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Comments
YES. Those are a lot of mirrors. Still can't believe that was considered cool. It's so disorienting!
Now, something amazing just came back on the market in Bloomfield, and I want to show it off here so we can take our time analyzing the hell out of it, but I'm not going to do that if you're not done responding to my last two posts. And I'm not going to write it at work anyway, which is where I am now.
In the meantime, I found the name for that "50s/60s cross-squares wood flooring"--it's called Parquet.
Er...I knew that. I'm surprised you didn't know. But that's fine, and now you do know, and I'll give you my mom's pretty savvy opinion, formed over many years in NYC: Parquet flooring is generally a pretty good and nice thing. It's never really dated. I have been in a few apartments with it, it's pretty nice IMO.
Ok, anyway, might as well get right to this. Over in Bloomfield, we have this wonderful piece of modernism that's sort of nicely secluded and has a bit of a view too. It's poised weirdly between dated and not so bad, between ridiculous and full of potential, if you're into this sort of styling. In case you can't find a good aerial view, I will say right now that's it's roughly U-shaped and that the patio/pool is not right behind it, but to the side. Check out the Visual Tour too, it's got overlap but also some bedrooms that don't show up in the main pictures.
Right, here it is. Take your time, as always.
Haven't checked out your real estate yet, but I have found this--a look at the demographics and politics of Fairfield County. Not surprisingly, real estate prices are part of the picture.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/18/1100401/-Going-Home-Again-Fairfield-County-s-Towns-Precincts-and-Representatives-Part-1
That awkward moment when you check out a listing for a huge beautiful 2006 house in Avon and realize you were in it before. In 2006. When it was open while still under construction. And that you took funny pictures on your then new-ish cell phone of things like the cardboard "tub template" in the then-tubless master bathroom.
That has just happened to me.
Ok, we're back! And going to talk about reproductions!
Slightly mass-produced (by which I mean a street of like four of them) colonial reproductions!
Older and slightly-less-fancy-but-actually-larger colonial reproductions!
Victorian reproductions!
I used to not like reproductions much. I don't want to live in an actual old house if I can help it. Too many ghosts, both metaphorical and mechanical and possibly literal, if I really believe in that sort of thing. So I always figured a reproduction would weird me out a bit as well. And I don't love the colonial saltbox aesthetic much in the first place. I've always liked 80's-90's Victorian reproductions though, and now I'm even warming to colonial reproductions a bit for some reason.
Because Glenn, if you're reading this, didn't the two of us start on our long chain of discussing real estate because of a thread you made about a house rather like the first one I linked to in the post, saying that you didn't like the idea? (Hell, it might have even been from the same development, although something in my head keeps shouting "Glastonbury!")
But from this post, the Victorian is my personal favorite. Check out the map tab for it...I love the wide-open property it's on. Nearly 4 acres...not too shabby!
EDIT: The first one's mini-development is called Griffin Farms. Also, a similar street, sort of, is Avery Way in Simsbury. It's crammed in the center of town and has 8 houses on very little land each. And I think none of them are exactly huge. I've rarely to never seen anything there go on the market.
So guys, I have a really good reason to bring this thread back.
Today, I did something momentous. Since Sunday is open house day, and I'm home for the weekend, I used the Raveis site to, for the first time, search out the open houses in the area and, looking at a number of interesting ones that I had in fact mostly put on my big personal list already, chose one to go visit.
It's a 1966 modern-thingy way the hell up in northwest Simsbury, on the legendary Westledge Road. It was a bit of a tough choice to narrow down to, but I don't regret it. It was wonderful. Everything was exactly as it was in the pictures. It was very quiet and still and neat and clean and simple. Clear signs of the 60's, 70's, and 80's were everywhere. The online listing doesn't show the amazing bathrooms (the tile! the wallpaper! the color coordination!) or the still-working intercom/whole-house radio system. It's both surprisingly large and not that large at all. The deck appears new.
Here's a somewhat more impressive house on Westledge, with amazing views.
I've been doing some great stuff with real estate, really. Went on a binge in a certain part of New Jersey with realtor.com and found some amazing houses. Maybe I'll throw them up here later. Also, I discovered the .webarchive file format, and how it can be used to save the contents of entire pages from Safari. I've already used it on several vital houses that I never want to lose.
Guess who's back, back again?...
Yeah, so BTL people were coming over here so I decided to show up as well and get this party re-started...
Everyone come look at this split-level in Newton!
Ok, also, this in Framingham.
> split-level
I like split-levels. I think they make the house cozier by bringing things closer together. My mom dislikes them.
That living room carpet must be a pain to clean if anything dirties it. It's so bedazzled with patterns it's hard to see anything.
