are doing with our home, with people who are similarly inclined. I hope that this finds interested readers, and leads me to other blogs that I’ve missed.