I love old homes – the styles, the craftsmanship, the gardens. When I walk into a historic home I’m always intrigued with how owners and architects convey its story through subtle details.
It probably comes as no surprise that I’m often ticked (maybe enraged lol) when investors/home owners buy a historic home and modernize the character out of it. Farmhouse kitchens are often replaced with granite countertops, open concepts, and hideous 2000 era tile.
I know most of us don’t remember but there was a time when home construction was an art. There were no large factories sticking widgets in machines and churning out neighborhoods of prefabricated, look-alike, Stepford Wives suburbia. Instead, home architecture incorporated unique design and skilled labor. Blueprints and land spaces were easels. Bricks, mortar, and soil were brushes.
Throughout these blogs, I will discuss homes and gardens both separately and as a unit, as gardens are bold extensions of homes that also tell unique stories of the artists who care for them. I will discuss their ever growing importance as urban areas become more congested and people long for the solitude of nature that home gardens provide.
Let’s usher in a new era of respect for land and the story behind the story of old homes.