The kitchen cabinetry appears to be old. So does the table and backsplash but those are probably marble so I'm okay with that.
Sun room looks gorgeous with that sunlight streaming in.
TV set seems to be improperly placed at the bar. I mean, how do you expect people to sit there, with the TV in the way? And how do you expect people to watch the TV, with the people in the way?
Dining table looks rather small for the space of the dining room.
Now the room with the black couch and the carpet, that looks comfier. That's a damn lot of cushions on that couch though.
Brick fireplace and faux black tree are very nice. Hanging lamps nearby are also decent. Everything else doesn't fit there.
Is that a piano a bit ways from the TV set that the person on the red stool is sitting in front of?
HOLY SHIT PINK. Actually I'm okay with the color; it's the padded walls that make it look like an insane asylum.
Looks like the house has a full 2700 square feet mostly because it goes real deep.
While I'd never be able to afford it, I really like that Newton house.
It sure is good to have people to bounce opinions off of again. I wish that Newton house had more photos...they kind of just orbited around the same things again and again.
Glenn, your expert opinion on the Framingham house would also be welcome before I move on to my next thematic presentation: The faded grandeur of the Victorian mansions of the brass barons of Waterbury, CT.
> they kind of just orbited around the same things again and again.
Y'know, many people complain that the MIT campus has bad taste in architecture, but I actually kinda liked it. Because it wasn't the same things again and again. The way it had totally different architectural styles juxtaposed felt a little bit like the closely-adjacent yet starkly-different areas of a metroidvania adventure. If anything it felt more like a curious microcosm that held many secrets and discoveries within its imperfection, rather than a highly-organized and consistent structure that loses its sense of wonder far more quickly.
Anyway...onto Framingham.
> 3800 square feet
O_O freakin' huge.
Wow, that is one laaaaarge foyer.
But why do people have living rooms that sink downwards into the foyer, as (I think) this house does? This is something I haven't quite understood for a while now. See, people with dirty shoes come in from the front door, and you want that dirt to be whisked around by air currents and eventually land in the beautiful comfy living room carpet? Why?
On the other hand, houses that have a partly-sunken foyer for people to step inside and take off their shoes make far more sense.
The owner is really into ornate east-Asian decorations. Not really my thing. Thankfully, 'ey is tasteful enough to keep the stuff to a minimum.
Now here's one problem with having lots of interior space: You have to light it. The house looks awfully yellow, in part because of the need for interior lighting. The fact that everything is yellowish or brown-ish doesn't help. Thankfully, the kitchen and eating area are white and light blue-green, to provide a more refreshing contrast.
That foreshortened picture rather hilarious turns the toaster oven into a high-resolution printer.
Is it just the picture, or is the kitchen really that huge? Could make the kitchen literally eat-in. Or put in an island. The openness to the eating nook is really nice, though.
HOLY SHIT WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS BATHROOM WHY IS IT COPPER STUDDED WITH FURNITURE LEG FLOOR PROTECTOR PADS
That fireplaced family room is very comfily large, though it seems awfully empty. Do the chairs go there for using the home theater set? This family better have at least like four kids to take up all that space. Bonus points if more than just one nuclear family lives in here. Also, the entertainment set seems like a very cluttered pile, but they always do inevitably.
A hidden wet bar? Was that really necessary? Get yourself some furniture first; you ain't entertainin' any guests without places for them to sit. Granted, they're probably halfway in the process of moving out.
Someone has even worse taste in carpet patternry than that previous house's owner. Thankfully, the rest of 'eir family has mediocre, but not horrible, taste in carpet patternry.
Ain't that bedroom with the blue carpet awfully empty? I never liked huge master bedrooms. Use the space for common areas, or more rooms. That said, I guess they had space to waste, what with a whopping 3800 square feet. Got a nice big upper level foyer too, enough to be a small musical salon with a piano. Pitched ceilings are also nice and beautiful.
I wonder if whoever picked out that awful carpet picked out the very linearly colorful wallpaper of this bathroom. And is that an older-style sink, or a modern stylish one that just looks roughly like the shape of a 1950s sink?
By the way, lose the wallpaper. In the entire house. The only place where it maaaaybe works is with that yellowish glare of the living room. Which totally contrasts with the humble white exterior anyway.
:-D
t. interior design critic
For many, including me, all of the different styles together just seemed...jarring? I don't think it's bad, just off-putting.
Because I can, let's look for property in Thermopolis, Wyoming.
I'd prefer to find something that's old and reasonably unique. Not a McMansion and not a newer community construction.
