Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Little Inconveniences

I love old houses. I love everything about them; the woodwork, the wavy glass, the craftsmanship, the history. We live in a Craftsman-style house that was built in 1918, and in my opinion, there is really nothing that can match the beauty and history of an old house. Of course, there are also other characteristics of old houses that some people may consider to be drawbacks; the creaky floorboards, the drafty windows, the knocking radiators, the uneven floors, the cracking plaster, etc...with what some would call my "rose-colored glasses", I find these things charming! I grew up in a 1920s house and I suppose that I am simply used to these things. I have fond memories of my mother sitting on top of a radiator drinking her hot tea on winter mornings, and of sleeping on the floor of my parents' room in the summers because it had a window unit. My husband, on the other hand, grew up in a '70s ranch house and considered himself to be an old-house lover until we actually moved into ours. Here is an example of a recent exchange:



Him: "Is that ice on the inside of the window?!"
Me: "Ice? I don't see any ice...just look at that beautiful woodwork!"
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3 comments:

  1. RandiMarch 8, 2011 at 3:57 PM

    Your home sounds like my dream house, and your recent exchange sounds like many a conversation between my beau and I when discussing the practicality of an old home. Seems those 70s ranch house dwellers just can't see the beauty we do :)

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  2. Lauren HairstonMarch 9, 2011 at 4:56 PM

    We call our (1920s) home the "higgledy-piggledy house." I grew up in a house that was built in 1909, so it seems new to me! :-) I've lived in a couple of post-war apartments and was NOT happy in the least! All of my furniture looked like it was in the wrong place.

    I laughed about your mom having her hot tea on top of the radiator, because in the winter my mother stands in front of the stove while the kettle boils and then takes her tea and stands directly over the air vent or almost in the fireplace!

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  3. KelseyNovember 2, 2011 at 11:20 AM

    My boyfriend and I live in an apartment building that was built as housing for army officers in 1939 and most of it and its fixtures and fittings are still original. I absolutely love it, but I too have experienced the "ice on the inside" phenomenon, and I'd love to have a living room floor that isn't 4 inches lower in the middle than at the sides! But, I would much rather live here than in a modern building.

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