*searches realtor.com*
Whoa, seems like less than 350 grand can get you over 4700 square feet and 7 bedrooms. And over 2 acres too.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/458-Lindsey-Ln_Thermopolis_WY_82443_M77251-18757?row=10
Thing is, though, just looking through this, I've noticed that there really isn't anything unique to this house's interior. Yeah I know I don't have a lot of photos to work off of, but still...it looks like something I could find in Connecticut. The only uniqueness is the mountains in the background. What's with us and homogenizing taste everywhere? Not even 1980 is old enough to defy that trend?
Aside from that, it does have a pretty large living room and kitchen, I guess. Though I'm still peeved about living room carpet that's sunken from the foyer. Why can't foyers be sunken ever?
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/104-Belvedere_Thermopolis_WY_82443_M80487-87805?row=8
This is older, but I guess it still looks similar. This style probably arose during the big housing boom of the 1950s and never quite went away. And maybe it's also that I'm looking at a price point where people would expect things to be reasonably similar. Though this does have a different exterior style.
That said, everything does seem spacier. It's definitely got an impressive view of the hillside and a large kitchen/dining area. Though having moved my possessions around a few times now and having seen everything at home get packed up into tons and tons of boxes and bulky furniture, I'm not sure how I'd feel comfortable with filling that with my own furniture. It's starting to seem a bit burdensome to maintain so much...well, stuff. And I'm not even getting into potential ethical issues. That said, tastefully sparse furnishings do help give a comfortable feeling of spaciousness; what they have there is just about the limit where if you put more it'd get crowded.
It feels a bit like my cousins' big house up in Canada, actually.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/529-Big-Horn-St_Thermopolis_WY_82443_M78485-37598
Here's a smaller and older house. Also slightly more interesting.
It's obviously been redone before, but you can still see quirks of the layout. Like that gently-sloped ceiling above a long, narrow kitchen. As well as the tile countertop. I don't see that often; I usually see some sort of plasticky-surfaced wood or granite/corian/stone. Could be a good or bad thing depending on how well the grout is done and how easily it lends itself to cleaning.
The back wall with the beach sunset scene is a bit hilarious. But perhaps more interesting is the other bedroom with the bed next to the door. For some reason it feels kinda cozy when I look at it. Even though that didn't work for my room. Kid's a Star Wars fan it seems.
Why does every property I've looked at have 9 photos only?
That exterior porch thing is kinda nice. It's probably a back porch, but for some reason I'm reminded of front porches I've seen. Do y'all think you'd like to have an enclosed front porch outside your front door, jutting out like that? Why or why not?
Now here's something more unique:
TL;DW version: a five-story house, whose probably most distinctive features are that it's got quite a small footprint but also has a ton of rooms, and it has an elevator.
summary of each floor:
1. garage, kitchen, laundry?, full bath
2. common room, bedroom (w/ full bath?)
3. master bedroom (w/ full bath)
4. bedroom (w/ full bath), bedroom (w/ full bath)
5. common room, common room, full bath
It's quite surprisingly spatious, and the way it's designed -- with that skylight in the center of the house, and the rooms on both sides of it pointing to the front and back -- it's actually pretty well-lit. 4 beds and 6 baths -- potentially usable as 6 beds and 6 baths, if you've got a big family AND guests.
The video maker says that "Grandma" is sleeping in one of the rooms, so presumably this sort of housing is built with extended family in mind -- which makes sense considering how many rooms it has. Which I think is a better thing for more efficient living than fantasies of rugged individualism here in the states -- though if you really don't get along with your fellow family members, at least you're on different floors.
Also, running up and down those stairs would give you pretty good exercise. Though the stacking does mean that you have to either choose to have an elevator (which probably costs quite a lot and consumes a quite a bit of electrical power), or be forced to deal with stairs even when you're tired (or old). I wonder if there are any potentially good alternatives...how about a ramp running along the exterior of the house?
This is pretty cool, I guess.
The idea of a swimming pool in an apartment is a very interesting one.
That window view is really, really awesome.
However...why would one need two dressing rooms, with just one bedroom? ...ehh I guess one could say that there could be one for each member of a couple...
(and the wine cellar is just excessive)
But more importantly, is the kitchen really that small? Is that it? Does it even have, say, a stove and an oven?
Not to mention that that swimming pool is...probably best described as a swimming puddle, from how it looks. One could barely fit an adult human and an inflated lilo in there. As an exercise pool, I guess it would work...
Now this is really nifty:
DOSE GUITAR STOOLS
And now for something totally weird, and...surprisingly interesting:
In case you want to use a shipping container but want some nicer-looking digs with more modern conveniences, there's this possibility too.
I like these houses. They're cozy.
this looks shopped
i can tell from some of the pixels and from seeing quite a few shops in my time
Well, to be fair, only two pictures are shopped.
Actually, no, technically, all of them are, but two of them are just more glaringly shopped than the rest.